Plano Star-courier > News
City hands center over to Boys and Girls Club
By Kim Williams, kwilliams@acnpapers.com
The Douglass Community Center finally met its fate Monday night at the Plano City Council meeting.
Negotiations between the city and the Boys and Girls Club of Collin County have been in the works for about a year. Community members are disappointed about the decision, as they feel hurt and betrayed by the city.
"Even though the Boys and Girls Club has been in our community for a while, they're not going to have the true heart and soul of the residents in Douglass," said Dolly Thompson, Douglass Community Center resident. "The Boys and Girls Club is a good organization; it's just not a community center."
Reggie Pugh, a volunteer with one of the organizations out of the center, asked the council members to postpone their decision in light of new data community members had gathered.
"I don't believe they understand the full impact of the situation," said Pugh. "The past couple of weeks, we have had some positive communication with the city manager, and we thought we were making progress."
Eleanor Evans, a senior member of the community, has been fighting for the continuation of the Douglass senior program during the negotiations.
"What really concerns me is that the Boys and Girls Club is just that: a boys and girls club," Evans said. "We won't have senior programs at all anymore through the center unless we run them ourselves."
Evans appealed to the council to take the final decision off the agenda.
"Please - the data you've got is not complete," Evans said. "Give yourselves time to evaluate the data."
T.J. Johnson is not a Douglass resident, but she has been involved in the community for more than 20 years.
"There are too many questions about how this contract will be implemented," Johnson said. "We want this to be a win-win for both the city and the Douglass Community."
She also appealed to the council by asking for more time to explore the agreement and how it will impact the community.
"If we could have a community coordinator to act as a liaison, a task force to gather true input from community members, or an advisory board to help in the decision making, I believe there could be a positive outcome from the results," Johnson said.
Ralph Williams was raised in the Douglass Community and is still involved in the community, even though he resides elsewhere in Plano.
"The council comments indicated they were enlightened during the meeting," Williams said. "But if I were going to make the decision they made, I would have taken more time to make sure I had all the information."
Williams believes the crime rate has been down in the community because the center provides positive activities that keep residents involved. He wants there to be a "stronger partnership between the BGCCC and the Douglass Community," but he feels that ideas and requests to the city on the community's behalf have fallen on "deaf ears."
"If this fails-the Boys and Girls Club supporting the community-what is the negative impact going to be?" Williams added, "What is going to be their contingency plan? How much will it cost the city then?"
Like Pugh and Johnson, Williams would like to have seen the city take more time in making their decision.
"There should be a task force to act as a liaison, to study it, to make a good decision that would affect the entire community in a positive way; not just the Douglass Community, but the Plano community at large," Williams said.
Amy Fortenberry, director of parks and recreation for the city, is pleased with the council's decision to move forward with the expanded agreement with the BGCCC.
"This is a unique opportunity to provide services to our citizens while achieving a significant cost savings," Fortenberry said. "I think that the Boys and Girls Club has strong relationships in both the Douglass Community and throughout Plano that will enable them to provide outstanding programs and services."
She plans to begin work on the transition, which will occur in the next 30 days.
"The Boys and Girls Club has offered programs at this location since 1997. As a result, they have staff members at this center enabling them to assume their new role quickly," Fortenberry said. "City staff will meet with the Boys and Girls Club to work out the details of the transition. The city will coordinate meetings between established programs at the center to plan for future services."
Tanya Greene, CEO of the BGCCC, is also happy with the decision made by the council.
"We feel it is a win for everyone," Greene said. "The Douglass Community Center will continue to serve Plano citizens with even more exceptional programming."
Greene believes the city found a creative solution to reduce its budget problems by asking the BGCCC to take over operations of the center.
"The Boys & Girls Club has more space to serve the children and the community," Greene said. "I am very impressed with the innovation and compassion demonstrated by everyone in the city of Plano, from the parks and recreation department to the city council. We are truly honored to be a part of this solution."
Even though the residents who spoke on behalf of the community at the council meeting may disagree with Greene's statement of how the city has approached the negotiation, Greene believes the BGCCC can have an overall positive impact on the community.
"It is my sincere hope that Douglass Community members will give BGCCC the chance to demonstrate that we entered into this agreement for the right reasons. We want to have a positive impact on the entire community, and we will preserve the rich history of the Center," Greene said.
Two concerns that community members believe were not answered during the council meeting were in regards to who would be supervising children after school at the center and if there could be a meeting every few weeks to maintain communication between the BGCCC and the community during the transition of management.
"Boys and Girls Clubs of Collin County has been operating the Plano Boys and Girls Club in the Douglass Community Center since 1997. We consider ourselves to already be active members of the Douglass Community," Greene said. "We have always had open communication with members of the Douglass Community, and we will continue to do so. Anyone that has concerns, suggestions or ideas can reach out to the BGCCC staff at any time.
"We will also host an annual Town Hall meeting to keep an open dialogue between BGCCC and any member of the Douglass community."
Greene said that a child will need a membership application on file to be admitted into the center after school.
"It is imperative to do so for the safety of all of our citizens," Greene said. "Correct me if I am wrong, but memberships were issued at Douglass Community Center and membership cards were used to do things like check out equipment."
Greene also believes that the changes will have a true positive impact.
"We want children engaged in homework help, eating a nutritious dinner and participating in quality programs, as opposed to just having a place to hang out around the building," Greene said. "We know that children thrive in structured environments with engaging activities and positive adult mentors."
While memberships will be required by visiting children after school, she said that a child will not be kicked off the premises if he or she is not a BGCCC member.
"That child will be invited in, given a tour, introduced to staff, invited to stay for dinner. Then, that child will also be invited to become a member and participate in the activities and programs available to every child," Greene said. "But just like a community center or recreation center, we would need a membership on file. It takes less than 10 minutes to fill out."
The city will sign a 15-year contract with the BGCCC, with two five-year renewal options. This will result in the daily operations of the community center being transferred to the BGCCC along with all operational expenses, saving Plano citizens $508,213 annually.
Williams considers this a paramount decision in the history of the Douglass Community.
"I was born and raised in this community. This is part of my heritage," Williams said. "We're all sensitive to the economics in this city, as we have all been affected."
The center will have new hours of operation:
· Open play will be provided to any Plano resident during the school year Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday from 7 until 9 p.m., and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
· During the summer months, open play will be provided to any Plano resident Monday through Friday from 5 until 9 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
· Additionally, space and supervision of the building will be provided at least twice per week for the use of senior citizens of the community to meet, during the hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday through Friday.
· Any community member will also have the opportunity to rent rooms in the center, following the same fee schedule the city of Plano already provides.
· Any child ages 6-18 who registers as a BGCCC member can participate in the daily after-school programs from 3 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the summer.
Negotiations between the city and the Boys and Girls Club of Collin County have been in the works for about a year. Community members are disappointed about the decision, as they feel hurt and betrayed by the city.
"Even though the Boys and Girls Club has been in our community for a while, they're not going to have the true heart and soul of the residents in Douglass," said Dolly Thompson, Douglass Community Center resident. "The Boys and Girls Club is a good organization; it's just not a community center."
Reggie Pugh, a volunteer with one of the organizations out of the center, asked the council members to postpone their decision in light of new data community members had gathered.
"I don't believe they understand the full impact of the situation," said Pugh. "The past couple of weeks, we have had some positive communication with the city manager, and we thought we were making progress."
Eleanor Evans, a senior member of the community, has been fighting for the continuation of the Douglass senior program during the negotiations.
"What really concerns me is that the Boys and Girls Club is just that: a boys and girls club," Evans said. "We won't have senior programs at all anymore through the center unless we run them ourselves."
Evans appealed to the council to take the final decision off the agenda.
"Please - the data you've got is not complete," Evans said. "Give yourselves time to evaluate the data."
T.J. Johnson is not a Douglass resident, but she has been involved in the community for more than 20 years.
"There are too many questions about how this contract will be implemented," Johnson said. "We want this to be a win-win for both the city and the Douglass Community."
She also appealed to the council by asking for more time to explore the agreement and how it will impact the community.
"If we could have a community coordinator to act as a liaison, a task force to gather true input from community members, or an advisory board to help in the decision making, I believe there could be a positive outcome from the results," Johnson said.
Ralph Williams was raised in the Douglass Community and is still involved in the community, even though he resides elsewhere in Plano.
"The council comments indicated they were enlightened during the meeting," Williams said. "But if I were going to make the decision they made, I would have taken more time to make sure I had all the information."
Williams believes the crime rate has been down in the community because the center provides positive activities that keep residents involved. He wants there to be a "stronger partnership between the BGCCC and the Douglass Community," but he feels that ideas and requests to the city on the community's behalf have fallen on "deaf ears."
"If this fails-the Boys and Girls Club supporting the community-what is the negative impact going to be?" Williams added, "What is going to be their contingency plan? How much will it cost the city then?"
Like Pugh and Johnson, Williams would like to have seen the city take more time in making their decision.
"There should be a task force to act as a liaison, to study it, to make a good decision that would affect the entire community in a positive way; not just the Douglass Community, but the Plano community at large," Williams said.
Amy Fortenberry, director of parks and recreation for the city, is pleased with the council's decision to move forward with the expanded agreement with the BGCCC.
"This is a unique opportunity to provide services to our citizens while achieving a significant cost savings," Fortenberry said. "I think that the Boys and Girls Club has strong relationships in both the Douglass Community and throughout Plano that will enable them to provide outstanding programs and services."
She plans to begin work on the transition, which will occur in the next 30 days.
"The Boys and Girls Club has offered programs at this location since 1997. As a result, they have staff members at this center enabling them to assume their new role quickly," Fortenberry said. "City staff will meet with the Boys and Girls Club to work out the details of the transition. The city will coordinate meetings between established programs at the center to plan for future services."
Tanya Greene, CEO of the BGCCC, is also happy with the decision made by the council.
"We feel it is a win for everyone," Greene said. "The Douglass Community Center will continue to serve Plano citizens with even more exceptional programming."
Greene believes the city found a creative solution to reduce its budget problems by asking the BGCCC to take over operations of the center.
"The Boys & Girls Club has more space to serve the children and the community," Greene said. "I am very impressed with the innovation and compassion demonstrated by everyone in the city of Plano, from the parks and recreation department to the city council. We are truly honored to be a part of this solution."
Even though the residents who spoke on behalf of the community at the council meeting may disagree with Greene's statement of how the city has approached the negotiation, Greene believes the BGCCC can have an overall positive impact on the community.
"It is my sincere hope that Douglass Community members will give BGCCC the chance to demonstrate that we entered into this agreement for the right reasons. We want to have a positive impact on the entire community, and we will preserve the rich history of the Center," Greene said.
Two concerns that community members believe were not answered during the council meeting were in regards to who would be supervising children after school at the center and if there could be a meeting every few weeks to maintain communication between the BGCCC and the community during the transition of management.
"Boys and Girls Clubs of Collin County has been operating the Plano Boys and Girls Club in the Douglass Community Center since 1997. We consider ourselves to already be active members of the Douglass Community," Greene said. "We have always had open communication with members of the Douglass Community, and we will continue to do so. Anyone that has concerns, suggestions or ideas can reach out to the BGCCC staff at any time.
"We will also host an annual Town Hall meeting to keep an open dialogue between BGCCC and any member of the Douglass community."
Greene said that a child will need a membership application on file to be admitted into the center after school.
"It is imperative to do so for the safety of all of our citizens," Greene said. "Correct me if I am wrong, but memberships were issued at Douglass Community Center and membership cards were used to do things like check out equipment."
Greene also believes that the changes will have a true positive impact.
"We want children engaged in homework help, eating a nutritious dinner and participating in quality programs, as opposed to just having a place to hang out around the building," Greene said. "We know that children thrive in structured environments with engaging activities and positive adult mentors."
While memberships will be required by visiting children after school, she said that a child will not be kicked off the premises if he or she is not a BGCCC member.
"That child will be invited in, given a tour, introduced to staff, invited to stay for dinner. Then, that child will also be invited to become a member and participate in the activities and programs available to every child," Greene said. "But just like a community center or recreation center, we would need a membership on file. It takes less than 10 minutes to fill out."
The city will sign a 15-year contract with the BGCCC, with two five-year renewal options. This will result in the daily operations of the community center being transferred to the BGCCC along with all operational expenses, saving Plano citizens $508,213 annually.
Williams considers this a paramount decision in the history of the Douglass Community.
"I was born and raised in this community. This is part of my heritage," Williams said. "We're all sensitive to the economics in this city, as we have all been affected."
The center will have new hours of operation:
· Open play will be provided to any Plano resident during the school year Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday from 7 until 9 p.m., and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
· During the summer months, open play will be provided to any Plano resident Monday through Friday from 5 until 9 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
· Additionally, space and supervision of the building will be provided at least twice per week for the use of senior citizens of the community to meet, during the hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday through Friday.
· Any community member will also have the opportunity to rent rooms in the center, following the same fee schedule the city of Plano already provides.
· Any child ages 6-18 who registers as a BGCCC member can participate in the daily after-school programs from 3 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the summer.
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