Pubdate: Tue, 07 Jul 2009
Source: Citizen, The (Laconia, NH)
Copyright: 2009 Geo. J. Foster Company
Contact: http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=SERVICES0113
Website: http://www.citizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1408
Author: John Koziol, Staff Writer

COMPANY 'UNDECIDED' ABOUT OPERATING METHADONE CLINIC IN LACONIA

The company that wants to operate a methadone clinic in  the O'Shea
Industrial Park has not appealed a planning  board condition that it
have a uniformed police officer  and cruiser on site during all hours
of operation and  on Monday a representative said Colonial Management 
Group was "undecided" about its future in Laconia.

CMG -- which is based in Orlando, Fla., and has 54  methadone clinics
across the U.S. and which as Metro  Treatment-New Hampshire operates
clinics in Concord,  Keene and Manchester -- has previously received
an  administrative approval from City Planner Shanna  Saunders to use
a portion of the former Tangent Tool  building at 72 Primrose Drive as
a clinic.

Saunders allowed a change of use for the space from  "light
industrial" to "medical clinic" but, in response  to concerns raised
by neighbors and the Laconia Police  Department about impaired persons
driving to or from  the clinic, she ordered that CMG had to hire and
have  on premises at all times a uniformed police officer and  a
police cruiser.

Joe Sullivan, director of development for Colonial  Management Group,
said the condition was arbitrary,  onerous and expensive, potentially
costing his company  more than $100,000 a year. CMG has proposed
operating  from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. Mondays through Fridays and from  6
a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

CMG appealed the condition to the planning board which,  on June 2,
upheld it while adding an amendment that  allows CMG to come back and
appeal the condition after  four years, which is when the clinic would
have reached  its full complement of 200 patients and had a full year 
to operate.

CMG had until last Thursday to appeal the planning  board decision to
Belknap County Superior Court but it  did not do so.

On Monday, when contacted by The Citizen, Sullivan said  he preferred
not to discuss the matter but, when asked  what CMG's plans were for
Laconia, replied that they  were up in the air.

Last week, Saunders responded to an inquiry from CMG,  telling the
company that the intent of the June 2  amendment "was to have the
officer and vehicle on site  for the full duration of open office
hours," not just  when the clinic would be dispensing methadone to its
 clients.

Sullivan had e-mailed Saunders seeking a clarification  of the
approval condition, questioning whether the  officer and cruiser were
required in the latter parts  of the business day when clinic
employees would be  doing administrative duties only, not dispensing 
methadone.

In the notice of action to CMG, Saunders wrote that  having the
officer and cruiser on hand for the four  years would "provide a sense
of security for patrons of  the clinic and the community at large, and
to reduce  the risk of illicit activities occurring on the site or  of
impaired vehicular operators driving to and from the  site."

She said the condition was upheld based on the  testimony of Police
Capt. Steve Clarke during the  board's April 7 meeting, "as well as
the fact that the  applicant was unable to provide convincing
information  that the applicant themselves were able to provide  their
own security such that illicit activities will  not occur on the site
and impaired vehicular operators  driving to and from the site will be
stopped."

Sullivan said a private security guard could accomplish  what Saunders
was seeking and stated that there have  never been any problems at
CMG's clinics in New  Hampshire.

Saunders said CMG now has two choices: to meet the  requirements of
the condition and be able to open or  not accept the condition and not
open. She added that  the administrative approval she granted for the
clinic  is good for one year from the date of the planning  board's
action on the appeal.

As of Monday afternoon, Clarke said the LPD had not  been contacted by
CMG to discuss the police detail it  would need to open its Laconia
clinic.

The city charges $49.66 for a uniformed police officer  to work an
outside detail plus $25 for four hours' use  of a cruiser. Among the
police department's outside  detail clients are road construction
companies;  downtown lounges; South Down Shores --the gated 
residential community pays for a patrol; as well as the  School
Department which has officers on-site for dances  and various athletic
contests. Officers also are  available to provide security for private
functions  such as weddings and for companies which are dealing  with
strikes or layoffs.

"They [CMG] have not contacted us as far as I know of,"  said Clarke.
"To comply, all they would need to do is  contact myself or Lt. Chris
Adams to set up the detail.  It's the standard rate for everybody.
They would be  billed, usually on a weekly basis."

CMG's plan to operate a methadone clinic in Laconia has  been
controversial from the start, with a large number  of residents, as
well as the entire City Council,  objecting to it. However, Sullivan
and some citizens  point out that there is an opioid drug addiction 
problem in the area and that a clinic here would help  alleviate it.
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MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr