Norwood School Committee Votes Eliminate Youth Hangout-July 31, 1981

Will Clear Woods Near Callahan School

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School officials have had enough of youths drinking beer, littering, and setting fires in the woods near the Callahan Elementary School, prompting a decisive crackdown. In a unanimous vote last night, the Norwood School Committee resolved to seek funds to thin out the dense vegetation located about seventy feet from the school on Garfield Avenue. By removing trees and thick bushes, committee members reasoned that youths would lose their hidden gathering spot.

School Superintendent Louis J. Taris estimated that the clearing project would cost approximately $6,000 and take about three weeks to complete. Because no available funds remain within the current school budget, the committee will ask the Finance Commission for a transfer from the reserve fund. It’s a hangout, Louis J. Taris stated, noting that the area is heavily littered with trash and junk. He also pointed out that fifteen windows at the Callahan had already been broken by vandals earlier that summer.

Ed McDonough, property manager of the nearby Nassau Gardens apartments and a local resident, told the board that roughly thirty-five to forty youths congregate in the woods every night from 7:30 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. There are fires, debris, and drinking, Ed McDonough said, adding that there are thousands of bottles in there and that brush fires set by the youths shoot twenty to thirty feet into the air. He noted that the Cleveland and Prescott elementary schools experience similar, though less severe, problems. While Ed McDonough attempts to discourage the crowds by pointing high-powered lights from the Nassau Gardens pool toward the woods, heavy vegetation blocks most of the illumination. Superintendent Taris praised local law enforcement, stating that police patrol the area frequently even though they cannot remain stationed there all night.

Initially, Superintendent Taris recommended waiting to clear the woods until the school department received potential additional state aid. However, committee members insisted that immediate action was necessary. Member Charles C. Saraca argued that steps should be taken right away to resolve the issue, while member Rudith Berkowitz suggested that the school board should also consider thinning the woods near other schools across town.

In related local concerns, a Codman Road resident complained to the Selectmen on Tuesday night that youths had been lingering around his home near the Ellis Playground, drinking beer late into the early morning hours and leaving empty cans and bottles behind. Town Manager John J. Carroll responded that police have stepped up patrols to curb drinking on town property. Meanwhile, School Committee Chairman William F. Pudsey suggested enlisting parent-teacher organization volunteers to help monitor areas near schools and report problems, stating, They should take more pride in all their schools. Ed McDonough noted that residents near the Callahan School are already doing their part by volunteering to clean up some of the accumulated trash in the woods.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger