An after-school teen recreation center in Hartland will be holding summer hours 3 times a week.

The Hartland Enrichment and Recreation Organization, or HERO, Teen Center opened 7 years ago as place for local students ages 12 through 18 to gather after school and socialize and/or work on their homework. At Tuesday night’s meeting of the Hartland Board of Trustees, HERO Center Director Susan Dewan, along with a dozen or so students, made a presentation to the Board, informing them on what’s coming up, and thanking them for their support. The kids all took a turn sharing what they liked best about the center with the Board, and “enjoying hanging out their friends” was far and away the most given response.

Because of generous donations from the community, the Center will be open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during summer break. Dewan said that they will be open from 7am to 6pm those days, and described their upcoming schedule to sound something like that of a summer day camp. Breakfast and lunch will be served, and a whole host of activities are planned. Dewan said they’ll be doing things like fire training, paintball, art classes, and going on field trips.

Trustee Matt Germane announced at the meeting that there will be a new addition this summer in the form of a 20 x 26 greenhouse. Germane said community donations are coming that will provide tools and seeds for the kids to plant, and that an expert horticulturist will be coming in to sow their knowledge to children attending.

Supervisor Bill Fountain said the HERO. Center is a valuable asset to the community, as with the senior center, it helps serve different generations and needs in Hartland. Dewan said that attending the center all summer is free, but they do accept donations from those willing. The HERO Center’s annual golf outing, which serves as their largest fundraiser, is schedeled for June 23rd. For more information on the HERO Center and all that is going on with it, visit their Facebook page. (MK)