The Showroom:

• Gig Harbor Younglife built a stage for concerts

• Concert room included stage lights, Graffiti art, a movie screen

• 3 Xbox rooms with TVs and couches

• Meeting rooms with couches

• An after school homework or tutoring room with computers

• A large daylight gameroom that had 3 foosball tables, air hockey, couches tables and chairs, and a snack bar.

The Sk8shak

• The SK8SHAK was a huge Skate area with concrete floor, skate ramps, rails and fun boxes

• A half pipe was secured, dismantled and ready to be installed.

• Mike put a lot of work into it,  even found an insurer for the skate area.  It would have been a free, locals only, skatebarn for gig harbor teens.

Why It Was Shut down:

The half pipe would have been installed if the City of Gig Harbor didn't put the brakes on the whole project. They couldn't justify an exception to an obviously unfair regulation. For example, since we were changing the use of the facility, i.e.: going from a ford dealership to a youth center; we were required to upgrade the facility to modern codes. They insisted on the following changes: sprinkler system, exit signs, fire doors, handicap restrooms, landscaping, and barriers next to the glass windows in the game room. I personally had secured donations for nearly all of the restrictions: I had a handicap port-a-potty promised, home depot pledged to donate the hardware for the doors, an electrician pledged to donate the exit signs and install them, PlyTac pledged to donate the doors, I had a welder on standby to build more rails for me, and I had electricians on standby once we got the exit signs. I could have secured even more gaming tables, In fact, I turned down some offers.  So, after months of waiting, Gig harbor wouldn't give us permission, nor grant any exceptions. Sad, because the harbor is deficient in youth venues. I believe the choice basically came down to having a non-profit use the building, or a business that could contribute business taxes. An automotive business moved in as we moved out, and none of the above code restrictions were imposed on the incoming business.

The building was composed of Steel trusses, steel stud walls, Steel roof, steel siding, concrete floor, fiberglass and sheetrock. basically fireproof. More fireproof than most buildings in gig harbor. And we couldn't get an temporary use permit!