MURRIETA -- Rather than relying on sidewalks outside convenience stores and park benches after dark as their hangouts, young people in Murrieta soon will have a recreational space they can call their own.

As early as September, construction could begin on a nearly 7,500-square-foot teen center in what planners are calling an ideal location near California Oaks Sports Park and Shivela Middle School.

The center, budgeted at $1.8 million, will be built in two phases. The first phase will consist of the main building, which will offer classroom space, a kitchen, a computer room, a multipurpose room with a television and pool and foosball tables, said Murrieta Community Services Manager Debbie Tharp.

A gymnasium will be built during the second phase.

"I'm glad to see that it's (being built) in two phases so we can get moving on the first phase hopefully rather quickly," said Community Services Commissioner Tom Courbat, who recently reviewed the preliminary details of the center at a meeting. "We've advanced from a small town to a small city. Clearly, we need a teen center and I'm excited to see that we're moving forward."

At the next Community Services Commission meeting in late February, residents will be invited to give suggestions on the final design, Tharp said. At that time, commissioners hope to hear different opinions that could contribute to a well-balanced project. If there's a concern about disability access, or an idea for an outdoor improvement, the commission will want to hear it, she said.

"From an aesthetic and a safety standpoint, I would think the sooner those comments were made, (they) could certainly affect what the design would be," Courbat said.

The project must then be approved by the Murrieta City Council. No date for that meeting has been set, Tharp said.

"Hopefully, we will serve a lot of (students)," she said. "With the two high schools and three middle schools, there are a lot."

The center will be run by Brandon Harrison, a recreation coordinator who recently was named teen coordinator. Harrison, who was with the San Diego Chargers in 1995-96, will serve as a liaison between designers and the teen advisory committee, which has been giving feedback on what features junior high and high school students would most use. Harrison said the center will fill a vital role in the community.

"At that age, we kind of overlook them and have more things for the younger kids," Harrison said. "But that's the age we need to target. That's when they're getting into more things than they should be getting into."

Harrison said he plans to furnish a relaxed feeling where teens can hang out and play video games, pingpong, take cooking classes and even participate in Friday open mike nights.

"I'm 36, but I'm not an old man that's not hip to what they're going through," Harrison said. "There are going to be rules, but the rules are going to be set by them."

Ector Mojica, of WLC Architects in Rancho Cucamonga, which is designing the center, said that, based on his experience in creating teen centers, he believes Murrieta's is an exciting project.

"The (city) team has a lot of great ideas," Mojica said. "They have a big vision for what they want to accomplish for the teens of the area and how to plug the teens into the different activities."

Contact staff writer Nelsy Rodriguez at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2626, or nrodriguez@californian.com.