Township of Franklin, NJ
Home Menu
About Us
Franklin Township Opens Community Youth Center
This Fall, Franklin Township will officially open its newly constructed Community Youth Center located at 429 Lewis Street in Somerset. The Center will be operated by the Parks & Recreation Department and specifically target Franklin Township youth grades six through twelve. The 25,000 square foot building and its resource offerings are a significant investment in township youth and underpins the longstanding premise of #TheFutureIsFranklin.
The Center, which has a capacity of almost 900, contains a full-sized gymnasium, dance studio, maker spaces, video games, recording studio, fitness center and much more. A satellite branch of the Franklin Township public library is also located onsite along with additional educational resources.
Service providers in partnership with youth center staff will also offer youth programs that cultivate character building, leadership skills and academic achievement. Individual and family counseling services will also be available through certified service providers.
The Youth Center was spearheaded by Franklin Township Councilperson, Kimberly Francois who stated “The concept of a Youth Center has been discussed amongst community members for more than half a century in Franklin Township. When I founded the Franklin Youth Initiative in 2007 due to gang violence, the realization to equip the youth with life skills became my top priority. We started off with a Teen Drop-In Center at the Hamilton St. Middle School Campus and immediately outgrew that space. Almost ten years later Bob Vornlocker, the Township Manager along with the Mayor and Council embraced my vision to purchase and demolish the old SCAP building at 429 Lewis St and turn it into a Youth Center. 429 Lewis St is an ideal location as it can accommodate foot traffic from the nearby neighborhoods and schools. I am overjoyed and so excited about the Opening of the Youth Center. The vision has become reality and the Youth Center promises to have impact on everyone that enters the doors and takes advantage of all it has to offer. The Center will be the spark that lights the flame to empower the next generation of future leaders.”
Youth Center membership is free however registration via RecDesk is required to officially participate in programs and recreational activities. Membership applications are located at https://franklintwp.recdesk.com
The Youth Center hours of operation are weekdays (10am-9pm) and weekends Saturdays (10am-9pm). The Youth Center will be closed on federal holidays.
For more information contact Parks & Recreation at (732)873-1991 option 4 or email franklinrec@franklinnj.gov or visit www.franklintwpnj.org/youthcenter
Franklin Youth Center Sneak Peek
Community Youth Center Board Presentation
Project Mission Statement
The Franklin Township Community Youth Center will evolve from the youth and the overall community, serve the needs of the youth, and empower them to achieve greatness while making Franklin Township a better place to live.