BUCKFIELD – Mike Miclon, owner of The Oddfellow Theater, relaxed in the gazebo on the lawn of the Municipal Center and said, “If I had the time I would love to have a juggling club right here on this lawn.”

Miclon and others are worried that what goes on in the recently built gazebo isn’t always respectful of the town and the volunteers who made it a reality.

“This gazebo is a great thing for the community and I’m glad to see kids hanging out here,” Miclon said. “Sometimes I pass at night and it distresses me to see some kids hanging off the rafters or jumping off the rails. My hope is that they will learn to respect it.”

Several teens who were in the gazebo before the juggling lesson seemed to enjoy being there and didn’t appear to be causing any trouble. One, Sean McCarron said he and his friends come every day to skateboard on the parking lot and hang out in the gazebo.

There have been reports of vandalism and of teenagers destroying flowers planted there, but Mary Jones, chairwoman of the town’s beautification committee, said she has seen more respect and less damage lately.

McCarron said he has never seen anyone damage the flowers. “If I had, I would have told them to stop because I like flowers,” he said.

The gazebo was built last fall with interest from money left to the town for beautification in the late 1940s by Constance Cole, Jones said. “There was no tax money involved,” Jones said.

Besides juggling classes and hanging out, the gazebo has also been used for a wedding, Jones said.