FAIRHOPE, Ala. — A public meeting was held last Thursday evening at the New Era Baptist Church to discuss the future of the Fairhope Rotary Boys and Girls Club.

About 20-30 members of the south Fairhope and Point Clear communities attended, as well as a few residents and municipal officials from Fairhope.

Mayor Tim Kant expressed concern and frustration in dealing with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Mobile over the past few months with regard to the impending withdrawal of that organization from Fairhope (and other cities in Baldwin County), due to the economic downturn.

Kant said he asked Ed Brinson to work with him on this issue in September.

“We want to get kids involved in good things; the closure of the Alternative School may present some opportunities,” he said.

Various attendees, including Willie Williams, spoke of youth programs of the past, both at the Young Street site and the Twin Beech Road (Alternative School) site.

Kant said they had established a 501(c)3 corporation and gotten City Council approval to commit $30,000 to help fund the program. He said they had also secured $27,000 in cigarette tax money from the Baldwin County Commission.

Williams said the youth program needed recreation and good educational components.

After much discussion, those present voted to present their request to the City Council that the new club organization be independent of the Boys and Girls Clubs organization, locally run and self-sustaining.

Interim Police Chief Terry Sanders told the group he wanted the police department to be involved in the program.

“I want to put police officers in the program. I don’t want the community to just see officers in police cars arresting people,” he said.

He added that he thought the department’s Explorer Program and Reserve Program would be two good examples of such a partnership.