Naval Weapons Station Yorktown opens new Youth Center for military children

YORKTOWN, Va. (NNS) -- Naval Weapons Station (WPNSTA) Yorktown opened the doors to its new $4.3 million Youth Center, June 11, giving military children a place to play, learn and relax after school and during summer vacation.

The Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) sponsored center, located in Lincoln Military Housing off base, opened after nearly a year of construction, replacing the small, out-dated center with a kid-friendly, environmental sound facility.

"The improved facility gives our military children a beautiful building complete with brand new furnishings to complement the outstanding programs we offer," said Tina Mullins, MWR Youth Center Director. "It gives us a positive environment to work in that is inviting to not only our children, but to our parents as well."

Mullins has worked at the installation for more than 28 years and welcomes the new facility. The old youth center consisted of one main room, a computer room and a game room. The new center not only has a larger computer room but four large rooms for various activities such as art, science, game room, dramatic play, music, and a construction room complete with two woodworking benches.

"Some of the daily activities kids can participate in include computer games, woodworking, dramatic play, puppets, music---complete with a drum set and an electric guitar, variety of art and crafts, board games, and a library area to read books," Mullins explained. "We also have a large playground area complete with our very own garden where we are growing watermelons, zucchini, cucumbers and eggplant."

The new Youth Center is a state-of-the-art facility, built with energy efficient and environmentally friendly technology in compliance with the Navy's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies intended to improve performance in metrics such as energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources.

This building uses 40% less water and 30% less energy than a standard building of its type and has improved stormwater retention features to limit runoff pollution. It also includes motion-sensing lights, an energy efficient HVAC system that uses a variable refrigerant flow system low-flow water fixtures and used recycled and local materials for construction.

"We wanted to make a positive impression on both the well-being of our military children as well as the environmental impact to the local community with our new youth center," said Captain Lowell Crow, WPNSTA Yorktown Commanding Officer. "This facility will be an example of the Navy's desire to take care of our military families and lessen our environmental footprint at our installations."

The facility is open year round, and is currently offering an eleven week summer camp program to children ages 5-12 (five-year-olds must have completed Kindergarten). In the fall, they will offer a before and after school programs to school-age children and a winter and spring break camp.

"I am very fortunate to have the staff that I have," Mullins said. "They are dedicated and professional individuals who certainly go above and beyond what is required of them. These ladies work well together and through their creativity, awesome sense of humor and positive attitude, we have a successful Youth Center."

"They respect each child as the unique individual's that they are and make all children feel welcome," she added. "After all, the Youth Center is the child's home away from home and we strive to make the center a place that all children would want to be."

For more news from Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, visit www.navy.mil/local/nwsyorktown/.