Melisa Alpamirano, 16, has been waiting for today for the past year or so. Today is the grand opening celebration of a teen center at the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver in the Westwood neighborhood at Federal Boulevard and West Kentucky Avenue.

The center is named after former staffer Placido "Plazy" DeSantiago, who died of cancer last year at 28 years old. The center will boast a gymnasium, technology lab, college preparatory area, recording studio and more for members 13 to 18 years old. It also will house Friday teen nights.

"I think around the Westwood area, we need a place for teens to keep them off the streets and out of trouble. We're all just so excited," said Alpamirano, who attributes the Boys & Girls Club for changing her life and giving her goals, including her desire to be a lawyer.

With club membership at an all-time high and gang activity on the rise in the area, the 7,000-square-foot renovation will allow the club to serve 300 to 500 more children each year, said John Arigoni, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver.

The center, which was previously a swimming pool, is attached to the regular club but will have a separate entrance, providing a space solely for teens.

"That's the secret sauce," Arigoni said. "Some of the teens say it's not cool to be 16 or 17 saying, 'I'm going to the Boys & Girls Club,' so this will just be called The Club."

He's hoping it will boost teen membership, which makes up about 15 percent of Boys & Girls Club population.

He said it's important to keep teens active in the club because they, in turn, mentor the younger kids.

"For every teen that goes off to school ... or on the flip side that's not doing drugs ... it's a positive role model situation for the younger kids," Arigoni said.

The $1 million renovation was paid for by an anonymous donor.