The Boys and Girls Club of the Mississippi Delta was chartered and first established in Yazoo City in 2007. But now the local club, whose charter mission helped create at least six other locations in the Delta region, has been forced to close its doors due to the hazardous conditions of its building.
The local club has been housed at the former Yazoo City Junior High School building since its opening in 2007. But the doors are now closed as a search for a new, more suitable, location is underway.
Unfortunately, some of the young club members are continuing to walk up to the club’s doors in the hopes they are opened. Despite being told the club’s location has been closed, several local children continue to make the journey to the club, optimistic that something has changed.
David Dallas, chief executive officer with the Boys and Girls Club of the Mississippi Delta, confirmed to The Herald that the local chapter’s location has been closed. He said the condition of the building was the reason behind the closure.
“It just got to be too much, and we were told that the city would soon be cutting off water and power to the building,” Dallas said.
A supplemental story surrounding the Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s actions in regard to the building, located at 516 Canal Street, is also included in this edition.
Judy Ables, director of the local club, said the closure has been a heart-wrenching experience for her staff and the members, who looked to the local club for engagement, hot meals, tutorial sessions and well-being. She added that “drive-by” wellness checks are being conducted currently with members.
“We gave the members, from the sidewalk, chips, drinks, their pictures, jackets, shirts, and personal journals,” she said.
During the spring session, Ables said there are 30 active members. That number increases in the summer session with about 50 children.
“Due to not having a gym, the membership has declined,” she said. “They told me before the gym was officially closed, there were over 100 kids.”
The club’s operation within the aging building is not a new development. The Herald has extensively covered the building’s condition for nearly a decade. In 2016, The Herald reported the conditions at the local club, finding in restricted areas, including the gymnasium, excessive amounts of water damage and what appeared to be black mold. Although the children were not allowed in these areas for safety and health reasons, they were limited to the small spaces where they could have a club of their own.
Buckling under the strain of rainfall and water, ceiling panels were falling to the ground. Light fixtures were hanging by one cord from a collapsed ceiling panel. Floor tiles were soft, filled with water.
The once heavily used gymnasium resembled something from a ghost town. The large area was once the site of carnivals, basketball games, recreational activities and other events. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration even held a robot camp once inside its walls. In 2016, the gymnasium was a damp and wet cesspool of damaged floors and mold.
Since the 2016 report of the building’s condition in The Herald, the facility has continued to decline. The roof of the gymnasium has since collapsed with holes in the flooring. The side of the building that catered to club members and the local administrators is continuously damaged with leaks and other water damage.
“The condition has worsened, with more of the roof from the gym allowing water to come into the part where the Club is held,” Ables said.
Dallas said no improvements were sufficiently made to the building during the club’s residency.
“The gym roof collapsed five years ago, and no effort has been made to fix it,” Dallas said. “It's really difficult to recruit children to a Boys and Girls Club without a gym or large play area. I am so proud of how hard our staff and volunteers have worked to recruit and engage children without a gym facility.”
Ables added that electrical and water issues were, at times, addressed and repaired.
“But any maintenance as far as painting, cleaning, trash pickup, I have handled,” she added.
The building is owned by the Yazoo City Municipal School District, now known as the Mississippi Achievement School District. It was leased to the city of Yazoo City. The Boys and Girls Club, in turn, subleased its space from the city.
In the past there have been disputes about who was responsible for repairs and maintenance to the aging facility.. One side would argue it fell under the owner of the building, while the other argument was that it fell under the leasing party. This continued for several years with no real clear assumption of responsibility from the school district or the city.
The club administrators entertained the possibility of relocating to the former Webster Elementary School, which has now been vacated by the city school district. Club leaders felt the location would be ideal for the club’s operation since it contained classrooms, a gymnasium, a kitchen with cafeteria space and remained within walking distance for many local club members.
However, an agreement was never met between the club and the school district.
“We think Webster would also be ideal for a Club,” Dallas said. “The gym space is just what we need. I really have no idea why we are not being encouraged and supported by the district to take over the building space. A number of school districts that we work with provide either old unused buildings or even space in existing schools to serve children and families with after school and summer programming.”
A potential lease agreement between the MASD and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Delta limited the usage of the Webster building. According to the agreement, the Boys and Girls Club would only have access to the kitchen, cafeteria, six classrooms and two restrooms. The school district would control the gymnasium, a computer lab classroom, the library, and three other rooms.
It has been stated in public city council meetings that the city school district intended to use the gymnasium as a bus and equipment storage area.
The rental side of the lease agreement is also vague, citing two different conditions. One condition states that the club’s rental payment would be “one-half of the sum of all monthly utility charges.” The other condition, listed under utilities, states that the club shall make “arrangements for and be responsible for the payment of all charges associated with the supply of gas, electricity, telephone, internet, water and all charges for sanitary sewage…”
Club administrators were unclear of how to interpret the rental agreement regarding utility costs, especially considering the club would only partially occupy the building. Safety and security were also a concern with the club needing full access to the building with no outside parties.
Gregg Giles, executive director of Operations with MASD, told The Herald that the MASD acknowledges the valuable services that the Boys and Girls Club provides to children in the Yazoo City community.
“While the District remains open to further discussions with the Boys and Girls Club based on the conditions that were presented, it is important to note that the District must retain the use of certain spaces within its leased facilities to meet the specific needs of the District,” Giles said.
“I had hoped that we would move to the Webster building,” Ables said. “No agreement could be made with the safety of our members. There is also no place big enough to move that is up for sale.”
There have also been discussions at the open city council meetings about the city of Yazoo City using the annex portion of Webster Elementary School to accommodate the local needs of a shelter.
“Even though the District has not yet developed a formal agreement with the City regarding access to space in Webster Elementary School, the District remains committed not only to the academic and social-emotional needs of students but also recognizes the interconnectedness between community well-being and student success,” Giles said. “By actively addressing the needs of the homeless population, we contribute to creating a supportive environment that directly benefits the students and children in our community. We look forward to ongoing collaboration and dialogue to ensure a positive balance between District priorities and community service initiatives.”
Dallas said the Yazoo County School District has accommodated what could possibly be done with vacant county school properties. However, he admits having the club outside of the city limits is a concern.
Ables also said it has been proposed about the possibility of using the former HeadStart building at Bentonia-Gibbs Elementary School.
“But I will lose the Yazoo children,” she added.
The administrative offices of the Boys and Girls Club of the Mississippi Delta were first located with the Yazoo club at its Canal Street location. Those administrative offices then relocated to office space at a Fifteenth Street shopping center. Those offices were moved to Greenwood last year.
Some members of the community have been critical of the administrative office’s relocation, questioning the move while the Yazoo City club’s location remained at the aging building.
“We moved the administrative offices out of the building in order to provide more space for club activities,” Dallas said. “That was the reason for the move. As fewer and fewer rooms were viable for the children to be in, we determined that giving them our admin space was the best option. The move for the administration office from Yazoo City to Greenwood was to make that office more central to all the clubs that we serve - which are as far north as Jonestown with future expansion as far north as Desoto County. As well, we were paying $1,800 a month in rent and had an opportunity to purchase a building at a very low cost from one of our donors.”
The club purchased the Physicians and Surgeons Building from Greenwood physician Dr. John F. Lucas III.
According to an article in the Greenwood Commonwealth, Cameron Abel, a member of the club’s board of directors, said “a move became possible when the club was informed by the Boys and Girls Club of America that the Delta organization had received a donation from MacKenzie Scott, who Abel said had identified the group specifically for the donation.”
“When we got this donation, one of the things I felt like we could do was actually purchase a building,” Dallas said, in that Greenwood Commonwealth news article.
The article later states, “aside from a personal relationship — Lucas III and Dallas both attend the Episcopal Church of the Nativity — Dallas said he and the board recognized the building is in a great location.”
Concerning funding, Dallas said the average annual budget for clubs is about $175,000. Many members of the community have questioned exactly how much through fundraising efforts goes specifically to the Yazoo Club.
“In Yazoo City, it has been less because we have less we can offer in the space in which we operate,” Dallas said. “As an organization, we do have funds to support renovations to an existing facility - of course not the hundreds of thousands that would be necessary to renovate the Canal Street location. In addition, we have had several corporate groups reach out to us to offer support, but we need to ensure that the funds and support they provide go to a sustainable location that is supported by both the city and the county.”
John Wallace, who serves on the Boys and Girls Club of the Mississippi Delta board, said he hopes the local community understands the need for a Boys and Girls Club within the city limits of Yazoo City. He also made reference to recent action by the Jackson Public School District, which announced the closure of 13 schools last December.
“The Jackson school district made those closures, but they are donating some of their buildings to be used specifically for community purposes in an effort to generate something positive for those communities,” Wallace said. “I don’t understand why we couldn’t do that in Yazoo City. We need support like that. I just don’t understand why the city school district is not willing to help us.”
“The Boys and Girls Club of the Mississippi Delta started in Yazoo City,” Ables added. “It is a place for kids to come and be anything they want. The Boys and Girls Club also hosted at least two community health fairs. We were working on community projects such as Leola Dillard Park. The Boys and Girls Club of Yazoo gives back to the community. It gives the children a place to belong and go. The children learn life skills, physical activities, emotional and social skills. It gives them a safe place to go. The Club feeds our children breakfast, lunch and a snack in the summer. In the fall and spring, we help them with homework. The club is a safe place for them to be. The Club is not only for the members, but also for the parents. It gives parents free time between work and home life to do things knowing their children are safe and well taken care of.”
