By Robert Perea
As Area Director Oscar Aguilar stepped up to the podium during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of the Fernley Community Response and Resource Center on Aug. 27, about two dozen children and teens and a handful of staff members from the Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows Serving Fernley filed out of the new building.
The group standing behind Aguilar provided a visual reminder of the reason for the moment.
The City of Fernley and the Boys & Girls Club celebrated a ribbon cutting to mark the completion and opening of the building that will serve as the club’s new home.
“This new facility is much more than just bricks and walls,” Aguilar said. “It represents an opportunity. It represents a safe place for youth to learn, grow and discover their full potential.”
Later that evening, the Fernley City Council voted to approve the lease agreement with the Boys & Girls Club to operate and maintain the building. The initial term of the lease is for two years, with an option to extend one additional year. The Boys & Girls Club will pay the city $1 per year in rent and will pay the taxes, utilities and operating expenses for the building.
In addition to being the home of the Boys & Girls Club, the building will double as an emergency response hub for the city. More than $15 million of the $18.9 million total cost of the building was from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which require it to be used for ARPA-approved purposes. The city identified The city identified COVID-19 testing and vaccination site, workforce development services/programming, education assistance services, afterschool programming, and early childhood education as the uses for the building.
The second phase of the building will be an early learning center and a gymnasium for recreation and events is planned as the third phase. The Boys & Girls Club has said it will raise the money to pay for construction of the early learning center.
At the ribbon cutting ceremony, representatives of the city, Boys & Girls Club, the state’s congressional delegation and the contractor and architect on the project spoke to thank those whose work throughout the past 10 years made the building possible. There was also a performance by dancers from Fernley Performing Arts.
“This isn’t just a building,” Mayor Neal McIntyre said. “It’s a promise to our future. So I say saddle up Fernley, a new day is upon us. Today we celebrate what has been accomplished. Tomorrow we continue our mission of building our future.”
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