MASSENA -- Massena Mayor Timmy J. Currier, who also serves as president of the Boys and Girls Club of Massena's Board of Directors, said he still remembers the conversation a couple of years ago when Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, first mentioned the amount of funding she had secured for the agency.

He said Assemblywoman Russell had indicated she wanted to support the project, and a meeting took place in former Massena Mayor Ken MacDonnell's kitchen. Mr. MacDonnell is an active volunteer for the Boys and Girls Club of Massena. Assemblywoman Russell told the group at that time she had started the process to bring a quarter of a million dollars to the project.

Russell’s “River District” includes all St. Lawrence County towns along the St. Lawrence River plus Canton, Potsdam, Rossie, Macomb and DePeyster.

Mr. Currier said he had a number in mind when he walked into that meeting with Assemblywoman Russell, but he hinted his number was well below $250,000.

"When she said what she had secured, I nearly fell out of my chair," he recalled.

A large crowd - ranging from community leaders to students that are already members of the Boys and Girls Club of Massena - gathered Friday at the future site of the club to hear Assemblywoman Russell say the lengthy funding process is nearly completed.

"The $250,000 is well on its way to coming physically into the (Boys and Girls Club of Massena) bank account," Assemblywoman Russell.

The funds will be used toward completing the payment for the Bayley Road building and property to the Diocese of Ogdensburg and and for making the necessary renovations to turn the one-time St. Joseph's School and later St. Joseph's Social Hall into a boys and girls club with space for athletic and arts and craft activities as well as space for social and educational pursuits.

Assemblywoman Russell said she knew it was critical to provide more than just a little seed money to a project she suggested was strongly needed in Massena.

"The changes in Massena since I was first elected have been dramatic. It was not a very hard decision to make to support the Boys and Girls Club here in Massena. The central role for someone in my position is to do everything I can to help support our communities so they can grow and prosper," she noted.

"I knew it would have to be a dramatic type of support. There was no question in my mind I wasn't going to come with a small number that would help buy a couple of tables and chairs," she said.

"It's important we do this right. It's completely deserved by this community. This community deserves a state of the art facility; it is what our children deserve. It is the big investment we can make for our future and for the future for Massena," according to Assemblywoman Russell.

"I think being able to come to the table with $250,000 I hope it gave this community shot in the arm and shows the priority you are to me and my heart and the entire region," she pointed out.

Assemblywoman Russell said after she had informed Boys and Girls Club of Massena officials in the summer of 2014 she had would be seeking $250,000 through the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York's Community Capital Assistance Program for the project she saw their plans for the facility take another step forward. She said she was pleased to see organizers looking at big and bold ideas for the club.

"I think that is the most important message we are sending to our kids. We are going to do it right. We are going to reach for the stars. We are going to go big because we are worth it," Assemblywoman Russell said.

"And if at the beginning of something you plan appropriately and take time to do it right that is what matters. It shows that we have enough faith and pride in ourselves that we are going to do it right," she added.

Assemblywoman Russell said a community partnership is allowing the club to get off the ground, pointing to the support of the school system, the business community, the faith community and countless volunteers.

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Timmy J. Currier, president of the Boys and Girls Club of Massena's Board of Directors, talks about the impact a $250,000 funding commitment secured by Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell had on moving the project forward. Also shown, seated from left are Assemblywoman Russell, Massena Central School Superintendent Patrick H. Brady and Father Mark Reilly.

But she singled out Mr. Currier, who served as the village's police chief before being elected mayor, for special praise for his role in the effort.

"He has been in a particularly important position to see the effects of poverty, the effects of drug and alcohol abuse, the effects of parents having to work more than one job and work difficult shifts. He has seen what is necessary to raise up a community, to raise our next generation," Assemblywoman Russell said.

"He has been on the tip of the sword for so long. He is looking out for the success of our kids, the safety of our community and for our prosperity. There is no one I would rather partner with to support a community than your mayor, Tim Currier," she added.

Mr. Currier said the process that eventually led to the creation of the Boys and Girls Club came from a journey that started in 2010-11 when community leaders started looking at programs in light of an increase in juvenile issues and a desire to find proven crime fighting strategies.

He said the group looked at several programs but kept coming back to the Boys and Girls Clubs, which already have a presence in Ogdensburg and Akwesasne.

He said the club's focus on character building, leadership skills and support for education are critical to the success of the community's youth as are the opportunities to take advantage of athletic programs, arts programs and other community offerings that will be available at the club.

He pointed out the club is designed to offer a safe, positive place to grow in an increasingly complec world.

The not for profit was formed in 2013, and the deal to purchase the former St. Joseph's School was reached in December of that year. The Boys and Girls Club has operated a program, thanks to funding from the Alcoa Foundation, out of two Massena Central elementary schools for the past two years as they worked to get the financing in place to finalize the deal for Bayley Road facility.

"We love the location. It is easily accessible for some of the people who need it the most," Mr. Currier said.

He said the club also benefits from a strong relationship with the school district, and Massena Central School Superintendent Patrick H. Brady noted it is two-way street. The club has been operating out of Massena Central schools on a temporary basis for the past two years.

"The research is clear. Students are more successful when they are in places where they are engaged socially and academically. This is the next generation that will lead Massena," he said, gesturing to the club members that were in attendance at the event.

Debra A. Donatto, chief professional officer for the club, said the Boys and Girls Club of Massena is already serving 324 students at its satellite locations, essentially from just three grade levels. The club has also raised nearly $700,000 through its capital campaign.

Rev. Mark Reilly, the priest at St. Joseph's and St. Mary's Parish in Massena, said long-time parishioners at St. Joseph's will be thrilled to see students back in the building.

He noted the school was dedicated in April 1959 and served students for nearly 25 years. Father Reilly said the school's highest enrollment was 247 students in 1967, but declining numbers eventually led the school to shutter its doors and merge with the other two parishes in Massena to form Trinity Catholic School.

Father Reilly said Friday's announcement was a remedy for older members of his parish who had witnessed the closing of the school and then its successor, St. Joseph's Social Hall, and were saddened by seeing the structure sit dormant.

"If walls could talk, I bet the walls would be shouting and singing it is about time to get kids back in here," he said.

Assemblywoman Russell said she expects painting and renovation work at the building will begin shortly.

"Hopefully the next time I am in this building it is full of kids laughing and playing and having a great time," she said.