Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Boys & Girls Clubs hit by feud

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Henderson plan to drop before- and after-school programs in Boulder City at the end of next week.

Many involved in the programs, however, say they are confident the Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas will step in to run the programs and avoid a shutdown.

The board of directors of the Las Vegas chapter was expected to meet today to discuss the Boulder City matter.

Bob Ranney, president of the Las Vegas clubs, said there is a "good possibility" the Las Vegas chapter will pick up the Boulder City programs as soon as the Henderson chapter drops them. But he also said it is possible the Boulder City programs won't have a Boys & Girls Club for a brief time.

In a letter dated Aug. 28, Henderson club Executive Director Clyde Caldwell informed Boulder City's mayor and council that his club will stop operating the programs in Boulder City at 801 Adams St. on Sept. 12.

The program, in Boulder City for four years, averages 35 children a day in its regular before- and after-school care and another 35 a day in its drop-in program.

Caldwell criticized the Las Vegas club in the letter, accusing its leaders of trying to take over the Boulder City programs for financial reasons.

"Their interest is because they see money in Green Valley, Lake Las Vegas and Boulder City. To them, it is not about the kids, it is about the money," Caldwell wrote.

He also said that he intended to complain to the clubs' national parent group "regarding the extremely unethical behavior of the (Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas) management and Board of Directors in their behind-the-scene actions to take over a well run and respected unit in Boulder City."

Ron Hall, chairman of the Las Vegas clubs board of directors, said those allegations were untrue.

"We didn't go to Boulder City. Boulder City came to us," he said.

Asked if the Las Vegas club would step in to avert a shutdown, Hall said, "It's very likely. We're not going to let the kids be left out in the cold."

Caldwell blamed the Henderson clubs' pending departure from Boulder City on Cokie Booth, a Boulder City resident who was on the Henderson clubs' board, "and her friends," who he said would continue to attack the programs the Henderson clubs provides.

Carol Marker, president of the Henderson clubs' board of directors, said Booth and her supporters have been such a distraction with their complaints that "we decided the only course was to let her have her way."

Marker said the problems with Booth and other Boulder City residents began in November when the Henderson board turned down a possible merger with the Las Vegas clubs.

"Since then there has been nothing but complaints," Marker said.

Booth and the other two Boulder City representatives on the Henderson board, one of whom was former City Councilman Bryan Nix, resigned from the Henderson board in January in protest.

Booth said she wanted the Boulder City programs to be allowed to move to the Las Vegas clubs because she thought the Las Vegas board was run better, and that the Henderson clubs had less money to avoid unforeseen problems.

There were also a slew of maintenance problems at the Boulder City programs, such as a broken sliding glass door, and poor landscaping, that weren't getting attention from the Henderson clubs, Booth and others have said.

In his letter to the mayor and council, Caldwell disputed that those maintenance problems went unaddressed.

Booth said she and the other Boulder City representatives wanted the Henderson clubs to allow the Boulder City programs to switch over to the Las Vegas clubs smoothly.

City Councilman Roger Tobler said the Henderson clubs should have given the city more than just two weeks' notice they were leaving.

"It bothers me that they pull out on such short notice. It shows me at least that they were not committed," Tobler said.

Tobler said he's sure the city will try to will make sure the programs aren't canceled, even temporarily.

"Our goal is not to have any lapse, whether it's Las Vegas or our own parks and rec department, we'll be looking into that," Tobler said.

Marker said: "We truly did not feel the amount of notice was an undue hardship, and there's no lack of commitment to the children. Boulder City and Las Vegas made it clear everything was ready for them to take over."

Michele Buttacavoli, whose 6-year-old daughter goes to the Boulder City program five days a week, said she's confident the programs won't stop, even briefly.

"Things will be taken care of," she said. "If Las Vegas isn't there, there will be volunteers."

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