Last September when police entered an abandoned building at 720 S. Atherton St., they found teen-agers with marijuana, knives and a .22-caliber rifle. But next Semptember, the same building may be filled with teen-agers chatting at a caf, playing pool or selling handmade crafts.

Plans are in the works to convert the former Pearce Milk Company building into a youth center by this summer, said Pamela Williams, co-founder of Ray of Hope Inc. -- the organization that plans to do so.

"Why not turn a place that used to be a negative place and an illegal hangout and turn it into a positive, legal one?" Williams said.

Williams said Ray of Hope is organizing an effort to clean up the building on Feb. 19 and 20 and will rely on volunteers from the community.

"We've had a lot of response from parents and grandparents," Williams said, adding that the response from teen-agers has been large as well. "After all, they have the biggest stake in this."

Williams said the cost of the cleanup will be about $2,000, but Ray of Hope will need an additional $100,000 to cover plumbing, electricity and other remodeling costs. She added that the organization will depend on the generosity of the community to cover the cost.

One local business has already shown its support. Hardee's Restaurant, 215 S. Atherton St., has set up a wishing well to collect change for the center and is donating 50 cents for each roast beef sandwich sold last weekend, said Saied Karamooz, the restaurant's owner.

John Casey, principal of the State College Area Junior High School, said there is a need for a youth center in State College.

"One of the concerns we have is there isn't a lot for kids in our age group to do that is especially for them," he said, adding that many junior high students end up at places meant for University students.

Centre County Youth Services used to operate an afternoon center for State College youths but discontinued it in the early 1980s, said Norma Keller, the organization's director. She added that such centers, which offer activies and support through counselors, still exist for and benefit Bellefonte, Snowshoe and Philipsburg students.

"I can remember parents saying in the past that the youth centers had raised their children," she said.

Williams said plans for the Pearce Milk Company building include a caf that would be run by youths, a social/game room and a flea market where teen-agers could sell things they make. Instead of paying dues, the youths would be required to complete service hours for the center, she said.

The State College Family YMCA may work in conjunction with the center once it is open.

"We offer a lot of programs for teen-agers, but the teen-age population is particulary in need of a place to talk and a place just to be," YMCA executive director Cyndi Asmus said. "We just don't have that space -- but they do."

Raymond Williams, Pamela's husband and co-founder of Ray of Hope, said his motivation for establishing the center stems from his eighth grade teacher, who noticed he had fallen in with a bad crowd and inspired him to get himself together.

"This is my way of paying her back for the help she gave me," he said.