Fwd: LOOKING FOR HELP - BONNIE CLUBHOUSE SITUATION

The Bonnie Youth Club, in existence since about 1947, is looking for a new home. Can anyone help?

You can learn more about the work of the Bonnie Youth Club at their website:   https://www.bonnieyouth.org/ 

From: <jerry.katzke@verizon.net>
Date: Mon, Jan 9, 2023 at 13:45
Subject: LOOKING FOR HELP - BONNIE CLUBHOUSE SITUATION
To: <jerry.katzke@verizon.net>

To Bonnie Managers, Coaches, Parent Liaisons and Members,

I hope that you had a most joyous Holiday Season and the Happiest of New Years!

The 74th year of Bonnie Baseball officially got underway this past weekend with our Team Meetings, and the start of Indoor Winter Workouts is scheduled for this coming weekend,  We will be fielding 15 teams, over 300 players, this year ranging in age from 4 through 21 and are looking forward to another highly successful season.

While we are very optimistic that it is going to be another great season on the field, we are looking for some help with our Clubhouse situation.  We have been at our current location, 1221 Church Avenue for the last 35 years (since 1987) and have been in the neighborhood since 1975.  However, our current lease for the Clubhouse runs out at the end of March and our landlord has made it very clear that he does not intend to renew it.  This is very disappointing  to us but it has been brewing for quite a while as he has been pushing us to pay him more rent than is specified in the lease.  He continues to claim that stores in our neighborhood (block) are going for much higher rents than we are paying.  We have tried explaining that we are paying as much as we can afford as we are a non-profit organization that raises all of its own money.  However, it seems to fall on deaf ears.  

We are, therefore, trying to find another store location that will permit us to stay in the neighborhood (say Flatbush Avenue to Ocean Parkway and Church Avenue to Cortelyou Road).   It is a perfect location for us since the Parade Grounds is right around the corner and many of our players come from the Church Avenue/Flatbush area.  

Ideally, we are looking for a clubhouse similar in size to what we currently have with an office, bathroom, main room and basement for storage.  The rent is negotiable but we could probably not go above $3500 per month under any scenario and would prefer to be more around $3,000 or less.

If you are aware of or hear of any storefronts for rent in the neighborhood please do let myself or our President Kevin Rice know ASAP.  In addition, if you know of any commercial realtors that might be good ones for us to be talking with please let us know that as well.  We have 1 or 2 that we are going to be working with but the more knowledgeable people looking the better.

Also, if you are aware of a storefront outside of the neighborhood outlined above and you feel it would be worthwhile to consider, please do let us know that as well.  Obviously, if we cannot find anything close by then we may have to consider storefronts further away from the Parade Grounds.

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at Indoor Workouts this coming weekend.

Take care.   Jerry

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