A youth center more than 10 years in the making is set to open in Lincoln next month after the Sacramento Monarchs and other volunteers transformed an old fire station and trailer into a game room, learning center and reading lounge.

The Lincoln Youth Center will be open from 3 to 6 p.m. weekdays beginning the first week of October. The center will offer activities, homework help, classes and counseling and will provide a haven for kids.

The Lincoln Police Activities League has been trying to start a youth center since 1998, said police Lt. Paul Shelgren.

"The whole purpose is to have a place where kids could have a safe, structured environment to get away from the pressures on the street that can lead them to negative activities," Shelgren said.

But funding was scarce.

When an old fire station on Fourth and H streets became available a few months ago, the youth center project was revived. The Police Activities League, or PAL, partnered with the Lighthouse Counseling and Family Resource Center, the city Parks and Recreation Department and Re-Direct, a new, grass-roots gang prevention organization.

Chris Eaton, executive director of California Police Youth Charities, brought the project to the attention of the Sacramento Monarchs.

"This is the 12th consecutive year the Monarchs have adopted reading and literacy as a community initiative," said Danette Leighton, vice president of marketing and Monarchs business operations.

"We really aim to build a lifelong love of reading in youth by providing greater access to books and technology."

Over the years, the Monarchs and Sacramento Kings have built several reading and learning centers throughout the Sacramento region.

Monarchs players and other volunteers from Maloof Sports, Wells Fargo and Dome Printing rolled up their sleeves on a recent Friday and spent the weekend prepping the Lincoln station and trailer.

Bright and early Sept. 2, the volunteers were back to put on the final touches.

When they were done, the firehouse bay had turned into a big rec room, with pool tables, basketball hoops and air hockey games. Colorful murals accented the roll-up doors.

The adjacent trailer had been transformed into the Monarchs Reading and Learning Center, with a computer lab, reading lounge and kitchenette.

"It was like an 'Extreme Home Makeover,' " Lincoln Assistant Director of Recreation Mandy Walker said, referring to the television home improvement reality show. "It was quite a transformation."

When the center opens next month, it will be staffed with Lincoln Schools Resource Officer Steve Krueger, community volunteers and Lighthouse counselors.

Eventually, Walker said, the city hopes to add some parks and recreation staff members to the center.

The Lincoln Youth Task Force recently identified the establishment of an after-school program at Twelve Bridges Middle School as its No. 1 recommendation.

But budget cuts forced the city to temporarily abandon that plan.

Now, the youth center will open at little cost to the city.

"I heard it said once that a community is only as strong as its investment in its youth, and I just feel like this community has really come together," said Angela Ficarra, executive director of the Lighthouse center. "I'm excited for what the future holds for the youth in this community."

Call The Bee's Jennifer K. Morita, (916) 773-7388.