New facility in the works for Greeneville Boys and Girls Club

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Boys and Girls Club of Greeneville and Greene County is building a new facility and moving to a different location. Leaders at the club said they have seen an increase in aftercare kids since the pandemic that they have had to go on a waitlist.

“With the new facility we’ll be able to double the amount of children that we can serve,” said Scott Bullington, Boys and Girls Club executive director of the Boys and Girls Club. “We’ll be able to grow as an organization and serve about 300 kids a day. Right now, 150 is our max and unfortunately, when school starts, that fills up quick.”

Bullington told News Channel 11 that their current building is 10,000 square feet and the new facility will be 27,000 square feet, providing them with more space.

“We’ll have study areas, we’ll have education rooms, we’ll have a large cafeteria which will make it easier to serve the larger amount of children,” said Bullington. “Our gym will be twice the size of what we have now, but it will also have a stage for a performing arts area for our kids to express themselves in the arts.”

Bullington said the extra space will allow them to give the kids more activities and programs, such as a dedicated homework room.

“We provide programing for kids, everything from anti-bullying to anti-drug to healthy lifestyles,” said Jessica Poore, director of operations at the Boys and Girls Club. “At a facility our size with the amount of kids that we’re serving right now, we absolutely don’t have the space to do every program that we would love to do.”

Poore added that by getting a bigger building they are able to serve more kids, therefore alleviating some of the childcare crisis parents are facing.

“That’s more parents that can potentially get back into the workforce, that could potentially be, bringing home dollars to their family,” said Poore. “We think, the impact on economic development is going to be huge.”

Bullington said that they have started excavation work on the site located on East Vann Road next to Hal Henard Road. They don’t have an official date as to when it will be ready but they hope to move in sometime next year.