COEUR d'ALENE - The Lake City Center wants to be the new hot spot for nightlife in Coeur d'Alene.

Well, nightlife like receptions, that is. Or fundraisers. Or family reunions. Or community concerts.

Once canasta finishes up during the day, nights and weekends at this joint will be hopping.

The Lake City Center, formerly Lake City Senior Center, is cusping on a transformation that will make it more multifunctional, and, board members hope, the town's choice venue for events.

The primary motivation: Drawing in more funding from renting out the facility.

"This is one of the ways they can generate income to support their programming," said Ruth Pratt with the Coeur d'Alene Arts and Cultural Alliance, which has paired with the City Center board to renovate the facility.

Pratt knew from the beginning the center needed work, she said.

"They have had wedding receptions and other events there, but the ambiance were really not, how can I put it - they weren't at that level that could generate a lot of interest in folks using it for performances," Pratt said.

Like fluorescent lighting, which Pratt acknowledges really never makes anyone look good.

And a poor sound system, to the degree that musicians have to lug in their own systems, she said.

"It just really needed a face lift, as well as some redoing of the infrastructure, to make it really first class," Pratt said, adding that she hopes Arts and Cultural events will be performed there.

It's going to take some work.

Already, the two boards have gotten the basics covered. They repainted the main dining hall, which seats 200, so it looks a little warmer, friendlier, a little less hospital-ward.

They've added curtains to improve acoustics, and a sign sporting the new name.

A lengthy wish list remains, however, with daunting price tags. Like $2,500 stage lighting, $1,500 track lighting, a $5,000 sound system, new tables that total about $2,000.

The center, a 501 3c nonprofit, is hoping the community will step in with donations. A benefit concert was held this past Thursday night, and more will be scheduled.

"We're by no means done," Pratt said.

The sooner the center can open its doors for outside groups to rent, the better, said Deanna Goodlander, City Center board member.

Like most sectors during the recession, the center's funding has been slipping, Goodlander said, especially for the 2,000 subsidized meals the center provides each year.

"We lose money on the nutrition program," Goodlander said. "The funding that comes in, it's not enough to cover expenses."

It's a national trend, she added.

She recently read a study predicting that most senior centers would close in 10 years, due to diminishing funds and the different mindset of aging baby boomers.

"Centers do have to move into the 21st century, and we're doing that," she said.

The board plans to add more features to appeal to modern seniors, Goodlander added, like computer services.

"That's in our long-range plan," she said.

The board has yet to set the rental rates for the facility, Goodlander said.

Colleen Allison, also on the center board, added that the renovation will make the center more appealing to folks over 55 who are reluctant to use the facility, because they associate it with stodgy old folks.

"There's been kind of a stigma to it," Allison said, adding that this is why "senior" has been removed from the name. "They shouldn't be, because we have some great events. People can really get a lot of entertainment for very little money."

As upgrades continue, the facility will still continue to offer its usual daytime programs, Allison added, like pool, card games, meals, Wii playing and other social activities.

"I think it's just a case of getting out there with it and making people aware," she said.