The Westfield Lions Club plans to begin renovations of its new clubhouse that will be available for meetings, community rentals and other activities.
The club, which was established in 1930, had been at 120 Jersey St. since 1957, but it acquired 1.6 acres of property at 1031 E. 169th St. last year, said Jeff Larrison, secretary of the Westfield Lions Club. He said club members plan to rent out the space to the community for functions such as meetings, birthday parties and other gatherings when renovation work is completed.
Larrison said the club plans to begin renovations in July. The project is estimated to cost $350,000.
“If things stay on schedule, it should take about three months to get the initial work completed to a point we can resume using the building for meetings,” Larrison said.
The club sold its space on Jersey Street last year to make way for Old Town Companies’ Union Square development, which will feature retail, commercial and residential space. Lions Club members met temporarily at Christ United Methodist Church after selling their building on Jersey Street.
The new club is between Oak Ridge Road and the Monon Trail on East 169th Street.
“The biggest benefit of our new building and its renovations will be that it gives us a larger, more up-to-date facility for the club and public to use,” he said. “Our club is growing its membership and we need the extra space for meetings and for events that we plan to hold.”
Those events, he said, include annual fish fries, pancake breakfasts and other fundraisers. The Westfield Lions Club also plans to rent out the space to the community as well, according to Larrison.
Work on the building will include renovations for a large kitchen area, larger bathrooms and other improvements.
“Westfield lacks a facility that people can rent at a reasonable price to hold events like birthday parties, family reunions, baby showers and graduation parties. Our clubhouse will fill that niche,” he said.
Larrison said the upstairs, which encompasses 3,800 square feet, could possibly be used for meetings held by local nonprofits such as Boy Scouts and 4-H clubs free of charge because those organizations were able to do so at its old building.
For more, visit westfieldlions.org.
