A Place To Hang Out The Teen Center Provides A Free, Safe Location For Spokane Teenagers To Relax And Mingle
The new teen center at Libby Center has the pool table, pingpong table, big-screen television, chess set and Twister game.
Now all it needs are a few kids.
The center has been five years in the planning by two longstanding residents of the East Central community, Mel Carter and Paul Kennedy. The two conceived of the idea when School District 81 closed Libby Middle School in 1993.
The district reopened the old middle school two years ago as Libby Center, which houses district programs for gifted and developmentally impaired students.
The Teen Center is jointly run by The Teen Center Association, a group of public and private benefactors, and the Spokane Regional Public Safety Activities League, a division of Spokane’s Community Oriented Police Substations.
The center officially opened Monday, but director Dan White was as lonely as the Maytag repairman.
White adjusted the TV volume, straightened the pingpong paddles and perked up when he heard footsteps in the hallway.
Teenagers? No, just the custodian.
No matter. White plans to get out the word about the center, which is open Monday through Friday, 3 to 6 p.m.
“I’ll be on the corner tonight at the Circle K, down on Altamont, passing out fliers,” said White, who worked for the YMCA of Greater Seattle before arriving here in April.
As more teens filter into The Teen Center, White is hoping it can extend its hours to a schedule of 3 to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Although located in the East Central neighborhood, White said The Teen Center is meant to draw kids from all over Spokane.
Teens who come to the center are welcome to use Libby’s full-size gym.
For special events, such as club nights and dances, which are still being planned, the school district has agreed to allow the use of the Libby cafeteria, White said.
This summer, the YMCA plans to offer baby-sitting classes and job skills workshops at the center.
Carter, a local business owner, and Kennedy, an East Central resident and vice president at U.S. Bank, had dreams for Libby Middle School when it closed.
Carter said they were looking for a “place that’s drug free and gang free for kids to come and hang out.”
The two worked with school district officials to make their dream come true.
“This is great,” Kennedy said of Monday’s opening. “It’s like a war is over.
“We just have to get the kids aware of it and have them tell all their friends it’s all free.”
The Teen Center’s opening has proved an added bonus for Kennedy. A portion of his garage is now free and clear.
The center’s pingpong table, a donation, has been sitting in his garage for several years.
“I’ve got some space back,” he said, laughing.
One of the goals for the center is to provide teens with a safe haven from the streets.
“There’s not a lot of opportunity in Spokane just to hang out and not have to pay a lot of money,” White said.
“I’d rather they come and watch TV than hang out on the corner and cause trouble.”
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