‘We’re Extraordinarily Excited’: Peekskill Boys & Girls Club Project Moving Forward
Plans are moving forward for a Boys & Girls Club to come to the City of Peekskill.
During a recent Peekskill Common Council work session, Alyzza Ozer, chief development officer for the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester, discussed the Mount Kisco-based facility overseeing the transformation of the Kiley Youth Center on Main Street in Peekskill to a Boys & Girls Club.
“We’re extraordinarily excited about the opportunity to work with all the partners in Peekskill,” said Ozer, who noted initial talks about the partnership started about three years ago. “We work very hard and love what we do. We look forward to the opportunity to serve more kids.”
In Mount Kisco, Ozer said the Boys & Girls Club, which has been located in the village for 82 years, serves about 500 youth, ages six months to 18 years old. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, about 750 kids took advantage of a variety of services and programs offered daily.
The Peekskill Boys & Girls Club, which is anticipated to open in spring 2023, has been jumpstarted by $2.5 million provided by the Westchester County Board of Legislators and $1.5 million allocated as part of a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) award the city received in 2019 from New York State that was solidified in May.
“I’ve been talking about this for a while. To see that we’re at this point is very exciting. I can’t stop shaking I’m so excited,” said Peekskill Mayor Andre Rainey. “Youth has been a priority of mine.”
“I think this is a real game changer for our residents and our children,” said Councilwoman Patricia Riley. “It is a whole new day, a whole new beginning in Peekskill.”
Ozer, who mentioned 62% of the children who frequent the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester are Hispanic and 72% of the overall population live at or below the poverty level, emphasized staff in Mount Kisco would be working closely with the Peekskill Youth Bureau, Peekskill School District and city officials in what programming and services are provided in Peekskill.
The Boys & Girls Club, which also serves meals, engages children in activities that cover arts and social recreation; character and leadership; health and wellness; and sports, fitness and recreation. The Peekskill Boys & Girls Club will not have a swimming pool.
Wilder Balter Properties will be renovating and expanding the Kiley Youth Center.
“This will pretty much be a new building on the inside,” said Bill Balter, president of Wilder Balter Properties.
The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester is currently working with the federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on obtaining a lease to the Kiley Youth Center.
“It has been a fun process to see where it has developed to now,” Rainey said.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
