Norwood Selectmen Authorize Teen Roller Hockey Games at Norwood Depot Parking Lot-August 11, 1994

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Meeting last night, the Board of Selectmen unanimously approved a request by Geraldine Drive resident Joseph Fitzgerald—a father of three teenagers and Boston Herald columnist—allowing local 12- to 15-year-olds to continue playing roller hockey in the lighted commuter rail station lot. Friday and Saturday night games have become a popular tradition for local youths, though recent neighbor complaints prompted police to occasionally disperse the players. Fitzgerald defended the teenagers, telling the board, “There is no rowdiness, graffiti or misbehavior. The kids are well-monitored and well-behaved.”

To back the request, Fitzgerald presented a supportive letter from MBTA General Manager John Haley, who playfully added, “I will viciously forecheck anyone who thinks about graffiti.”

Noting that the parking lot is actively monitored by a police surveillance camera and that parents enforce a strict 10:00 p.m. curfew, selectmen instructed Police Chief George DiBlasi to let the games proceed uninterrupted.

Selectman Timothy McDonough praised the initiative, saying, “These are good kids, and it’s a place to get them off the street. We ought to try and help them as much as we can.” Fellow selectman Domenic Fruci reminisced about his own youth, remarking, “I’m getting tired of people knocking kids. If there’s no problem, they shouldn’t be moved.”

(Reporting by Jackie Cowin for The Patriot Ledger).

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