Saugus neighbors address problem of teens in area

SAUGUS – More than 20 Saugus residents along with several police officers showed up at Veterans Memorial Elementary School on Wednesday night in response to a story in the Daily Item about large crowds of teenagers causing damage and creating disturbances in the area.Mike Downing, who has a show on Saugus Community Television, said he was enraged when he read the article and went down to the playground to see the damage first-hand. After that, he posted an invite on Facebook to have neighbors meet at the school.?The point of the whole thing,” said Downing, “is to get adults walking through here so the kids who are doing good and normal things can continue to do them and the kids who are going to drink and smoke weed are going to be uncomfortable knowing at any time I could be turning a corner, or someone from the neighborhood.”Assistant Police Chief Leonard Campanello was also on hand and took time to speak with neighbors about the problem.?We always welcome support from the community,” said Campanello. “It?s a two-fold dilemma. You have legitimate kids who unfortunately we have no place for them to go and then you have a faction of people who would cause this kind of trouble wherever they go.”Justin Delito lives down the street from the school and said he?s had problems with the noise all summer long. When he heard about the meeting from a neighbor, he decided to show up.?I have a three-month-old baby,” said Delito. “Early in the summer it was really loud. Loud music, cars racing and the dogs would bark and wake up my three-month old baby. I would do something, but sometimes there?s 30 or 40 kids here.”Janet Nichols also has had problems with noise late at night and said police escorted more than 20 kids out of the area several nights ago.?I don?t mind the kids being down here early in the evening playing basketball and whatever they want to do,” said Nichols. “I?d give the kids up until 10 o?clock. But from 10 on it should be fairly quiet down here.”Nichols also took issue with some of the foul language, saying she hears “swear word after swear word.” Downing agreed.?The problem is I?m sitting here with the lady and her kids and F-bombs are flying like there?s no tomorrow,” said Downing. “If they could be respectful, anybody could go anywhere and you wouldn?t call all this attention to you.”Hurd Avenue resident Kym Coogan said the biggest problem is that teenagers don?t have anywhere else to go.The Saugus Youth and Recreation Department runs several summer programs for kids, but the majority of them are for ninth-graders and under, and take place in the morning or afternoon.?They need to have a skate park, arcade, a movie theater, something in Saugus,” said Coogan. “They?re at the age where they can?t drive, but they?re not young enough that they have to be in the house by 7 o?clock at night.”In the meantime, Coogan said she?d like to see police increase their presence in the area.?When you call the cops if they come for more than five minutes that would help,” said Coogan. “They can disperse them all they want, that doesn?t mean they?re not coming back in an hour when they?re not here.”