Washington, DC - Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today announced that he has secured the U.S. House of Representative's approval of his request for $250,000 in federal funding to help complete the construction a new Boys & Girls Club facility in Binghamton, New York.  Hinchey used his position on the House Appropriations Committee to secure the funds last night as part of the fiscal year 2010 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Appropriations bill.

"These federal funds will help pay for the construction of a new Boys & Girls Club building in Binghamton that will serve as a safe haven for local children where they can play and learn in a facility that will have a wide array of resources and opportunities for them," Hinchey said. "The Boys and Girls Club of Binghamton has been a staple in the city for decades and I'm very pleased that these federal funds will enable the organization to provide local children with an even better facility that can offer them a variety of indoor and outdoor activities in a safe environment.  Ensuring that children have productive, safe places to go outside of school is critical to their long-term success."

The federal funds Hinchey secured will be used to complete a modern 21,500 square foot handicap-accessible facility that is safe and will provide local children with a wide array of healthy activities that will help keep them off the streets.  The new facility, which will include a large playing field, basketball court, and jungle gym, will replace the Clinton Street building, which lacks many basic features and is largely inefficient.

The current facility requires climbing four flights of stairs to go from one activity area to another. Merely entering the building requires climbing stairs. Also, the parking area consists of just a few spaces that are used by staff members, leaving no room for parents to park when picking up their children.  The Boys & Girls Club of Binghamton is responsible for the well-being of thousands of young people.  However, the current building's lack of a logical floor plan, combined with numerous stairways and doorways that lead directly to busy city traffic, all work against this high priority.  The new building will be a single level facility with a more logical layout and full parking lot.  Additionally, the current facility lacks an outdoor play area for children, but the new facility will have a large playground and basketball court. 

The need for a new building is also due to the age of the current facility that has interior fixtures that are past or near the end of their service life.  The furnace needs major renovations or replacement. The heating and cooling costs are excessive, and air conditioning is only available in the administrative offices. Fixing or replacing equipment would do little to improve the insulation quality in such an old building.  The new building will address all of those problems.

Now that the House has acted, the Senate needs to take up its own version of the fiscal year 2010 Transportation, HUD Appropriations bill.