Construction on new Youth Center nears completion

by Michon Mackedon -- Rising to the west of the City-County Gym on Venturacci Lane is the bold modern edifice of the new William N. Pennington Youth Center.  The 15,000 square foot building (yet to be officially named) will house the Fallon Youth Club, head-quartered at present in the former Churchill County School District administration complex on East Richards Street. The new facility will more than triple the area of the Richards Street facility. The increase in space alone is enough to kindle the excitement of Shannon Goodrick, Director of the Fallon Youth Club. “We’re now using every inch of our building and spilling outdoors, even in bad weather.  On an average day, we have 80 or 90 kids here. Just this week the Junior Achievement group held a meeting in our largest room.  The kids who were working on projects or playing together had to squeeze into other spaces, including my office.  When T-Ball practice begins at Oats Park, we’ll lose what is now our only outdoor play and exercise area.” The club’s demographic profile forms a compelling argument for its value to the community and its need to expand.  Currently there are 402 individual club members. Forty-five percent live below the poverty line. Club members are Caucasian, Hispanic, African American, Native American, and Asian. Fifty per cent of members are male; fifty percent are female. Fifty per cent of members have attended the club for at least 2 years, thirty one percent for 3-6 years. The club is an after school and out of school haven, and membership includes guidance in learning and living.  The club’s motto is “Be Kind. Be Neat. Be Safe. Be Productive.” On any weekday afternoon, you will see members working on homework assignments using Google Chromebooks supplied by the club… or creating works of art, playing games, just hanging out. The club reaches non-members as well.  An Afterschool Snack Program serves 15,000-20,000 after school snacks each year.  A Summer Food Service Program located in area parks and low -income apartment complexes has recently expanded from serving summertime lunch to offering breakfast, lunch, supper, and a snack.  In 2019 the club served a total of 11,855 meals to school-aged youths in the community.  No questions asked. The move to the new facility will necessarily involve rebuilding what might be called the invisible bricks and mortar that make a house a home.  On Richards Street, Goodrick and her staff have created a refuge with a real clubhouse feel.  Small rooms are filled with worn but cozy chairs and couches, trays of broken crayons, and well used games and books. That said, the clubhouse culture should survive, and thrive, just fine.  There will be both airy spaces and intimate corners.   Study nooks are equipped with state-of-the-art computer technology.  Electrical outlets are embedded everywhere so that computers and phones remain charged.  Staff will occupy offices that are both accessible to members and private when needed.  Teens will have a dedicated Teen Room; younger members have been outfitted with their own Learning Center. There is a kitchen, a Multipurpose Room, a room for Fallon Youth Club Board meetings. On the architectural plans, the high-ceilinged wide-open center of the building is designated “Hangout Area,” meant to be just that. The blueprints give wings to the imagination.   Goodrick envisions having enough space for robotics competitions and video production.  The kitchen, she says, can be used for teaching menu planning, food budgeting and simple meal preparation.   A small platform in the Multipurpose room could easily transform to a stage showcasing a play, penned, produced and acted by club members.  A blueprint of the same room shows penciled in basketball hoops; the Teen Room shows a pool table and shuffleboard. The facility’s proximity to the City-County Gym makes planning exercise and sports programs much easier, and its proximity to Western Nevada College expands possibilities for joint activities. Mayor Ken Tedford has been a major figure in the evolution of the club.  He was instrumental in its establishment in 2005, and he understands the growing need for its services.  He tells a story about one of his employees, a single dad with a young daughter.  “She would sit in my office and do her homework.  I introduced them to Shannon and the youth club, and their story became a true success story.  The daughter ended up working at the club, mentoring others like herself.” Tedford takes pride in the new project as a positive reflection of the city itself.   “The building is a really pretty one and people are going to like it.  It’s light, bright, and vibrant. The city and the county have worked smoothly together; the architects, contractors, and sub-contractors have delivered at every turn.  And, I can’t say enough about the great good heart of the William N. Pennington Foundation.” He emphasized that the Pennington Foundation has been generous and in sync with the community and the needs of its youth. Foundation directors had formed good relationships here during the funding and building of the William N. Pennington Life Center.  In particular, a camaraderie strengthened among the county’s Pete Olsen and Alan Kalt, the city’s Mayor Tedford, Robert Erquiaga, and Bob Erickson, and the Pennington directors.  The way was paved for the current $6,045,000 million dollar Youth Center grant. The final cost estimate is $7,445,000. The difference between that and the grant award was bridged by contributions from the City of Fallon and Churchill County, with help from Enel Green Power, who did not seek sales and use tax abatement for a major project they undertook. A specific date is yet to be set for the grand opening of the Youth Center, but it will be scheduled sometime in mid-Spring.  It looks as if the wait will be worth it.  “Some great things,” said Tedford, “are going to happen in this building.”         Support local, independent news – contribute to The Fallon Post, your non-profit (501c3) online news source for all things Fallon. Never miss the local news -- read more on The Fallon Post home page.