A 45-year-old building in Arlington has once again gotten new life. A major makeover means something good to the kids who spend summers and after school there.
"As you can imagine when you have hundreds of kids coming into any space every day, it does need some tender love and care. And, we do a good job of taking care of our spaces, but from time to time, it's really important that we refresh and update spaces for a couple of reasons," said Daphne Barlow Stigliano, the president and CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County (BGCGTC).
BGCGTC closed the Dan Serna Branch in East Arlington for 12 weeks over the summer for a major renovation project.
"It gives us more capacity. It gives us a space that's been updated. It gives us the opportunity to create that safe place. It gives us an opportunity to create. I think the chance for a kid to be a kid. It gives them the opportunity to think about, you know, who they wanna be," Stigliano said.
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The renovation plan for the club at 2011 Wynn Terrace in East Arlington included safety improvements and a focused effort to create a welcoming space. The nonprofit celebrated the club's grand re-opening on Monday, Sept. 9.
Kids aged six to 18 now have a dedicated space for art, teen activities, education, social recreation, and much more.
"Primary colors can be great but when you're talking to a 13- or 14-year-old, primary colors don't necessarily do it for them all the time. So we have special spaces just for them," Stigliano said. "We have spaces just for younger kids. So those are refreshed and redone, so they look great for them."
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"Ultimately we want this to be a place that kids love to be at, that this is the place they want to spend their time in the summertime and after school. And so to do that, you need to make sure it's a fresh inviting space that is welcoming to them. And then also we need to make sure that it has the materials and the equipment that are really kind of challenge them in their learning and in their thinking," Stigliano told NBC 5.
It's a major improvement for a building that in 1980 housed the city's water department.
Transportation to the branch from the following schools is provided during the school year: Adams Elementary, Blanton Elementary, Goodman Elementary, McNutt Elementary, Rankin Elementary, Newman International Academy, Workman Junior High, and Sam Houston High School.
The City of Arlington, Ladies Auxiliary of Arlington, and LBL Architects partnered in the renovation and picked up the $600,000 tab.
