Parents urge town to prioritize teen center, warn proposed survey misses key issues

During the Citizens Forum portion of the council meeting, several parents urged the Tolland Town Council to prioritize a new teen center and raised concerns about a draft survey meant to guide the project.

Parents said middle-school and early-teen residents currently have few face-to-face social opportunities. "We were purposely keeping them apart, and we should. That was what we had to do at the time, but it's something these kids have been catching up for," said Klush, a parent who gave a home address of 24 Liberty Street and thanked the council for placing the teen center on the agenda. Klush described a gap in services between the programming offered to young children and activities for older teens and said many local offerings are limited or have selective admissions.

Lauren Quinn, who identified herself and her Free Gailey Circle address, described practical barriers she sees for her daughter and other teens: clubs and activities that are admission-based or full, a lack of unstructured “hangout” options, and local courts and athletic facilities that need repair. "There's nothing for them to do," Quinn said. "My daughter... people who are over 11 and 18 are not welcome in this town, and that's really sad." She and other speakers said they worry that teens travel to neighboring towns to find peer activities.

Members and commenters also questioned the survey instrument placed on the council table. One council participant noted the draft looks like it was not developed by survey specialists, and a speaker referenced focus-group findings from the Hartford Foundation for Giving that identified transportation as a major barrier for local teens. "Transportation in this town... is a huge issue, and yet it's not on the survey," a participant said, urging that the questionnaire be revised or that a firm with survey expertise be engaged to ensure valid results.

Why it matters: The council has put the team-center survey on the table and indicated it will track progress. If the survey lacks scientific validity or omits major barriers such as transportation, it could skew the project's findings and resulting programming decisions, potentially leaving gaps in access for the population the center is intended to serve.

The council did not take a formal vote on the teen center or the survey during the segments covered in the transcript; commenters said they will follow the project and look for updates on the town website and the council's YouTube channel.