The Williston Park Board on Tuesday expressed its support of the Northwest Youth Assessment Center's new home.

Williston Parks and Recreation Director Darin Krueger brought some information regarding the youth center to the board because there's been controversy regarding its proposed new location.

The youth center is to be located at the intersection of 11th Street West and Ninth Avenue, across the street from the Raymond Family Community Center. It's now housed in the dilapidated old law enforcement center. Plans are to tear down the buildings that once housed the Williston New Public School District 8 office and storage facility and build a new youth center.

Neighbors of the new youth center location have expressed concern such as having the teens near them and whether their property values would decrease. Youth center and Williams County officials have said the teens aren't dangerous and the youth center is staffed on a 24-hour basis. It's also been said the youth center shouldn't negatively impact property values.

The youth center houses children ages 12-17 and is a transition facility for youth coming from a bad home situation or after they are picked up on various status and delinquent offenses. All of the park board members agreed the center's proposed location across from the Raymond Center is good. The board unanimously voted in favor of the location simply to show its support.

In an unrelated matter, the board discussed a location for an Alltel cell phone tower. Alltel wants to install a tower on a 12-by-20 piece of property in Davidson Park. Issues discussed included not having a location where the lights of the tower would shine into people's houses and whether the city needs to approve the location if it ends up on city property.

A benefit to the park district is it would receive $6,000 a year for 30 years from Alltel

for having it installed on park district property, Krueger said. The board agreed a good location for the tower is near right-center field of Grondahl Field, pending approval from the city if needed.

In addition, the board heard the park district is looking for volunteers for its Adopt-A-Park program. The purpose of the program is to assist the park district with tasks and projects in its parks to make them clean environments.

Tasks include trash pickup, graffiti reporting, weeding, raking, sweeping shelters, cleaning picnic tables, mulching trees and shrubs, reporting vandalism, graffiti cover-up, painting and planting flowers.

The park district provides materials needed for the projects. For more information, contact the Williston Parks and Recreation at 577-5141.

In other business, the board:

• Heard it's time for the Budget Committee to begin meeting. A preliminary budget must be completed by the August meeting.

• Heard the auditors have visited and are to report back to the park district.

• Heard the junior golf league has more than 50 children participating, compared to about 20 the past few years. Krueger said there is concern about being able to help out the league with that many participants. But Troy Walters, golf course manager; Nick Arola, AJ Allard, Ashley Beard, Bonnie Logelin-Meiers and Red Mike Pro Jake Kazea have helped tremendously. The men's league is at a record 29, two-man teams.