Thursday, July 1, 1999 Older Editions

Private group to push for youth center

By Neil Fater

A group of Andover movers and shakers has been meeting privately this spring, and is planning to build a privately-funded youth center.

"There have been a number of meetings of a group that is very concerned about creating a youth center," confirms Selectman Larry Larsen, a member of the informal group. "The general feeling is to do it privately and to give it to the town -- preferably on town-owned land."

Larsen declined to name the members of the group, saying their discussions are still in the preliminary stage.

"We decided we'd keep it low key," says Larsen. "It's a group of individuals who are concerned about doing it, and are from different walks of life. They're the type of people who know their way around fund raisers."

Larsen says the group will involve the Youth Services department and Andover youth in the process once it is further along. By fall the group hopes to have a "business plan," a document outlining the needs of Andover youth, and what should be done to address those needs, he says.

Basic design considered

Larsen says the group has discussed creating a 10,000-square-foot youth center with several rooms for offices or smaller meetings. There should also be a large multi-purpose room with a cathedral-like ceiling, so indoor sports such as basketball and volleyball can be played in there, he says.

Larsen described the building as "a functional center," and "nothing elaborate."

Although some officials have talked previously about using the current senior center adjacent to Doherty Middle School for a youth center, once seniors move into their new center, Larsen says that area is inadequate. One problem is that there is not any room for an indoor gymnasium, he says.

Larsen would not comment on where the center might be built, however there are very few town-owned parcels of land available. Two such places near playing fields are land near the West Andover fire station and land in Recreation Park off Abbot Street.

In 1995, residents defeated an earlier effort aimed at building a youth center in Rec Park.

The 1995 plan was for the Shawsheen Extended Day program to build facilities for youth. SHED would then have used some of the space to house its own before- and after-school programs for kids.

But the effort, which required a two-thirds majority, failed by 63 votes. Many Andover officials who voted against the idea said there had not been enough planning. In discussions following Town Meeting, officials and residents asked Youth Services to focus on adding more programs before it tried again to build a center.

Since 1995, the number of youth programs has grown considerably under the leadership of Youth Services Director Bill Fahey.

Selectmen have lauded Fahey's work this year, and have also asked Town Manager Buzz Stapczynski to consider giving Fahey a raise and making Youth Services its own department, rather than part of Community Services.

There also seems to be more support from town officials for a youth center than there was in the past. Police Chief Brian Pattullo is one of those who supports building a youth center.

"Youth Services has been amazing," says Pattullo. "They've really done an excellent job and helped out a lot of kids."

Although police have arrested several Andover youth for under-age drinking during the last few weeks, police have found fewer youths drinking illegally in recent years, says Pattullo.

Kids probably will continue to drink on town and school property if they feel there is little else for them to do, he says, but youth center would give them a safe place to gather.

"People say we can open the schools (at night). I think it has to go one step beyond that, and give them something that's separate from the school," he says.

"As a town I think we have an obligation to provide the kids with some kind of recreation. When I was growing up we had a bowling alley," says Pattullo. "There was a movie theater on Essex Street. The schools had dances almost every Friday night. There were just a lot of things to do."