The Al Lenzmeier West Side Boys & Girls Club in St. Paul has a gym that some kids no longer recognize — in a good way. After several weeks of remodeling, the club at 291 Belvidere Street East reopened with fresh flooring, new walls, updated windows and ceilings, and a burst of colorful paint throughout a building whose gym had gone unrenovated for 25 to 30 years.
The overhaul, led by Target's Bullseye Build effort with construction work from Ryan Construction, touched nearly every corner of the facility, according to the Pioneer Press. Improvements include upgraded learning spaces spanning kindergarten through teen age groups, a new teen club room featuring an oversized touch-screen wall unit, a refreshed gym and classrooms, and an upgraded lounge, main living room and basketball court. The club now organizes its space into four distinct age-group areas, and kids received new work desks as part of the update.
Club veteran Tim Schober said the transformation was so complete that some children did not recognize the remodeled gym because it felt so new, per the same account from the Pioneer Press. The club typically serves 75 to 100 young people per day, according to Schober, and operates from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays during the school year, opening as early as 7 a.m. when school is not in session.
A Ribbon-Cutting With Familiar Faces
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar attended the club's ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 8. The modernized facility was highlighted at the ceremony.
Al Lenzmeier, the club's namesake and a former Best Buy president and chief operating officer, also attended the ceremony. Lenzmeier is a philanthropist and Boys and Girls Clubs board member who, according to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities, serves on the organization's Board Emeritus after decades of financial and board leadership and helped establish tech-centered youth initiatives across Twin Cities clubs. Mascots joined the celebration too — Crunch the Wolf represented the Minnesota Timberwolves and Prowl represented the Minnesota Lynx, per the Pioneer Press account.
Corporate and Community Muscle Behind the Makeover
Target volunteers, branded Bullseye at the event, completed furniture assembly, landscaping, mural painting and additional decorations, work that Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx volunteers also contributed to. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx organizations, along with the Minnesota Fastbreak Foundation and Heart of America, provided additional funding or labor for the remodeling, the newspaper reported.
The Timberwolves and Lynx Fastbreak Foundation's involvement fits a longer-running initiative called Our Courts. Our Future., which has previously refurbished youth basketball courts at facilities including the East Side Boys & Girls Club and Jerry Gamble Boys & Girls Club, according to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Stories From Members Who Grew Up There
Sixteen-year-old Alex Wyland-Spears, who lives in West St. Paul, has attended the club since third grade and said it helped a lot with his creative pursuits. The club encouraged his neighborhood photography, and it now displays wall art recreating 11 of his photographs.
Shawn Mitchell, who has brought his two school-aged sons to the club for years after previously bringing his daughter there as well, called the remodeled club a major upgrade, according to the Pioneer Press report.
Serving a Neighborhood Built on Diversity
The club sits in a city-owned building on Belvidere Street near St. Paul's southern border with West St. Paul, directly adjacent to Belvidere Park, where baseball, softball and soccer fields are coordinated with St. Paul Parks and Recreation. The surrounding West Side neighborhood is home to the club.
The club also offers free meals to attending members.
A Safety Net Beyond After-School Hours
The West Side club's role has stretched beyond daily programming.
Across its wider network, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities provides youth services. The organization's sites also provide meals and snacks to youth members.
Part of a Bigger Wave of St. Paul Youth Investment
The West Side reopening marks an upgrade to a youth facility in St. Paul.
