The planned Williamstown Youth Center will be constructed next to the elementary school.

Kids have to walk the plank when the basement rooms flood at the Youth Center.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Kids at the Williamstown Youth Center are walking the plank, and it has nothing to do with make-believe games involving pirates.

Because of frequent flooding in the facility's basement, kids are forced to use wooden planks to get from room to room to avoid soaking their feet. And that's when the children are actually allowed in the basement; when the flooding is so severe that a moldy scent invades the air, a wooden board seals the entrance to the downstairs altogether.

"The building has served its time," David A. Rempell, executive director of the private, nonprofit Williamstown Youth Center, said on Tuesday. "It's no secret that this is not the right place for a youth center."

For the last five months, Rempell, also a selectman, has been leading a capital campaign called Together We Can, raising funds for a new youth center to be built next to the town's elementary school at 115 Church St.

As of Tuesday, more than $1.9 million had been collected, including a $1 million donation from longtime benefactor the late Bob Stone and his wife, Sheila. The campaign's goal is to raise a total of $3.5 million, and through community support and various fundraisers, including this Saturday night's Spring Fling dance for adults at Orchards Hotel, Rempell is confident the goal will be met.

With no dedicated parking, no nearby fields and a faulty mechanical system, the current youth center, which is more than 100 years old, just isn't cutting it, says Rempell. The building is not handicapped accessible, which according to Rempell, "in this day and age, is totally unacceptable."

While the children are still showing up for the various after-school programs and summer camps, he said a new facility is more important than ever. Located at 270 Cole Ave., next to a construction business and a package store, the center's outdoor basketball court also serves as the soccer, baseball and tennis venues.

"Every day kids are falling down and cutting their knees open because it's not a field," he said.

"The kids don't complain, but it's embarrassing taking new people in our community down here. When adults see it, they have to make the decision if they want to send their child here or not."

The new 12,000 square-foot, two-story facility would be positioned next to the elementary school, with a fire lane separating the two buildings. The new youth center, besides offering a much more convenient walk for elementary students who attend the WYC, would also open the door for new possibilities that are not feasible at the current location. Rempell said there will be enough room for a media lab, a kitchen, and a 1,200 square-foot gym, which will allow the center to run its own basketball leagues.
 

The interior of the Youth Center is outdated; its director, David Rempell, below, is concentrating on raising funds to construct the new center.

The new youth center and the elementary school will share space when needed, an option that has Jane Russett, a third-grade teacher at the elementary school, excited for her students. If the weather doesn't cooperate with an outdoor recess or gym class, the youth center would cater to the children's' desire for recreation, art or their studies.

"I see it as the potential to integrate the tutoring and after-school homework help that the kids need," Russett said. "They want it, and they deserve it. A lot more kids would take advantage of it because of the proximity of it and the newness of it."

Rempell said the new space would welcome more children of varying ages — from preschool to high school — while also appealing to community groups looking for meeting space. He stressed that the project isn't just a new youth center, but a hub for community involvement.

"This makes it a more attractive community for people to move to," he said. "This makes it a more attractive community for businesses who might be looking to expand or locate in this area. It shows that we have the capabilities of providing programming for children and families."

The campaign would like to have an architect on board by the end of this summer, with construction to begin in June 2011 and completed by the beginning of the 2012 school year. Rempell said there are more than 50 people trying to accomplish this mission through fundraising and by conducting informational meetings in people's homes.

There will be two open houses at the youth center this month on Sunday, May 23, from 4 to 5 p.m., and on Thursday, May 27, from 7 to 8 p.m. A DVD explaining the campaign's mission and its progress will be shown, and the video can also be viewed at www.wyctogetherwecan.org.

The Spring Fling is Saturday night from 7 to 11 p.m., featuring music from local bands The Trophy Husbands and The Weapons of Mass Seduction. Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased on the campaign Web site and will be available at the door. They are also available at the Williamstown Youth Center, Wild Oats Market and Where'd You Get That!?

Considering today's economic climate, Rempell admitted that it's not an ideal time to be raising funds for a new building. But with wooden planks being used as a means of transportation and a concrete court being used as a soccer field, Rempell said the push for a new youth center can't wait. The School Committee, the town and members of the community have already joined Rempell and his team in saying "Together We Can," but now it's a matter of raising another $1.6 million.

"The issue right now is raising the money so we can say, 'OK, this is a go,'" he said. "We've had a lots of conversations with people who are going to support us. Some of whom have filled out their pledge form and submitted it, and some are waiting to fill out their pledge form. I'm convinced they will eventually do that, but you know, we're hoping by summer time when it's time to sign a contract with the architect, that we're ready to move forward."

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