CENTER SPORTING 1ST LOOK; TEMPORARY COURTS TO OPEN DURING WORK.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

Board planks fill spaces where windows eventually will be installed, scratches and putty markings are visible, cables dangle from the ceiling.

But the Santa Clarita Recreation Center will open tonight, providing much-needed basketball courts for the city's youth league practices.

Santa Clarita, anticipating a shortage of courts when the youth basketball league games begin this month, decided to install temporary ones in a Merle Norman Inc. warehouse the city recently purchased to serve as a sports complex.

Permanent courts will be built inside the structure in the next few months. But until then, players will use the hard, plastic, mat-style court floors and hoops on rollers amid the construction on the site. On Thursday, the construction crew also glued foam padding to cement pillars as a precaution for players.

``When it's done, it's going to look a lot prettier than this,'' said Ross Farahmand, project manager for Begle Construction. ``Everything will look better.''

The warehouse is one of three on Golden Valley Road that the city bought in October for $3.08 million. The first warehouse, which should be remodeled and redesigned sometime in the summer, will have two basketball courts, four racquetball courts, folding bleachers, lockers, showers, offices and a lobby area. The project will cost about $1.2 million.

Some of the features at the future Santa Clarita Sports Complex are already beginning to take shape. The construction crew has begun laying the foundation for the racquetball courts and will bring in wood for the basketball floors.

The crew has also begun improving the lighting both inside and outside the building. The next priority will be to fix the leaky roof, Farahmand said.

Even the temporary basketball courts make the hollow space look like a gym. Wood beams slant across the ceiling, light streaks through the cracks in the windows, and the space gives off an echoing sound just waiting for the squeak of sneakers.

And even if it isn't perfect, the temporary site allows children to play ball rather than be placed on a waiting list, said Mike Norton, recreation coordinator for the city.

``It makes a tremendous amount of difference,'' Norton said. ``Because of the courts, enrollment in the program has gone up about 500 kids. We would have had a huge wait-list without these courts.''

Once the permanent courts are complete, anyone in the community will be able to use the facility. The city plans to set aside open court time to allow for pickup basketball games, Norton said.

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2 Photos

PHOTO (1--Color) Nshan Saglyan installs lights at the Santa Clarita Recreation Center, which opens today. Temporary facilities will be available as work continues.

(2--Color) Backboard stanchions on wheels will be used for basketball games until permanent ones are fashioned for the sports center.

Terri Thuente/Daily News