As April 30 deadline looms, money to save Arlington teen center elusive

Supporters of the Arlington Heights Teen Center are inviting residents to bring ideas for saving the center to two upcoming events, but admit the money to save the center has not been found.

The Village Board has made it clear the center will close April 30 unless funding can be found outside village government, Village Manager Bill Dixon said Tuesday.

The Teen Center budget is $379,000, and the village board voted last fall to close the center to help fill a budget gap of $3 million. But when supporters crowded into a December board meeting in protest, trustees decided to delay the closing a few months, to see if money could be found.

This all happened before the village learned the Sheraton Chicago Northwest Hotel was closing, cutting an additional $400,000 from municipal revenue and further discouraging teen center supporters.

"At this moment a funding source of the magnitude needed has not been located," said Dixon.

"I think the good news is that the program is well respected, much appreciated and the source of some support from the community, although the support is not financial," he added.

The Arlington Heights Youth Commission welcomes anyone with ideas for saving the center to a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18, in village hall.

Also, from 4-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, the youth commission will host an open house at the center, 112 N. Belmont Ave. The hope is people can "see what a great place it is and what we're in danger of losing," said Kathy Scortino, co-chair of the youth commission.

"I refuse to give up hope," said Scortino. "We are working hard. We're looking for a new model, perhaps, that will allow us to maintain the center and the high quality of people that are working there."

She is also on a committee of interested citizens that is meeting every week. That panel might put different options on the table when the village board tackles the budget early next month, said James McCalister, director of health services and the village department head who oversees the Teen Center.

Scortino favors cutting back on programs during the hard economic times, "knowing that we can build them back up again.

"Don't get rid of it completely and (have to) start from scratch at some future point," she urged.

Ideas being floated include charging youngsters membership fees and reinvigorating Teen Center Inc., a not-for-profit foundation, she said.

"I just believe that kids need to know that they're cared about, that their community has a place for them that's safe and supervised by caring and knowledgeable adults," said Scortino, a counselor.

The Arlington Heights Park District cannot react to what its role with the Teen Center might be until after the committee working with McCalister reports a plan, said Steve Scholten, executive director.

The Arlington Heights Memorial Library, like all governmental entities, is in tight economic circumstances itself, and must put its resources toward its own, long-standing teen programs, said Paula Moore, executive director.