The Boys & Girls Club

of the Muskegon Lakeshore

$10M NMTC Investment

LOCATION
Muskegon, MI
SQUARE FOOTAGE
63,000
TOTAL PROJECT COST
$10M
CENSUS TRACT
26121000800

The Boys & Girls Club of the Muskegon Lakeshore completed a 63,000 SF multi-tenant community center located in downtown Muskegon, MI.

64.15%

Percent of Area Family Income

33.8%

Poverty Rate

14.7%

Unemployment Rate

1.77

Unemployment Rate Ratio

$39,934

Median Family Income

Severely Distressed Census Tract

Census tract (26121000800) is severely distressed based on unemployment rate (>1.5x national average) and poverty rate (>30%).

Additional Distress Criteria

Food Desert | Brownfields | Opportunity Zone | SBA Hubzone

Project details

10,546 SF new construction
53,000 SF rehab
Upgrading HVAC & lighting
Geothermal energy source
Improved access for individuals with disabilities

The goals for the Clubhouse MKG’s were framed around the priorities identified in Mercy Health’s 2021 Muskegon Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), a federally mandated process that helps a nonprofit hospital identify and prioritize key community health needs. The Clubhouse MKG is addressing 4 identified priority areas in the CHNA:

Education
Employment & Income
Community Safety – Racism & Discrimination
Healthy Behaviors – Tobacco, Nutrition,
Exercise, Alcohol & Drug Use, Sexual Behavior.

These priorities align with the Muskegon County Comprehensive Plan.

The Clubhouse MKG project will re-establish the 44-year-old building as Muskegon County’s community center for all. The Clubhouse MKG now accommodates and will continue to house the Neal Fitness Center, an aquatics center, BGCML, Shape Corp Teen Zone, and i’move. After the renovations, the building will also feature an administration wing that will offer shared office space for additional community partners.

“After visiting the building many times over the years, I am looking forward to the space being reimagined and updated to fit the current needs of our community. This will be a welcoming place for all to swim, workout, learn new things, and be their authentic self through the Boys & Girls Club and the Neal Fitness Center”
– Monica Turnbull, Executive Director

Racial Demographics of BGCML Youth Served (2022)

Meeting the Needs of Area Youth

1 in 5 Muskegon kids leave school with no place to go. BGCML will more than double the number of kids they serve each day from 120 to 300 kids per day.
1 in 4 Muskegon youth live in poverty: 59% of Club members live in a home with annual incomes of <$20,000.
1 in 5 Muskegon teens will not finish high school. 97% of BGCML youth expect to graduate from high school.
Muskegon county ranks 78 out of 82 in childhood wellbeing. BGCML costs each member $5 per year for access to priceless opportunities.
Feeding America estimates 19.5% of people in Muskegon are food insecure: BGCML served 18,700 meals in 2021.

Neal Fitness Center

Boy with goggles swimming

Neal Fitness Center is a dynamic space dedicated to personalized, affordable, and lifelong fitness. The Clubhouse features the only indoor public pool in Muskegon County. Neal Fitness Center is a non-profit subsidiary of BGCML and operates under the same 501c3.

Programming includes: premium classes, pickleball, water sports equipment, golf simulator, swimming pool, basketball courts, cardio & weight room, spin studio, lifeguard training, learn-to-swim, Digital MIRROR® workout room, rock climbing wall.

i'move

Serves over 2,000 patients annually. Each patient receives one-on-one treatment from the same highly-trained therapist every time they visit. i’move therapists treat the whole source of their patients’ pain, not just the symptoms. Staff takes pride in creating personal connections with their clients in order to form customized training exercises.

Services offered: physical therapy, aquatic therapy, women’s health, and fitness consultations.

Environmental Impact

Muskegon Lake and its tributaries were once the dumping ground for area industry. Its waters polluted with oils, mercury, lead and heavy metals. In 1987, the Environmental Protection Agency designated it a “Great Lakes Area of Concern.” It then began the process of remediation and restoration.

The federal government, through the EPA, along with state and local partners, have invested $70 million over the past decade removing contaminated sediment and restoring surrounding habitat. The EPA announced in May 2022 that the lake will be monitored, and once it meets cleanup criteria will be removed from the Areas of Concern list.

Clubhouse MKG is partnering with the local
water conservation district to continue the shoreline restoration on Muskegon Lake, cleaning up the lakefront and establishing a
fishing habitat.