Richardson to visit Las Cruces again, may seek funding for cash-strapped Boys and Girls Club

Gov. Bill Richardson will visit the cash-strapped Boys and Girls Club of Las Cruces on Monday and will probably announce a proposal to help fund it.

Richardson is scheduled to tour the Boys and Girls Club on West Las Cruces Avenue at 5 p.m. It will be his third visit to Doña Ana County since announcing on Jan. 21 that he’s running for president.

The Boys and Girls Club announced earlier this week that it may soon have to close its doors if it can’t find additional funding. Telephones were shut off, and the club’s board president said the center doesn’t have any major donors left.

At least one employee has been going months without pay and board members have donated their own money to keep the facility operational.

“He wants to see it with his own eyes,” Richardson spokesman Allan Oliver said. “Our expectation is that there will be an announcement (of a capital outlay or other funding proposal), but it’s something he’ll do at that time.”

While in the area, Richardson will also visit a pre-kindergarten program in La Mesa at 4 p.m. to promote education initiatives.