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Site Visit Community Center Task Force Visit Date: August 10,2011 Members in Betty Borghesani, Attendance: Laura Hussong Site Visited North Andover Youth Center 33 Johnson St., N. Andover People Visited: Rick Gorman, Executive Director Web site for Youth Center: http: / /www.nayouth.com /joseph -n.- hermann - youth- center.htmi Exterior Tour We began our visit with a tour outside. The building itself consists of what looks like a brown barn connected to a white farmhouse, and contains 18,000 sq. ft. of program space, built on four acres of land (Betty do you remember the story of the land acquisition ?) is in what has become the center of town. It is within walking distance of the middle school and three elementary schools, but it is about a mile to the high school. The town runs and pays for a shuttle bus five days per week that goes to and from schools /library /Youth Center /YMCA from 2 -6pm. Middle schoolers come every day, as if it is their club. High schoolers come for a particular purpose, such as weight lifting or leadership. Friday is the biggest use day; staff think every middle schooler comes to hang out until 6pm typically. Two Fridays each month there is a middle school dance, and the kids will be there until 9pm. The grounds are lovely, built into a hill and having a basketball court with lights, a supervised skate park, beach volleyball, and a town -owned children's public playground that the Center helps to maintain. There are bathrooms outside and accessible. The basketball courts and skate park cost $25,000 to build and were donated by a local contractor. Money for the lights came from CPA funds, but that would no longer be an acceptable use of CPA money since the laws have changed.