Plan would enable part of center to open

Eighty teenagers would get education and recreation for eight weeks.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- An ordinance is to be introduced in city council at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday to enable the reopening of part of the Rebecca Williams Community Center this summer.
The ordinance would authorize transfer of the $14,256 unspent balance of 2005 Community Development Block Grant funds from Rebecca Williams to the United Methodist Community Center of Youngstown.
Using that federal money, UMCC would reopen the Rebecca Williams "club" building at 760 Main Ave. S.W. for youth and senior citizen activities.
The financially ailing 81-year-old Rebecca Williams Community Center, which also was affiliated with the United Methodist Church, closed abruptly last September and laid off its staff.
Activities
The summer activities would include eight-week-long daily four-hour programs for 80 boys and girls, ages 13-17, to be recruited from Western Reserve Middle School and Warren G. Harding High School. The programs would be known as Building Individual Life Lessons (BILL) for boys and Getting Ahead in Life (GAIL) for girls.
UMCC and the Boy Scouts of America developed the curriculum, which includes career, character, nutrition and healthy living education, lunch and recreation.
Also included in the UMCC effort would be the Women of Worth project -- a weekly support and education program for pregnant teens and new teen mothers.
The third program that would benefit low- and moderate- income city residents would be a weekly senior citizen "fun day" of games, exercise, crafts and fellowship, says a written summary city officials received from Millicent S. Counts, UMCC executive director.
The CDBG money would pay for nine weeks of work by a full-time site coordinator, who would earn $11.46 per hour, and by three part-time program associates, who would earn $8.33 per hour, and for program supplies, payroll taxes, fringe benefits and administrative oversight, says a budget UMCC submitted to the city.