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53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, April 21, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 20, 2005 Toby Linwood carves a foam and concrete sculpture of children holding up the world at Kids Unlimited�s new home on Riverside Avenue, the site of the former Medford Lanes. The statue will greet visitors at the entrance. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell ‘Unlimited’ potential As its new home comes close to being finished, enthusiasm grows for Medford kids center By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Last summer, Kids Unlimited took on the daunting task of transforming the old Medford Lanes into its new home. After an avalanche of community support, the hard work is about to pay off with an open house scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, May 4. "It’s amazing how the whole building unfolds," said Executive Director Tom Cole, admiring the new dance studio, arts and crafts room, computer room, dance floor, weight room and other facilities. Local artist Toby Linwood is making a statue of children holding up the world to grace the entryway. Kids Unlimited, a nonprofit that provides after-school care and other services to about 1,000 youths each week, moved out of its former building at 1 E. Main St. last December. "We’ve had a lot of feedback from people asking, ‘When are you opening?’ " said Cole. Advertisement The 32,000-square-foot building at 821 N. Riverside Ave. is getting the finishing touches from work crews and teenagers who have pitched in to do the cleanup work. New bathrooms, a sprinkler system, lighting and new walls have transformed the building, though the old bowling sign still hangs on the outside. Cole said a new sign will go up before the open house. In-kind contributions of more than $600,000 have made up the bulk of the $1 million remodeling effort. Cole said the building will benefit the youth in Jackson County but also has been designed as a community center to allow concerts and other gatherings. With the first phase completed, Cole said he doesn’t want to stop until a gymnasium is built in the other half of the building — a project that will require raising the roof 20 feet. It was only last summer that Cole and a crew of teenagers removed load after load of concrete and other debris from the former miniature golf course housed inside the bowling alley. "That group of kids times 10 have come in here and helped finish the work," said Cole. But the project has been more than Cole bargained for, requiring fire sprinklers, new walls and new plumbing. Bringing everything up to building codes also added to the costs. From the architects to the subcontractors, local businesses have offered their services at reduced rates, he said. "Everybody has come forward to help," said Cole. He appreciated former owner Roy Rider and his family for their support in making it possible for Kids Unlimited to purchase the building. Even though the building isn’t finished, Cole said, it’s already being put to good use. The new offices are occupied, dance classes are scheduled for this week and the United Way will host a gathering today at the building. During the second phase of the project, Cole hopes to raise $1 million to build the new gymnasium. Cole said he already has people lined up who will contribute time and materials to get the job done. To make a donation, call Kids Unlimited at 774-3900. Artist leaves lasting impression For Toby Linwood, his appreciation for what Kids Unlimited did for him in the past will stand for future generations of Jackson County’s youth. "I love this place," said the 23-year-old Talent artist, who first came to Kids Unlimited as a teenager. Linwood, who travels the country creating art installations for Land Mind Production Inc. of Medford, is preparing a statue of children supporting the world that will greet people entering the new home for Kids Unlimited. Linwood, who has a wife, a 7-year-old son and another on the way, said he got his first break when Tom Cole, executive director of Kids Unlimited, handed him some paint and told him to create some graffiti art. Linwood has since created the "surfer" statue at Bad Ass coffee and now spends much of his time in Florida and other states working on commissioned pieces. The statues are fashioned out of wood and insulating foam that is usually sprayed into nooks and crannies to seal up houses. Using a sharp knife, he carves away the foam to create a likeness of a child or some other object. On other assignments, Linwood said he covers the foam figures with a drywall compound. But with the Kids Unlimited statue, he will use a lightweight concrete product to make it more durable. Although he likes the work he does for Land Mind, Linwood said he prefers creating the kind of statues that he is doing for Kids Unlimited. "I really want to spend more time on art work," he said. Although his schedule doesn’t give him much free time, Linwood wants to do more art for Kids Unlimited. "I’m hoping to do the murals outside," he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Tatoos Advertisement s