Boys and Girls Club of Porter County – Duneland

The building expansion of the Boys and Girls Club in Porter County provided much needed additional space and services to the children in the community. The 19,000 square foot expansion of the existing Club included a full-size gymnasium, a two-story rock-climbing wall, a new lobby, reception and concessions area, fitness studio, an education center, STEM lab, and a teen tech lounge with state-of-the art technology and equipment. Understanding the value of capital dollars for community projects, such as this, Tonn and Blank worked with the Club and the architect to value engineer items to make the most of the budget. Items included changing architectural precast to painted structural precast, polished concrete in lieu of ceramic flooring, exposed painted ceiling in lieu of ACT, and sealcoat parking lot in lieu of new parking lot.

Keeping the Club up and running during the renovation on and adding on was important to this vital community service. Tonn and Blank worked with the Club to understand their schedule, daily activities, and challenges so that a comprehensive site logistics plan could be developed. This allowed for the project to stay on schedule but most importantly kept the Club members and the staff safe throughout the duration of the project. This project faced a few challenges, however Tonn and Blank was able to deliver this project under budget.

As a result of this renovation and expansion, active membership at the Duneland Boys & Girls Club increased from 474 in 2016 to 920 youth and teens in 2017. Average Daily Attendance skyrocketed by more than 110% going from 145 kids per day to more than 310 kids using the Club every day!