 Photo Elliott Burr/Town Crier
Youths convene to play video games in the refurbished Underground at Shoup Park. Former Los Altos Youth Commission Chairman Radley Angelo saw the fruition of his labors June 6 when The Underground at Shoup Park reopened after months of renovations. Leaving the youth commission for college, he bequeaths an uphill battle regarding the teen hangout for future youth commissioners.
Attendance had been minimal in recent years due to the facility’s discreet location beneath the Garden House, according to Angelo, and councilwoman Val Carpenter said the new, limited operating hours – 3:30–6 p.m. weekdays, noon to 6 p.m. Saturdays – are “a budget issue.”
However, new commission chairman Graham Beck, a junior at Bellarmine, said word-of-mouth marketing is key in raising attendance and securing further funding.
“Our goal is to see an increasing number of people coming in here,” Beck said. “For the opening, we had kids from Los Altos High, Blach, Egan and Bellarmine spread the word and that was pretty effective.”
The sign-in sheet June 6 revealed an
attendance of 47 young people who came and went as the day progressed to examine the new furniture, games, televisions and bright paint.
Mayor Megan Satterlee, Mayor pro tem David Casas and City Manager Doug Schmitz played pool amid the uncharacteristic bustle of the basement facility, while others shot hoops, smacked Ping-Pong balls and played video games.
“Without spending a lot of money and a lot of labor, this is pretty much the exact vision we had,” Angelo said, gazing over the new activity.
Recreation Coordinator Tamara Oskoui said attendance in The Underground peaked at 12 people last summer, and the low attendance contributed to the basement disrepair. However, with a plan to boost public events and field trips, Oskoui remains confident The Underground will prevail.
“I want teens to know they are valued in Los Altos,” Oskoui said. “I want them to feel like this place is their own.”
The Underground is located at 400 University Ave., beneath the Garden House. It is open at no charge to seventh- to 12th-graders. Drinks and snacks are available for $1. For more information, call 917-1332.
Contact Elliott Burr at
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