|
Proposed halfway house stirs up
emotion in Sterling
July 7, 2007
By Ann R. Parker
STERLING — Mixed emotions is an
adequate description of how folks in the Logan Street-Valley Drive
neighborhood feel about Jarod Thiele’s plans to convert the vacant
motel, located at 100 Logan St., into a residential treatment
facility, for 12 to 20 young men, ranging in age from 17 to 21.
The new owners of the former motel
and restaurant at Charmony Frontage Road and Logan Street plan to
turn the property into a residential treatment center for men ages
17-21. (Forrest Hershberger/Journal-Advocate)
Homes in this neighborhood — some
more than 50 years old — are well-kept; so are the lawns, flowers
and trees. Occasionally, someone’s dog or cat; or someone’s child
might run across a neighbor’s lawn. For the most part, the neighbors
all know each other, respect each other’s property and privacy; and
are protective of each other.
Logan Street resident Alicia Romero
was initially pleased when she learned the vacant motel had been
purchased and was going to be renovated. Romero was hoping the new
owner would renovate and re-open “another motel with a restaurant.”
She admits she’s a little “nervous” about Thiele’s plans for the
vacant motel “but will keep an open mind ... as long as they are
being supervised.”
Romero added that if she “can deal
with the ethanol smells and the trains” she can handle having the
residential treatment center catty-corner to her home.
Several of Valley Drive’s longtime
residents are adamantly opposed to having the building converted to
a facility to house teenagers and young men with checkered pasts.
But for the noise made by the train as it makes its junket from one
end of town to the other, the neighborhood is quiet and — safe.
An absentee landlord was opposed to
having a residential treatment facility for troubled youth in a
residential community. He proclaimed there are more suitable
properties in town to house a troubled youth program. He and several
other residents, including his tenants, never received notification
of the upcoming public hearing, scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 11. Nor were they notified of Thiele’s initial
application and purchase of the vacant motel.
Jaclyn Bonn, whose Valley Drive
home is directly behind the vacant motel, knew someone had purchased
the building, but was not aware of the new owner’s intentions to
convert the facility into a residential treatment center for
troubled youth with criminal backgrounds.
“I know the community needs halfway
houses,” Bonn said, but she is “concerned” because she has two young
daughter who oftentimes play outdoors.
Like many of the residents in the
neighborhood, Bonn wants answers to her questions: What kinds of
crimes did these young men commit? How much supervision will these
young men have? Will these young men have curfews? Will they be free
roam around the neighborhood?
Jarod Thiele, who operates Summit
Treatment Services — the team that will run the Logan Street
residential treatment center — hopes to quiet the community’s fears
and apprehensions during the open-house he has scheduled from 10
a.m. to noon Wednesday.
Though renovations are not
complete, participants at the meeting from the community will be
taken on a tour of the interior and exterior of the building.
Exterior renovations include three security cameras — one in the
alley; one in the front of the building and one of the side of the
building. All doors will have alarms; window access facing the alley
will be blocked. The small building will be housed by staff; the
parking lot in the front will be fenced and will include a
basketball court and picnic area.
Thiele wants the community to be
armed with a more objective picture about the facility, the staff
and future residents, prior to the public hearing, scheduled for
later Wednesday evening. Thiele and his staff-to-date, will be
present for the question and answer “
Resumes of the staff-to-date will
be available for review. Thiele plans to hire locally several
entry-level supervisors and counselors, and maintenance staff. Those
positions will be advertised in the Journal-Advocate prior to the
opening of the treatment center.
According to Thiele, he and his
staff — by law — are restricted from divulging any private
information about the future residents of the facility. They will
answer as many of the communities questions at the open house and
public hearing as legally possible.
Aside from being legally bound from
discussing the future residents, Thiele says the state has not given
him the lists of young men to be interviewed for placement in the
facility. Only young men who receive low-risk scores and have been
termed ‘community-based’ — not in need of lockdown — will be
eligible for the community-based program.
Once housed, Thiele says, the young
men will receive 24 hours of supervision — on-site and off-site.
Those who have yet to complete a GED will do so at Northeastern
Junior College. Upon completion of the requirements for a GED, the
young men can pursue an associate’s degree.
Thiele’s program plans to arm each
resident with skills to be self-supporting upon release from the
program. Each young man will work part-time and/or full-time at
local businesses, in addition to completing educational goals.
Whether the young men are attending school, working or engaged in
community service, they will be transported to and from in one of
the two company vans, which will be driven by staff.
Thiele said his program recognizes
that physical fitness plays an equally important as education. As
part of the physical fitness program, the young men will have
scheduled jogs throughout the neighborhood. However, at no time will
any of the residents be allowed to engage in any activity on-site or
off-site unsupervised. Thiele feels strongly that once the community
learns more about the program and meet the young men, their fears
will lessen. A major component of Thiele’s Restorative Justice
program includes: taking ownership of their crimes; healing broken
relationships with family; and community service.
He said it’s important that the
young men don’t feel isolated from the community; that’s why the
community service aspect is so important.
In other communities, the young men
have gotten involved with the Special Olympics, Meals-on-Wheels;
picking up trash and painting homes in the community.
FYI — Open House and Community
Meeting
There will be an open house and
community meeting on a proposed residential treatment facility to be
located at the currently vacant former motel near Logan Street and
Valley Drive.
When: Open House - 10 a.m. to noon,
Meeting - 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July
11
Where: Proposed facility site,
Logan Street and Valley Drive
|
