Auburn to lease space to Boys & Girl’s Club

The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lee County needs to use two more rooms at the Boykin Community Center to accommodate the growing number of young people participating in the program. The Auburn City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday night to lease the space to the club, which meant they would no longer be used by Auburn Day Care.
Three of the rooms presently leased to Auburn Day Care are being used for storage rather than classroom or program space, which city manager Charlie Duggan said is not allowed under the current lease agreement for tenants at the center.
Day care director Ethel White did not attend the council meeting, but Duggan said they were using the classrooms for storage because enrollment has declined.
Duggan said White didn’t like the idea of losing the rooms, but Auburn Day Care will still be allowed to use the third room for storage.
In other matters, Sunel Merchant, owner of Philly Connection, presented Mayor Bill Ham and public safety director Bill James with cash donations and a poster in appreciation of law enforcement. Merchant had the poster at his restaurant for customers to sign since Sept. 11. He will continue to have a similar poster for the NYPD at the restaurant until it is full of signatures as well.
n The council agreed to close the portion of East Magnolia Avenue between College and Gay streets Nov. 26 for an Iron Bowl Thanksgiving Celebration, hosted by the Auburn Chamber of Commerce.