I drive by the old Family Health Center every day. There it sits - has it been 2 years or 3, possibly longer, since everyone moved out and left it desolate and alone and maybe even haunted by old dreams and distant memories? It is wasted space, but more than that, wasted opportunities.

Why couldn't we have that building as a community center. We have McTap, Habitat for Humanity and Better Neighborhoods. Couldn't they rehab it? Couldn't the city donate the building? Couldn't we have a community day or month or year or whatever it takes to build a community center?

They can find $30 million for Proctor's but $0 for the community? There was a Slam Jam at Jerry Burrel Park on Tuesday and on Monday in Albany, outside people bringing energy and hope to our most crime ridden neighborhoods. If people can come together for one day, why not longer?

You know those big signs they put up at hazardous work sites that say two days or 200 days without an injury? Maybe we could have two signs - one that counts the days without a violent crime and one to count the days of commitment and work and coming together of all of us in order to benefit all of us.

Do you think we could forget our petty jealousies and leave all our inflated egos behind and work as one cohesive, well-oiled machine to have our own version of a Slam Jam everyday. We could put up a large, 10-foot waterslide outside and let it rip - or rain, as the case may be - every day. People would stop their cars and ask, "Can we bring our kids? Is it really free? Do we have to sign or join anything?" and we can say, "Come on over. And guess what, as a special bonus we will give you dinner."

Quest is one little organization with one little budget of $120,000 per year. Until we get our giant one-stop community center, we could have a community theme park right down through all the streets and neighborhoods. Each nonprofit could offer a special unique entertainment or food project, all free and with no strings attached.

Make your own sundaes, and while we're at it, make your own ice cream at the Boys and Girls Club. And always offer daily slam dunk contests.

Carver could open it's wonderful playground, throw open the gates and invite us all in. And make some popcorn and lemonade while you're at it.

How about track and field at King School and 5k races right through the Hill and Vale neighborhoods.

The arts center could keep those steel drums outside playing daily, and maybe add a make your own percussion instrument class.

And Jerry Burell Park could host card games, bingo, chess, checkers and shuffleboard. Real game tournaments with real game prizes 5 days a week.

And I didn't even bring up Quackenbush or the lovely wooded playground at Pleasant Valley. When I was growing up on Bridge Street, they showed movies every Friday night on the outside wall of the school.

We could have Saturday night dances in Mont Pleasant, alternating among ballroom dance, square dances, hip hop teen dances and dance classes for all that are interested.

We could walk the streets with flashlights and people could leave their porch lights on, and maybe Union College could send their trolley on a nightly loop.

It would be better than downtown; it would be Hill Town.

I also noticed that more than 20 police cars and state trooper vehicles were sent to oversee the Slam Jam party - as an added point of interest they were (at least some of them) wearing t-shirts with the small police shield emblazoned discreetly on their chests. There were assorted tow trucks to tow offending vehicles, and in general, it was just like watching a cops and robbers show on television. Hometown movies of hometown cops.

But all together it kept the peace. It disturbs me to think we don't have the power to continue onward from this unique beginning.

QUEST is a community-based organization that provides a safe environment, free meals, counseling, art and recreation programs that keep Hamilton Hill children in school, out of trouble and on track for better lives. For more information on QUEST, visit www.questkids.net.