ANDERSON — The Wilson Boys & Girls Club has big plans to enhance its programs, but first it must pay for the basics.

The club is two months — $4,600-4,800 — behind on its utility bills, Anderson Board of Works Chairman Greg Graham said. This is the second time the club has been late on its payments. In March, it was forgiven more than $47,000 in water and sewer and light and power bills by the city.

“Contrary to public opinion, the day-to-day operating costs, we’ve really managed those well,” Boys & Girls Club Director Rodney Nichols said. “We’re trying to dig out from under past utility bills.”

The club has had boiler problems in the recent past, but now has invested in small electrical heating and cooling units to keep costs down, Nichols said.

“We would like to get to the point where we only turn the boiler on when it gets extremely cold and not have to heat the entire building at once,” he said.

The Boys & Girls Club had a $317,000 operating budget in 2000, but that dropped to $250,000 in 2008; a similar number is expected for 2009. The club will feature a “Be Great Week of Celebration” this week to raise funds for utilities and new programs.

Anderson’s Board of Works met with Nichols and Boys & Girls Club representatives Wednesday, Graham said.

“They’re in a very difficult situation,” he said. “We’re certainly supportive of what they have done and what they are trying to do, but we certainly have an accountability to all of our rate payers.”

A time limit for payment of the late bills is at the discretion of the city, but if enough time goes by without payment, the city may have to cut services to the club, Graham said.

“We do that to people every day for nonpayment,” he said. “All of our nonprofits in town provide services to people that need them so desperately, and all of them are having a hard time.”

The club’s nonpayment is due to operating in a suffering economy, Nichols said.

“Unfortunately it’s always a threat in our community, and it’s not because of any mismanagement,” he said. “Without the volunteers and in-kind gifts that have been given to the club, we probably would have been already shut down.”