Boys & Girls Club Of Las Cruces Left In The Dark
LAS CRUCES – Financial woes for the Boys and Girls Club of Las Cruces are worsening, ABC 7 has learned.
Officials report that the club has slipped farther behind in their utility payments, and they confirm electricity to the building was turned off last week.
The club continues to operate despite that lack of service, officials said, and other amenities have been compromised. Kitchen appliances and phones aren’t working, and computers sit idle, they said.
The situation is so dire, if someone has to use the restroom, they have to take a flashlight to find the toilet, club members said.
ABC 7 first reported on the financial straits for the club earlier this year. The organization has solicited donations from the community but officials report they’re still behind in their payments by $60,000.
Staffershave said some of the problems are a result of minimal funding, and that the club has to get by on small membership fees.
The threat of permanent closure also looms, club director Clint Ziehl said. “We’ve really struggled. We’re were $100,000 in debt as everybody was made aware of. We’ve been paying that debt off, and every little bit has helped, but it’s only been a band aid.”
Ziehl said warm weather has prompted more outdoor activities at the club, but he said as the weather turns colder, the 200 boys and girls who go there may have to find something else to occupy their time.
