After a long absence, Jordan’s Place is open and once again providing a free activity center for teens in downtown Warrenton.

The teen center has been closed since June while organizers began the process of moving to a new location. After that process ended up falling through in September, Jordan’s Place co-founder Cathy Pritchett said volunteers spent the next four weeks moving equipment back to the location the teen center has used since its founding three years ago. In the meantime, they also gave parts of the interior a fresh look and some new activities.

“We’re so very grateful to be open again. The community has been an incredible support,” Pritchett said. “While we have a lot of new things for the kids here today, there’s a lot more on the horizon. We have big plans. We invite everyone to come in and see what we’re about.”

The teen center offers pool tables, arcade cabinets, video games consoles with comfy couches, dining tables that double as chalkboards, and a music corner where Pritchett said music activities will regularly be held. Along one wall are mostly bare shelves with just a few board and card games, the seeds of what will one day be a collection of tabletop games for the teens.

Pritchett said the volunteers at Jordan’s Place plan to provide free hot food as often as possible for those who come in, and that a vending machine has been added for drinks. Other programs previously offered at Jordan’s Place, such as a twice-weekly food pantry for families, will soon resume as well, she said.

Going forward, Pritchett said she and other organizers are actively recruiting volunteers to help run the teen center, as well as to participate in other activities. Jordan’s Place also welcomes material donations, including funding, food pantry items, new (non-used) board games and certain other supplies.

Anyone interested in contributing time or material to Jordan’s Place can contact Pritchett by calling 314-583-1716.

To stay up to date on activities at the teen center, search online for the Jordan’s Place Teen Hangout Facebook page (@jordansplaceteenhangout).

Jordan’s Place is located at 202 E. Main St. The center is open to teens ages 11 to 17. The hours are 3-7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 3-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The center is closed on Mondays and most Sundays, except for family day with a hot meal the second Sunday of each month.

New location hangup

When Jordan’s Place closed in June, the teen center’s leadership team thought by this time of the year they would have reopened at a new location less than a block away, at 105 N. East St. They had even begun to move items to the new location while seeking a permit from the city of Warrenton to run the teen center at the new location.

Co-founder Kelli Clodfelter said at the time that a big reason for the move was to save on rent and utilities, which have been a challenge for the fundraiser-supported Jordan’s Place. It would also have allowed the team to downsize to a space slightly more manageable for the limited number of volunteer staff.

But unexpected resistance from some downtown business owners led to a roadblock for that plan. Jordan’s Place would have needed a conditional use permit (CUP) from the city to operate at the new location. Several business owners urged Warrenton’s Planning and Zoning Commission, an advisory board that makes recommendations related to permits, to vote against approving the Jordan’s Place CUP.

After putting a decision on hold for a month over the concerns, planning and zoning members voted Sept. 6 to recommend denying the CUP. A final decision was left to be decided by the Warrenton Board of Aldermen, but the Jordan’s Place leadership team withdrew the CUP application and instead decided to reopen at the current Jordan’s Place location.

To cut down on operating costs, organizers said they have reduced how much space they rent in the building. They also have expressed the possibility of finding a future location closer to Black Hawk Middle School. But for the time being, Jordan’s Place will stay right where it is.

Jordan's Place co-founder Cathy Pritchett, pictured at left, welcomes the first group of young teens into Jordan's Place Oct. 9 as the activity center reopened at its building in downtown Warrenton. With her in the front row are Fernie Meyer, Enrique Torrez and Collin Durham. In back are Sidney McRoy and Johnny Bramlet. The mural at the front desk is a new painting by Dillan Bilyeu of Warrenton.