Montrose - Daily Press

MONTROSE — In a room dimly lit with incandescent light bulbs, the music playing from the black and silver stereo in the corner is just loud enough to drown out the noise of the couple kissing on the couch, but not loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

A group of girls across the room are discussing the new episode of the “Hills.” A boy chases down a stray Ping-Pong ball and tosses it back to his friend, as people continue slowly streaming through the door, until the room is filled.

The Friday night scene sounds like local teenagers looking for a night of innocent fun, until the sound of, “Hey dude, grab a beer,” rises above the music.

Brittney Potter, an employee with the Star Drive-in Theatre, cleans the windows in the concession area before a double feature begins Friday evening. The Star Drive-in provides an outlet for teens in the Montrose area to hangout throughout summer evenings. (Joel Blocker / Daily Press) Advertisement

Then it becomes apparent that the couple on the couch stops to get another drink. The conversation between the girls consists of slurred words and the Ping-Pong ball that bounces away from the table is the key component of a game of Beer Pong.

Although teenagers are kept occupied during the day, when dark rolls around, so does boredom.

The mountain ranges, lakes and rivers that surround Montrose provide young adults with many options for entertainment during daylight hours. Mountain biking, hiking, fishing, tubing, skiing and rock climbing are a few of the many activities provided.

“It is so beautiful around here and there are so many places to go. There are places to go fishing, hiking, bicycling and picnicking. But, finding night activities is a little more difficult,” said Kristine Bagnara, program director of the Drinking and Drug Task Force in Montrose.

When it seems as though there is very little to do, teenagers may turn to drinking and using drugs with friends to keep themselves occupied.

“The perfect example is my 3-year-old. He is a really good kid until I try to get work done and he is left to his own vices. That is when he gets in trouble,” said mayor Erica Lewis Kennedy. “I do not think teenagers are bad, but when they sit around and do not have anything to do, they might turn toward the drinking and the drugs.”

According to Sergeant Paul Eller of the Montrose Police Department, there were 109 underage drinking citations issued to Montrose teenagers in 2007. From the beginning of 2008 to the end of July, the police have issued 100 underage drinking tickets to Montrose teens.

From the beginning of 2008 to the end of June, the Montrose Police Department has investigated 130 drug cases and 34 of those were juveniles and were issued citations for possession of marijuana. There have been two prescription drug cases involving juveniles and two cocaine cases involving juveniles.

“I think there is plenty of activities for teens and young adults to do. I think what has happened is our society has allowed them to use foreign substances as a recreational past time,” Eller said.

Both Eller and Bagnara spoke about focus groups on teenagers in New York City. The teens expressed the same views that teens in Montrose do, “there is nothing to do.”

“When you look at New York, they have the (Broadway) theaters, movie theaters and a multitude of activities and the kids say, ‘There is nothing for us to do.’ So they go back to drinking alcohol and using drugs,” Eller said.

In years past, there have been several organizations and individuals that have made efforts to start up teen centers and hang out spots in Montrose. Although the proper advertising was used, they did not receive sufficient support.

Kennedy attended high school in Montrose and became part of an effort to start up a youth center in 1989, 1990 and 1991.

“Everyone always complained that there was nothing to do, so we had a non-profit where KUBC is located now,” Kennedy said. “We had a dance floor, music, pool tables and a museum room.”

Kennedy said that although they provided a “hangout” for local teens, the number of teens showing up was dismal. The center would only see two or three new people a night.

“There used to be a dance club for 20 year-olds and younger where the Cat House is now. It was decorated like a nightclub and they served pizza, but that did not last either,” Kennedy said.

She believes that in order to successfully set up a teen center, it needs good leadership and continuous support from local teenagers, as well as the adults in the community.

According to Bagnara, the Drinking and Drug Task Force targets adults in the community as much as teenagers.

“We really believe that the people we need to work with are the adults. About 40 percent of the kids that drink or are using other substances are getting them from adults,” said Bagnara. “We educate adults about why it is not good for kids.”

The task force tries to get adults involved in their children’s lives in order to help them make good decisions.

“I would really invite the local community and adults to get engaged. We adults need to care enough about the teens in the community to help provide things to do,” Bagnara said.

“We need to let these young adults know that drugs are not okay and neither is underage drinking. Adults in the community have to stand up and say that it is not right and we have to do something about it. There are alternative things for people to do, they just have to be willing to find those things and engage in them,” Eller said.

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