Named by and for teens, "The House," Palo Alto's long-awaited teen center, will open in grand style next week.
The center, which will offer bumper pool, basketball, a big-screen television and stereo music, will debut with a street party Nov. 17 from 7 p.m. to midnight in front of the 425 Bryant St. building.
And of course, aside from some select public officials who will be on hand to make remarks, the event is for teens only.
The celebration will include live performances by the Tony Miles Reggae Band and DJ Bernard from The Edge, casino games, night basketball, dancing, air hockey, Foosball and food. The free event will be hosted by the Palo Alto Recreation Department, but the whole thing is being planned by the new Teen Center Advisory Board.
"I think we all want to make this thing work," said board member Lizzy Charnas, a Paly sophomore. "We want to make it a cool place."
"The parents should know this is a safe place their kids can go," said Gunn senior Ivan Chabaniex.
The 15 students on the board, who attend Palo Alto High, Gunn High and Castilleja, have spent weeks planning the grand opening, as well as thinking about how they, the teens, will run their center. Ten members of the group applied for their positions on the governing board, and five others were appointed, two by the Youth Council and one each by the Palo Alto Police Department, the recreation department and Youth Community Service.
"It's very exciting," said Adam Politzer, the teen center's adviser. "The advisory board has me energized."
This week, the department is expected to announce the appointment of an adult coordinator to staff the center and provide some guidance for the teen-agers who will run it. Members of the Teen Advisory Board took part in the candidates' interviews.
"We want everything to go through them," Politzer said. "We're looking at them being the ones to talk to their peers, being the sounding board. They'll act as the governing board."
The teens will decide everything from what hours the center should be open, to what kind of decorations they should have, to which clubs that ask should be allowed to use the building. The teens will have access to the center weekday evenings and on weekends. During weekdays, it will be used by the Senior Center of Palo Alto while its building is being seismically retrofitted.
Eventually, the long, narrow building, which has a main lobby and lounge, a kitchen area and several meeting or play rooms branching off, will have a big-screen television, an espresso machine and whatever else the youths want there.
So far, they have a couch, a bumper pool table and a stereo system. Funding for the stereo was provided by the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund.
But the center is still seeking other items, such as more indoor lounge furniture, a big-screen television, an espresso machine, video games, board games, dominoes, playing cards and food or drinks, as well as cash or in-kind donations (such as printing, advertising or decorations).
The teen board, Politzer said, purposely has members from different groups and geographic areas in the city. "It's not your Youth Council leadership kids, we have those too, but it's a diverse group."
Board members hope the center will unify students who attend different high schools.
"It'll get everybody in Palo Alto together to give them something to do rather than going to other cities," said Teen Board member Kristen Bennett, a senior at Gunn.
"Now that the curfew is no longer, teens need a place to go, otherwise they'll be on the streets and the city will get mad," said board member Andi Forker, a Paly sophomore. "I think it's important that this is a really clean, safe environment."
"And also that it's our effort," chimed in Gunn junior Kara Master.
--Elizabeth Darling
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