Boys & Girls Club of West Alabama Begins Major Renovations at Space for Kids in Alberta

A nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the lives of children in West Alabama broke ground on major renovations to their clubhouse in the Alberta area this week.

The Boys & Girls Club of West Alabama has been raising money through their Legacy of Hope Capital Campaign since 2021 so they can upgrade their aging Alberta headquarters without taking on new debt to do so.

On Wednesday, the club broke ground on Phase 1 of those plans, which will see the existing Clubhouse rebuilt by a team from Snow Blankley Construction.

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"You know this building was built in the early 70s and our club's been around since 1961," BGCWA CEO Kim Turner said. "We've taken as good care of it as we can, but look around y'all - it is time! It is time for this."

Phase 1 will see the clubhouse upgraded with a new entry featuring security measures no one dreamed would be necessary in the 70's, new bathrooms and more.

"We will turn this building over on Monday morning to Snow Blankney to begin and when we get this building back in 300 days, give or take, we will have a brand new, safe entryway into the Pfizer Welcome Center," Turner said.

Later phases, which will only move forward when the nonprofit secures enough funding to pay for them in full, will include even more exciting features.

"That's just phase one, there's still phase two and phase three," Turner said. "When we're done, one whole side of the building will be just for teens. There will be podcasting, a dance studio, a stage in our gym and a new gym floor. On the other side of the building, there will be an addition where the Yolanda Stockdale Elementary Learning Center will go, where the Nick and Terry Saban STEM Lab will be. That's where our new cafeteria will be, where we will be able to provide lunch and breakfast every day in the summer and dinner every afternoon in the school year. So many great things will happen in this building because of our donors."

The Club continues to raise money for Phases 2 and 3 of the renovation.

For more coverage of news in west Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.