Jennifer Pauletto, the executive director of Washington Gorge Action Program, cuts the ribbon for White Salmon’s new Community Youth Center in the Parks Building, previously located on East Jewett since 1995.
Jennifer Pauletto, the executive director of Washington Gorge Action Program, cuts the ribbon for White Salmon’s new Community Youth Center in the Parks Building, previously located on East Jewett since 1995.
WHITE SALMON — Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP), having moved from its old space on East Jewett to the Parks Building in Rheingarten, officially unveiled its new Community Youth Center to the joy of parents, kids and project partners alike on March 13.
The City of White Salmon, White Salmon Valley School District (WSVSD), the City of Bingen and Klickitat County all helped support the move, which was years in the making. Established in 1995, WAGAP provides after-school care for children ages 6 and up on weekdays during the academic year from 3-5 p.m., then transitions to full-day programming over the summer.
“The kids have been very excited, and I think this space will be suitable for us for a really long time,” said Jennifer Pauletto, executive director of WAGAP, prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Beyond being a safe environment, WAGAP offers healthy snacks, structured play, computer time, art time, outdoor play and leads community cleanup projects through the youth center. With the new facility comes more space, a shorter commute for kids, less nearby traffic and improved outdoor opportunities (imagine 30 kids being so close to the splash pad this summer). At the ceremony, there was also consensus that the old Jewett house had served its purpose.
“There were a number of things that were beyond repair, so it was time to move,” said WAGAP staff Katy Fenley-Banks, who runs the center. Mayor Marla Keethler added that, from 2017-2024, enrollment for the youth center increased by 70%, demonstrating a clear need for greater capacity.
When Keethler started serving as a city councilor in 2018, she recalled they sought to construct a new home for the youth center, a route that would’ve cost millions of dollars. With the pool closing and the West Klickitat Regional Fire Authority soon coming to fruition, forcing council to eventually find new chambers, the city had to manage several interests with little money.
Mt. Adams Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting for the new Community Youth Center in White Salmon March 13.
Lorena Salazar photo
“So, what changed the focus from a lack of funds, because that was definitely our roadblock for a long time, into an abundance of hope?” Keethler asked the crowd of more than 50 people last Thursday. “We thought about reusing spaces, which was really the shift to bring us here. We were blind to where the ownership may lie and instead saw the possibilities.”
As Keethler spoke, kids wrestled on the beanbag beside her while others enjoyed pizza and eyed the foosball table.
City council commissioned a feasibility study in 2023 that, in part, envisioned what a youth center inside the Parks Building, currently owned by WSVSD, would look like. When the city pitched the idea to Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn, he was supportive even though it meant moving many of WSVSD’s offices.
“The air hockey table is a little loud, but the room is filled with happy children,” said Polkinghorn, who still has an office behind the kitchen. “We’re in the business of kids, so it’s wonderful to hear happy kids in this space and to come over and see smiling faces getting healthy snacks. That really brightens my day.”
“Time and again, individuals and collective groups put their own interests or motivations aside to work together for a solution that was right-sized for our community, and allowed us to realize this vision that has been years in the making,” said Keethler.
Over the past 12 years in Washington, the number of kids in need of childcare has grown by 20,000, but the state has lost 2,000 providers during that time, according to Child Care Aware Washington. The Center for American Progress has also designated Klickitat County as a childcare desert.
As a mother of two, Keethler understands the stress of finding a provider and getting stuck on a waitlist, a process that ripples through the local economy. When families can’t access childcare, or a provider cancels right before their shift, parents have to scramble and local businesses suffer as a result.
“This space does provide needed aftercare for working families with kids as young as 6 and up through their teenage years,” said Keethler during an interview before the ceremony. “But there’s still a lot of work needed, especially in that 0 to 5-year-old space.”
She confirmed that White Salmon will continue collaboration with Washington’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families; the Department of Commerce; and Klickitat County’s Childcare Committee to pursue additional funding and opportunities for childcare, including a forum with local business owners about how employers can further support these efforts, tentatively set for this spring. The city has also been advocating at the state level for policy changes that remove barriers to access for childcare.
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