LV club ready to take over in BC

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2003 | 8:52 a.m.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas is ready and able to step into Boulder City and run before- and after-school programs the Boys & Girls Clubs of Henderson is dropping at the end of next week, Las Vegas club officials said Tuesday.

The Las Vegas club executive committee, a subcommittee of its board of directors, told the club president on Tuesday to meet with Boulder City officials to plan for the switch in program administrations.

"The decision has been made. If asked, we'll go in there," Ron Hall, chairman of the Las Vegas clubs' board, said. "We're ready to go ... The bottom line is we're here to make sure the kids get served."

Boulder City Mayor Bob Ferraro said he expects the details to be worked out within the next few days. Ultimately the City Council would have to give the Las Vegas club permission to use the two city-owned buildings at 801 Adams St. where the programs are held.

This is the fourth school year the Henderson club has started out running before- and after-school programs in Boulder City. An average of about 70 children and teens attend the programs daily, Henderson club officials said.

In an Aug. 28 letter sent to the Boulder City mayor and council, Henderson club Executive Director Clyde Caldwell said his club would drop its oversight of the Boulder City programs on Sept. 12.

Caldwell and Henderson club board President Carol Marker blamed what they described as a vocal minority of critics for the change.

Problems between Henderson club officials and some Boulder City residents began in November when the Henderson board turned down a possible merger with the Las Vegas clubs. Boulder City's three representatives on the Henderson board at that time, including then-City Councilman Bryan Nix, resigned in January in protest.

Cokie Booth, also one of the Boulder City representatives on the Henderson board, said they wanted Las Vegas to run the Boulder City programs because the Las Vegas club seems to be run better and seems to have more money to deal with unforseen problems.