SIMI VALLEY : Boys & Girls Club Reopens After 6 Months

Outside the Boys & Girls Club of Simi Valley on Friday morning the sun was shining and a cool breeze blew, but no children were in sight.

They had all squeezed into the main clubhouse, which opened Friday for the first time since the Jan. 17 earthquake.

The quake shook the lights loose and cracked the walls, causing more than $124,000 in damage at the club, housed in an old schoolhouse on Kadota Street.

The club moved into another building while repairs were made, but it just wasn’t the same.

“The kids had no pool tables, no water fountain, no soda machine,” said Program Director Paula Mackelburg. “It didn’t really feel like their place.”

Eleven-year-old Gina Jimenez agreed.

“It was pretty bad,” she said. “We like this place because we can just hang out and feel really comfortable.”

About 70 youngsters crammed into the club on Friday, playing energetic games of Foosball and air hockey or waiting for a turn on one of three tattered pool tables.

About 200 young people between the ages of 7 and 15 use the club each day, Mackelburg said.

In coming months, additional repairs will be made, including the installation of new carpet and drywall.

Eight-year-old Breeann Leverich said she is glad the club has reopened.

“I was waiting for a long time,” she said. “I think it’s pretty cool.”