Teen center to create Boston jobs
Posted on June 20, 2014
Ground has been broken on the future home of the Boys and Girls Club Mattapan Teen Center, a place that will create Boston jobs.
The 7,800-square-foot facility will replace the vacant former Mattapan Library on Hazleton Street and provide high quality youth development programs for teens focused on leadership, academic success, performing arts, and healthy lifestyles.
The center is scheduled to open in fall 2014 and will serve approximately 250 teens annually, including 125 teens daily during evening programming.
The $2.5 million revitalization includes a computer lab, an education area with meeting spaces, a commercial kitchen, a 65-seat community theater that can also be used for fitness activities, and a music studio. The majority of the renovation work will take place inside the building, and green improvements will be incorporated to help conserve energy and reduce operating costs.
“The Boys and Girls Club Mattapan Teen Center will be a vibrant addition and an invaluable resource for teens in this neighborhood,” said Mayor Walsh. “This is an exciting day for Mattapan and for the entire City. I want to thank the Boys & Girls Club of Boston and the Smith family for their vision and commitment to this neighborhood. Improving our neighborhoods requires a lot of hard work and compromise, and this is a great example of what can happen when everyone works together.”
“The Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston are grateful to the City of Boston for granting us the unique opportunity to bring an underutilized facility back to life,” said Josh Kraft, President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston. “By transforming the space into a center for the Mattapan community, BGCB will offer much-needed programming and resources to enrich and enhance the lives of local youth.”
All of the exterior windows will be replaced with new efficient weather-tight windows, and system upgrades, including a new boiler, will increase efficiency. A programmable thermostat system will be installed to maximize savings on heating and cooling, and the interior lighting will be motion-sensor activated to save electricity when rooms are not being used. There will be no major changes to the outside of the building and existing exterior and interior details will be restored.