News. “Club members prepare themselves to move from old familiar Saanichton fire hall to tiny house t. 4 nS RNS ae by Glenn Werkman The Review From a spacious old brick fire- hall to a tiny house. That’s what the Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Central Saanich is faced with after a building in the heart of Saanichton’s business district was sold by the municipality. Some of the children and teen- age users of the East Saanich Road club house are facing the impend- ing Feb. 1 move with courage. Others vow not to leave. Long time club member Shan- non King, 11, said: “I’m not moving, my feelings are strong about this place, I’m not leaving.” A house on the comer of Wal- lace Drive and Mt. Newton Cross- road has been rented by Central Saanich for $750 a month to give the Boys’ and Girls’ Club a tem- porary home until plans for a permanent facility can be made, Ald. Wayne Hunter said. But the house may be too small and staff at the club are concerned about disrupting club activities during the relocation. King said: “Seriously, I don’t think we should move into it. It’s going to be too small and we'll have to leave half our stuff behind.” Three pool tables, two video game machines, a kiln for ceramic classes, a foozeball table, paints, boxes of supplies and a raft of tables, chairs, desks and program- related equipment have to be moved. Many teens and kids at the club wish they could have talked to council about the sale. But the opportunity never materialized. The building’s new owner, Ron Spelt, gave the club extra time to move because tenants in the house won't vacate until Feb. 1. He’s allowing them until Feb. 5 to move. Spelt has tried to sell the build- ing to a buyer willing to move it, fo avoid having to tear it down and make room for construction of a Chevron service station. But so far » there have been no offers and a building mover said only the top floor could be moved, sections. in two Tim Marshall, 9, doesn’t want to move either, He likes the large rooms and the pit, where group discussions are held. Marnie Elliott, 15, a Grade 9 Stelly’s student, said the club is “a place that keeps the kids off the Streets. “The new place will be a big adjustment for a lot of kids because they’ ve grown up here and have been going to this place for a long time,” Elliott said. Along with two other teens, Elliott publishes a monthly news- letter for the club and spends several nights each week at the club. Rob Trelford, 17, has been going to the club steadily for about four years and last year helped build some walls inside the building to divide teens from kids. “We try our hardest to get it fixed up and now they're tearing it down,” Trelford said. “This build- ing’s been here for as long as I have.” Angela Kuschnir, 15, said club members will work together to get everything moved and set up in the new place. Boys’ and Girls’ Club unit director Judith Wright is trying to be optimistic about the move. Although no one has seen the inside of the new premises a diagram has been drawn of the interior design and some plans have been made. “All the kids are talking about leaving,” Wright said. “But I think the house in some ways will be good for us. “Ivll be much more intimate because it’s so small.” Over 100 children and teens are members of the club and more come on a drop-in basis, she said. “We're really close,” Wright said. “Our group isn’t going to go to school counsellors with prob- lems, they're going to come here and work it out with friends.” Adult volunteer John Bent admires the work Wright does. coe ae ee 5 LL Fit, ORO ie (so EXE TING§ PROUDLY POSED WITH their sign at the Boys’ and Girls’ Glub in Central Saanich are (I-r) Tim Marshall, 11, Vanessa Marshall, 9, and Shannon King, 11. Some members face the impending move with courage while others vowed not to leave. Given a few extra days by the building's new owner, there willbe some time for the transition from a large building fo a small. “You can almost see it in their eyes when they come in the door. Something is bothering them and they want to talk to Judith about it,’ Bent said. Because of a shortage of adult volunteers, several teens moved into adult roles and taught courses to younger teens last summer, Wright said. One teenager taught a babysit- ting course, another instructed peers in ceramic arts and another ran jazz dance classes. There are about 14 teenage volunteers at the club now. “They’ve replaced the adults,” Wright Said. “It’s really incredible to see.” Programs may have to be changed in the new club house, but “we'll make it work for us,” Wright said. REAR VIEW OF THE old fire hall, which was the home for the Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Central Saanich, until foday. Inset, a small house at the corner of Wallace Drive and Mf. Newton Cross- road is where the club’s members will move fo. TheReview More adult volunteers who live in the community would really help, she said. Hunter said the house was the best thing council could come up with and he hopes a permanent building can be found sometime in the future. The club was allowed to use the old firehall oy demporanilys he - Said. “The house is the best accom- modation for them right now,” Hunter said. “But I feel council has an obligation to see them in better accommodation.” He said that with increasing communication problems between children and parents the Boys’ and Girls’ Club plays a vital role, citing a recent study which revealed an average parent com- municates with a child for 32 seconds each day. “We're going to have to take care of the community’s health,” Wednesday, January 31,1990 — B27 Hunter said. But not all aldermen agree with his position, he said. Hunter said a recreation facilit- ies feasibility study the municipal- ity is having done should address the long-term need of the Boys’ and Girls’ Club. “A couple of aldermen are won- dering “Io what extent do we go’ but there-is no doubt in my mind that there’s a need for it,’’ Hunter said. “Hopefully (the new location) works out. I believe it is small but anything is small compared to the facility they are in,” Hunter said. Programs offered by the club will be suspended during the first couple weeks of February, said Ralph Hembruff, co-ordinator of club services. “The bottom line is, we are disappointed that the ideal build- ing has been sold,’ Hembruff said. COLOUR PHOTO REPRINTS NOW AVAILABLE CHOOSE | FROM 4”’xX 6” 5”X Te 8°X 10” = If you’ve seen a color front page picture on the cover of The Review and want it in your living room; Stop in and place the order* TheReview *all reprint orders must be prepaid. *“*allow three weeks for orders to be processed. “Plus Tax