MINERSVILLE - The Minersville Youth Center, which opened its doors for students in grades seven through 12 nearly two years ago, now has a new - permanent - location.
Borough police Chief Michael Combs said Friday the youth center moved to the Minersville Area Senior Center, Third and Line streets, on Feb. 8.
"It's a borough property leased to the seniors, who were agreeable to have the kids at night," Combs said.
Combs said he pushed for the creation of the youth center to keep teens out of trouble. It opened in June 2011 in St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church Hall, 538 Sunbury St., to give young people a place to hang out in the evening hours.
The supervised hangout has been open from 6 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
When students arrive, they must sign in so the center can keep track of who is there and when they leave.
Combs said that Diane Pizzo is currently the paid part-time supervisor for the youth center. The borough had originally hired Graeme Sinko, 21, of Minersville, for the spot.
The borough council authorized the creation of the position in June 2011, lasting for 11 weeks at $8 per hour and candidates were required to be at least 21 years old.
The center features pinball machines, arcade games, a pool table, a jukebox, board games and activities such as drawing and crafts
The center also purchased a television, DVD player and Nintendo Wii thanks to a grant from a three-year Strategic Prevention Framework Grant that the county received.
According to newspaper archives, Mandy Fitzpatrick of the Schuylkill County Drug and Alcohol group said it was decided to target North Schuylkill and Minersville Area school districts for the funding with underage drinking preventative programs.
Combs said Friday the borough had been seeking a new location for the youth center since there were often nights when it had to close if the church had to use the space.
The church holds religious education classes in the basement on Tuesdays and also rents out and uses the space for events.
With the youth center now in the senior center, Combs said, that's no longer a problem, because the seniors only use the space twice a week in the mornings.
Combs thanked the Minersville Area Senior Citizens for agreeing to share the space.
"We get about a dozen kids at night," Combs said. "We're happy now that we're in a more permanent location."