A recent council decision will go a long way to filling a “void” in programming for teens and tweens in Innisfail.
“I'm so excited for the kids,” said FCSS manager Tammy Oliver-McCurdie after council unanimously voted to sign a two-year lease for the former Parkland Community Church on 49 Avenue.
At $1,815 a month, the 4,507-square-foot building will be used to offer youth-focused programs most notably the Side Door, a youth drop-in option currently run from St. Mark's Anglican Church. The lease starts in January 2014.
Organizers Darcie and Paul Magrudr said they started the weekly drop-in just over a year ago when they recognized a need for providing grade 6 to 12 students who may not be involved in extracurriculars something to do in a safe, supervised environment.
“The group experience is important because of the sense of community and the acceptance that comes from it,” said Paul of why he started the program with his wife.
At the beginning, there were only a handful of participants but over the course of the year, the interest has grown to over 70 kids, which is beyond capacity limits at the current location.
The two said they hope the move into the new building will allow the opportunity for more youngsters to join.
Oliver-McCurdie told council that there are currently negotiations with the Boys and Girls Club of Olds & District to start a satellite in town. Getting the new space will allow the club to offer after-school programming. She also said the Boys and Girls Club would be partnering with the Side Door.
She said other community members have also expressed interest in using the building for programming including Big Brothers Big Sisters. In addition, it will allow the FCSS to offer some programming such as the Youth Community Kitchen and the Open Studio, an art youth mentorship program.
Terry Welsh, director of community and protective services, said the recreation department could look into providing some art programs or physical activities but would wait to see how the other groups settle into the space first before determining where and how the recreation department can play a role.
“One area we need improvement on is culture, so there could be some art programs there,” he said.
An estimated $12,000 in revenue is expected from the various groups with operational costs expected to sit at $25,000.
The building recently became vacant after the church moved to the former Metcalfe Funeral Home also located on 49th Avenue.
Pastor Dwight Budden said the church boasts 2,200 square feet upstairs and 2,304 downstairs with bathrooms, a kitchen and four offices. He said the church made the decision to move because the new location is level and more accessible for seniors and people with mobility issues.
“We would love to be a partner and believe what Tammy wants to do with this facility is great,” Budden told council during his presentation.
He explained that up until the end of the lease, in Oct. 2015, the town has the first rights to purchase the building at a price of $280,000.
The agreement was the first step towards finding a solution for many of the non-profit organizations in town that currently struggle with finding programming space.
Earlier this year, Community Partners met to discuss the feasibility of jointly sharing a building for administration and programing.
Oliver-McCurdie said this building will help solve the problem of programming restraints and added that the lease gives the partners two years to determine the “next step.”
Currently, one-third of Innisfail's population is made up of those between five and 18 years old. In total, 1,650 kids are enrolled in Innisfail schools, Oliver-McCurdie said.
She said there is a social return on investing in youth and said studies show that for every $1 invested, $23 is saved on police services, justice programs and Alberta Health Services.
