In the new year, children will walk through the doors of a new location for the Oak Harbor Boys & Girls Club.
The club has left its long home at the historic Roller Barn for a building on Ely Street that is expected to help the club fulfill its mission for years to come.
The boys and girls spent their last day at the Roller Barn on Friday 18 December and will see the new location on 4 January.
Local business owner James Croft bought the Roller Barn and said he plans to restore the structure to its former glory as a skating rink. It allowed the club to continue using the barn until the renovations of the new location were completed.
“He’s been a good buyer for us, doing the right things,” said Bill Tsoukalas, executive director of the Snohomish County Boys & Girls Club.
The Oak Harbor club is part of the regional organization.
While some people may recognize the club’s new home as Burley’s former funeral chapel, the unit’s director, Nikki Barone, said she feels comfortable in the new building and is confident the children will do the same.
“Life was celebrated here and now life will continue to be celebrated here with young people,” Barone said.
The building needed some renovations and upgrades, but Coupeville architect Stig Carlson was able to change the space to suit the needs of the club.
“One of the things I had was that the entrance and the big hall, which used to be a chapel, were already in that setting and working well for a boys and girls club,” Carlson said.
In addition to the bright entrance and spacious main room, the new building has a games room, a computer room, a small study room and a kitchen and cafeteria space. There is also a teenage space with colorful lights, computers, high desk tables and a large TV screen. Computers have all sorts of programs for kids to learn 21st century skills, along with firewalls and content filters to keep them safe.
“Everything is within reach, depending on the technology,” said Tyler Koble of Network PC Engineering, head of technology for the new building.
The new building is less square feet than the Roller Barn, but the separate rooms will allow children to do different activities at the same time, Barone said. It will also be useful for social distancing.
The club has remained open during the pandemic, but leaders had to “be a little more creative” in how to separate the children in their old home, Tsoukalas explained.
It cost about a million dollars to buy and renovate the old Burley building, Tsoukalas said.
State Representative Dave Paul (D-Oak Harbor) helped get state budget support that made the effort possible, Tsoukalas said.
“It was the simplest letter I’ve ever written,” Paul said of asking for support for the state’s capital budget.
Tsoukalas thanked the community and wanted to acknowledge those who were previously involved with the club for helping them get to this point and for having created a club in the first place.
“We congratulate them for what they imagined at the time,” he said.
Oak Harbor’s new boys and girls club is located at 30 Ely St.
The teen room at the new Oak Harbor Boys and Girls Club includes computers, TV screens and flashing colored lights. Photo by Emily Gilbert / Whidbey News-Times
The teen room at the new Oak Harbor Boys and Girls Club includes computers, TV screens and flashing colored lights. Photo by Emily Gilbert / Whidbey News-Times