The city of Anchorage is finalizing plans to take over the building that houses the Boys and Girls Club in the Mountain View neighborhood.
The Mountain View Community Center has housed the Boys and Girls Club for more than 25 years. Municipal Manager Becky Windt Pearson said community members want the building to house a more all-purpose recreation center, like the city operates in the Spenard and Fairview neighborhoods.
“We've simultaneously been tackling some concerns with the Boys and Girls Club about access to that facility without charge,” Windt Pearson said. “Because community center facilities are accessible to children elsewhere in the municipality without charge, and the Boys and Girls Club has started charging a fee for their service in Mountain View.”
The city will not charge a fee.
At a special meeting Tuesday, the Anchorage Assembly approved a grant that will support the Boys and Girls Club in Mountain View until the end of May. Windt Pearson said starting June 1, the club will cease operations and the Parks and Recreation Department will take over the building.
“There will continue to be an option for kids to come to that building after school to have activities in the space, but those will be operated by the Parks and Recreation Department,” Windt Pearson said, “along with the Parks and Rec Department exploring things like more extended hours, access to the center for more activities targeting different segments of the community, not just kids.”
City officials plan to discuss the transition at the next Mountain View Community Council meeting on Feb. 26, Windt Pearson said. The Assembly also approved three grants on Tuesday to support three other Boys and Girls Club programs in the city.
