I obviously have no idea of what went on behind the scenes here, but honestly- it's all just really sad to read about. My kids and I loved Lauren, she did so much for that dept. and my kids had a great time with her preschool programs in the winter and all the preschool rec sports. Her and her husband were wonderful with the kids. I really hope this situation can be resolved and the kids and town can benefit again from having a parks and recreation department.

Ditto Lisa...My kids have been going to the summer program for years and Lauren has nothing been good to me and my kids...I hope it can get resolved as well...It is a shame..but if something was going on behind the scene then it needs to be addressed..

I don't understand why Lauren was fired! and how come no one is providing the reason she was fired? Doesn't the community have a right to know?

Patch Fan...I am with you. This would clarify a lot of thinking and assuming for all interested in the Town's inquiries. This should really be public knowledge for the all who, in one way or another, have been utilizing this opportunity to take advantage of the safe and caregivings of the employees.

In reading the comments, I think the one thing we can all agree with is that this situation is a mess. It seems clear there was some type of financial discrepancy. Whether this had to do with the relationship between the Rec. Dept., the youth center and the friends of the teen center or if it is connected to the full time employees of the department remains to be seen. One thing for certain is that town officials aren't talking until the DA's investigation is complete. When will that be? Your guess is as good as mine. Parents are, understandably, concerned. Both about the investigation itself but even more about the future of the Rec. Dept. programs. Stay tuned.

With all due respect (though I don't have young children) I think people need to cut the new TM some slack. I'm sure he must be limited in what can be said due to the ongoing investigation, PLUS he is responsible for/has just presented the proposed FY2012 Town budget, a monumental task in the earliest on record timely fashion. He has a LOT on his plate in rectifying the result of years of Town mismanagement and I am certain that he is doing the best he can to juggle everything/keep on top of many pressing Town situations and will continue to do so in a professional manner. Try to exercise some patience.

Just a shame th TM had to walk in and be left with such a mess. The big money goes out to those who have to make big decisions...right!

Let's not loss site that if you need to register your child/children to attend a summer camp program, the registration process beings in early April or in some cases even before spring starts either way this timeline is right around the corner for most parents. And parents need to start thinkng about this financialy and being the process of looking into finding a summer program for thier family.

My kids have been attending the summer program for three years now. I really liked Lauren and thought she was a pleasure to work with. She let me split my payment into 3 installments and my last payment I gave her was in check form. I got a call from her the day my husband brought the check down saying that she needed me to bring her cash. The money had to be in the account that day or I would be sent to collection. My check was drawn on a local bank and I thought it was strange considering that I was always in good standings with the Rec. I didn't question it because I trusted Lauren and brought the money down to her that day. I have also never dealt with a collection agency and didn't really think about the statement until I was contacted by a police detective from Tewksbury in December 2010. Even at that time I stood up for Lauren saying that she was trustworthy and that I just thought it was part of their procedure. Plus, they were doing me a favor by letting me pay over three payments. The weird thing is that it takes more than a week to be reported to a collection agency and this is after you have been contacted by the establishment to pay and have not submitted your payment over a 90 day period. So based on my experience I can't say that she was not part of this issue and even though I always enjoyed dealing with Lauren, something or someone caused her to get involved in this mess.

This is just ridiculous why it is taking so long. Kids and parents are being greatly affected by this and it just seems to be taking unnecessary time. Lets hire a new crew and REOPEN!!! No wonder why this town is a mess All as you see driving through town are empty buildings and now the the Rec just looks deserted and uncared for. Lets get Volunteers to reopen if we have to.

I have a big issue with Patterson getting full pay for sitting at home INDEFINITELY. I also have a big issue with town employees running a not-for-profit organization that has no legal ties to the Town. In their "about us" section online, it states, "As a non-profit organization, the Youth Center is self–supported. We do not receive any funding from the Town of Tewksbury." Well, they're being run by paid town employees, they have webpages on a Town supported website and server. The site also says, "The town agreed to assume responsibility for building’s operating costs and the expenses of a full-time Recreation Director. The Director is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the Center, as well as, other Recreation Department responsibilities. " How does that = "We do not receive any funding fromt he Town of Tewksbury"??? These are separate entities, and need to have separate Boards and operating staff.

I also have a big issue with Roy getting his full pay check for sitting home and doing nothing. Why was Roy allowed to run this organization ? If I am correct he has no background in accounting or business so why would the town give him this much responsibility and absolutely no accountability as to where the money is. So I am going to guess that after a while Roy looked at the teen center as his own personal cash cow.................but shame on the town manager and the town auditor. They don't have a problem listing peoples names in the paper that cannot afford their taxes, but yet, this town is so rectless and several town employees have gotten away with behavior that is a disgrace. Hopefully the new town manager will put a stop to such behavior. Lets clean up this town.

Not only did Roy (allegedly) treat it as his own cash cow, he acted as though he OWNED the park. He walked around like king.

I do not agree with him geting paid to sit at home, while parents that depend on the Teen Center, and its summer programs are the ones that suffer.

Lets clear up the issues down there and start to rehire and MOVE ON!
Another building that will sit empty for years....

unfortunately, I think that all those assets (funds, property, etc.) are frozen due to the investigation. I wish they would investigate faster...

First of all, we must all recognize that they both did a lot of good while they were there and they will only be remembered for the results at the end. That is sad. A lot of good people volunteer a lot of time for our children in every youth program. And many stay active as long as their children are in the program. When someone shots off his mouth and makes dumb statements, yes, Mr. Piskadlo, that is you, I would suggest that you get off you rear end and volunteer to do some work for a program and see how the checks and balances are in place to track the money flow. There are a lot of good people who put a lot of time and effort for our children. We none need hot air dopes make unfounded statements. The youth organizations have learned a lot from what happened a few years ago and have taken action to implement the necessary checks and balances to watch the cash flow. Lessons learned by the failures of others happen every day. The youth organizations in Town do a great job and have many outstanding people doing the right thing at the right time for the right reasons - the children of Tewksbury. Step up and volunteer, the water is fine and the work is rewarding and it will pay you nothing but satisfacation because you can make a difference.
JG

Mr Carmen Piskadlo,

As newly elected President of TYF, and a board member for many years, I take great offense to your comment about TYF snack shack and any in appropriate behavior. We have strict checks and balances in place to ensure all cash received is deposited into the TYF account by our treasurer after the cash has been accounted for by the 2 volunteers. As a non-profit, we have our financials reviewed by an outside accountant and open our financials to the public upon request at anytime. I would kindly ask, that you retrack the comment you made about TYF, since there are many volunteers that support our program and have notified me of this malicious, and unsupported comment. Feel free to speak with me directly, if you like. Sincerely, TYF President.

An unfortunate by-product of these transgressions is the tendency of the public to mis-trust and discredit across the board. We all must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water. There are a lot of great people in this town doing a lot of good volunteer work for the sake of the youth of Tewksbury. 99.9% of the people are in it for the right reasons and find it to be a very rewarding experience. I know the friendships that I have made throughout my years of coaching - with players and parents alike - are invaluable. In the unfortunate cases of baseball and the Rec center, I think there were a lot of signs of trouble and where there is smoke there is usually fire. But let's not discredit the work of our volunteers without cause. We should be encouraging more to get involved, not discouraging them for fear of persecution.

I grew up in this town & I brought my son back to this town to be raised. Growing up, I never did anything with the Rec Center. I have seen far more improvements done to the rec center in recent years than I ever did as a kid. My son has been going to the summer camp for the past 4 years and has been involved with a number of activities held there throughout the year. The staff was always amazing with my son, who was really very shy his first year. And I love Lauren, she was great with the kids and had a way of making everyone feel important. Everyone needs to remember that you are innocent until proven guilty. So, for the time being we need to wait and see where the investigation goes. I think the hardest thing is the financial hit the Rec department is going to take this summer.

Did they get her into rehab?