Able Maldonado youth center reports rising participation, expands programming while staff flag transport and staffing limits

Janet Blanco, Recreation Coordinator, told the Recreation and Parks Commission on June 9 that the Able Maldonado Community Youth Center served a little over 1,600 teens in the past year and saw a roughly 15% increase in entry swipes — from about 11,000 to just over 13,000 — compared with the prior year.

Blanco said the center has launched four new programs, added special events and expanded partnerships. “We’ve implemented about four new programs,” she said, and listed recent additions including a babysitters club, teen trivia, expanded arts programming and a workforce development initiative called the Mloen Street Market program led by a program specialist.

The report outlined program areas the center emphasizes: general recreation and sports (basketball, pickleball, volleyball), arts and cultural programming (including a new Cal Poly art intern), digital gaming and virtual‑reality activities, leadership programs (Key Club with about 40 members; Full Steam Ahead with about 20 members), and female‑focused offerings such as an open fitness hour and a “Girl Talk” think tank supported by an Altrusa grant.

Blanco also described outreach and recruitment work: staff and outreach partners visited 13 schools in recent months, ran a registration drive and held a Spanish‑language family night in partnership with the Santa Maria‑Bonita School District and community schools. The center reported serving about 1,700 sixth‑grade students through a rewards‑day program that reached 14 elementary schools.

Staff noted visible summer successes: a kickoff pool party with approximately 200 attendees and increased daily attendance at the youth center. Blanco said staff are also working on facility upgrades — LED lighting, additional cameras, new bike/scooter racks and a near‑complete parking solar panel project — and public art (murals) at the Able facility.

Commissioners and attendees pressed staff on access barriers. A commissioner relayed requests from local FFA students for a teen self‑defense class; Blanco said that is on the team’s radar. Commissioners and staff also discussed transportation: Dennis (transit staff) said Santa Maria Area Transit (SMAT) cannot provide a dedicated teen shuttle because of federal funding restrictions but noted the central transit center is a block from the youth center and staff continue outreach to identify pickup points.

Blanco emphasized staffing and participation challenges. She said limited‑service employees — seasonal or hourly staff who make up a large share of the workforce — are essential to programming but subject to turnover as students return to school. “We’ve increased summer staff levels by seven people,” she said, but added the department will face recruitment cycles and service‑level pressure when temporary hires leave.

Why it matters: the youth center is a primary after‑school and summer hub for local teens; attendance gains, new partnerships (Hancock College, United Way, Vandenberg AFB’s Starbase camp, Natural History Museum) and a mix of grants and fee revenues have expanded offerings. At the same time, transportation limits and the potential for reduced limited‑service hours (raised later in the budget briefing) create uncertainties for how broadly the center can sustain expanded programming.

What's next: Blanco said staff will keep recruiting, pursue additional partnerships, launch the Altrusa‑funded Girl Talk think tank and continue modest facility improvements. Commissioners requested follow‑up on opportunities to expand outreach routes and to evaluate program demand by neighborhood.