City launching park activities for teens

Starting Friday night, Columbia teenagers will have organized and chaperoned activities at two city parks as part of an effort to combat the influence of drugs, alcohol and youth violence.

The pilot program, Prime Time in the Park, will start at Martin Luther King and Hyatt parks from 8-11 p.m., Mayor Steve Benjamin announced today.

Five staffers from the city’s parks department and three off-duty Columbia police officers will be at each park, along with volunteers from neighborhood organizations, parks director Randy Davis said.

Teens ages 13 to 18 may attend on the first and third Fridays of the month, from Oct. 1 through Dec. 17.