Boys and Girls Clubs Seeks $3 Million

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington is asking the District government for $3 million in financial assistance, including money to reopen its oldest branch, on Capitol Hill.

The Fenty administration and the D.C. Council are considering the request for funding, which the organization says it needs to help overcome a $2 million operating deficit and maintain programs at its 11 District clubs over the next year.

The $3 million request is far more than the $500,000 the organization has received from the District in each of the past two years.

"I'm looking for a greater partnership with the city," said Will A. Gunn, the organization's president and chief executive. "It's going to strengthen our presence in the city. It will ensure that we serve the city better."

If the city does not give the money, Gunn said, the organization will offer programs at its District clubs, though it will not reopen the 70-year-old Eastern Branch on Capitol Hill, which closed Aug. 17. If it gets the money, Gunn said, the organization would reopen Eastern for an indefinite period.

The organization announced in April that declining enrollment and financial pressures were forcing it to close Eastern. Developers were invited to offer proposals for redeveloping four parcels, including Eastern and the sprawling Georgetown parcel, which houses its Jelleff branch.

Gunn said that the organization plans to seek bids for those properties, as well as two others, one in Columbia Heights, the other in Congress Heights, where clubs will remain even if the sites are redeveloped for additional uses.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), whose wife, Michelle, is a member of the organization's board of directors, said he "will work with the council to find the best proposal for the community while at the same time balancing budgetary considerations of our city agencies."

However, Peter Nickles, general counsel to the mayor, said he would advise Fenty to stay out of discussions over the club because of his wife's role on the board. His recommendation, he said, is intended to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.

"I will be advising him that he should not be involved in any such request and defer to the city administrator," Nickles said.

Michelle Fenty, Gunn said, has not participated in any of the deliberations over the funding request.

Council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5), who led a roundtable on the clubs' future this year, favors granting the assistance, saying it is not unlike the District offering money to any community group.

"We assist many other organizations," he said. "This is part of what the government has been doing, and what we get back are services that benefit our citizens. They're in areas where we don't provide services."

The funds granted to the clubs over the past two years were for Club 10 in Columbia Heights, one of the clubs that the organization is offering to developers.

Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) said he would not support the current request unless the organization vowed not to sell the Georgetown property, which is in his ward. The Boys and Girls Clubs, said Gunn, remains committed to exploring the redevelopment of its properties because of the financial pressure it faces.

The organization has a $15 million annual budget and operates 22 branches in Maryland, Virginia and the District. Over the past year, the organization had a $2 million deficit. It has accumulated deficits since merging in 2003 with the Metropolitan Police Boys and Girls Clubs.

"Cash is a challenge in terms of financing the organization," Gunn said. "We have some. Do we have as much as we need? No."