It's a regular Wednesday night, and the new home of Boston's public-access cable network is buzzing. In the computer lab, three teenagers edit their new show, "Swagger." Upstairs, newbies gather in Studio A to discuss production. And in Studio B, Southie artist Dan McCole is warming up for his weekly arts talk show, "Citizen's Corner."

At the Boston Neighborhood Network, almost anything that can be videotaped will be.

"We don't allow anything with flames," digital media director Christine Kelly says. But that leaves plenty of room for heat-free chefs, Afro-Brazilian drummers, call-taking cops, Chinese dancers, Alzheimer's experts, and local pols. About 40 different shows air on Comcast channels 9 and 23 throughout each month.

At BNN, all kinds of folks take to the air, for a modest annual $66 membership fee, $18.50 for youths and seniors. After a free orientation, would-be producers pony up for access to low-cost classes and top-of-the-line cameras, computers, and studios.

Currently, about 500 members submit project proposals to check out shared gear. But with new equipment and more classroom space in the new headquarters at 3025 Washington St., which opened in late November, more students can roll cameras and click through the software program Final Cut Pro. "Even complete novices can be taught," said operations manager Dan Moore.

Vacant for 20 years, the stately building erected in 1909 once housed an MBTA power plant for the elevated Orange Line. Today, it's both green and historic. Geothermal pumps heat and cool the structure, now a candidate for both green certification and national landmark status. The building is named for Charles J. Beard II, an attorney and founding board member who crafted the original agreement for public-access channels with Cablevision in 1982.

Created with local developer Urban Edge, the $8.7 million project is a dream come true for an organization accustomed to shuttling between low-profile rental spaces in Roxbury and downtown, general manager Curtis Henderson said.

"It really means we finally have a home," he said. "Having it be state-of-the-art and green and historic, as well. . . . It's a lot of neat things rolled into one." Steel beams and a massive crane preserve the space's industrial past, while arched windows and colorful walls were designed to stimulate creativity.

"Now we have a hub; we need to build the spokes that run out to the different parts of the city," Henderson said.

BNN already knows how to collaborate. Funded by cable customers' fees, filtered through the city, public access has long had Boston's support, said board president DeWayne Lehman. The state is also a supporter, recently contributing to the center's $2.8 million capital fund with a $518,000 grant to create cultural tourism programs. (The balance of the building, purchased by BNN and Urban Edge in 2005, was funded through financing.)

BNN also partners with the city to provide high school students with internships. Henderson said the network wants to attract even more teenagers, teaching them to produce their own shows and report local stories.

Boston students Lola Benson, Ashley Ducrepin, and Ashley Lewis spend three afternoons a week at BNN, filming and editing a new show on Boston's unique characters.

"Interviewing people, for me, is a little hard," Lewis, 18, said of filming segments on local shop owners and radio personalities. "It's a little nerve-racking, but I do it because I have to." What's most interesting is how lighting affects a shoot, she said. "It can really add to the effect you want to give a shot or scene."

Henderson said BNN aims to reach out even more to nonprofit organizations, which can film shows at the network for a small fee. New digital equipment allows the station to accept photos, logos, and information that can easily be posted to the channels or website, he said. "People don't have to bring a physical tape to the studio. They can download and upload files."

Over the years, many people have learned valuable TV skills at BNN, Atwood said. "Tele Creole," a show for Haitian Bostonians that was started in 1986, has even become popular elsewhere. "As a result, many of the people who have worked on that have gone on to create other programs."

High school students learn through Teen TV, residents join rolling film projects in mobile units, and college students gain skills through paid internships. Boston University students even produce a nightly half-hour news program in their campus studio that airs on the channels.

"Young people can gain skills for jobs that will serve them for a lifetime," Atwood said. "We feel like we're generating a new kind of power here."

Henderson, who himself began as a student at BNN in 1984, said the network offers tools of power and access to all kinds of folks. People can pursue new careers, he said. Some start their own production companies. "People who come to this facility, they get a hands-on experience, which is a big, big plus."