The center's Board of Directors has until July 27 to file a grant application with the county for its 2002 budget. However, the board needs at least eight members to apply for the grant and currently there are only two, according to Jerry Klobukowski, a town commissioner and who sits on the current Teen Center board along with Poolesville resident Renee Brooks.

"We need two more adults and four teenagers in order to meet the minimal requirements for filling out the application," Klobukowski said.

In order to get more members to join the board, Klobukowski is expected to send a letter to the parents of teenagers who are active in the center's activities.

There are currently more than 20 kids participating in the teen center's summer program, which meets in the gym at Poolesville High School, according to Michelle Herbert, a center director.

Although the center is experiencing a higher turnout than last summer, Herbert attributes the increase to a new group of kids who are eligible for the summer program.

"The summer program is open to teenagers entering grades sixth through nine," she said. "There seem to be a lot of new sixth graders who are interested in the program. One person will want to come and he or she bring along a few friends and the program will begin to fill up."

Despite the demand for activities from area teens, the teen center has faced problems in the past few months that forced the board to ask the county for an extension to the July 27 deadline for grant applications. Without a permanent home, it was difficult to get started on the grant application process because the center was unsure of its financial situation, Klobukowski said.

Until June 30, the center had been open in a space next to Old Town Hunting Supply Limited, 20005 Fisher Avenue. However, when the building's owner wanted to expand the hunting supply store, the town did not renew the lease of the teen center. At the same time, a deal that was in the works to rent space for a teen center and a town meeting place in the former Leonardo Pizza building on Willard Road fell through.

"Because the teen center has no meeting place, it completely changes what type of budget we need," Klobukowski said. "Now we have to rent facilities when we want to hold activities. Because it wasn't until last month that we found out we wouldn't have a home, we haven't had time to put together a board and begin writing the [Request For Proposal]."

If the board is able to find enough members to apply for a grant, Klobukowski, who has been a board member since 1996, is uncertain how much money the county will give the teen center. On one hand, the teen center needs more money than in past years because it does not have a home and space must be rented for activities. On the other hand, the latest county budget cuts funding for recreational department teen centers in half, from $60,000 to $30,000.

Meanwhile, the teen center has been running a successful summer program at the high school.

According to Herbert, there are organized activities for teens Mondays through Thursdays. Activities include a week with the "One-on-One Basketball" group, which helps teens develop basketball skills and teaches the rules of basketball. And on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 5 p.m. trips are taken to the swimming pool.

In addition to the activities that take place in Poolesville, all-day trips are taken on Fridays. While this Friday the group will go to Six Flags, they will travel to Dave & Busters on July 20 and take a tubing trip on July 27.

The seven-week program runs through Aug. 10, however because of the budget problems, no activities have been organized for after summer.

Even if the board is able to get enough members to fill out the grant application and the county gives the teen center money, there will still not be a "true home" where activities can be held.

"While in past years we use to organize things such as movie nights and order subs and play ping pong, we will no longer be able to do this," Herbert said. "Instead, we will probably end up doing things such as taking monthly trips."

Because the Teen Center will not be able to organize frequent activities, Herbert believes that most teens will spend their time participating in activities elsewhere.