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| By Dan Cooper Staff Intern CHICOPEE - One year after officially breaking ground for a new gymnasium, The Boys & Girls Club at 580 Meadow Street opened the new facility on Feb. 13. "We started fundraising for the gymnasium in 2004. We broke ground on Feb. 13, 2006. Exactly one year later, the gymnasium is finished," Executive Director Elizabeth Daly said. Daly said that other area Boys & Girls Clubs have new gymnasiums as well, but this one was built out of necessity. "We ran out of space to put the children, so we decided we needed a new gym that had more room than our old one," she said. "The city of Chicopee has helped us out tremendously. Various businesses contributed lots of funds for fitness equipment, bleachers, and even money for the basketball hoops," Daly said. Daly also thanked the architect team that worked on the gymnasium. "Their vision made this project possible. It was a pleasure to work with the team," she said. "I'd also like to thank the Hampden County Sheriff's Department, who brought in crews for the last week to paint the gym," Daly said. William Wagner, president of Chicopee Savings Bank and a co-chair of the gymnasium campaign, was unable to attend the ceremony but said through a representative that he was delighted to help fund a "wonderful place for children to make friends." Kevin Vann, the other co-chair of the campaign and the principal of Dufault, Vann & Co., said, "This is one of the proudest moments for the city of Chicopee and this club. "I want to say thank you to all of the staff, volunteers, and donors who made this gymnasium possible," Vann said. "This is an important step for the Boys & Girls Club," James Bugbee, the Board President of the Boys & Girls Club, said. "This gymnasium will allow us to provide more services for children, which is one of the goals of the Club." Bugbee and Vann both agreed the project would have gotten nowhere without the help of Daly and Michael Moriarty, the former Board President. "They kept the project going, even when it looked like nothing was going to get done," Vann said. The gymnasium was officially opened with a special ceremony, where the people directly responsible for the funding and building of the gym, including Bugbee, Moriarty, and Vann, shot basketballs into the six new hoops to, as Daly said, "Christen the baskets." Daly said that the Club is still fundraising for the gymnasium. "We are conducting our annual tile campaign at the moment to help fund the gym," Daly said. The tile campaign allows donors the chance to display their artwork, logos, and other options on a tile that will be displayed on the Donor Appreciation Wall. Prices range from $150 to $250. For more information about the tile campaign, contact Adam Pichirilo at 593-6707 or adamp@bgcchicopee.org. |