Pubdate: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 Source: Marin Independent Journal (CA) Copyright: 2006 Marin Independent Journal Contact: http://www.marinij.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/673 Author: Tad Whitaker CAFE TO HOST TEENS AT NIGHT IN WAR ON DRUGS, BOREDOM Ross Valley teens will have a place to go starting Friday night. After hearing teens complain there was nowhere to go and nothing to do, Fairfax Councilwoman Mary Ann Maggiore persuaded Fairfax Coffee Roasters to stay open later than normal to be a gathering spot for teens. The business at the corner of Broadway and Bolinas Avenue will remain open until 11 p.m. Friday - as well as Dec. 22, Dec. 29 and perhaps other Fridays if attendance is good. Maggiore said young people need an alternative to drugs and alcohol. "They told us if they had a place to be, they wouldn't be doing things they're not supposed to be doing," she said. Fairfax's downtown is a hub of nightlife thanks to its four bars, three of which feature live music, within a single block. Town officials want to curb drug and alcohol use by teens, a problem across the county, and are considering measures including making parents financially responsible for parties at which teens are served alcohol. According to a recent "Healthy Kids Survey," Marin teens have a high rate of alcohol and substance abuse compared with peers across the state and nation. Maggiore, who along with Councilman Lew Tremaine serves on the town's Youth and Alcohol Task Force, said teens need positive alternatives to drinking and drugs. It is particularly important at this time of year, when parents are attending holiday parties, she said. After talking with the town's Youth Commission, students at Sir Francis Drake High School and others, she realized holding events at the Pavilion wouldn't work because kids would feel isolated up on the hill. That's why she approached Ed Wall, whose coffee shop is at the center of town. "They like to see and be seen," she said. The shop is just across the street from the Parkade parking lot, where Fairfax teens have gathered for decades. Wall said he usually closes about 6 p.m., but "we've always wanted to stay open late. "To be quite frank, it hasn't been economically sound to do it." However, he said he is willing to try to provide a place for teens to gather. The former Air Force brat remembers a childhood filled with plenty of organized activities that kept kids out of trouble. "Unfortunately, we don't have that kind of a system," he said. "It's a shame." From 8 to 11 p.m., the coffee shop will be open only to teens, although chaperones will hang around the edges for good measure. Admission costs $5 and includes dessert and a cup of coffee or tea. "Everyone's curious," said Kaila Wanberg, a 16-year-old Drake student from San Anselmo. Wanberg, who helped organize the event, said a fellow student is scheduled to play guitar. She said that, other than people's houses, there aren't places for teens to go. San Rafael may have its new Marin Interfaith Youth Outreach Teen Center, but that is too far away for Ross Valley kids. "There's not a place designated for kids to come," she said. Maggiore said she expects about 40 teens Friday night. She said if it is successful, the program could be the groundwork for building a formal teen center in the Ross Valley. "We'll work with that as it happens," she said. - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine