Representatives from the Boys & Girls Club of Mason Valley updated the Lyon County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 16 about current operations and multi-phase capital plans for Dayton and Silver Springs.

Travis Crowder and Nick Beaton presented attendance and program data and described a phased plan that includes a licensed early learning center in Dayton (nearly 70 childcare slots for ages 6 weeks to 5 years) and a larger future clubhouse in Silver Springs. "We're serving 1,500 kids and teens annually across our six facilities," Crowder said, adding that daily active membership during the 2024-25 school year was about 450 and that the organization expects daily numbers to rise to about 550 as a new after-school program expanded under a 21st Century grant.

Crowder said the Dayton early learning center is funded and under way; the organization plans to begin site work this month and turn dirt in late October. He described the Silver Springs project as a phased effort with a projected total build cost "probably about a $5,000,000 project roughly from what we have laid out there." The planned Silver Springs clubhouse would include program classrooms, a kitchen/cafeteria, limited outdoor space and capacity for about 135 kids per day in the current layout.

The presenters stressed the club's workforce development efforts: permanent teen staff across sites and a summer junior-staff program that hired roughly 15 teens, plus partnerships with local groups for workforce placement. The club also tracks youth outcomes through the National Youth Outcomes Initiative; presenters said more than 90% of participants feel emotionally safe at club facilities and reported improvements in measures such as emotional intelligence and school performance.

Commissioners praised the organization. "There are very few organizations anywhere that can show the tremendous measurable results that the Boys and Girls Club does," Commissioner Hendricks said.

Why it matters: County officials said the clubs provide child supervision critical to working parents in a region where licensed child-care capacity is low. County Manager Andrew Haskin told the board staff would be open to exploring grant opportunities but had no county funding to commit at this time.

No formal county funding request was made at the meeting; the club thanked the county for prior COVID-relief support that helped match foundation dollars for the Dayton site.