Boys & Girls Club New Hope Crisis Center Underway

Last month over 200 people attended the groundbreaking for the New Hope Crisis Center Campus in Box Elder County, Utah. The 4.14 Acre project is the new facility for Boys and Girls Club of Northern Utah and will provide ample space for after-school programs and learning, community activities, and home to a 24-hour secure domestic violence center.

“It is fantastic to see this outpouring of support for such an important project”, said Cooper Eckman, President of Eckman Construction. He continued, “It’s an honor for Eckman to be a part of a facility that provides such vital services in this community.” The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Utah serves over 3,000 children in Box Elder & Cache counties. Programs are designed to help students K through 12th grade and their families. They partner with schools, cities, counties, volunteers, and other non-profits.

Led by the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Utah, the one-of-a-kind campus is being created in collaboration with dozens of nonprofits and community groups to promote coordinated services and shared resources with the support of local businesses, as well as state and federal partners. Educational programs include tutoring, technology, the arts, healthy living/nutrition, workforce skills, college/career preparation, and social/emotional learning.

The 11,476 sf Community Center will include a full-sized basketball court, flex space and kitchen space, that will double as event space for Boys and Girls Club activities as well as community events. The New Hope Crisis Center will provide individual and family dwelling units for those escaping domestic violence and sexual assault. The center will feature secure play and living areas along with kitchens, restrooms and laundry facilities. In addition to the dwelling portions of the building, there will be office spaces for counseling, therapy and other services that will aid those coming to the shelter in countless ways. Outside the center, there will be outdoor play and open space as well as a parking lot, completely secured from the rest of the property to ensure safety inside and outside the building to those seeking refuge. Upon completion there will also be additional open parking in the expanded parking lot that will allow for parking at the City park which neighbors the project.

Cole Freeman, Eckman’s Project Manager for the construction of the project, in addition to his extensive professional construction management experience, has a special spot in his heart for this particular project. “As a young boy and teenager, the Boys and Girls Club played an important role in my life as the son of a single mother who worked hard to provide opportunities for me and my siblings. Seeing this project come to fruition is incredibly satisfying from both a professional and personal perspective.”