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June 24, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels December 17, 2003 City looks to revive The Grove for teens By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings The youth of the community could still be served by The Grove. The future of the Grove building and how the city could best proceed with its use was discussed at Tuesday night's Ashland City Council meeting. The facility, which was operated by Community Works and used as a teen and family center, closed due to budget cuts and flagging enrollment in the summer. Since then, the city has been trying to decide what sort of groups or programs the building should house. A lease agreement that allowed the center to be built on city land on East Main Street stipulated that the building would revert to the city if The Grove closed. The council unanimously agreed to have the city appoint an ad-hoc committee to identify the needs of underserved youth in the community, make a list of providers with a range of options to those needs, and bring back the findings and a recommendation to the council next month. Staff told the council that the committee should include Jan Janssen, youth division officer for the police department, representatives of the youth community and others in touch with underserved kids. The council decided to have the city look into buying the 25 percent investment the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has in The Grove. This is being done to remove HUD requirements that the HUD funds be used for low-to-moderate-income programs and services. City officials said this will allow for greater flexibility of programs and services provided, and eliminate staff time to track and report to HUD on demographics collected. Suggested uses for the building include providing a place for kids who do not participate in "mainstream" activities offered in the community or through the schools. It was also mentioned that the person in charge is key to a successful program - it must be someone who kids can relate to. Community Works stressed that any agency or program that "finds a home" at The Grove must have a stable source of funding before experimenting with various needs. Community Works officials said this changes month to month and programs cost money. Hartzell said she hoped that some community members from the October meeting will be part of the new committee. Hartzell said she was excited to continue to work on a plan that uses the facility and responds to the needs of the community. The city estimated it would cost about $4,400 in monthly utilities and rent for an organization to operate The Grove. Currently, the building is only being used on a limited basis as a recording studio. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams