Thursday, February 3, 2000 Older Editions

Youth center proposed at West Andover site

By Taylor Armerding

A group led by outgoing Selectman Larry Larsen plans to launch a fund drive in April, in hopes of building a new $2.3-million youth center on town property behind the West Andover fire station off Greenwood Road.

The Andover Youth Foundation was incorporated last month under Larsen's name, but also includes other political heavy hitters. Former long-time selectmen chairman Jerry Silverman is public relations chairman, former public works director Bob McQuade is chairing the building committee, Harvard professor Tom Jones and Art Williams are co-chairs of fund-raising, and Police Chief Brian Pattullo is chairing transportation and safety.

Silverman says the fund-raising effort will begin Thursday, April 6 at Old Town Hall, with a roast of Larsen, in honor of his service as a selectman.

"We're going to roast the doctor, and dinner is going to be supplied by the Greater Lawrence Technical School," he says. "There's room for about 250 people, and all proceeds will be used as the first donation toward the new Andover Youth Center."

That, however, raises a question: What happened to the youth center proposed last fall by Selectman Brian Major and Andover resident Jim Arnold, owner of Sport Court, on property owned by Merrimack College ("Youth center unveiled," Townsman, Oct. 14, 1999)?

Arnold says the offer to include a youth center as part of an athletic complex for the college is still very much on the table.

"The Merrimack proposal was an offer extended by Brian Major and my company to the town, which to date has not been formally turned down by anybody from the town," he says.

But, Arnold says, a youth center is not necessary to make that project go forward.

"Actually it would make things infinitely easier (if a youth center were not included)," he says, "because involving a public entity complicates everything. We were extending the offer as a courtesy."

Bill Fahey, the town's director of youth services, says he doesn't have a preference for either proposal. "My preference is simply that the community come together on a proposal," he says, adding that he believes there is tremendous community support for a center, "but people are just waiting for what to support."

Fahey says he has looked at the West Andover site, and believes "it has a lot of viability. There are going to be new schools out there, and there are already activities for youth (athletic fields) in that area.

The important thing, he says, is simply to have a center. He recalls South Church pastor, Rev. Cal Mutti, asking him, "if a youth center is the answer, then what is the question?"

"I thought about that," he says, "and I think the question is; How are we as a community going to move forward and support our young people during non-school hours? And I know we can have a creative, innovative youth center to serve the families in town wherever it is."

Silverman says the foundation members are talking about developing the five-acre site in phases. The first will be a youth center of about 15,000 square feet that will house recreation areas, office space and other rooms for small- or large-group meetings. "That's going to cost $2.2 to $2.3 million," he says.

"Then later on we hope to build a gymnasium, and after that, there is the possibility of an indoor swimming pool."

This, he notes, will be in an area that already has recreation fields, and will have more "when they cap the dump. We're hoping that there will be room for a couple of lacrosse fields and some softball fields -- but that would be up to the town," he says.

While the group hopes Town Meeting voters will agree to donate the land, which had previously been considered -- and rejected -- as a site for a new senior center, Silverman says funding for the construction and site development will come from private donations.

He says there will be more discussion of the design of the center at the group's next meeting, Feb. 16. He says the group hopes to "eliminate Ledge Road," and also leave room for the expansion of the West Andover fire station in the future.