La Center residents ask planning commission for dedicated youth community center

Melissa Flat, a La Center resident speaking on behalf of La Center United, told the La Center Planning Commission on June 10 that the community needs a permanent youth community center to replace the volunteer-run teen loft now hosted at La Center Church.

Flat said the program, run entirely by volunteers and donations, grew from two or three youths when it began about eight years ago to more than 80 this year, with roughly 40 children on a waiting list because the group lacks space and volunteers. "We have art supplies. We bring in food. So that's really hard to take in and out," Flat said, describing storage and logistics problems that limit the group's ability to serve more children.

Flat told commissioners she and others had identified a parcel for sale just past the middle school that she said is about eight acres and would be an ideal site if funding can be secured. She said a contact had offered help writing a grant because the area qualifies as rural and agricultural, but did not identify the grant program or the potential funder.

A commission member asked whether the schools could provide space; Flat said past attempts had not succeeded but that discussions are ongoing. Flat also said she plans to speak to the city council about the need for funding and urged continued advocacy to secure city support.

Flat presented several youth well-being statistics during her remarks, including figures she said reflected local youth outcomes and mental-health indicators; she did not provide source documents during the public-comment period. "Two nonparental caring adults is a huge protective factor," Flat said, urging a permanent location and stable storage for program materials.

No formal action on the community center request was taken during the meeting. The commission approved earlier meeting minutes during the opening business but did not vote on the community-center concept.