By Anna Michael
The Cincinnati Enquirer

NORWOOD - Some Norwood residents and officials aren't smiling about the Fun Factory.

Police, who made more than 100 runs to the Sherman Avenue skating rink last year alone, are investigating criminal activity outside the rink.

The investigation began after a Dec. 29 shooting that left a teenager injured. That evening, a dance was held and 400 to 500 kids ended up outside because the rink had reached its 1400-person capacity, according to police.

"The chief is conducting a criminal investigation on what happened down there that night and why the dance was held when it wasn't supposed to be," said Mayor Tom Williams, who took office Jan. 1. "This is not going to happen again - no ifs, ands or buts."

Neighbors have been complaining about teenagers congregating outside the Fun Factory. On Jan. 13, several neighbors told city council that kids who had gathered there were walking on top of cars and hollering profanity late into the night.

"We are all just so outraged. Why did it have to come to this before anyone did anything?" said Lynn Ellis, who lives three houses from the rink. "A lot of unsupervised kids create havoc, and now we have unsupervised kids carrying deadly weapons."

The police agree that problems arise from teenagers hanging around outside.

"When they have those type of functions they generally cause trouble," said police Lt. Gary Fye. "When you get a lot of kids in the area there are going to be problems."

Scot Winter, owner of the Fun Factory, thinks the problems have been ironed out.

"The problem is we have done teen dances and they keep getting larger and larger. The last one got very large and there was a large amount of kids outside," Winter said. "We did everything we could to push them down the street, and the police department did everything they could. The bottom line is there are no more dances and as a business we are willing to do that."

The Fun Factory opened in the 1930s and later was converted to a bread factory. In the 1970s, the building was changed back into a skating rink.

Ellis said neighbors would like police to enforce the city's curfew law, which requires people under 15 to be in by 10 p.m. and teenagers over 16 must be off the streets by midnight.

But Fye said the curfew does not apply if parents permit their children to go to a function and the teenagers are inside.

Some residents want to see more than an end to the dances.

"I would like to see some big restrictions put on. (Eliminate) all-night skates, dances and late skate," Ellis said. "Some of the neighbors want it closed down. Some want to see the police do their job." Ellis also raises concerns about gang and drug activity outside the Fun Factory. Winter rejects that, saying the kids are just "full of energy" and "excited when they leave."

But Fye agreed that there has been gang activity. On the night of the shooting, he said, "three to four gangs were trying to get each other."

"We were lucky one of our officers wasn't killed," he said.

Customers of the Fun Factory said they still support the business. Madison Place resident Brenda Feldman said she takes her daughter skating there, but only during the day.

"When I first drove by many years ago, I thought, I'm never going to come there," she said. But, "It felt fine inside. It wasn't real crazy."

Schevon Townes of Cincinnati still thinks the skating rink is a safe outlet for youngsters.

"The Fun Factory is a nice place to bring kids," the mother of three said. "Just because of one incident, my kids are not going to stop coming."

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E-mail amichael@enquirer.com