West Salem Boys and Girls club looking for new home

The club has to be out of its current location by July first

WEST SALEM, Wis. (WKBT) — The West Salem Boys and Girls Club is looking for a new home. For the last four years, Hope Community Church has graciously allowed the club to use its building, but now the church needs that space back.

While the club must be out of the facility by this summer, operations won’t shut down. All activities will temporarily be held at the West Salem Middle School. And club officials said they are actively searching for a permanent space.

“We ultimately want to have a permanent site in West Salem, we are working towards that goal, and we want to have a site that’s either on school grounds or very close to school grounds so the kids can walk,” said Mike Desmond, the executive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse.

West Salem school officials admit making space for the boys and girls club will be tricky because of summer cleaning. However, they said ensuring there is a safe place for kids to go outside of school is a top priority.

“It can be a difficult task finding places for your kids before and after school, surround care is difficult and we want to do our part to help these families,” said Troy Gunderson, the superintendent of West Salem School District.

The West Salem Boys and Girls Club was set to get a new space as part of the West Salem School District’s $31.2 million referendum this past spring. However, it failed to pass. Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse summer session start in June. The West Salem branch must be out of the church by July first.