The closure of the Rotterdam Boys & Girls Club’s pool has made unexpected waves for the organization.
The Rotterdam Boys & Girls Club receives $18,500 annually from the Town of Rotterdam to help cover services provided to the community at a reduced cost, but its contract was limited to pool related services and recreational activities provided to seniors. Under its contract, once the pool closed in April, so did its revenue stream from the town.
Now, the club and the town are trying to keep that money from going down the drain. Shane Bargy, executive director at Boys & Girls Clubs of Schenectady, explained the services it offers to the community at the Rotterdam Town Board’s Wednesday, Dec. 12, meeting in an effort to broaden the scope of its contract.
“The Rotterdam Boys and Girls Club is the community center in the Town of Rotterdam,” Bargy said. “That facility provides an enormous amount of benefit to the entire Rotterdam community.”
Supervisor Harry Buffardi said he recommended Bargy give a presentation to board members after Bargy approached him about the issue. The board is likely to vote on a revised contact at its organizational meeting New Year’s Day.
“I had a pretty good feeling that the members of the board would be receptive to this,” Buffardi said after the meeting.
Councilman Robert Godlewski said he wasn’t aware the scope of the contract was limited to senior swimming activities, even though the center provides plenty of other services and programs. Godlewski, along with Buffardi, said they are alumni of the club.
“You don’t have to convince me of the good that your facility does,” Godlewski said. “I find it hard to believe we are withholding money because it was specifically allocated for seniors.”
Buffardi said the town wasn’t able to continue making payments to the club once the pool closed due to the scope of its contract. Continuing to make payments to the club would have been an improper expenditure of town funds, Buffardi said.
“I think we should expand the language even more, because (the club) is such a community asset that it is not just for children … you do a tremendous amount of good for the community, and we certainly respect that and appreciate that,” he said.
Funding is still in the budget for next year, Buffardi added, because the pool is expected to reopen.
Major structural issues caused the pool to close, and the club has already raised around $240,000 towards repair costs, Bargy said. The organization is looking to raise around $85,000 more.
Anyone interested in making a donation to club’s Pool Pledge Drive can visit its website at bgcschenectady.org to donate through the website or print out a form to mail.
Bargy said the organization has also focused efforts on the Rotterdam clubhouse recently.
“There is a lot of time and money in the last two years that have gone into the facility,” Bargy said. “The Rotterdam building has been our focus in our organization to repair first, and now we will be moving on to some of our other facilities.”
This summer, the club completed an “extreme remodel” of its Rotterdam facility through a resident-led effort, which was supported by businesses and organizations throughout the community. The gym floor is currently being replaced at the facility, too.
“It has certainly become the jewel of Curry Road,” Buffardi said. “It certainly looks much better to reflect what goes on behind that façade.”