Then budget cuts last year shut down the facility. Now, the center at the corner of 98th and Bancroft avenues is coming back to life. On Wednesday, the Police Activities League will start an after-school program at the facility.

"It was closed and this is in a neighborhood that could use the services for the children," said Margaret Dixon, Police Activities League executive director.

The center will operate from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday through Friday, Dixon said. Planners hope to attract young people ages 5 to 18.

On Saturday, Dixon, police officers and other program volunteers hosted a block party for neighborhood children that included music and food such as barbecued chicken, cake and soft drinks. Youngsters bounced about in a "jumper" -- an air-filled playhouse -- while others played basketball or logged on to a row of computers that will be made available this week to the neighborhood.

"You have the Oakland Boys and Girls Club at 85th Avenue and International Boulevard, and the East Oakland Youth Development Center at 82nd Avenue and International Boulevard," said Dixon. "But there's nothing for the children who live in this area." That's changing.

On Wednesdays from 1:30 to 4:30 pm, the league will host martial arts programs for children at nearby Elmhurst Middle School.

Seniors will have access to computers from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon Mondays and Wednesdays so they can get on the Internet or learn basic computer skills.

And there will be cooking classes for seniors and children in grades 4 through 6 on Thursdays from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.

There also will be a roomful of games, from air hockey to pool, available 4:30 to 6:00 pm every weekday, but children must have already completed their homework to play.

Elmhurst community leaders say PAL is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Too often young people hang out with little to do after school, and there are fears they will be lured by drug dealers on street corners who are looking to make fast money and draw violence.

"It's a great way to keep the kids off the streets and build better relations with the community, young people and the police department," said John Jacobs, who was at the park with his son Saturday.

For more information about PAL, call Dixon at (510) 777-8622.

The Oakland Tribune: Cityside
Leanne McLaughlin, Managing Editor
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