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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1225 REDWOOD STREET - MINOR AMENDMENT - 30-02B - REPORTS - CORRESPONDENCE-NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING28. The letter also says that you won't be changing the exterior building and grounds? A. That is correct. We have no plans to change the parking, landscaping, lighting and fencing. We may add more flowers to spruce things up a little. 29. Will there be enough parking? Even with clients and visitors? A. Yes, there should be ample parking for all three shifts. We expect only a few visitors per day. As mentioned, clients do not have cars sitting out in the parking lot. 30. How much visitation is allowed? A. Visitation is allowed but only during certain times because time is structured and clients are working the program. 31. What is the average length of time for a client to complete the program? A. Average length of time is about 3.5 months. 32. Do you allow re -admittance? A. Yes. 33. The program sounds laudable but not at the expense of displacing the Hope Center. A. Thank you. R create a disincentive by making it too attractive to come back into the program. 21. Is there a need in Colorado for another facility? A. Yes, we think there is. For example, our data indicates that in 2004, there were 60,000 persons in Colorado in rehab. Keep in mind that many of our clients come into the program trying to break an addiction to pain medication. The program does not just serve abusers of illegal drugs and alcohol. Many clients have suffered a severe illness or traumatic injury and have become addicted to various legal prescription pain medications. 22. Are there other facilities such as this in Fort Collins? Are they located in a neighborhood? A. Yes, there is Mountain Crest Hospital on East Harmony Road. It shares a southern property line with townhomes that are located at the northwest corner of Corbett Drive and Timberwood Drive. 23. Have you personally ever opened up one these facilities before? A. No, this is my first one. 24. Are you a medical doctor? A. No, I am a health care administrator with a passion for rehabilitation. I will be in charge of recruiting and hiring medical staff. 25. Will you move on after setting up this program? A. No, I plan on staying with the program. Our Board sees a critical need in our society for providing rehabilitation treatment for addictions. 26. Where will your clients come from? A. We expect most to come from Colorado but we also expect to draw from the surrounding region. 27. The letter says you will be implementing a "modified" 12-step program. A. Yes, we will be implementing a rehabilitation program that was developed by the U.C.L.A. Department of Psychology. This program is considered the most effective in the field. s 14. Can clients bring a car and go into town? A. No. 15. So the clients will be inside the building the whole time? A. Yes, with the exception of going out on supervised shopping trips and field trips for various activities such as bowling or going up to the mountains. 16. Who owns the building? A. The building is owned by the Preuss Foundation. They are charitable, non-profit family foundation. 17. What about sex offenders? A. We screen all clients prior to admittance. We do not serve sex offenders or anyone who may be considered dangerous. 18. This is a residential neighborhood with a family atmosphere. It is not an appropriate location for this facility. I am concerned about the high failure rate. You should locate in or near a community corrections facility. A. In rehab, clients have hit rock- bottom. They are crashed. They are introverted, worried and have low self-esteem. They are not taking drugs or alcohol while in our program. They do not have access to money, cars or unsupervised time. We are trying to protect them at this fragile time. Based on our experience, these folks are not prone to slipping away from supervision and wrecking havoc on the neighborhood. 19. What about Staff? Do you do background checks on Staff? A. Yes. 20. Regarding the high failure rate, do you offer follow-up treatment? A. A key part of our program is to help build relationships between our clients and their families. After discharge, these families become the primary support network for our clients. We also offer life skills training to help re -build self-esteem for full functioning in society. Follow up treatment is available on a case by case basis but we do not want to 4 7. What happened to New Beginnings? I have read and heard that there is about 85% of these clinics that fail within five to ten years. A. New Beginnings was purchased by Charter Hospital. Charter Hospital went bankrupt. 8. 1 am concerned that your operation is just interested in collecting insurance money to pay salaries for a short period of time and then closing shop. In the meantime, you will have displaced a child care center that provides a valuable service to low income parents. Then we will be stuck with another empty building and child care center that is forced to move. A. Our vision is to offer a voluntary residential treatment program that utilizes proven techniques. Yes, there may or may not be insurance money involved but we are a non-profit organization committed to helping addicts cure themselves of substance abuse and addiction. Again, we cannot comment on the terms of the lease between the building owner and the Hope Center. 9. What about the failure rate of your clients? Not every addict can be treated. They complete the program, get discharged and then fall back into their addictive behavior. A. Our experience is that our clients are motivated to get control back into their lives. We treat one patient at a time. A high failure rates does not mean we should give up hope. 10. Do you carry liability insurance? A. Yes. 11. How do see your program being compatible with a residential neighborhood? A. Our program is like Harmony in Estes Park. We conduct our program indoors inside an attractive and well -landscaped building. 12. So as a residential program, the clients will spend the night? A. Yes. 13. What is the maximum number of clients? A. We have 42 two -bedroom rooms so the maximum would be 84 clients. 3 QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, COMMENTS 1. What about the current lease with Hope Center? A. It is our hope that the two parties can work out their lease arrangement amiably. We are not a party to the lease so we are in no position to make any comments regarding this private transaction. 2. Why not locate in the recently -vacated Wal Mart on South College Avenue? A. That building is not available. This building, however, was originally constructed for New Beginnings which was a residential treatment program so it is set up in a manner that is well -suited for a rehab facility. 3. It seems like our neighborhood is a dumping ground for social services. Just recently, United Way was approved to construct a day - shelter at Conifer and Blue Spruce. A. We are aware of United Way's day shelter. Keep in mind that this building has been consistently occupied by several different agencies providing a variety of social services since 1985. 4. We are concerned about the impacts on our neighborhood. What safety precautions will you be taking to prevent your clients from leaving the facility and impacting our neighborhood? A. We are not a lock -down facility but we provide supervision 24-hours per day and seven days per week. The program is very structured. Clients are voluntarily working their rehabilitation program. No one is sentenced or adjudicated into our program. There is not much free time and what free time there is available is supervised. 5. What is your staff -to -client ratio? A. We anticipate a ratio of one-to-one but staff will be distributed over three shifts. There will be more staff on hand during the day than at night. 6. Is this a methadone clinic? A. No. 2 NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING MINUTES PROJECT: Life Worth Living at 1225 Redwood Street DATE: October 4, 2007 APPLICANT: Mr. Glen Petcavage, A Life Worth Living dba 1225 Redwood, LLC (A non-profit organization). CONSULTANTS: None CITY PLANNER: Ted Shepard The meeting began with a description of the proposed project. As proposed, the project would convert the building for a health care program that offers a residential treatment specializing in drug and alcohol rehabilitation. The facility would house clients, admitted on a voluntary basis, who seek to recover from drug and alcohol addiction in a residential setting. The facility will be professionally staffed on a 24-hour and seven -days -per -week basis. The staff will implement a modified 12-step program. The treatment will consist of three basic components: detoxification and withdrawal; life skills courses, and one-on-one counseling. A licensed physician will supervise the admittance procedure and the facility will not admit clients in need of a medically assisted withdrawal. Such clients will be referred to an appropriate facility. Again, all admittance is voluntary. Any building renovations would be to the interior only. There will be no exterior building modifications or site work. All existing parking will remain. The facility at 1225 Redwood Street was recently occupied by Wingshadow, a non-profit organization serving the various social and academic needs of young adults. Presently the facility is the home of the Hope Center, a child care center. Unless otherwise noted, all responses are from the applicant.