Future Of RSM Boys & Girls Club Debated Amid City Museum Proposal

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA — Rancho Santa Margarita's Boys & Girls Club may be a thing of the past, after city officials announced their plans to explore constructing a museum where the after school program used to operate.

The announcement comes as the lease between the Boys & Girls Club of Capistrano Valley and the City of Rancho Santa Margarita expires at the end of June. According to officials with the organization, the city does not plan to renew the lease.

The Boys & Girls Club of Capistrano Valley has operated in a room within the Bell Tower Regional Community Center for the past 12 years. According to a city staff report, the lease agreement will be terminated by the end of June.

"The city regularly reviews all contracts, programs and services provided to the community," Assistant City Manager Laura Lopez told Patch. "The city had contracted with the Boys & Girls Club to provide youth service to the city at the community center for $120,000 per year. This three-year agreement expires in July 2024, providing an opportunity to explore other programs and services that align with the current and changing demographics of the community."

As the lease expires, City Council members are deliberating whether or not to use the space to create a city museum, where an extensive collection of artifacts, maps and city-related documents would be displayed.

Nicole Watson, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley’s associate executive director, told The Orange County Register was first made aware of the displacement on Jan. 12, and the decision to not renew the lease was not the club's.

The space, Watson said, was provided by the city at no cost, along with the annual funding of $120,000.