Of the 1,400,000 people who call the Bronx home, nearly 30 percent are under the age of 18, a larger percentage than any other county in New York State. In community District 5 – which includes the neighborhoods of Mount Hope, Morris Heights, University Heights, and Fordham – this figure, according to the 2000 census, in closer to 35 percent, a staggering number.

Yet recreational opportunities for youngsters in the area are few and far between. In District 5, there’s no movie theatre, no public swimming pool (with the exception of the one in Roberto Clemente State Park), and too few parks and playgrounds.

Many kids are perpetually bored and, with nothing to do except hang out, they can easily be led astray.

It’s heartening, then, to hear that Kips Bay Boys &Girls Club, a respected Bronx-based youth organization, is on the verge of renovating the old Hewbrew Institute building on Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard. By the summer 2008, if all goes as planned (and it’s a big “if” as the project has had several false starts), thousands of kids in University Heights and the surrounding area will have access to a new community center.

Meanwhile, Mount Hope Housing Company, one of the Mount Hope Monitor’s supporters, has begun building a gleaming new community center of its own on a cluster of vacant lots at 175th Street, between Walton and Townsend avenues. The facility will serve both children and adults. It’s scheduled to open by the end of the year.

These projects won’t solve all the problems in the central west Bronx. They won’t touch every child. But they have the potential to dramatically enhance the quality of life in one of the poorest and most overcrowded areas in the city. Hopefully, they’ll inspire others to address additional critical community needs as well.