To the editor:

I am writing this letter for me and on behalf of my fellow classmates. Ever since the country has been in recession, the cost of everything has been going up and down. I’m not here to write about the economy because we’ve all heard enough about that. My concern is how prices are affecting teens.

Over the past years, places for teenagers to hang out have been disappearing. I personally think it’s pretty sad how some of my friends have to hang out at Wal-Mart, Target, McDonald’s, etc. Going to the movies is getting way too expensive, and the outdoor pool, whose prices have also gone up, is only open during the summer. The last few years, places have been closing like Mr. Gatti’s, Sport 2 Sport, and the list goes on. People in our community have to travel to places like Topeka and Kansas City just to have fun. My peers and I are getting fed up with nothing to do in Lawrence, especially for those of us who aren’t driving yet.

In addition, we could at least build a place that would satisfy the teenagers, and give them somewhere to hang out, like many of us think it would be great to have a skating rink, which is fun and exercise at the same time. This probably wouldn’t solve the whole situation, but at least it would be a step toward helping improve our community.