The idea to bring a youth center back to the village for Ellenville has shimmered in the mists for decades now. It would offer kids and teens a place to hang out that offers a bit more in the way of activities than McDonalds. Unfortunately, the last youth center faded out of existence many years ago, and the village does not have the financial wherewithal to afford to maintain one.

But now a new initiative has been launched, and thanks to Zach Baum, a stalwart of COFFE (Citizens of Forward-Facing Ellenville), a grant of $15,000 has been secured from the Community Foundation of the Hudson Valley to fund a feasibility study for a youth center in the area.

“We have begun the study process, and COFFE has hired someone to facilitate the study,” Baum says. “COFFE will be quarterbacking things.” COFFE is a growing force in the village, now clocking in at around 120 members at work on a number of projects.

“The first act was to form a steering committee of local people for that purpose. We have eight people now, covering various groups in the village.” Why eight? It felt large enough to be representative but not so big that it’s unwieldy. More than that and it starts being hard to schedule meetings.

The committee is currently eyeing Berme Road Park and the Kimble Hose Building for an indoor/outdoor facility.

The priority right now is “to get as much community input as possible.”

To that end, the steering committee will be holding a public meeting at village hall on March 22, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Baum describes it as “a hybrid meeting and forum. It will be a chance for young people to come and tell us what they would like to see in a potential youth center.” There will be pizza as well.

They’re also passing around a digital survey to get a sense of the needs in the community.

From there, the steering committee will, well, start steering.

The committee now consists of Baum alongside artist and public health practitioner Noelle Fries, Cheryl La Sonde and Debra Shorter of Ellenville NAACP, PTA head Justine DeJesus, Kevin Garcia from Gaby’s Café, former village manager Elliott Auerbach, and Letitia Kentop of the Institute of Family Health.

Kentop, a resident of the village, brings a lot of perspective to the committee.

“I live in the heart of the village,” she says. “I have children who are very involved in extracurricular activities. And I’m an Associate Director of Family Health and my staff oversee a lot of care coordination in Ulster County. I’m familiar with many of those issues.”

Baum sought out a meeting with Letitia. “We had a long talk,” she says. “He was trying to reach all these people in Ellenville and I was able to assist. So, long story short, there is a huge need for this and I was glad to help.”

Kentop is looking a bit past the ‘standard’ youth center model. “Every place always has table tennis and chess and checkers. And we would want all that, and outdoor sports as well,” she says. “But, what about the non-sporting, non-physical kids? So, I’m thinking a music room would be a good idea. And this spreads out – we could have some version of a standing kitchen with food to be served, which leans into a multi-purpose use of the building.”

Kentop rounds off this exploration of possibilities with the idea of a “mentoring space where tutoring could take place and speak to what an adolescent needs, like learning independent living skills. So, it’s a place with a roof, but a neighborhood center and all-purpose building.”

So, Saturday the 22th, 11 a.m., at the meeting room on the ground floor of village hall (2 Elting Court). Baum says “we want to get the word out to everyone and try to get young people to come.” They’re not just looking for residents of the village, either, but want to make sure they hear from people in nearby towns that might also use the space – Wawarsing, Shawangunk, Rochester, Marbletown, and Mamakating residents welcome.

You can register online at https://ellenvilleyouthforum.eventbrite.com or by emailing tim@rondoutconsulting.com. Remote attendance is also available – just use the register online link.

The all-important community input survey is available online at https://forms.gle/zPsb64CjS7PEP9Bz9.

And, remember – Zach did promise pizza.