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A committee of the Alpena County Board of Commissioners has voted to recommend to the full board that the county allow the Boys and Girls Club of Alpena to sell its former home and keep all the proceeds.
We agree with that recommendation and encourage the board to follow it.
Earlier this year, the Boys and Girls Club moved from its longtime digs on River Street to a new facility on Miller Street. The club raised the money for its new facility over a number of years.
The old facility along the Thunder Bay River is owned by the club, but it sits on property deeded to the club by the county with the stipulation that, if the club ever sold the property, it could only sell to someone who also would offer youth programming. If the club sold to someone else, the property would revert back to the county or the county would be entitled to a portion of the money raised by the sale.
The board's Economic Development Committee on Wednesday voted to recommend that the county remove that stipulation from the deed and allow the club to sell the property to whomever the club wants and to keep all the money from the sale.
That riverside property becomes a lot easier to sell if the list of potential buyers isn't limited to those offering youth programming. With a longer list of potential buyers, the property might fetch a better price.
We think the Boys and Girls Club deserves that.
The club provides a uniquely valuable service to the young people in our community, giving them a safe place to go after school and programming that enriches their minds and keeps them healthy.
Plus, as Commissioner Travis Konarzewski said at Wednesday's committee meeting, "They raised the money for the new club on their own and never asked the county for a penny."
The club did the work to raise the funds to build a new, state-of-the-art facility and shouldn't have to forfeit any money from the sale of its old property.
The club will put the money to good use. Club Executive Director Brad Somers told News staff writer Steve Schulwitz the club wants "to take the funds and use them to service future generations of kids."
We encourage the county Board of Commissioners to follow the recommendation of its committee and remove the deed stipulation so the Boys and Girls Club can sell the property -- perhaps for more money -- and keep the proceeds for itself to fund the good work that it does.
(THE ALPENA NEWS)