Residents complain about Quincy Community Center

Renters noisy, damage center

QUINCY — Citizens asked the Quincy City Council to help them get a good night's sleep.

"I need some help with the community center," resident Bob Poindexter said. "The noise is just atrocious."

Poindexter lives on D Street next to the Quincy Community Center. The center hosts parties most weekends as various groups rent the space, he said.

The parties he refers to are usually Saturday nights and last until 2 a.m. the following morning.

Within the last month the Quincy Community Church was vandalized by party attendees, he said. Several windows were broken and the floor was flooded because a drain pipe was kicked in, he said.

An off-duty police officer who lives nearby arrested the person who caused the damage at the scene, Police Chief William Gonzales said. The officer allegedly witnessed the vandalism.

Other citizens complained of children running the streets and intoxicated people sitting in neighbor's yards stealing from them after the center closed.

There are not enough officers available to respond to calls regarding the center every weekend, Gonzales said.

Police are limited to driving by the facility and doing an occasional walk through, he said.

"We are not going to accept this," Deputy Mayor Jim Hemberry said.

The council and Gonzales discussed solutions to the issue.

Gonzales said the department could do checks for underage drinking. If an underage drinker is found, the liquor permit can be pulled for the night from the group holding the party and it might take care of part of the problem, he said.

Council Member Jose Salda-a suggested those renting the facility pay for police security rather than the security they have now.

Usually the security hired for the night can not enforce laws, Gonzales said. The facility hired police in the past but there are not enough police to continue the practice, he added.

Eventually the council decided the best solution is to refer the complaints to the Public Safety Committee. The committee will review the situation and research what to do.

Mayor Dick Zimbelman and Council Member Manuel Guerrero were absent from the Tuesday night meeting.