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Grove marks achievement Photo by Bob Pennell Kids at The Grove, Ashland's Youth and Family Resource Center, prepare gifts of seedlings for guests at tonight's grand opening. From left are Adam Jansen, 11, Leo Levich, 11, Joyce Feiger, Molly Murphy, 9, Amanda Greenstein, 9, Leanna Faudree, 10, and Halev Munson, 10. Ashland's center for youth opens project's 2nd phase By JONEL ALECCIA ASHLAND -- It has been a bittersweet year for backers of The Grove, the city's newest center for kids. The sweet part has been completion of the project long known as the Ashland Youth and Family Resource Center, an 8,000-square-foot community center at 1195 E. Main St. An open house tonight will mark the finish of the second phase of the $1.7 million project aimed at providing space, services and support for area children and their families. The bitter part has been celebrating the success in the absence of Steve Groveman, the Community Works deputy director who spearheaded the project that became his namesake. Groveman was diagnosed with cancer just after the center's bare-bones grand opening in March 1999. He died last November at age 44. "It's unbelievable to be doing this without him," said Ginny Auer, the agency's director of development and marketing. "This is a big deal for our Steve." Among tonight's events will be presentation of a prestigious award to Groveman from the National Network for Youth for his efforts on behalf of young people, including the center that culminated years of community conversation and collaboration. "I think Steve would be relieved and I think he'd be thrilled," said Kathleen Mackris, Groveman's wife. "It's a beautiful place and they've done a great job of fulfilling the vision of what he had in mind." The couple's sons, Alex, 13, and Sam, 12, are among more than 200 kids ages 10 to 17 enrolled at the center. Programs began in earnest March 1 after the place closed for construction last fall. Since then, organizers have logged nearly 700 visits from kids. They come for the big-screen TV and the video games, for the shiny new gymnasium with the spiffy wooden floor, the pool tables, the bike repair shop. The Grove features a fully equipped kitchen, a music room with two pianos and, soon, a recording studio aimed at would-be musicians. Those amenities are part of construction and furnishing costs supplied largely through grants and community fund raising. Organizers tapped hundreds of thousands of dollars from regional foundations, but they also hosted charity balls and crab feeds and pitched private donors to pay for the place. The Grove is the hub for programs that range from after-school recreation for kids in third through fifth grades to dances, classes and youth forums for older teens, said Debbie Wilson, program coordinator. For a one-time fee of $5 and a daily fee of $1, young people have a wealth of experiences available to them, Wilson said. Scholarships are available to those who can't pay. Now that the building is complete and furnished, the challenge is getting the kids to come, Wilson said. She is coordinating outreach efforts in Ashland schools to let young people and their families know about the center. "It's one thing for an adult to say it's cool and it's another thing for the youth to say it," she said. Future plans include a summer camp for kids ages 10 to 15 and ever-increasing activities determined by the young people's desires. As the Grove develops, Wilson said, the need for community input and support will remain strong. "Yes, the building is built, but it has a long way to go to be sustained," she said. (For information about hours and specific activities, call Community Works at 779-2393 or The Grove at 488-1900.) Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA