By John Tredrea, Staff Writer
It has a big-screen TV, interactive video games, big comfortable sofas, a pingpong table, a snack bar area, a wall-to-ceiling blackboard, an art room where classes in drawing and painting are offered, a learning center with four iMac computers on desks at big windows that look out on an attractive stretch of Pennington’s South Main Street and more.
It’s Hopewell Valley’s Youth Activity Center (YAC), simply called “the teen center” by many. It opened recently in the YMCA building at 62 S. Main St., in Pennington, at the corner of Academy Avenue.
Helping the Y in a big way to get the center open were Hopewell Township’s Youth Advisory Board (YAB) and its mentor, township resident Kim Bruno. The YAB advises local government on issues affecting youth.
”We’re really happy to be here. Things have been going well,” Ms. Bruno said at the center one recent afternoon. “We were open on Pennington Day (May 14), and a lot of people stopped in to visit. They liked what they saw.”
No wonder. The YAC has space on both floors of the Y’s attractive frame building. Everything has been freshly painted and renovated and all the windows give plenty of natural light. Interesting art, including a very large photo of the New York City skyline, decorates the walls.
Joined by officials of all three Valley towns and the regional school district, the YAB worked for years to try to establish a teen center. After investigating a number of other sites, they reached agreement with the YMCA to establish the center there. It is close to downtown Pennington and within walking distance of Hopewell Valley Central High School and Timberlane Middle School.
A big booster of the teen center was the Straube Center, a group of offices and businesses in northern Pennington. The Straube Center donated $25,000, used to set up the computers and the rest of the learning center on the second floor.
Planned use of those computers includes bringing in instructors in college essay writing, creative writing and graphics design. The Straube Learning Center at the YAC was set up by local Boy Scout Mark Tengi, as part of his Eagle Scout project.
The Youth Activity Center is open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 3-6 p.m. Special events are held two Saturday nights per month — battle of the bands, movies, coffee houses.
To find out what’s scheduled and more about the center, go to www.hvyac.org or e-mail coordinator, Jennifer Steel, at [email protected].
Ms. Steel has a bachelor’s degree in theatre and a master’s degree in education. Her assistant at the YAC, Kevin Kley, is a Central High School graduate, who is an education major attending The College of New Jersey. “They’re both here when the center is open,” Ms. Bruno said of Ms. Steel and Mr. Kley.
”We’re working on our summer hours now,” Ms. Bruno said. “We hope to expand the amount of time we’re open. We may have activities on Friday nights as well as some Saturdays. Maybe some volleyball.” That could be played in the yard behind the Y’s building.
Already up and running in the art room are classes in painting and drawing by local artist Ronnie Katz. “She’s really good with the kids,” Ms. Bruno said.
Classes in a variety of interesting areas are expected to be offered this summer, including photography, yoga, jewelry making, personal finance and robotics.

