Editorial: Library needs help with our teenagers

Supporters of the Belleville Area District Library are very happy that their facility is being used as an after-school meeting place and a place to study for high school students, rather than having them walking the streets after school.
There is no after-school hangout besides the library and the staff is trying to make it a comfortable, interesting, and safe place for them to be. Of course, the library is very loud after school because teenagers can be very loud.
Regular patrons who want a quiet background to read and think have complained about the noise. Some have decided not to come to the library in the after-school hours and rather come in the quiet mornings.
The library has hired a new employee to be with the teenagers in their upstairs area and suggest games and other activities.
The library recently had to temporarily ban certain kinds of fast food after large pizzas were brought into the upstairs teen area. Library administration said it was looking more like a food court than a library.
And, then there was the teen fight out in the parking lot between three females that emptied the library teen area so everyone could watch. Two police departments arrived and teens were detained.
These teenagers mostly belong to our community and parents and others need to help the library by helping to keep a lid on things or providing a place for teens to go just to hang out. How about a teen center?