BEAUFORT — Construction has started on an $11.3 million Boys & Girls Club facility in Carteret County, the first capital project moving forward under a $35 million campaign spanning seven eastern North Carolina counties.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain says the new club will exceed 20,000 square feet on county-owned land behind Beaufort Elementary and Middle schools. Plans call for instructional and activity rooms, a teen center, an indoor gymnasium, an outdoor multipurpose court, a playground and a sports field.
An official project packet budgets $11.3 million for the site and construction, plus $170,000 for program improvements and staffing. The organization expects the consolidated facility to serve more than 200 children a day, up from about 65 at its existing Beaufort locations.
WCTI-TV reported Thursday that earthmoving and drilling were underway at the Campen Road site. The report did not identify a completion date, contractor, construction employment figure or permanent-job count.
The broader Building Better Futures campaign covers facilities and programs at 17 clubs in seven counties. The organization says it aims to double average daily participation from 2,500 to 5,000 by 2030 and has raised about $23.7 million, or 67.7% of the campaign goal.
Beyond Beaufort, the campaign lists new facilities in New Bern and Greene County, a relocation of the Lenoir County club and renovations and program upgrades across the seven-county service area. The Beaufort project is a construction-stage milestone; the other listed projects remain separate future developments unless and until they reach their own documented milestones.