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The new facility, which will replace the old building that was destroyed in a fire on New Year's Day 2007, will hopefully open by December 2009, said Christine Destry, the nonprofit's director of organizational advancement.
The ConocoPhillips donation will go toward building a learning center where children can study and get help from tutors.
"We're excited to support their efforts," said Jeff Callender, public affairs specialist for ConocoPhillips. "They provide such a valuable array of resources and activities for young people."
The Boys & Girls Club has so far raised $3.1 million of the $4.5 million sought in a capital campaign. The construction will cost $3 million, and the extra money will be used for projects at the county's five other club locations plus fundraising expenses.
Destry said Boys & Girls Club staff and members are excited about the new facility, which is a far cry from the worn-out roller rink the club used to be located in.
The new facility will remain in Pioneer Park, but will be built on the northeast corner, near Central Elementary School.
It's expected to serve more than 2,000 people per year, Destry said, and will include a teen center, an arts room, a computer room and athletic fields.
Destry said the club is looking forward to the extra space.
"It will be great to actually separate into smaller, focused groups instead of putting 100 of us all in one room," she said. "This will help (the kids) so much better."
The building also will have a full-sized kitchen and a special entrance that will turn the facility into a community center.
"We'll be able to partner with the community in ways we never could before," she said.
The club has been operating temporarily out of a Fern- dale church, but Destry said the smaller space hasn't been a burden to the club.
She also said that teen membership has swelled since moving there.
The new facility will be built according to environmentally friendly LEED standards. Lynn Templeton, the organization's executive director, said it will be one of the first Boys & Girls Clubs in the nation to be built with renewable resources.
The organization has received numerous state grants and donations, including a $275,000 donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Destry said it plans to hold several fundraisers, though the details have not been set.
"We're just so fortunate to live in such a generous and giving community," Destry said. "It's because of groups like ConocoPhillips that Ferndale can have a new club."
Reach Katie Regan at katie.regan@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2220.
To see more of The Bellingham Herald or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.bellinghamherald.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Bellingham Herald, Wash. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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