Pubdate: Wed, 17 May 2000 Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Copyright: 2000 San Jose Mercury News Contact: 750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, CA 95190 Fax: (408) 271-3792 Website: http://www.sjmercury.com/ Author: KAREN DE SA DRUG CLINIC DRAWS MORE FOES Fresh Fight: County Supervisors Are Exasperated As Opposition Grows To A Plan To Move A Methadone Facility. In a public display of frustration, San Mateo County supervisors lashed out Tuesday at residents and elected officials they dubbed as ``NIMBYs'' for battling plans to relocate the county's only methadone clinic. The Redwood City clinic, Professional Treatment Inc., is being forced out of its spot to make way for high-tech offices. Bowing to intense neighborhood pressure, supervisors rejected a plan to move the clinic to unincorporated North Fair Oaks, delighting residents who fought with faxes, petitions and protest signs. Two more sites are now being considered -- an abandoned hospital in the hills above San Mateo and a vacant courthouse in downtown Redwood City. But already, each new proposal has attracted a new battle from people who don't want the clinic near them. At Tuesday's meeting, another round of neighborhood opposition was launched against both of the new proposed sites, as North Fair Oaks residents planned a victory celebration. ``Let's not miss what's happening here,'' said a visibly shaken Supervisor Mike Nevin. ``This NIMBYism, this Not-In-My-Back-Yard, this is humanity at its worst.'' Referring to the methadone patients, Nevin said, ``These are human beings - -- some 300 of them -- that need to be treated.'' If neither of the two newly proposed spots proves possible, county supervisors have said, as a last resort, methadone treatment could be folded into existing county health facilities. Supervisor Mary Griffin added that although San Mateo County is mostly affluent, drug addiction is not selective in its prey. ``This is an attempt not to throw people away,'' Griffin said. ``They are the ones, thank God, who are seeking treatment. We all have the obligation to help people who are willing to be helped.'' Professional Treatment Inc. has been dishing out tiny plastic cups of methadone and providing counseling for former addicts from its Arguello Street site for 28 years, but must leave by June 30. Caught between the unforgiving real estate market and hostile neighborhoods, the county-funded clinic is desperately seeking a place to move. The problem is, nobody so far will have it. Redwood City Council members announced Tuesday that the city's downtown Marshall Street courthouse should not be an option, although former Mayor Diane Howard, a nurse, said she knows the value of treatment. In a letter, the council cited plans to demolish the courthouse and restore it as a downtown park at some point. This announcement brought a sharp response from a still steaming Supervisor Nevin, who called Redwood City Mayor Ira Ruskin ``gutless'' after the meeting. Nevin later called Ruskin and apologized ``profusely,'' a miffed Ruskin said. Residents in and around the old Crystal Springs Hospital site on Tower Road also say they don't want former addicts roaming their streets and spacious hillsides. And although many only learned of the meeting the night before, they had prepared a bevy of arguments, including seismic instability, lack of sidewalks and the ineffectiveness of methadone treatment in general. ``We're concerned about the economic impact,'' said Merry-Lee Musich, who owns a nearby shopping center. ``What is going to happen to these people when they're wandering around the neighborhood? Are they going to be frightening children? Will we wind up with a homeless shelter?'' Denise Haas, whose daughter goes to a preschool on Tower Road, said the clinic and its clients would threaten the students, who suffer from physical and emotional disabilities. ``This goes beyond my comprehension,'' Haas said. ``We're going to put these children in harm's way. My daughter has impaired judgment and she will run into traffic.'' The methadone patients say they are the victims of stereotypes. High-tech executives, hospital and construction workers, business owners, as well as the unemployed and homeless, are among those served. Patients stay an average of five minutes, mainly in the early morning on their way to work. At the current site, six schools are in walking distance, including two pre-schools. And although loitering is prohibited, some clients stop outside for a brief chat and a smoke. ``This place is a lifesaver,'' said Jose Flood, a Redwood City trucker. ``We don't want to bother anyone, we just go in and out. I don't steal, I don't rob, I live just like the next guy -- from paycheck to paycheck.'' - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart