Statesville has bought the Boys & Girls Club of the Piedmont's Cochran Street campus and lined up a new temporary home so kids do not lose their after-school or summer programs in the shuffle. City officials say the deal is a key move to expand recreation options in south Statesville just as new housing projects start filling in around the neighborhood. While the city figures out how to use the larger Cochran Street property, the club will keep serving local children and partnering with the city on future programming.
Council sign-off
The Statesville City Council signed off on the purchase of 1001 Cochran Street at its March 16 meeting, according to the Statesville City Council. The Cochran Street acquisition appeared as a regular agenda item, which is the procedural step the city needed to take to assume ownership of the property. Council members said the move fits into Statesville's broader long-term recreation plans.
Price, financing and lease details
The city reports it paid $3.25 million for the Cochran Street site and will finance the purchase at 0 percent interest over a 10-year term, according to the City of Statesville Facebook. As part of the arrangement, Statesville will lease the Bentley Community Center at 1410 3rd Street to the Boys & Girls Club for five years, with an option to renew, at a symbolic rate of $1 per year.
City officials framed the structure of the deal as a way for the nonprofit to put more of its money into programming, mentorship and academic support instead of bricks and mortar, while the city uses its resources to broaden recreation access in a fast-growing slice of south Statesville. The city also pointed out that roughly 3,000 to 4,000 homes are either approved or in development in the surrounding area.
How programming will continue
The Boys & Girls Club of the Piedmont lists its main campus at 1001 Cochran Street and highlights tutoring, meals and summer-camp programs that serve hundreds of local children, according to the Boys & Girls Club of the Piedmont. The Bentley Community Center is already a city-operated facility at 1410 3rd Street, based on the city's facility listings from the City of Statesville.
Shifting day-to-day Boys & Girls Club programming to Bentley keeps services close to neighborhoods with many families while Statesville studies how best to use the larger Cochran Street building.
What officials say is next
City Manager Ron Smith said the partnership will ensure that "youth programming continues without interruption," and Donna Collins of the Boys & Girls Club said the organization "is excited to partner with the city," according to the City of Statesville Facebook. Officials said next steps include closing the sale, finalizing the lease and developing programming partnerships through the Recreation & Economic Vitality Department.
The city has not released a public timeline for any renovation or repurposing of the Cochran Street site. In the meantime, families are being told to expect their usual after-school and summer services to continue at Bentley while Statesville and the Boys & Girls Club work on longer-term plans for the property.
