Silver Springs hopes for youth center

A Lyon County non-profit wants to build a youth center for teens who have little to do after school in Silver Springs.

The Silver Springs Entertainment and Arts Association will finish a study this month on building a $1.5 million youth center on Spruce Street in Silver Springs, said Margaret Ruckman of the association.

The 8,400-square-foot building similar to a Boys & Girls Club would have a half-court gym, kitchen, conference space and rooms for games, computers and arts and crafts.

The non-profit got a $20,000 federal grant in March to do the study.

Silver Springs, with a population of 4,000 in central Lyon County, doesn't have much for teens besides a small skate park, Ruckman said.

The town community center is too expensive to rent regularly, she said, and half of it is set aside for the senior center.

"You just can't put kids and seniors together," she said.

Ruckman said she would like to raise the money to build the center through private donations. The non-profit will also ask for federal funds, she said.

"We need someplace for them to go where they feel safe," she said.

The youth center is especially needed because of program cuts, said Peggy Merrell, registrar at the 400-student Silver Stage High School in Silver Springs.

The town used to have money to do things like bus teens to Carson City to see a movie in the summer, she said.

Students have even written Sen. Harry Reid in hopes of finding money for a building, she said.

"These kids out here, I feel sorry for them," Ruckman said.

Lyon County Commissioner Larry McPherson, who represents Silver Springs, said a youth center is "definitely" needed.

The economy has slowed many projects, however, he said.

Ruckman said the community could use a 10,000- to 12,000-square-foot building, but she doesn't know if the non-profit could raise the money for it.

- Contact reporter Dave Frank at dfrank@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.