Pubdate: Thu, 26 May 2005 Source: Kentucky Post (KY) Copyright: 2005 Kentucky Post Contact: http://www.kypost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/661 Author: Peggy Kreimer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/women.htm (Women) NEW LOCATION SOUGHT FOR REHAB CENTER Review Process Applications for centers must be reviewed by a panel of representatives from the Kentucky Housing Corp., the Corrections Cabinet and the Governor's Office for Local Development. The panel will recommend choices to the governor. Several other agencies plan to apply for the Recovery Kentucky grants to build treatment centers for substance abusers. Among local groups: Brighton Center, one of Northern Kentucky's largest social service agencies, coupled with Boone County to apply to build a recovery center on property owned by Gateway Community Technical College off Sam Neace Drive in Boone County. The center would serve women. Comprehend, Inc., a community mental health agency in Maysville is partnering with Maysville and Mason County on an application for a recovery center for men on vacant industrial land that the city owns near Maysville Community and Technical College. After a week of vehement neighborhood opposition to a 100-bed residential drug recovery center in Latonia, it looks like the neighborhood has won. Mac McArthur, director of the non-profit drug rehabilitation agency Transitions Inc., announced Wednesday that he is searching for new locations for the $3 million facility that could be part of Gov. Ernie Fletcher's Recovery Kentucky program. In March, the Kenton County Fiscal Court had agreed to lease Transitions a parcel of county-owned land next to Rosedale Manor nursing home in a residential section of Latonia. When neighbors and Covington city officials learned of the plan, they packed public hearings and argued angrily against putting the center so near homes, a school and the nursing home. McArthur said he is contacting other Northern Kentucky communities about potential sites and wants the public to help. "If a lot of people are looking, our chances of finding something are better," McArthur said. Fletcher has promised to fund 10 residential recovery centers across the state. The first round of applications will be considered in June. Each application must include an assured site and must have a city or county government as a co-applicant. Kenton County had been the co-applicant for the Latonia site. The decision to look beyond the Rosedale site came after McArthur met Tuesday with Kenton County Judge-Executive Ralph Drees to talk about possible new locations for the center. "Judge Drees gave us some possibilities, and we're looking at them to see if they meet our needs," McArthur said. The center needs 21/2 acres on a bus route, he said. "It could be rural, industrial. We're hoping to be in the three northern counties (Boone, Campbell or Kenton), close to population centers. Transportation is a big deal," he said. "We'll talk to the county judges and see if there is some second best place that will meet the requirements of the inspection team." The new search is a direct response to the community opposition to the Latonia location, McArthur said. Residents voiced their opinions loudly at three community meetings and a city commission meeting this month, saying the center would lower property values and program participants could pose dangers to residents of Rosedale Manor and students from nearby Latonia Elementary School. Mayor Butch Callery had comments recorded at the last meeting Monday and vowed to mail the recording to Gov. Fletcher, along with an official plea to refuse the grant for that location. Fletcher launched the program in January and must approve the grants. "Community based programs have to form a positive relationship with the community," McArthur said Wednesday. "From the comments made in the past week, it's obvious people around Rosedale have a lot of objections. They're serious in their concerns, so I have to be serious about their concerns, too." Although Transitions, Inc. is looking for other sites, it has not ruled out the Latonia location entirely. "We have an application prepared for the Rosedale site. If we can't find anything else, we'll submit that," McArthur said. But community opposition to that location could damage the application. "Community support is definitely something we'll be looking at," said Mike Townsend, supportive housing program coordinator at the housing corporation. Townsend is in charge of initiating Recovery Kentucky and a member of the panel that will decide who gets the grants. "We want a community accepting of the program," said Townsend, who was director of the state Division for Substance Abuse for 25 years. He came out of retirement to help launch the new program. The people in the new program "are turning their lives around," he said. "Our experience is once they are in the community, they are the best neighbors you can find, very sincere about giving back to the community rather than taking." Fletcher set aside $9.5 million in state funds to build 10 residential drug and alcohol abuse recovery centers, each housing 100 people. The centers will copy a model program in Louisville and be financed with $2.5 million in federal low-income housing credits for construction. Operations money includes $3 million from the state Department of Corrections and $4 million in Community Development Block Grant funds. The program goal is to have two residential centers - one for men and one for women - in each congressional district. The center Transitions is proposing would serve men. Brighton Center plans to submit an application for a women's recovery center in Boone County. Comprehend, Inc., a mental health agency in Maysville also is preparing an application for a men's center there, which also is in the 4th Congressional District. "It is not out of the question that we would have three or more in a congressional district if the need is there and we have a good application," said Townsend. "We're encouraging (Transitions) to move forward with their application." The first round of applications will be reviewed in June, in time to award crucial tax credits for construction by July 1, the deadline to award the credits. A second allocation of tax credits is expected to be available for 2006, and applications for those will be accepted in August, said Townsend. "Most programs are hoping to get in the first round of applications because there is a possibility there won't be any money left in the second round," he said. The panel has received four applications and is expecting 8-10 in the first round. McArthur said the 28,000-square-foot center would cost about $3 million and take about a year to build. The tax credits would be coupled with a mortgage to fund construction. The center would include 35 efficiency apartments and dorm-type space. McArthur said the best scenario would be to find a site that would accept the center. "When there are an awful lot of objections from an awful lot of people, the neighborhood is always unsettled. The program is always unsettled. The patients are always unsettled," he said. "It would be better in a place where the community outside is looking for ways to help the people succeed." - --- MAP posted-by: Beth