But while that new vision for a city-owned parcel on Dudley Street was being lauded in January , other decade-old dreams for a neighborhood mainstay came to an end. The Bird Street Community Center, having outgrown the cozy confines of the Uphams Corner building it has occupied since 1978, spent nearly $1 million preparing to move to the same spot where the Salvation Army will build. The city had tentatively reserved that land for the Bird Street youth center, but redesignated it last year, giving it instead to the Salvation Army.

As donors who had contributed to a new youth center demanded their money back, Bird Street quickly regrouped. Benefactors were asked to redirect their donations toward another project, a new center in the Bowdoin-Geneva neighborhood that will serve as a second location. The old Bird Street center will remain open.

``We were disappointed " with the city's decision, said Andrea Kaiser , executive director. ``This was a project Bird Street worked on for years and years. But the end result is the city will benefit, because north Dorchester will have two strong new centers in neighborhoods that really needed revitalizing."

The Bowdoin Street Community Center, which could open as early as 2008, will sit on city and private property now occupied by a closed gas station and auto body shop. The center will be shared with two other nonprofits, Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses and the Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corp.

Even when the huge Salvation Army center and the Bowdoin Street center are built, demand for youth programs in one of the most densely populated parts of Boston won't be met, Kaiser said.

``No matter what anybody builds, you still can't offer service to all the young kids out there," she said.

While the Salvation Army center will serve all generations, Bird Street focuses on teens and preteens. Many of the youths at Bird Street are foster children or teens who live in shelters, Kaiser said. Programs include tutoring, career training, life skills, violence prevention, community service, leadership, wellness, and sports.

With 52,000 people living within a 1-mile radius of the planned Salvation Army center, plenty of people need a place to go, said Tom Brodnicki , director of community relations and development for the Salvation Army of Massachusetts. The center is ``designed to complement and not compete with other centers in the community," he said.

Despite its cramped environs, Bird Street is attempting to meet surging demand with expanded programs and extended hours this summer. A grant from the Suffolk County district attorney's office allows Bird Street to remain open until 9 p.m. four nights a week, instead of the normal 6 p.m. summer closing time. About 150 children will be sent to summer camp.