FALLBROOK -- As leaders of the Boys & Girls Club of North County attempt to raise $1.6 million in a campaign to remodel and expand its hillside campus in downtown Fallbrook, kids who frequent the club say they know exactly what's needed.

"Get new bleachers, maybe some new pool tables," said 9-year-old Tristin Shampo, who said he's been spending most of his afternoons inside the club's old gym for as long as he can remember.

Other youngsters say a teen center and a water slide that would spruce up the swimming pool out front would be good ideas.

For generations, children have played and learned inside the large concrete building off East Ivy Street. It was built as the athletic wing of the town's first high school in the 1930s, and now serves as headquarters for the Boys & Girls Club.

Its well-worn floors and walls have seen more than their share of use over the past 70 years, and the old gym hasn't changed much since it was built.

But last week, club leaders said they hope to give the facility a new look and more room in the near future, an undertaking that will require about $2.75 million.

About $1.1 million has already been raised, and club Chief Executive Officer Abe Oliveras said he is just starting to advertise the fundraising drive aggressively. Oliveras said he waited because local charitable efforts have recently been focused on helping victims of October's Rice fire.

Fundraising and donations also cover most of the club's annual $900,000 budget. The club serves about 150 kids a day at its main campus, and hosts about 100 kids a day at eight other locations in Fallbrook, Bonsall and Pala.

Same building, new look

Oliveras, who has been in charge since 2002, walks the halls of the old complex with an eye toward the future, and says he sees widespread changes that will carry the club into a new era.

The facility now houses a recreation room, a gymnasium for basketball and indoor soccer, a music room, and a computer lab. Outside, there is a playground, a swimming pool, and a softball field.

The proposed additions would include practical items, such as more parking and floor space, as well as expenses clearly meant to please the club's most outspoken patrons -- the kids.

Among those items are the water slide, bigger music and computer rooms, and upgrades in the gym, which is almost constantly in use.

Still recovering from a game of basketball, a slight grin broke out on Tristan's face at the mention of a possible water slide.

"They have a diving board, but it's not really fun if you keep on doing it over and over again each day," he said.

The centerpiece of the expansion would be a two-story, 4,000 square-foot building in the courtyard facing toward downtown Fallbrook. The building would house a new and improved social recreation room, as well as a performing arts center.

Next on the list of priorities is a teen center that would be walled off from the rest of the club to give adolescents their own space within the facility, separate from younger members, Oliveras said.

One teenage member, 14-year-old Thomas Roberts, said he thought it would be a good idea to give teens their own area within the club.

"I think we should maybe get a skateboard park," he added. "We need one of those."

At this point, the project doesn't include plans for a skatepark, although proponents have been seeking a place for one in Fallbrook for nearly a decade.

All told, the improvements would cost $2.75 million, Oliveras said, although some of them would be phased in before that goal is met.

"Right now, parking is really an issue," he said, adding that the first part of the project will be to add 30 parking spaces east of the gym, with a wrap-around driveway to access Ivy Street.

As for the historical building that has stood overlooking downtown Fallbrook since 1936, Oliveras said that, if anything, the improvements will help preserve it.

"We had looked at the possibility of tearing it down and starting from scratch," Oliveras said as he toured the property.

But that would have cost about $6 million, he said.

Instead, a structural engineer and an architect both advised a face-lift for the campus, and now the club has plans to "renovate and expand to meet the needs of our kids for the next 50 years," said Oliveras.

Fundraising

In the drive to reach $2.75 million, Oliveras said he hopes to climb from $1.1 million to the $2 million mark this year.

"Once we get to that point, we can start soliciting grants from foundations," he explained. "Foundations pay attention to you once they see you have the community's support."

In the meantime, he said, "We have some proposals out to local foundations and individuals -- one for $500,000 and one for $300,000. We'll see what happens."

The club also has a list of "dedication opportunities" that offer the right to name certain parts of the facility, such as the athletic center, swimming pool and even the flagpole.

Gordon Wangers, co-chairman of the club's fundraising committee, said Tuesday that he is confident about the fundraising effort, despite the economy's recent turn for the worse.

"Some people on our list who we thought would say, 'Yes,' said, 'No,' but I think all nonprofits face this situation at the moment," Wangers said. "Certainly, the obvious question is, with the current financial meltdown, how do you go out and raise money for a nonprofit?"

The answer may be in a combination of government grants and private donations from those who haven't been hit hard by the economic downturn, he said.

"Some business owners, despite the economy, are still enjoying great success," said Wangers. "It's our job also to find them and see if we can persuade them to pick up some of the slack. That's probably the most important thing right now."

No matter what, leaders said they were confident in the proven generosity of the community, which has helped keep the Boys & Girls Club afloat for 45 years.

"The bottom line is, it's a big investment," said Oliveras. "But it's well worth it, because we're investing in our young people,"

Contact staff writer Tom Pfingsten at (760) 740-3516 or tpfingsten@nctimes.com. Comment at nctimes.com.