HomeMy WebLinkAbout5/26/2015 - City Council - Minutes - Regular
UNAPPROVED MINUTES
COUNCIL MEETING
May 26, 2015
A regular meeting of the Council of the City of Salem, Virginia, was held
in Council Chambers, City Hall, 114 North Broad Street, on May 26 , 2015, at
7:30 p.m., there being present the following members of said Council, to wit:
Byron Randolph Foley, John C. Givens, Jane W. Johnson, William D. Jones, and
Lisa D. Garst; with Byron Randolph Foley, Mayor, presiding; together with Kevin
S. Boggess, City Manager; James E. Taliaferro, II, Assistant City Manager and
Clerk of Council; Rosie Jordan, Director of Finance; Melinda J. Payne, Director
of Planning and Economic Development; Charles Van Allman, Jr., City Engineer;
Mike Stevens, Communications Director; and Stephen M. Yost, City Attorney;
and the following business was transacted:
Mayor Foley requested that Council consider adopting Resolution 1267
commending Alex Perdue for winning the 2015 State Geography Bee; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Foley read the following:
WHEREAS, in response to concerns about the lack of geography
knowledge among young people in the United States, the National Geographic
Society developed the National Geography Bee which is held in approximately
eighteen thousand schools throughout the United States; and
WHEREAS, since the first National Geography Bee in 1989, millions of
students have competed each year for prizes, scholarships, and the honor of being
named champion; and
WHEREAS, the state competitions are the second level of the National
Geography Bee;
WHEREAS, Alex Perdue, an eighth-grader at Andrew Lewis Middle
School, who on March 27, 2015, at Longwood University, became Virginia’s
2015 Geography Bee State Champion and advanced to the National Geography
Bee held on May 11-13, 2015; and
WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper that the Council of the City of Salem
recognizes Alex Perdue for not only winning Virginia’s 2015 Geography Bee, but
for his participation at the Nationals and applauds his impressive achievement;
and
WHEREAS, Alex brought recognition, honor, and pride to Andrew Lewis
Middle School, the City of Salem School Division, and the City of Salem; NOW,
THEREFORE
ITEM 1
RESOLUTION 1267
ADOPTED
COMMENDING
ALEX PERDUE FOR
WINNING THE 2015
STATE GEOGRAPHY
BEE
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SALEM,
VIRGINIA, that Council joins with the citizens of Salem in saluting Alex Perdue
for his accomplishment in winning the 2015 State Geography Bee; and
WHEREAS, Council presented Alex Perdue with a copy of the resolution
along with a Championship pin; and
ON MOTION MADE BY COUNCILWOMAN GARST, SECONDED
BY COUNCILMAN JONES, AND DULY CARRIED, Resolution 1267
commending Alex Perdue for winning the 2015 State Geography Bee was hereby
adopted – the roll call vote: Lisa D. Garst – aye, William D. Jones – aye, Jane W.
Johnson – aye, John C. Givens – aye, and Byron Randolph Foley – aye.
Mayor Foley requested that Council consider adopting Resolution 1268
commending the Salem High School Forensics Team for winning the 2015 State
AA Forensics Championship; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Foley read the following:
WHEREAS, teaching and learning form the foundation of a school's
endeavors; and
WHEREAS, Coach Mark Ingerson led a formidable forensics competition
team at Salem High School to their tenth consecutive state championship, the
second longest streak in Virginia High School League history; and
WHEREAS, the team’s 46-22 victory was fueled by 14 students who
advanced to the tournament’s final round and accounted for six individual state
championships out of ten events; and
WHEREAS, the team was led by a strong senior class including Lauren
Wygal and Monica Sexton who won their second consecutive state
championships in Humorous Duo; and
WHEREAS, seniors Emily Brown and Jordi Shelton both won their
first individual state champ ionships in Prose Interpretation, and Impromptu
Speaking, respectively, Salem's sixth consecutive title in Impromptu
Speaking; and
WHEREAS, senior Chris Pope won the individual state champi onship
in Humorous Interpretation , his second title in as many years, and Salem's
seventh consecutive champ ionship in the Humorous Interpretati on category;
and
WHEREAS, juniors Jack Beedle and Ben Lewis claimed individual
ITEM 2
RESOLUTION 1268
ADOPTED
COMMENDING THE
SALEM HIGH
SCHOOL FORENSICS
TEAM FOR
WINNING THE 2015
STATE AA
FORENSICS
CHAMPIONSHIP
state championships in Extemporaneous Speaki ng and Poetry respec tively,
Jack's second individual state championship and Ben's third; and
WHEREAS, Sa lem students claimed the runner-up spot in five of the
remaining event categori es, including senior Maya Cooke in Serious
Dramatic, jun ior Julie McKnew in Original Oratory, jun iors Ben Kennedy
and Caleb Turner in Serious Duo, sophomore Isaac Robertson in Storytelling,
and freshman Samantha Kennedy in Humorous Interpretation; and
WHEREAS, sophomore Emma Studtmann placed third in
Storytelling; and
WHEREAS, senior Hannah Bryant, sophomores Kyle Fauber, Jensen
Blevins, and Will Poldiak, and freshmen Jake Johnson and Sydney Pettit
competed throughout the year supporting the team's successful season; and
WHEREAS, sophomore Al exus Guilliams provided support to the
team throughout the season in her role as team manager; and
WHEREAS, the Salem High School Forensics Team brought recognition,
honor, and pride to Salem High School, the City of Salem School Division, and
the City of Salem; NOW, THEREFORE
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SALEM,
VIRGINIA, that Council joins with the citizens of the City of Salem in saluting
the great achievements of the Salem High School Forensics Team in winning the
2015 GROUP AA STATE FORENSICS TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP; and
WHEREAS, Council presented members of the team with a copy of the
resolution along with a Championship pin; resolutions and pins for those who
were not present were given to Principal Habeeb in their honor;
ON MOTION MADE BY COUNCILWOMAN JOHNSON, SECONDED
BY VICE-MAYOR GIVENS, AND DULY CARRIED, Resolution 1268
commending the Salem High School Forensics Team for winning the 2015 State
AA Forensics Championship was hereby adopted – the roll call vote: Lisa D.
Garst – aye, William D. Jones – aye, Jane W. Johnson – aye, John C. Givens –
aye, and Byron Randolph Foley – aye.
Mayor Foley informed the audience that the public hearings will have time
limits for speakers, however the petitioners will not be limited; each speaker will
have up to three and a half minutes to speak; and
Mayor Foley reported that this date and time had been set to hold a public
hearing and consider the request of David A. Thompson, property owner, and
East Main Auto, lessee, for the issuance of a Special Exception Permit to allow a
used automobile dealership on the property located at 2031 East Main Street (Tax
Map # 78 – 3 – 6 ); notice of such hearing was published in the May 7 and 14,
2015, issues of the Salem Times Register, a newspaper having general circulation
in the City of Salem; the Planning Commission at its May 13, 2015, meeting
recommended approval of request; and
WHEREAS, staff noted the following: the subject property is located at
the corner of East Main Street and Otter Avenue; it consists of .81 acres and is
currently occupied by an automobile rental business; the property has previously
been used for this type business, but it has never had an approval; it is bordered
on the north and west by Oak Park Apartments; the property to the east is being
used as a church; and
WHEREAS, Mr. David Thompson of 1145 East Main St. stated that
currently there is a rental car business in this location and there is a young man
that would like to start a used car lot; the insurance has gone up so much on the
rental car business that is no longer feasible; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst inquired as to the capacity of the lot
and how the petitioner would provide for overflow of cars; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thompson responded that there is room for 50 to 60
cars; however Mr. Clinevell is only going to have 30 cars there; the lot is fenced
in behind the building and the overflow will be stored there; and
WHEREAS, no other person(s) appeared related to the request;
WHEREAS, Mayor Foley closed the public hearing; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst asked staff if there was a zoning
district that allowed used cars by right; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Taliaferro responded that all used car lots require a
special exception permit; and
ON MOTION MADE BY VICE-MAYOR GIVENS, SECONDED BY
COUNCILMAN JONES, AND DULY CARRIED, the request of David A.
Thompson, property owner, and East Main Auto, lessee, for the issuance of a
Special Exception Permit to allow a used automobile dealership on the property
located at 2031 East Main Street (Tax Map # 78 – 3 – 6 ); was hereby approved –
the roll call vote: Lisa D. Garst – aye, William D. Jones – aye, Jane W. Johnson –
aye, John C. Givens – aye, and Byron Randolph Foley – aye.
ITEM 3
SPECIAL EXCEPTION
PERMIT APPROVED
TO ALLOW A USED
AUTOMOBILE
DEALERSHIP AT
2031 EAST MAIN
STREET, TAX MAP
78-3-6
Mayor Foley reported that this date and time had been set to hold a public
hearing to consider an ordinance on first reading rezoning the property of Dev
Mohan LLC, property owner, located at 2246 West Main Street (Tax Map # 168–
2–1.1), from LM Light Manufacturing District to HBD Highway Business
District; and
WHEREAS, the Clerk of Council reported that notice of such public
hearing had been published in the May 7, and 14, 2015, issues of the Salem
Times-Register, a newspaper published and having general circulation in the City
of Salem; the Planning Commission at its May 13, 2015, meeting recommended
approval of request; and
WHEREAS, staff noted the following: the subject property is located at
the corner of West Main Street and Salem Industrial Drive and consists of .259
acres; the previous use was a convenience store with gas pumps; the petitioner has
cleaned up the property including removing the old canopy, the fuel pumps and
the fuel tanks; this request is to allow the property to be used as a local
independent pharmacy; and
WHEREAS, Kirtesh Patel, 2126 River Oaks Drive, appeared before
Council stating that he would like to open a retail pharmacy at this location; the
property used to be a convenience store with gas pumps and was in disrepair; the
exterior of the property has been cleaned up but the interior needs renovation, but
before he proceeds, the property has to be zoned correctly for the proposed use;
and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst inquired if there will be a drive-through
at this location; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Patel responded affirmatively; and
WHEREAS, Councilman Jones asked how the traffic will be handled; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Patel stated that this property has two entrances, one off
of West Main and one off of Salem Industrial Drive, so the traffic will come in on
one street and go out on the other street at the traffic light; and
WHEREAS, Vice-Mayor Givens stated that this will be a nice
improvement; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Johnson asked how long Mr. Patel has been
operating his pharmacy at Richfield; and
ITEM 4
ORDINANCE
PASSED ON FIRST
READING
REZONING 2246 W
MAIN ST FROM LM
TO HBD
WHEREAS, Mr. Patel replied seven years; and
WHEREAS, Vice-Mayor Givens inquired if Mr. Patel would continue to
operate the Richfield pharmacy; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Patel responded affirmatively; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Foley stated that in the Planning Commission minutes
it was mentioned that the pharmacy has an interesting concept, so for the public’s
benefit Mayor Foley asked for an explanation; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Patel replied that he has been in the long-term care
pharmacy business serving the nursing home patients and those living
independently for some time now; sometimes they move to assisted living or
nursing homes because they cannot manage their medications properly; he further
stated that they have come up with a system that can prevent or delay going to the
nursing home or assisted living; the concept called Dispill provides specialized
packaging; medications are provided in one small packet customized to the
patient so it helps prevent overdoses and missed doses; and
WHEREAS, no other person(s) appeared related to the request;
WHEREAS, Mayor Foley closed the public hearing; and
ON MOTION MADE BY COUNCILWOMAN GARST, SECONDED
BY COUNCILMAN JONES, AND DULY CARRIED, an ordinance rezoning the
property of Dev Mohan LLC, property owner, located at 2246 West Main Street
(Tax Map # 168–2–1.1), from LM Light Manufacturing District to HBD Highway
Business District was hereby approved on first reading – the roll call vote: Lisa
D. Garst – aye, William D. Jones – aye, Jane W. Johnson – aye, John C. Givens –
aye, and Byron Randolph Foley – aye.
Mayor Foley reported that this date and time had been set to hold a public
hearing and consider the request of Elizabeth Medical Park LLC, property owner,
for a Use Not Provided For permit to allow an inpatient rehabilitation facility on
the property located at 125 Knotbreak Road (Tax Map # 148–1–5). Notice of such
hearing was published in the May 7, and 14, 2015, issues of the Salem Times
Register, a newspaper having general circulation in the City of Salem; the
Planning Commission at its May 13, 2015, meeting recommended denial of
request; and
WHEREAS, staff noted the following: the subject property consists of an
ITEM 5
USE NOT PROVIDED
FOR PERMIT
APPROVED TO
ALLOW AN IN-
PATIENT
REHABILITATION
FACILITY ON
PROPERTY LOCATED
AT 125 KNOTBREAK
RD (T/M 148-1-5)
4-1 VOTE
approximately 5-acre parcel located at the terminus of Knotbreak Road near the
intersection of Idaho and Texas Streets; the parcel is currently vacant; the City of
Salem has been marketing this property for a number of years; the request is for a
Use Not Provided For permit to allow the construction of a 32,000 square-foot,
48-bed, inpatient rehabilitation center; the new facility would provide treatment of
drug and alcohol addiction in a residential setting; the existing outpatient and
extended-stay programs will continue to operate at the current location at 405
Kimball Avenue; for the purposes of this request staff has defined inpatient
rehabilitation center as an establishment primarily engaged in the treatment of
drug and alcohol addiction in an inpatient setting in which it is licensed by the
Commonwealth of Virginia; staff decided the Use Not Provided For permit was
the correct avenue to pursue since this use did not fit in any definition in the code;
and
WHEREAS, Dan Friesland of 3405 McVitty Forest Drive, Roanoke,
appeared before Council stating that his business partner, Alan Chris of 33
Maccie Street, is in attendance and is co-owner of Elizabeth Medical Park;
Elizabeth Medical Park was formed over six years ago to bring a first-class
medical facility to the property where he grew up; the area was formerly known
as the Lutheran Children’s Home of the South; the history behind the Roanoke
College land swap – for those who don’t remember most all of the Salem
Commerce Park was once a cow pasture; it was the City of Salem’s vision and
certainly ours well now, to bring to fruition a business within this property, one
that will complement what now exists among the already now thriving businesses
that will benefit the citizens of Salem for years to come; as its developer,
Elizabeth Medical Park LLC, has joined forces with Mount Regis Center to ask
for council’s support tonight to relocate its inpatient drug and alcohol
rehabilitation, to a 48-bed 32,000-square foot facility onto Elizabeth Medical
Park’s five-acre site at Salem Commerce Park (Elizabeth Campus); the new
facility will be a destination center much like a Betty Ford Center, with programs
offered to participants in a multistate region; Alan and I would like to now
introduce to you Curt Lane, the CEO of the Mt. Regis Center here in Salem to
explain how the center operates; also, there are prints to be displayed with
Council’s permission; and
WHEREAS, Curt Lane, 1106 Grace Street, Salem, CEO for Mount Regis
Center, located at 405 Kimball Avenue, stated that Mount Regis has been a
private treatment center operating in the heart of a residential neighborhood here
in Salem for over 65 years; it is one of the oldest adult residential substance abuse
clinics in Virginia and is a critically valuable resource for our area; in an ongoing
effort to address the emerging epidemic of addiction in Virginia, Mount Regis
Center is looking to build a 32,000 square foot, 48-bed inpatient rehabilitation
facility; this facility will provide approximately 65 professional skilled and
semiskilled jobs to Salem; this will be an adult, voluntary inpatient program; our
outpatient and extended-stay programs will remain at our current location; you
have been provided with a fact sheet which provides an overview of the facility;
Mr. Lane further stated that he would be glad to expand on any of the information
and then added that his role was to present the facts and that he would not attempt
to persuade or prorate the interests of those in attendance, because the interest of
Mount Regis Center and the interest of this community are and have always been
the same; therefore, whatever decision is deemed best for the community is best
for Mount Regis regardless of where Mount Regis Center is; one point that I must
express is the indiscriminate nature of addiction; now more than any time in our
history more people from every walk of life are finding themselves caught in this
trap; this is not a moral issue, it is not a poor person’s issue, and while no one
would honestly try to say they’ve never used bad judgment, our clients are merely
a collection of people who have made bad decisions; the proliferation of
prescription medications legitimately obtained from healthcare providers for sleep
depression, anxiety, surgeries, injuries and chronic pain, is filling the beds at
Mount Regis Center; likewise, the mother who realized too late she was relying
too much on wine each evening to deal with the death of her child, doesn’t lack
morals; the fact is our clients are a cross-section of the public; the one thing our
clients have in common is they are trying to change their lives for the better and
the courage it takes to walk through our door to begin that process makes him and
his staff thankful for the privilege of working with them; he has provided Council
an overview of the facility and he would be glad to expand on any information
outlined there; he also provided a petition signed by 80 of their neighbors in the
Mount Regis Center’s community; those 80 people endorse the facility and
acknowledge Mount Regis has caused no problems for them or their families; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst asked Mr. Lane if he could explain the
management arrangement; they have heard the word Acadia and Mount Regis and
would like to know the relationship; and
WHEREAS, Mr. lane responded that Mount Regis is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Acadia Healthcare, located in Franklin, Tennessee; and the company
is managed primarily according to state guidelines and the joint commission
provisions; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst inquired as to the relationship with
Elizabeth Medical Park; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lane stated that they are the petitioners and the
developer of the project and that they would purchase the land through them and
Mount Regis would help coordinate the building of the facility; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst asked if Acadia would ultimately be
the owners of the facility and the land and ultimately responsible; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lane responded affirmatively; and
WHEREAS, Vice-Mayor Givens asked if the concept plan was final and if
that would be what the building would look like; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lane replied that was his understanding, but there would
probably be some adjustments; but his understanding is that this is the final
product; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Boggess stated that there are voluntary proffers offered
which now may be a good time to discuss; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lane stated that in response to the public concern from
the last hearing they are glad to proffer the following: fencing similar to the
Montessori school itself around the recreational area of Mount Regis’s new
facility; secondly cameras would be installed around the perimeter of this facility
to be monitored 24 seven; thirdly no methadone ever to be administered at this
facility; and finally, sexual predator background checks will be conducted and if
as a result of the screening it is determined that an individual might be a threat to
themselves or anyone else, the individual would be referred to another treatment
facility; Mount Regis Center is not a halfway house, it is not a step down facility;
we monitor these individuals 24 seven, and they cannot just leave without
supervision; if they choose to do so they are usually terminated from our program;
and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Johnson inquired about the definition of a
halfway house or step-down facility; a halfway house would indicate that people
in those facilities are court ordered to go there and these are volunteer patients;
and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lane replied affirmatively stating that the general
understanding of halfway house or transitional living center pertains to
corrections and law enforcement; it means something substantially different in the
substance abuse community even within that industry; they are not a halfway
house at all; our patients come voluntary and they pay quite a bit of money for
services; and
WHEREAS, Vice-Mayor Givens asked as to the time span of treatment;
and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lane responded that the average stay is currently 20
days; most of the patients are funded privately entirely by insurance companies;
we work with insurance companies to try to arrange the best possible treatment
for the patients and that’s where the length of stay is determined; and
WHEREAS, Councilman Jones asked if they would continue the other
facility as an outpatient facility and the new facility would be strictly for inpatient
care; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lane replied affirmatively; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst inquired of Mr. Yost; the four proffers
that the petitioners have made – they stay with the property even if the petitioners
sell to another operating group, these proffers will still stand; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Yost answered affirmatively that these are conditions
and that council is aware that it can unilaterally place conditions that are
appropriate whether they are proffered or not, to ensure that the proposal is
compatible with the neighborhood and the community; and
WHEREAS, Vice-Mayor Givens asked the estimated time of completion
of the project; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lane stated that he understands it would be 2017 or 2018
depending on a lot of contingencies along the way; and
WHEREAS, Councilman Jones asked if they were still waiting for state
approval as far as need; if this need is not approved by the state, then does that
cease your intentions; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lane replied affirmatively;
WHEREAS, Mayor Foley asked Mr. Lane for the audience benefit if he
could explain the certificate of public need process; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lane stated, we operate the facility under the guidance
and regulations and authority of the state of Virginia, particularly the Department
of Behavioral Health and Development Services; that authority must approve of
the expansion of treatment beds in the state of Virginia; to do that you must
establish that there is a need for those beds, and they are currently in the
application process; the application has been submitted, and the hearing is
upcoming; a final judgment is expected sometime late summer; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst asked what the research showed as they
prepared for their certificate of public need in terms of the need for the Salem
community; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lane responded that they have a waiting list – there are
patients awaiting treatment now, and they do not have beds to give; most of the
treatment is provided to people from the local community; the five heaviest
treated communities are Salem, then Christiansburg, Blacksburg and Richmond;
in 2014 they treated individuals from 126 communities in Virginia, but the
overwhelming share are right here in our community; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Foley opened the public hearing stating that the
timing lights would be utilized this evening; he further stated that he understood
emotions are running high but asked that everyone maintain decorum, protocol
and be respectful of individuals including this body (council) and those in
attendance; and
WHEREAS, Jane Hough formerly of 527 North Market Street, now of
Salem Terrace, Harrogate, appeared before Council; as a former City
Councilmember she stated she left City Council in 1984, and she had spent 12
years of her life on Salem City Council; some say that might have been a lot
longer than I should’ve; I just worked myself out of wanting to come back another
term; she is very glad to speak on behalf of this endeavor; she felt like the
property itself had to be developed correctly; it was too much land with too much
potential to just peddle it away and finally it has come about that there is money at
the right place at the right time for someone to do something with this land; she
further stated that she hoped this facility would come about as it would be well
situated; it’s beautiful land the city invested in a long time ago and finally the day
has come; and
WHEREAS, Allen Key, 708 Hill Avenue, Salem, appeared before Council
saying he grew up about 400 or 500 yards from White Cross Hospital; he
remembers the place fondly; many citizens of Salem have spent a week or two
there to get a grip back on life; they have been a good corporate citizen here in
Salem; in his memory there has never been any controversy surrounding White
Cross or Mount Regis and about 25 or 26 years ago when he sat in Bill Jones seat
as a member of the Planning Commission, a lot of times controversy would come
up as a part of rezoning decisions and hysteria would take over; a lot of good
projects went by the wayside over some really bad information, and therefore I
urge Council to move forward with this project; I am sure that the developers will
meet all the proffers that are required; and
WHEREAS, Gail Burress, 703 North Battery Dr., Roanoke, appeared
stating she is the director of adult clinical services for Blue Ridge Behavioral
Healthcare; she has been involved with providing direct services and management
of direct services to people with substance abuse treatment needs in the valley for
37 years; that has included management responsibilities for several residential
treatment programs; she believes that she hears the primary objections to the
proposed Mount Regis expansion is that it is perceived wrongly; she must
emphasize, perceived as a threat to children attending a Montessori school located
about 100 feet away from where this facility will be built; she would like to
respond to the perceived threat on two levels – first she wants to say there is no
credible justification for anyone to conclude that the presence of a residential
rehabilitation facility for people seeking recovery from substance disorders is a
threat to children or adults for that matter; the idea that Mt. Regis on the Elizabeth
campus presents a threat is rooted in fear and in stigma; Mount Regis is a licensed
facility serving people who are voluntarily seeking treatment; it always has been a
good neighbor in its current location; it is well-managed; it is properly staffed;
and it responsibly provides care for people with substance disorders; of course
some of their patients have mental illness; Centers for Disease Control tell us that
25% of American adults and 20% of American teenagers in any given year have a
mental illness; with about 6% of those being what we consider to be a very severe
or serious mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar condition; the clinical
staff of any program such as Mount Regis must be skilled to ensure they can
provide the level of care needed by patients in the facility; Mount Regis would not
continue to be in business and needing to expand if they did not excel in assessing
prospective patients to ensure they can provide what those patients will need; on a
second level I want to respond to what is happening in the City of Salem right
now, in 2015; the City has an extraordinarily serious problem, one that is a
tremendous threat to the children of this community and that is the phenomenal
surge in the abuse, use and dependence on drugs, both legal and illegal, in the
city; methamphetamine labs are abounding in the city; the national heroin
epidemic is real and Salem is not exempt from that; you have young people who
are smoking heroin; it is powerful, plentiful and cheap; some of these young
people will progress as their addiction progresses to injecting that along with the
multitude of additional health risks associated; in the city of Salem there is
tremendous abuse of and dependence on prescription opioids, use of marijuana
that has an incredibly high concentration of the chemical hallucinogenic
compound THC which makes marijuana an appealing drug; it is extraordinarily
damaging this high levels of THC, particularly for young people when their brains
are in such a developmental stage; she concluded by saying that the Elizabeth
Campus would be a wonderful location for this homegrown business; I would
think that we would applaud this and she commends Mount Regis for the success
they’ve had in a very tough environment; and
WHEREAS, Craig Balzer, architect, 6329 Spring Run Drive, Roanoke,
appeared before Council stating he and his firm have been involved in the design
and development planning for a number of the projects over on that side of the
YMCA next to the Civic Center and some time ago when he was approached by
Dan and Alan and the folks from Mount Regis and Acadia from Tennessee to
look at the property he wasn’t really sure what their proposal was; so when they
looked at the property and they started describing what they wanted to do he
thought, wow this is really nice because you have a mixture of corporate
residential community and health care providers in one area just across the street
from a very large recreational assembly facility for the City of Salem; he thought
what a nice idea to bring a building of this scale to that site with the residential
type of quality indicator; and then he thought with proper design and proper
landscaping, it would make a nice site for the facility; as things progressed a little
bit further into the design and planning of the facility they asked what he thought
of the site plan for a building of that size, and he stated that it would be great; he
thinks the petitioners have done a really good job of trying to keep the scale of the
building down and not having it look large and forceful; it has a pleasant scale in
terms of its one-story complex; it’s a good design and with the planning and
proffered conditions, this would be good use of the property; and
WHEREAS, Jason Hawk, professor at Roanoke College, where he will be
assuming responsibilities as chair of the department this July; his address is 2622
Ellison Avenue; he is here on a completely personal note because he believes that
Mt. Regis last year saved his family; he moved here in June 2001 with his wife
and their year and half old son; he had been newly hired at Roanoke College and
he was determined to throw himself into the position with all the vigor and energy
that he could to make the most of this wonderful opportunity; for him after a
ternary life in academia it was just the latest, but hopefully the last move in a
fairly adventurous life; however, for his wife for it was the first time at nearly 28
years of age that she was forced to move away from her family in St. Louis; it was
traumatizing for her; she planned to be a stay-at-home mom, but because she had
experience in the restaurant business she decided to pick up part-time work at a
local dining establishment; between her unhappiness and the environment in
which she was working over the subsequent three years their lives unraveled; she
got into a cycle of alcohol dependency and self-destructive behavior that he was
powerless to stop; despite several attempts to get formal medical help and
treatment including involuntary commitment to Lewis-Gale Pavilion nothing had
worked; a little over a year ago as their family was on the brink of completely
dissolving she checked herself into Mount Regis; there she found the kind of
medical and therapeutic treatment she needed to overcome her addiction; he was
impressed by the family-friendly environment the staff helps to create to
minimize the disruption of the lives of the patients and families, especially as it is
an inpatient facility and their contact with the outside world is limited as a result;
she was there for nearly 4 weeks and today she is more than a year clean and
sober; we are happy and healthy again and she has found work that she actually
enjoys; she just recently took leave from her job as they are expecting their
second child in July; he can appreciate why people are apprehensive about this
move; change can be frightening; as a history professor he certainly knows that,
especially when it involves things we don’t fully understand or appreciate; that is
why he is here to share his story because he has lived with it for over three years;
addiction is not a moral failing in the person who suffers from it; it is a public
health issue and it can hit a devoted mother and wife of a college professor and
their adorable son; we are extraordinarily fortunate to have in our community a
nationally-recognized hospital which, in his opinion, with modern facilities will
be able to do even more; that even if they were for the sake of argument to accept
that addiction is a moral failing what would it say about this community’s moral
failings if we refuse to help those who seek to overcome and rise above
supposedly turpitude; in the first letter of Peter, Chapter 3, Verse Eight, it says :
“finally all of you have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart
and humble mind;” he admits he is biased but he is biased because Mount Regis
saved his family and for that he will always be grateful and see the tremendous
value in what the programs and staff do; and
WHEREAS, Carolyn Minix of 617 Delaware Street, appeared before
Council as a private citizen; years ago the stigma of having a substance abuse
problem could have been embarrassing; today for someone to reach out indicates
their desire and need to become well; whether this motivation is from within, by
family or peer pressure, there is still a need to be well; you could be sitting next to
someone in church, standing in line at the store, working out the Y, out running
on the Greenway or dropping your child off for a play date and engage someone
with a substance abuse problem; substance-abuse addiction is blind to faith, creed,
color and income; it will find you, your family and your friends anywhere; heroin
and prescription drug abuse are not finding their way here, to our community; it
has landed, it has landed right here on our doorstep in our schools and our
community; our Valley has had more heroin overdoses per capita than any other
city in Virginia; this is terrorizing to me; Mount Regis has been here in Salem
offering services for over 65 years; building a new $50 million facility will enable
this community to address addiction, bring economic development to our
community, jobs to our community; it will allow us a place of healing for our
children; we should not condemn those who are in need but try to help them as we
show compassion and make our community a better place to live; and
WHEREAS, Barney Horrell, 3555 Carvins Cove Road, said he has two
issues of formality – one is to drop off some additional petitions and second to
grab a board; he also dropped off another hundred and eight signatures on behalf
of parents in the Salem Montessori school from neighbors and citizens who
reached out with their opposition to this project; he would like to start by saying
that no one is against the mission of helping others break through the bonds of
addiction; that’s not why they are here tonight; there is a need for this type of
facility so they are not arguing that; Mount Regis is a proven provider, they have
been there for 65 years, they are not at all attacking Mount Regis; Salem is the
right community for such a facility as this; the history of Salem is filled with
compassionate organizations; all you have to do is drive around town and you will
pass Feeding America of Southwest Virginia, Goodwill Industries – there is a
long list of examples of the community’s compassion; the reason they are here
tonight is this is just not the right location for this facility; you will hear why
tonight; he took the liberty of organizing the bulk of the reasons against this
particular project, against this particular site; he used the acronym Salem to
express their concerns; this goes against the master plan; there are people here
tonight who will talk on each of these issues; in his remaining time, he will hit on
the master point tonight; he is asking that you vote against this project for this
location; at the same time that you vote against this location I want you to show
the pride of our citizens and the support of those seeking help by tasking staff to
identify all the available sites in the community and even outside the community;
all the sites should be evaluated equally, given equal research and he suggests the
top five sites should be brought back to council and be discussed in an open
format; siting a facility like this is a real challenge and we all acknowledge that
it’s one that should be done as a community, and so tonight he is asking that you
vote no against this particular site this particular property; he’s asking you to
make it the bigger commitment to find the right site for this project; a vote against
this project tonight is not a vote against Mount Regis or the need for this facility
or the need in the community; it is a vote against this location; and
WHEREAS, William Mullins of 1208 Lynchburg Turnpike, appeared
before Council. Mr. Mullins said he lives next door to the school and he is here to
ask council to support this project; the land needs to be developed and the tax
base increased; he does not see anything wrong with the providers project; the
only thing he asks is what they have proposed is what is actually built; it should
not be like what he ended up with the school; it was ridiculous what the school
did; after they showed pictures they raised the school up 14 or 15 feet; the built
the playground next to his bedroom; he listens to kids scream all day when they’re
outside; he doesn’t mind Mount Regis at all and said he’s never heard anything
bad about them; he thinks council should vote for the product; and
WHEREAS, Jason Grove, a psychiatrist, of 5115 Bernard Drive, Roanoke
appeared before Council stating that statistics, not stigma, is what doctors bring;
he brought statistics to the last meeting and would like to build on that; there are
risks inherent to placing vulnerable populations in close proximity to one another;
substance abuse treatment centers have a natural concentrating effect on comorbid
psychiatry; according to the APA, 71% of paraphilia are comorbid substance
abusers; you might ask what a paraphilia is; they are part of the superfamily of
psychopathologies, none of them are registered; they include pedophiles, sexual
sadists, sexual masochists, exhibitionists, fetishes; they constitute approximately
2% of the general population about the same as bipolar disorder, yet have a higher
substance abuse rate than bipolar disorder by almost half over; to boil the
statistics down, what it means is any building occupied by 48 adults will
statistically contain at least one paraphilia, maybe two at any given time; a
substance abuse treatment center because of the concentrating effect would
contain more; again these are unknown; they are not registered, not listed; an
interesting paradox in substance abuse treatment, a number of papers came out
over the course of 2000-2009 comparing cost efficacy of outpatient and inpatient
treatments and it was found overwhelmingly that there is no difference in the
overall length of sobriety and efficacy between outpatient and inpatient treatments
but the inpatient treatments cost between two and 10 times more than outpatient
treatments; he found an online developers guide that said residential inpatient
treatment will produce better profit development margins; it is clear to the margin
oriented administrator that short-term financial gains will be best made from a
residential model if only the beds can be filled, but if your principal stakeholder is
a consumer, cost effectiveness through outpatient treatment is the primary access
point; so to summarize, there are risks in zoning today; we are talking about
introducing a new, highly concentrated and vulnerable population a short one
minute walk from an area already populated by a high concentration of another
vulnerable population – children and young adults; it is clear from the evidence
presented that it would be somewhat desperate and may be a reckless imposition
to build another medical building to house a somewhat outmoded and expensive
treatment method only to spoil one of our incentives in our ongoing struggle to
recruit physicians to the area; he actually hosted two physicians this past week, a
neurosurgeon and a gynecologist who are looking at the area for settling down;
after their fellowship, he told them about this project and their words were simply,
ugh;
WHEREAS, Judith Pace, of 405 Kimball Avenue, appeared before
Council stating that she was at the Planning Commission meeting and it made her
think of something her mother had said when she was younger, that old age was
when your broad mind and your narrow butt change places; unfortunately what
she learned from the last meeting was that it happens at a much younger age than
her mother thought; she absolutely could not believe what she was hearing; there
are 52 convicted sexual offenders living in Salem; you can look it up and see that
two of them live on Idaho Street; that’s very close to the Montessori School; there
are over 300 convicted sexual offenders in Roanoke and the vicinity; these people
have drivers’ licenses; they can go wherever they want; they drive cars and they
know where to find the children; they go to parks; they go to playgrounds; they go
to the schoolyards; they go to social media; and they go to churches; the number
of people in this room right now, according to Dr. Grove’s statistics, would tell us
there is a paraphilia in this room and we do not know who it is; that’s a little
scary; we don’t think about these people because they are not branded with the
Scarlet letter yet, but right now they are not branded so we don’t know and we
don’t have an easy way to find out who they are; she listened to the adults at the
last meeting branding the patients with uninformed prejudice; they didn’t come to
learn or to listen, they came to judge; she, too, prays for the safety of their
children, my grandchildren; but her belief is that the clients at Mt. Regis are not a
threat to them; we live in an imperfect world at Mt. Regis; we don’t judge, we
inspire growth and learning, an opportunity to change; acceptance and truth are
what will make the difference for all of us; fear and denial will not; from what she
is hearing, it sounds like folks are saying this is a great idea; we all admit that it’s
honorable that these people need the help; but again it’s going back to the not in
my backyard, do it somewhere else, find someplace else; well guess what people
– they are already in your backyard; they’re there and somebody in this room may
be one of them;
WHEREAS, Chris Bishop of 2652 Woods Meadow Lane, Salem,
appeared before Council stating that he has a four-year-old at Salem Montessori;
he would like to talk more about the view of the patient; and he is no clinical
person, he is just going for common sense in trying to put his self in their shoes,
their temptation; the current Mt. Regis facility is well away, in a nice, quiet
neighborhood, secluded; it’s a great place for a recovering drug addict; the facility
that’s proposed here is in direct line of the Red Sox, Salem Civic Center the
Salem fair; a lot of alcoholic beverages are served at these facilities; he knows
just from his personal experience when he’s driving around on a nice day like
today he drives past Salem Red Sox and he is a beer drinker; while today is a
great day to watch a game and have beer he can put himself in the shoes of an
alcohol addict being right there in front of temptation, that’s a fact; is it the best
place for the patient being in that situation; he would think not; the second thing is
the marketability of Salem; is that what you want everyone to see when they visit;
but the city is far better equipped to make that decision and he trusts the city to
make that decision; he sent each member an email last night and he trusts and
hopes that it was read; and
WHEREAS, Garrett Smith 719 Maryland Avenue, said he lives about two
blocks from the proposed facility; what he is concerned about is the YMCA; his
child goes to the afterschool program there and he believes the bus from the
middle school drops a bunch of kids off; his child actually walks from behind the
facility on a path to get to their home every day and he is not sure of the process
for admittance to Mount Regis; do they have to wait outside, do they hang out
outside the facility before they are admitted; please put yourself in his shoes;
would you want your daughter to walk behind this facility and see people hanging
out that might have a problem like this;
WHEREAS, Mayor Foley asked Mr. Smith if his daughter walks by the
college fraternity houses; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Smith responded affirmatively stating that she walks by
on the one path; he’s not sure if there are any lights out there for security, but a lot
of kids get dropped off there walk home; he thinks the afterschool program has 30
or 40 children , so afterschool there’s 30 or 40 kids walking on that path; common
sense tells him that it’s a great idea, but in a different location; all it takes is for
someone wanting to get checked in hanging out in the back talking to a child and
then there’s a problem; and
WHEREAS, Alan Chris reappeared before Council stating that they do
have a letter from Mark Johnson of the YMCA that should have been in their
packets; and
WHEREAS, Jim McHale 2664 Woods Meadow Lane, he is a business
attorney, but he is only here as a concerned parent; before beginning he just wants
to take a moment to make sure that he is properly characterizing the project; he
understands that this is an establishment providing residential accommodations
rehabilitation counseling and supervision to persons suffering from alcohol and
drug addictions; he has three legal issues that he is going to speak on everyone
else’s speaking on the shoulds and should nots, and there’s arguments all stands
separate from his; first the petition is improper because the developer does not
have the right to use this land in violation of the deed; the deed was dated April
13, 2015, states that the land may only be used for medical offices/clinics or for
short enumerated list of offices; medical offices/clinic is defined in the same code
as something that provides outpatient care routine basis and may offer surgical
care but do not provide overnight care; so as an inpatient facility this is explicitly
excluded from that definition and is not permitted in the deed; second the petition
is improper because a use not provided permit is inapplicable for this proposed
use; this is an establishment providing residential accommodation rehabilitation
counseling and supervision to person suffering from alcohol or drug addiction;
this is defined in Salem Code as a halfway house; there is no requirement for
involuntary or voluntary commitment that is the definition of halfway house that
should be discussed as such; halfway houses are an exceptional use in a few
zoning areas but it is not a permitted by right by exceptional use in this location; a
use not provided permit may only be given for uses that are not already explicitly
given a permissive exceptional status; this use is already provided; there are
locations where this could be brought; it would require a formal zoning change to
be able to bring it to this location followed by a request for an exceptional use
since is not allowed anywhere as a matter of right; third the petition is improper
because it places a mental health and substance facility within 500 feet of
residential use in district and within 500 feet of a property occupied or used as an
educational facility; the properties is less than 500 feet from residential properties;
it’s 1 foot from Roanoke campus, and the proposed building is within 500 feet of
the existing college buildings themselves; the section talking about this 308.1
speaking exclusively about outpatient services but the requirement for voluntary
inpatient services where patients are coming and going and leaving at all hours
that must be just a strict if not more strict sense that contains all of the same risk
of an outpatient facility in addition to new risks of people able to walk out the
door at 2 AM if they so choose; one last thing he wanted to address to a question
posed earlier his understanding is that Arcadia is a owner of a wholly-owned
subsidiary that will be running this operation and it was suggested that they would
be liable and responsible for this assuming that he understood correctly, there
would actually be no liability going to Arcadia if an LLC is running this that
signed by Arcadia the Commonwealth of Virginia respects the LLC in the
corporate form and would prevent liability from flowing up today owner of the
LLC stopping any coming redress that anyone would have;
WHEREAS, Joel Charbonneau of 733 Maryland Ave. appear before
Council stating that he is also a neighbor of the facility; he stated at the last
meeting that when he first moved to Salem over 10 years ago he lived on
Campbell Avenue just a few houses up from our regions and he wants to say that
he is an attorney as well he has spoken to Mr. McHale regarding some of these
issues and he wanted to expound upon them; he provided the Council with some
of the code sections some operative once; he took the liberty to highlight some of
the important terms and words at tab two is the operative parts of the deed as you
will see in paragraph H the only uses that may be made on the property herein
conveyed our medical offices/clinics and then the general offices as Mr. McHale
said; so it is important that the Council look at that itself; at tab three is a GIS
search that shows the distances to residentially zoned area which is under 500 feet
or a hypothetical from about the middle of this future projected building to the
middle of one of the fraternities on Roanoke College’s campus which is also
under 500 feet; tab four is the staff report with the petition; he would like to start
his comments by talking about why the cancel is here in with the burden is; the
burden tonight is it for the neighborhood for the Montessori school or other
parties to come forward and explain why this isn’t the proper location; the burden
was at all times on the petitioner at the time of application to provide information
and data on why this is the right location; the reason he provided you with a copy
of the staff report is set to counsel could look at the petition on page 3 and see
why he said last meeting this was not sufficient and why the application cannot be
approved at that time; for instance the petitioner is required to provide
information and data on why it is harmonious with the existing uses them with
designing and also that it has a minimum adverse impact on the adjoining
property and surrounding neighborhood; in looking at the petition where the
petition clearly asks what deed restrictions there are the petitioner said per the
purchase agreement between the city of Salem and was with medical Park
October 1, 2014; with the petitioner did not tell the city with that the deed dated
from April 2015 expressly does not allow this use; that is important because what
it is talking about a visit in harmony with the existing zoning the answer is no and
the city is already spoken; it is signed by yourself Mr. Foley; is it harmonious
with the future uses; he had a conversation on Friday with some of the planning
people in which he asked what proffers were there in the answer was there had
been no additional proffers; well it turns out there have been some proffers and
one thing that Mr. Tripp told him at that time is that the city has applied for grants
for walking trails which had been planned on this area; with these walking trails
that is not consistent with this use because if it was an outpatient facility it can be
built there meaning not the walking trails but the facility; finally because the
petitioner has not provided counsel with information on what the impact is he
thinks that it is important that Council get some information on what the impact
would be; this facility is apparently proposed to be in by Acadia which at the last
meeting they said has over 200 facilities across the country; clearly this company
is big enough to have provided this Council with information on what the impact
on the neighborhood would be; he is curious at the last meaning he asked that it
not be denied but continued so they could provide information to himself and his
neighbors; he did his own research; urged counsel to look at the Journals of
sustainable real estate; that is a published journal; they found that the impact on
the neighboring residents is an 8 to 17% property reduction so the question is is a
city of Salem, go to all the surrounding properties reduce their tax base and are
they getting begin an even trade here when the city of Salem gets to his
neighborhood which has some of the loveliest nicest houses along Pennsylvania
Avenue Maryland Ave., Virginia, are you going to be taking three and $400,000
houses and knocking off 60 and 70,000 after-tax bases for whole Lotta houses
because that’s what he is expecting; and
WHEREAS, my name is Danny Hall, of 321 Idaho St.; appeared before
Council stating that he is here to voice his concern over the request by Lisbeth
medical Park LLC for you some provided permit at 125 not break right; he found
out about the request on Monday after 3 PM May 11 before the city planning
commission meeting on Wednesday evening May 13, 2015; this information did
not sit well with him a fear of the unknown and he immediately notified his
neighbors that if they had an opinion on this matter they may want to attend the
planning commission meeting the city Department of planning and economic
development did their duty paramedic find the adjacent property owners and
pasting a sign on a dead-end street as required however because he lives on the
west side of that wide expanse 40 feet called on a history the neighborhood was
not contacted or notified it is the responsibility of the developer if they choose to
do so to notify educate the neighborhood to his knowledge they did nothing to
notify our advised the neighborhood about their development construction plans;
the minimum quotation marks as legally required quotation marks notification by
both the city and the developer gives the perception that the parties wanted this
matter to slide unnoticed to approval before anyone knew what was going on; this
is bad politics and bad business; at the end of the day he believes that each city
councilmember will play based on the information they have to do what they
think is best for all the residents in the city of Salem; and
WHEREAS, Valerie Vanderhooven of 6245 Hidden Valley Drive,
Roanoke, appeared before Council stating that she is the founder and director of
the Salem Montessori school; she is not a silent partner of the school she is the
sole owner and for nearly 23 years she has had a daily presence administratively
as well as hands-on in the classrooms and she loves and believes in what she
doubts; as owner on her shoulders rest the responsibility and the safety and well-
being nurturing and education of 190 students and their families, 52 employees of
this Valley, and their Montessori name; she feels the weight as she speaks up and
out tonight for them; 23 years ago she chose the city of Salem to be the home of
Salem Montessori school because of its outstanding reputation for civility beauty
family-friendly child focused in the value placed on education; over the years she
has been approached and encouraged to open facilities outside of Salem,
Roanoke, Botetourt County and Franklin County; yet she has remained chosen to
stay here in the city of sailing quality care education and development and
development of children entrusted to us because it is the utmost importance rather
than acquiring multiple childcare facilities; Salem Montessori school is currently
the only private school in Salem and the top choice in the Roanoke Valley and
surrounding areas for the care of young children; Montessori is much more than a
great childcare or impressive preschool it is a philosophy methodology and way
of life their daily work has a far more expansive influence to our community than
what we see today we are educating and preparing children for life; Dr.
Montessori, in her in words, says Montessori is an education for independence
preparing not just for school but for life which in time will translate to productive
contributing and respectful citizens; formative years the children spend with them
extend far beyond their school walls as a result much proactive energy is placed
on prevention rather than on intervention which certainly has it’s important and
critical place in our society; that’s why we are so passionate about the work as
educators nurturers and guardians that we are; she strongly opposes the proposed
location for a drug and rehab facility; the proposed location for Mount Regis
appears to be in direct conflict with the success of Salem Montessori school and
their mission; with the distance a mere 800 feet this location does not provide an
adequate separation from their school for the students and parents to continue to
thrive; there is a business conflict that exists between this proposed location and it
will negatively affect our school; city zoning and government bodies exist and are
put in place for the purpose of maintaining the peace and potential for business to
thrive and to succeed; Mount Regis currently does not screen for sex offenders
nor can they legally be allowed to refuse them from their facility; in the hub of
Salem is this really the best place in setting for Mount Regis or for any rehab
facility; will the patient seeking help find success in such close proximity of
several hundred children Roanoke College fraternities, YMCA, and where across
the street families gather for football fares music concerts Red Sox baseball
games championships tournaments stack bowls and tailgating most of which
alcohol is available and served; where city of Salem and surrounding
communities gather for annual events is not a wise planning for our community
and for rehabilitation of some of our citizens; it’s the wrong location for those
who have addictions and have sought help and it is problematic for city of
Salem’s future development and reputation; city of Salem’s motto is children first
every child every day; the decision the place within close proximity of the hub of
Salem are landscape and hundreds of children goes against us motto of putting
children first every child every day; the Council’s choice tonight is clear you’ll be
choosing between adults with alcohol and drug addictions he mostly reside in
other communities and other states are children who reside all of which in our city
and our community and who are our future; voting no will allow Mount Regis
Center to be located in a more cohesive and interdependent location with
surrounding businesses; she asks that each of you councilmembers will please
vote for the children first every day every child and vote no to the proposed
location for the expansion of Mount Regis Center; and
WHEREAS, Richard McGahhey of 6715 Fairway Ridge Rd. and
Roanoke, appeared before Council stating that although he lives in Roanoke
County he spends the majority of his time in Salem and sometimes he wishes he
lived here; but we heard about this made them think twice; his children get a
Salem Montessori he attends the why most of his life is in that area he is an avid
Red Sox fan; when he was five years old his family fell apart his mother got into
drugs he didn’t see her from his 15 years; so when people talk about fear it’s not
fear it is reality; his mother is not a pariah she’s on a monster that he does have
people who are; he spent 21 years as a Marine pilot so when that light turns red he
will bail out the cockpit; Salem great acronym safety 99.9% of the time he will
come back safe there was always that one chance when he was in Afghanistan of
getting shot that he wasn’t coming home no one knew that it was the fear the
unknown he understands fear; he fears that one day that someone loses their
bucket up there and does something unrealistic; that possibility hasn’t happened
and 64 years think about the gravity of the decisions; the decision you make now
are easy to make its economic currents bring in taxes in; well what about the
community are affecting when this taxes that’s when it stops property values
lower tax base falls apart in my not ever happen but what if it does you as the
people who are responsible for this community must make that decision and
you’re going to take that with you when you leave it or if you stay on Council so
think about that when you make that decision tonight; September 10, 2001 he sat
on aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean what happened September 11 no credible
justification for government are called the pants down; one of his best high school
friends died in the twin towers apples to oranges no this is apples to apples you
don’t now this could happen and when it does happen if anyone gets hurt because
someone here in this location in the center of our hub you will carry this on your
shoulder for the rest your life don’t get caught with your pants down vote no; and
WHEREAS, Lisa Reynolds of 1458 Deacon Street appeared before
Council stating that she comes here wearing two hats tonight she’s going to do the
first hat first; she is a financial manager for the Salem Montessori school and she
has a little bit about financial planning; when Ms. Vanderhooven approached her
back in 2008 just as a consulting job to help her truly because she was thinking of
selling the school for various reasons; when they started working together they
started looking at the potential that she had in front of her with the waiting lists
the problem was that she was busting out of the seams at her Roanoke Boulevard
location; so they started looking around; her first choice was Salem there was
nowhere to build system land in Roanoke County was presented which they
viewed and actually put money down then this land became available on
corporate Drive and it was a better fit they were very excited it fit in with their
vision and their plan and for the benefit of the children of Salem Montessori
school and the benefit of this community they made the choice; they lost a
significant amount of money when they decided to move but in the big scheme of
things it was for the benefit of everyone; she looked on the city’s website today
and the city of Salem planning commission comprehensive plan approved June
2012 on page 36 she read a goal to generate wealth within the Salem community
and the greater Roanoke Valley region the objective work to encourage the
retention and expansion of existing businesses as a strategy to maintain and
increase job opportunities in Salem; the strategy was to continue to support
existing businesses through visitation and recognition programs; she thought
about that Salem Montessori schools in existing business in the city of Salem for
23 years with current plans already in place to expand right down the hill on
corporate Drive which does fit into our overall plan of having both campuses right
there; currently they provide jobs for 52 individuals this new facility will add an
additional 15 jobs that’s a total of 67 jobs; the current students that we serve and
families hundred and 91; the additional number of students customers with the
new facility will be between 46 and 50; the total student population would be 237
to 241; they do pay business taxes business license property taxes real estate
taxes; now she’s putting her other hat on she’s a Salem resident not Salem born
but Salem bread and when she dies she’ll be Salem dead, by adoption, but her
children are and when she dies she will be Salem dead; she loves this community;
now she’s had mental analysts and her family drug addiction and she’s had to deal
with bipolar in her family; bipolar you don’t know what you’re getting from
minute to minute and if they take them in medication it takes time many times to
get that medication right so it really gets volatile; secondly she moved here by
choice 20 years ago because this is where she wanted to raise her family; she
spent many a night at the Stadium of cheerleaders football players banned with
her children and she does not feel like that location best represents the vision of
Salem that she chose to move into when her children were very little and to come
and bring her family to for that reason tonight she requests that Council vote no
not to Mount Regis are helping individuals but just to the location; let’s find a
better location for them and for their families and for the citizens; and
WHEREAS, Kevin Shepherd of 1703 Springfield Avenue, which is in the
area of the Montessori school and the proposed new Mount Regis; he coached
softball in Salem for 17 years; he coached at the high school for eight years; he’s
wearing a Glenvar shirt because he is coaching his granddaughter’s team; he is a
driver for Mount Regis he is been there a year and eight months there’s been no
trouble on the 15 passenger van they have; people talking about patients roaming;
when they come to the facility they come into a waiting area and they get checked
in and proceed on to her brain when they take him out they don’t keep him locked
up for 2028 days and there you get your back out on the street to take and
activities Parks movies Bolan just like a normal person there watched at night;
there’s a caretaker that goes around every hour check and make sure the patients
are okay in there in the reams there’s an RN on staff at all times there are text they
are and they keep an eye on him count heads and take names when they go out of
the building when they get to the destination they do the same thing; these
patients are normal people they just have an addiction problem with alcohol or
drugs; the counselors are great they work with some there’s an excellent team and
Mount Regis I ask that you vote for it because they are busting at the seams
people are talking about other areas there is a lot of people from the Roanoke
Valley not just Salem but the Roanoke area that go there so he asks that counsel
pleased to vote yes; and
WHEREAS, Peter Pennington of 729 Wayland St., Roanoke appeared
before Council stating that he works at Mount Regis; he does not like the stigma
he is heard about addiction and alcoholism in general; he would like you look at a
face of a recovering alcoholic and addict; I want you look at a face of an alumni
of Mount Regis Center; he moved up here back in 2004 after having a lot of
trouble with addiction in South Carolina; he was a great student growing up he
had a great family upper-middle-class he was class president all through high
school Beta club national honor Society leadership awards you name it he got it;
but he was dying inside and no one could see it; it was one of those problems of
his that he could not share with anyone and he divulged into alcohol; he got in
touch with his doctor to prescribe Xanax like most people do and when on a
tumble spiral; he ended up moving up to Roanoke and he has wasted a lot of
taxpayer money being in the Roanoke County jail as well as the Roanoke city jail;
he is worn both the orange and the green and white; but back in 2008 he was
approached by an officer because he was getting a felony DUI; he was a bad
member of society: he was not great he was a good person that he liked the skills
and the tools because all he did was consume itself with alcohol similar to what
his fellow patients at Mount Regis did; they are great people there not pedophiles
they come from wonderful families; his stepfather was trying to do the best he
could for him; he has a niece in this very room who he is assuming has a child at
the Montessori school; it is in the families this happens he was granted release
from jail to go to Mount Regis Center and he has been sober &; he has been able
to go back to run a college where he was academically suspended and graduate
with an undergraduate degree in history; he then got his Master’s degree in mental
health counseling because it’s not just a facility of drying up and not been sober
not being clean it’s about learning skills and tools to use in the outside world; the
patient’s at Mount Regis aren’t just granted freedom to room wherever they want
to that’s not it at all there’s actually paperwork that has to be signed in order to
get out to my: that’s the thing that some people don’t understand the stigma of
you have this mental health and substance abuse facility; yeah they have problems
but their main problem is substance abuse; and when you can teach people like
himself to be able to get out the world and not just stay sober but to make a better
place why isn’t this a good place for Salem so he said to vote yes because it saved
his life; and
WHEREAS, the Lydia Strawbridge of 246 Chivas Dr., Roanoke appeared
before Council stating that she is a licensed clinical social worker she has worked
with public mental health and substance abuse treatment she has been the
therapist she’s been in the field for over 25 years she is in foster care nail but she
worked over 10 years treating the adult population; she has many colleagues that
have worked at Mount Regis she actually did her first internship there; it is a
marvelous facility she doesn’t think the arguments tonight are about the stigma
are about the types of people who go there are about what we assume they are or
what they will do when they come out or what they will do while they were there;
she understands them the flipside is that she also has a daughter at Salem
Montessori and when she first heard this she was split because she knows that this
is a facility that is needed; one that exists is doing marvelous work and absolutely
if they can expand that’s what needs to happen; but all she would say is there are
other places there are other places this is not the only place that these people can
be served and if there are other places why would you put a rehab center next to a
school and next to a public YMCA if there’s not a need why roll the dice; and
WHEREAS, Susan Salinsky of 981 Lynchburg Turnpike appeared before
Council stating that she just moved there about a year ago and she thinks
everyone can agree that Mount Regis is on the side of the angels clearly she’s
been educated tonight about what they do and she finds it very fascinating and
heartening but she also thinks this is not the right location for this particular
facility she thinks there are other locations in Salem she would like to recommend
looking at 1601 Tidewater she thinks that is owned by the city it is out of the
residential neighborhood it’s on the river have lovely views calm away from
temptations she thinks that if she had known this project was in the works when
she was looking at houses that this would’ve affected her decision to live where
she now lives; she thinks that this is something they need to consider when you
look the property values; when you look at just the feeling of let’s concentrate
population of people in a residential neighborhood that need help; she sure when
they get to the end of the path that’s a different story but while they’re going
through it she would like them to please do it in a different part of Salem she
respectfully requests that counsel vote no; and
WHEREAS, Judith Pace reappeared before Council stating she is a
grandson at the Montessori school at the Jefferson Center and you all know where
the Jefferson Center is its luck Avenue on one side and Jefferson Street on the
other two are the people in your neighborhood it is amazing what this by their
new lives there there’s never been any problem these are not people in treatment
these are people who are actively using and those children somehow I managed to
be saying at that Montessori school; she’s been listening tonight and she
understands the feelings but what seems to be coming across is if the children of
the Salem Montessori school that need to be protected and the rest of them the
heck with it; if you can’t afford Salem Montessori for your children then no one is
concerned about what happens or he’s around them; that is really sad how we can
project all of the children in our community hears you take care the people who
are having the problems that are creating the problems for our children in the
community; that doesn’t mean just Montessori here in Salem this is nationwide
this is communitywide; her children she can afford five of them for them to go to
Montessori school didn’t have the finances; they did okay it’s all right to protect
them to Siletz could ever the Montessori thing must get everything the only
precious children in Salem and look at what can we do to protect all of our
children; and
WHEREAS, Allen key reappeared before Council stated that he thinks
this is ludicrous that a facility that’s been here in Salem for 65 years in a
residential neighborhood you can roll marble down from it to Bethel Baptist
preschool has never had any instance of any kind of child molestation use that as
a reason to thwart these people from expanding their operation; an existing
business for 6 five years not 23 years 65 years; all kinds of things can happen we
had 100 year flood in 1972 and another hundred year flood in 1985 yes all kinds
of things can happen but it’s never happened at Mount Regis and to say this could
happen is ludicrous in this terrible excuse for not having them expand in Salem;
and
WHEREAS, Joel Charbonneau reappeared before Council stating that
Mount Regis has talked about its pedigree it’s number of years and he wants to go
back further than 65 years he wants to go back as far as the 1920s when that
property started out as partially a public park and part of it was earned by the
Salem improvement in company which was compelled of residential
neighborhood at the lower part where the floodplain is; because back even further
that throughout that hundred year period of time that plot of land has been solved
to be developed for educational and improvement purposes and what people try to
develop this parcel for more than 100 years and that’s the issue that the petitioner
has not addressed with this Council or the citizens of Salem and they are failing to
address those issues he urges the Council to think about what purposes of that
land what his counsel tried to develop that land over the years he understands
trying to expand the tax base was the impact on the tax base from this project;
what about the rennet college student to parents bring them for a visit in notice a
rehabilitation center next door but are they willing to pay 25 $30,000 a year to
Roanoke college; second continue to support the professors that live in the
neighborhood; this is all the impact information he would’ve expected to be filed
with legitimate petition none of which was filed and he urges Council to deny the
application because it’s not allowed by the deed, it’s not allowed by the city code
because this is a halfway house in halfway house is not allowed to be built in the
business commercial district it is a highway or transitional business district but
not this district so for those reasons he asked the Council deny the application;
and
WHEREAS, Anna Beebe Sachs of 825 Virginia Avenue, appeared before
Council stating that she would like to address the fact that is not just Montessori
children who are there to have a very full Street she is the widow of an alcoholic
who died because he caught his car on fire drunk; she knows what alcoholism is
she would’ve done anything to get her husband to get at Mount Regis he wouldn’t
go she knows what good work they do, the folks who bought homes near Mount
Regis new that they had that there; to say that just Montessori school kids is
incorrect to say that they don’t know what alcoholism is, is incorrect; she is here
with her family and they know exactly what alcoholism is; and they know what it
does to their sister and they know what it does to their nephew; and they know
what it did to them; she still does not want that facility in her neighborhood it is
important it needs to happen there not arguing whether it’s good or bad they are
arguing about a ZIP Code and address they don’t want at this address in 24153; it
needs to be into 24153 but it does not need to be on that street nor does it need to
be in the neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, Lisa Hatcher of 405 Kimball Avenue appeared before Council,
stating that she works for Mount Regis; she actually lives at 125 N. Main St.,
Blacksburg; she is not from here; she doesn’t just come here from Blacksburg she
comes here from a place that knows exactly what everyone fears; everyone fears
that economic property values will decrease, that their pitting business against
business; their pitting children against adults; right now in the Roanoke and
Blacksburg Metropolitan statistical areas there are over 35,000 people who need
treatment today for alcohol and drug addiction; very few, only about 10% of those
people will seek treatment and one of the biggest reasons is because many can’t
afford it; the other big reason is because of what is happening right now; people
who are afraid that if they step up and say they need help that they will be
misjudged; they are afraid they will lose jobs; they are afraid they will lose any
status they have in the community; there are afraid they will lose their loved ones;
they are afraid they’re going to lose their lives; she comes from the reality of the
economic depression; it is true, it is there, and it is because places like Mt. Regis
do not exist; back in the 70s she watched West Virginia decay; it concerned her;
she was a child and people asked why was she concerned about something at this
age; she was watching her community crumble around her; so, as an adult, she
started by getting a business degree; economic development can make it happen;
she became a very involved community member; knew all of the City Council
members; she was the director of the membership committee for the chamber; she
knew the community inside and out; she worked in healthcare for 20 years; she
shifted over to the workforce development economic development side of her
career and still they couldn’t make any headway; so she shifted to education and
maybe by combining all of these together they can make a difference; so she too
understands education and what a difference it makes; it continued as the students
came to her office as the Dean of the College with their lives crumbling around
them; she is still looking for the answer; she found out as friends and family
members are reaching out for help for a family member who suffers with
alcoholism; she turns to get help and finds that it does not exist in West Virginia;
that is the root of the problem; so she spoke to the employers and the employers
said the reason their businesses are dying is because so many people are on
alcohol and drugs that they cannot pass the drug screen; it should not be business
against business; and it should not be an argument of children against adults
because each of the adults that we serve have children at home; it should not be
address against address because the people that need help are throughout the
community; they permeate the community; there are already here; if you want to
continue to have a strong viable community you want to make sure that you have
the solution to the problem not just the problem, she asks that you keep the
solution here; it’s one of the biggest reasons she chose to move here; and
WHEREAS, Jason Hawk reappeared before Council stating that the
petitioners asked him to come up and speak to “put the bow” on this; he just
wants to thank Council for the careful consideration of this matter; from his own
personal perspective, he does understand the concerns; he’s not just the spouse of
somebody who has struggled with this addiction, he is a father and he understands
the concern; ultimately it seems that it needs to be balanced with thinking about
wherever this facility is located; it is going to be near someone’s children; we
can’t keep just kicking the can down the road and pretend there is not going to be
a new set of people in here that might potentially be upset about where this
facility might go; he would add to that from his own personal experience from
dealing with Mount Regis one thing he has learned, much has been made of the
idea this property is supposed to be used for education and improvement; what
Mount Regis does is they don’t just force people to dry out, they try to teach
them; they try to educate them so they do not fall back in the same pattern again;
and not only did they educate his wife, they educated him; she was a classic
addict and he was classic enabler and he didn’t see it until he went to the family
sessions at Mount Regis; they helped him become a better person; they helped
him even though he wasn’t the one with the addiction problem; they helped him
be a better husband and a more responsible father; remember that this facility is
going to be built by local architects; can be built by a lot of companies who are
local to Salem and to the area and he knows from personal experience that these
people who were in there for treatment are voluntary; they want to improve their
lives; they want to improve how they fit in our community; they are not there to
harm children; they are not there to cause problems; they are there to fix a
problem; this is good for the community; it has to go somewhere and it seems to
him that if the purpose of that property is education and improvement this helps
people educate themselves on how to improve their lives and their community;
and
WHEREAS, Mayor Foley closed the public hearing; and
WHEREAS, Councilman Jones commented that he was raised right next
to Mount Regis since age five up to age twenty; his parents have lived there since
1965; the only problem they ever had was in the early days when they used to let
the patients roam; one person got into their car, blew the horn thinking they were
blowing for their wife to take them somewhere; were they aggressive, no; when
the police got there they walked the man back across the street; that is before the
houses across the street where there; he has let his kids stay there with their
grandparents, playing in the yard unsupervised; nothing ever happened; his
parents would be here but his dad is dying and his mother is standing by his side;
his parents have had no incidents whatsoever and he has had no incidents
whatsoever when he lived there; in his earlier days, working at a large
manufacturer, he was the drug and alcohol person and Mt. Regis took care of their
employees; there were a lot of employees that needed their assistance; he had
Mount Regis, Lewis Gale and Carilion; Mount Regis had an 80% plus record
beating the addiction and coming back and being a functional person in society;
never did they have a problem with anybody being aggressive or anything of that
nature; he was the guy that walked in, told you what your rights were from here
on out if you worked there; Mount Regis reinforced that and made sure that their
people were educated, not only the employee but their family and their kids; he
can understand the fear until you are educated about it; he had three aunts and
uncles that died of cirrhosis of the liver and luckily he did not get that gene,
luckily his parents did not get that gene; it is a hard question wherever you put it
someone will have a problem; to classify these people as mean or aggressive is
inaccurate; it was CEOs, presidents, nurses, and doctors; alcohol and drugs do not
hit one group; it is not just factory workers, or people that are down on their luck;
it hits everybody for different reasons; Mount Regis has been a corporate citizen
for 65 years plus; we appreciate that the Montessori School has been a corporate
citizen for 23 years plus; both have been good corporate citizens, excellent even;
he thinks if it’s done the way Mount Regis has been operating for 65 years, then
he does not see how it can’t be right; he has listened to all the texts and emails and
he has replied to all up until 6 o’clock tonight; he tried to reply to everybody that
had addressed him personally and that was up to 40 people; it’s good to have that
type of feedback; and before he was involved in counseling employees with drug
and alcohol addiction it was easy to say these people are crazy; they are no good,
let them go; but after being involved with that, he was embarrassed that he said
that; he has a nephew that went and got a degree from college and was on top of
the world; he got hooked on cocaine, went to Mount Regis and got clean; he got
his Master’s, went work as a teacher for special needs kids; two years ago he was
teacher of the year; it certainly says a lot for what can happen and what he is
doing giving back to kids that are underprivileged; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst asked Mr. Boggess if they should
discuss the letter they received from the YMCA since there was some question
about their opinion; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Boggess replied affirmatively, reading the following:
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Johnson stated she has spent many hours
researching and listening to all sides; one of Ms. Hatcher’s remarks struck her
because it was something she hadn’t given much thought to; she commented on
employers having trouble finding people that will pass drug screens and as chair
of the Roanoke Allegheny Regional Commission this year, she has had the
opportunity to travel to a conference involving all the different planning districts;
the discussion was mainly about workforce but one of the big things that came out
of that was from one of the counties in southwestern Virginia; it really just,
shocked her that that was their biggest issue regarding workforce was they could
not find people that could pass drug tests for jobs; she is very grateful that we
don’t have that problem here; but the more she hears and the more she follows
what’s going on with heroin use and its increase in the Valley, gives her great
concern and she doesn’t want to be that area of the state that is the next one have
that type of problem; this comment struck a chord with her and she keeps thinking
what would be the ideal place for a rehab center with Salem being only 14 square
miles; there are not many options; she is sure that staff has discussed other options
with the petitioner so the ultimate question remains do we want such a facility in
Salem or do we not; here we are in a time where we are working hard to not only
attract businesses to our area but were trying to retain those businesses that help;
those businesses that have been good stewards in our community and certainly
Mount Regis has got a great track record of 65 years with so few negative
comments so she personally feels that it speaks very loudly; she would have a
hard time turning her back on this company; the other thing that has struck her
regarding comments that have been made about this hurting property values or
ability to be able to sell any more land on that campus; she cannot see that as
being a problem when at their current facility that, when she was on the planning
commission 12 or 13 years ago, there were about seven to ten homes that were
built right around the current Mt. Regis facility and she does not believe those
properties went unsold or had any trouble having families move in knowing that
facility was across the street; and
WHEREAS, Vice-Mayor Givens stated he’s been pretty much a lifelong
resident of Salem and what prides himself much about this community is the love
we have for this community and the willingness to work together and regardless
of what comes out of this tonight if Mount Regis which has been said has an
excellent track record and Montessori has an excellent track record he would like
to see these two entities work together to further better our community; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst stated that over the course of the
discussion about this piece of property, in the research that has been done, in the
input from the community which has been invaluable and we do appreciate each
and every one of your time; it came down to today where she had several folks
say to her that you know sometimes reasonable people just disagree and they
knew coming in here tonight that half the room would be satisfied with the answer
and the other half would be terribly disappointed with the decision; she hopes by
the end of the vote everyone will at least have felt heard and respected and she
appreciates their input here tonight; it is important to note that both at Mt. Regis
and Montessori, the clients there are voluntarily, so the clients have a choice; they
are tasked with making this decision that they feel based on the information they
have provided and what is best for the citizens of Salem; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Foley asked Mr. Yost what his responses to the deed
question; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Yost replied that it is certainly true; under the current
deed where Council conveyed the property to the current owner, this use would
not be allowed and therefore if the request is denied then there would be no
changing that deed; if the request is approved then there is nothing whatsoever
that would prevent City Council and the current owner from amending those
conditions to allow the use that is being presented; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Foley asked Mr. Yost to comment on the definition of
halfway house; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Yost responded that it is difficult and staff was really
more involved as to when they were presented with this proposal by Mount Regis;
there were at least four potential uses that the staff looked at to see if they could if
Mount Regis fit, halfway house, medical office/clinic, outpatient mental health
and substance abuse clinic, or hospital; they determined that what Mount Regis is
proposing really does not fit completely into any of these definitions; to speak
directly to the question of halfway house, he understands the argument that is
being made; he appreciates the work that the attorneys have done and he can
assure them that he will read what they have provided; he believes that staff felt
that under the definition of halfway house the requirement that it be supervised
they understood that to mean, and certainly Mount Regis will have general
supervisory duties, but they read into that like with most halfway houses
supervision also meant court services supervision, probation supervision, and
those sorts of things which of course would not be allowed based upon what
Mount Regis says is going to be there and that’s the reason that they thought it did
not fit in exactly and thus they came to the conclusion that actually the best way
to approach this is by use not provided for, it does not fit exactly into any of the
definitions; and of course the process that the process is the same process whether
you are rezoning it, a special exception permit, or for use not provided for permit;
you have an application process, the public hearings before both planning
commission and Council, and then Council makes a decision; as Mrs. Garst says
reasonable people can disagree and probably most local government attorneys
will tell you that in certain areas there is more litigation than others and certainly
concerning issues such as this rank right up there; you try to do the best you can
and you do what is right and let the chips fall where they may; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst inquired of Mr. Lane that part of the
conversation tonight was using trying to define the services that Mt. Regis
provides their clients; she would like greater detail about what type of client
comes to Mount Regis what the patient mix is between alcohol versus drug rehab;
and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lane responded that the services they provide on an
inpatient setting usually start with a medicated detox supervised by a doctor and
they see these patients every day by a MD or PA, the medical director, a
psychiatrist and certified addictionologist; the detox usually lasts an average of
three seven days and once completed the patients are off all mood altering
medications; patients are encouraged, as soon as they feel like it, to start attending
the classes in the program; staff does not let them leave the facility until that
detox is complete; once detox is complete they can engage in the program
completely but from the time they call they are screened; initially and within the
first 72 hours almost all the patients have been screened about five times by the
admissions team; initially upon admission and during the admission process they
see the PA or MD within 24 hours and a primary counselor within 72 hours; they
ask a mountain of questions; they repeat their questions to try to get valid
answers; they get cooperative information from the referral sources whether it be
a counselor, a doctor, or hospital; they also try to get cooperative information
from the families; what they are looking for is to make sure that they can help that
person and their family; if they deem that they are a risk to themselves or to
anyone else or they would be a hindrance to their community they refer them
somewhere else; their inpatient program is a very intensive educational program,
seven days a week with individual group and family counseling; it is experiential
counseling; the past year they’ve added a number of enhancements to that CBT,
DBT, ENDR; they take them out and teach them basic principles related to
recovery through various experiences such as equine or horse therapy; because
their population are 18 and up they try to appeal to each generation in ways that
they can best learn and in ways that they are most familiar with; they have an
intensive program but it is a very broad ranging program; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst stated that to address some of the
concerns that have come to light, when the clients come to Mount Regis they are
on a waiting list so they know when their appointment time is or would there be
patients waiting outside to get in; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lane replied that even when they do not have a waiting
list and they don’t have a waiting list all the time; currently they have a waiting
list of about six to eight people on that list with another twenty potential
candidates who are putting through that initial vetting process; they are scheduled
even when they don’t have a waiting list; they give them an appointment time;
occasionally there are some who drive to the facility and just walk in and they try
to meet their needs as well but their appointments are scheduled; they are
expecting them and they tend to them as soon as they get there to bring them in
the facility and work with them and their families; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst asked what the anticipated mixes
between alcohol and drug addiction; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lane responded that the primary drug of choice amongst
this population is still alcohol, however he thinks the use of opiate and
prescription drugs has grown about five hundred percent in the last ten years; so
they are seeing a growing population of people who are dealing with alcohol and
drug addictions; there has been a lot mentioned about heroin and he thinks that
might be shocking to some people that it is as prevalent as it is in our community;
the pattern that they see very often is that people start in their teenage years; it is a
cool thing now to get pills in school and pop them not knowing what they are and
see what the effects are; many of those are prescription painkillers which have a
very serious effect; many of them are benzodiazepines such as Valium and
unfortunately these pills by their very nature are addictive and as the experimental
use grows with this population they get hooked; the last time he checked a thirty-
five mg pill of oxycodone was a dollar a milligram whereas, a bag of heroin is
twenty dollars in Roanoke; it is a much better high and lasts longer and it is a lot
cheaper; so this is how this problem has just exploded in our area; although
alcohol is still the predominant drug of choice they are seeing a steady increase in
prescription medications and heroin use; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Foley inquired if as part of the program patients are
transported to a gym; is that on the premises or do they use a public gym in the
community; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lane responded that they do take them to the gym; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Foley asked where they take them; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lane replied currently they go to Gold’s Gym in
Roanoke; they used to take them to the Y in Salem, but he is not sure why they no
longer utilize the Y; they take the patients into the community daily; many 12 -
step meetings are in churches and they are in the 12-step meeting every day; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst stated that this may require response
from one of the partners or Ms. Payne can answer this but one of the predominant
questions tonight was the search for other locations; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Payne stated that when Mr. Lane made staff aware of the
fact that they needed some additional space, the City of Salem had a conversation
about what options were available to him and where they would like to be; they
talked about some additional locations and this one came up because he needed
such a large site and they found that there were not very many large sites to
accommodate their needs; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst asked what were they defining as a
large site; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Payne responded that they needed at least 5 acres or
more and they needed room for growth and that is why they wanted to start with
something bigger; right now they need a 32,000 ft.² facility but their needs will
grow in the future so they wanted to have room to grow; so as they began to look
at locations available in the City of Salem there were not a high number of parcels
so this piece of property became available and it was shown to them; this was the
site they deemed appropriate; they like the fact that it was close to the YMCA and
close to the ballpark because these are all locations where some of their outings
could take place; as they stated they do take people out into the community; Mr.
Lane told her that when he showed up on the Elizabeth Campus site with the folks
from Acadia, they looked out and saw the Mountain Vista and they thought it was
the prettiest location they had seen; that is one of the main reasons that they opted
for this location; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Johnson stated that Ms. Vanderhooven made
the comment that Mt. Regis cannot turn away clients if they do not pass the
screening; Mount Regis did proffer that they would screen the clients; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lane stated that they do extensive screening now and
they will incorporate within probably six months, the addition of the sexual
offender registry as part that screening; and what they are looking for particularly
are people they can treat effectively; they operate their facility according to their
licensure which is a sub-acute facility which means that they cannot help folks
who are dealing with acute medical crisis, i.e., someone who needs IVs, someone
who is not able to walk on their own, someone who needs very close nursing care,
or is under some sort type of critical acute illness; they cannot treat them; it is the
same thing clinically from a behavioral standpoint; they do not treat folks who are
schizophrenic or any of the more serious diagnoses; their patients are admitted
voluntarily for substance abuse treatment; many of them do have emotional
challenges that they are dealing with such as depression or anxiety their staff can
identify that and perhaps tweak the medications that they are on, non-addictive
medications or start them on such medications; they can start them on these
medications but the point being they cannot do much to help someone who is
dealing with depression or anxiety in two to three weeks; while they do treat those
issues in addition to substance abuse, anyone who has an acute psychiatric
problem that would require restraint or seclusion or that would indicate that they
are a threat to themselves or anyone else or anyone that would simply hinder the
environment because they simply require a lot of attention because they are so
emotionally fragile, they refer them somewhere else because their program has a
lot to teach in a short period of time so they have to make sure they are placing
the right people in the program who they can help, the families they can help and
who will not inhibit the progress of the other patients in any way; and
ON MOTION MADE BY VICE MAYOR GIVENS, SECONDED BY
COUNCILWOMAN JOHNSON, AND DULY CARRIED, the request of
Elizabeth medical Park LLC, property owner, for use not provided for permit to
allow an inpatient rehabilitation facility (as defined in the staff report presented to
City Council) on the property located at 125 Not Break Rd. (tax map number 148
– 1 – 5) was hereby approved subject to the conditions set forth in the fact sheet
and subject to it being in substantial conformance with the presentation – the roll
call vote: Lisa D. Garst – nay, William D. Jones – aye, Jane W. Johnson – aye,
John C. Givens – aye, and Byron Randolph Foley – aye.
Mayor Foley reported that this date and time had been set to hold a public
hearing regarding the 2015-2016 recommended budget; notice of such hearing
was published in the May 17, 2015, issue of The Roanoke Times, a newspaper
having general circulation in the City of Salem; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Jordan stated that the budget had been advertised; this is
the opportunity for the public to speak on behalf of that; Council does the changes
that have been made to the budget; there were some minor changes to the budget,
adjustments that have come to staff’s attention and those have been summarized
and provided; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Foley asked if there’s any items in particular that need
to be highlighted; and
ITEM 6
PUBLIC HEARING
HELD REGARDING
2014-2015 BUDGET
WHEREAS, Mrs. Jordan stated the $250,000 reserved for capital was not
specified for any purpose at the time the budget was presented; since then staff
has met and had discussions with Council and have designated $224,000; they
have updated the estimates of sales tax based on the collection over the last month
or two, and that has been increased; there are couple of budget items that came to
their attention that were left out, a few thousand dollars in bills and a couple of
small minor adjustments that were in oversight on staff’s part; the majority of the
change involved taking the capital reserve and actually designating what it is to be
used for; all of the adjustments that were made actually increased the general fund
contingency from where it started with the proposed budget; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Boggess stated to generally characterize this year’s
budget he would probably call it, again, a status quo budget; there was not
significant revenue growth; there still continues to have very stagnant revenue
growth; last year the City was able to do a pay raise for the employees this year
they are not able to do that but they certainly are trying to focus more on the
capital needs of the City; Council is aware that they have fallen behind in the
capital replacement for equipment and the machinery and tools that are needed to
do the job every day, the capital number is very small compared where it was
years ago when the economy was significantly better; they also will be struggling
with some increase costs as well as the employees struggling with increased
healthcare costs; so it is not a great news budget; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Foley stated that there will be no tax increases or fee
increases of significant this year; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Boggess responded affirmatively that last year they
made some adjustments to increase revenue this year and they are not proposing
anything other than the adoption of the rate plan that Council will not take action
on tonight for water and sewer rates and there are few other minor adjustments to
some fees but nothing significant; and
WHEREAS, Allen key reappeared before Council stating that he has lived
here in Salem on and off since 1957; it is a great city; everyone loves it; people
that move here stay here; the city is a cohesive community; to him the way he
would look at it if it costs $100 a year to run the city make sure you got hundred
dollars’ worth revenue; cost of everything is going up but the revenue is not;
trying to be politically expedient is not the right thing for Salem and it is not
going to cost councilmembers anything the next time they run; if taxes need to be
raised, then raise taxes; do what has to be done; he is glad that he didn’t have any
stick in the fire; he doesn’t have relatives that work for Salem; when Salem
created its own school system it was one of the highest-paid systems for the
teachers so the City had the choice of the best educators; that advantage is gone;
just do what needs to be done to run the city the way it needs to be run; and
WHEREAS, Councilman Jones stated that he appreciates the school board
and Dr. Siebert in working with them very closely; some tough decisions had to
be made by the School Board along with Dr. Siebert; the City made some tough
decisions last year; there was an agreement that they were going to do raises and
this year they were going to do capital that has been let go for basically seven
years; so they have stuck to what that; what holds for next year no one in this
room knows; the City tries to live within their means, which a lot of localities do
not; he commended each Councilmember, that gives a lot of thankless time to do
the things that they do to try to be a good steward of the taxpayers money; some
of the issues are out of their control because of the state and federal government;
they try to make the decisions because they love the community and if anybody
thinks they do it because of the money they have got to be crazy; they don’t
always agree, but that is why he is proud to be a member of this board; and
WHEREAS, Jeff Sluss of 1200 Meadowview Dr., the president of all the
PTAs in Salem, appeared before Council stating on behalf of the parents and
teachers in the City of Salem they thank Council for their continued support of the
educational system in Salem; they certainly appreciate the fact that Council works
together, works with the wonderful School Board and Dr. Siebert in providing a
level of education to the kids that they feel is second to none in the region; they
hear horror stories that are going on in other divisions; they look at the
neighboring communities and councils are voting on closing; so certainly they
feel very fortunate to continue the support they have from this institution and they
just want to formally say thank you; and
WHEREAS, vice Mayor Givens noted that he wanted to thank all of the
employees both on the city side and school side it has been tough the last seven or
eight years; they’ve worked hard they have made changes and spread out their job
responsibilities and they still make this community what it is today; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Foley responded to Mr. Key even though he had
already left, Council considers all the options annually without a doubt and there
is always that burden of what is best for the citizens and for the City; they do not
lightly choose to not provide raises but they have to be mindful; they cannot tax
themselves out of this and will have to find a balance improving revenue in other
ways and also with additional fees and taxes when necessary; it is not easy but it
will come again the following year and they decided it was best to just stay the
course; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Johnson agreed with what has already been
said; she does appreciate the way that the schools have been willing to work with
Council; tonight was especially hard for her because business retention is so
important and to make a decision that potentially has a negative impact or
perceived one business over another, is not her intent; but they have to look at all
of these things to avoid having to tax the citizens more; and
WHEREAS, Councilwoman Garst added that going into next year’s
budget, city staff will start the process in advance and present Council with
different scenarios that they can look at and hopefully pick and choose some
options; so if there’s any input anyone would like to add please email
kboggess@salemva.gov; and
WHEREAS, no other person(s) appeared related to the hearing; and
THEREUPON, the public hearing was closed.
Mayor Foley stated that the ordinances regarding water and sewer rates
would be continued until the June 8, 2015, meeting; and
Mayor Foley requested that Council consider an ordinance on first reading
appropriating funds for the 2015-2016 fiscal year budget; and
WHEREAS, Vice Mayor Givens, Chair of Council’s Audit Finance
Committee, reported that the fiscal year 2015-2016 budget was presented to
Council on April 17, 2015; the public hearing was held tonight to receive written
and oral comment from the public concerning the budget; in addition to adopting
the annual budget, Council must appropriate the funds; this commitment of funds
will occur with the approval of the second reading of the 2015-2016 appropriation
ordinance to be heard on June 8, 2015; after discussion, this Committee
recommended approval on first reading the ordinance to adopt the 2015-2016
budget.
ON MOTION MADE BY VICE MAYOR GIVENS, SECONDED BY
COUNCILMAN JONES, AND DULY CARRIED, an ordinance appropriating
funds for the 2015-2016 budget as presented in April was hereby passed on first
reading – the roll call vote: Lisa D. Garst – aye, William D. Jones – aye, Jane W.
Johnson – aye, John C. Givens – aye, and Byron Randolph Foley – aye.
Mayor Foley requested that Council consider the request to appropriate
funds for debt service payment; and
WHEREAS, Vice Mayor Givens, Chair of Council’s Audit Finance
Committee, reported that the City issued its 25 million General Obligation Public
Improvement Bonds, Series 2006A, on May 3, 2006; the proceeds of these bonds
were used to finance various general government and electric capital
improvement projects; the City advance refunded these bonds on April 22, 2015
in order to recognize debt service savings; this refunding was not included in the
current year budget for the debt service fund; the debt service fund needs an
appropriation of funds in order to record the general fund part of this transaction;
this Committee recommended approval of said appropriation; and
ITEMS 7 & 8
ORDINANCES
AMENDING WATER
AND SEWER RATES
CONTINUED UNTIL
JUNE 8, 2015,
MEETING
ITEM 10
APPROPRIATION OF
DEBT SERVICE
FUNDS APPROVED
ITEM 9
ORDINANCE
PASSED ON FIRST
READING
APPROPRIATING
FUNDS FOR THE
2015-2016 BUDGET
ON MOTION MADE BY VICE MAYOR GIVENS, SECONDED BY
COUNCILMAN JONES, AND DULY CARRIED, appropriation of funds for
debt service payment is hereby approved – the roll call vote: Lisa D. Garst – aye,
William D. Jones – aye, Jane W. Johnson – aye, John C. Givens – aye, and Byron
Randolph Foley – aye.
Mayor Foley requested that Council consider the request to amend the
School Capital Project Fund budget as approved by the School Board on April 14,
2014; and
WHEREAS, Vice Mayor Givens, Chair of Council’s Audit Finance
Committee, reported that the School Capital Project Fund was amended by the
School Board on April 14, 2015, totally $165,000; this amendment was for the
startup costs of the school year 2015-2016 digital conversion project; these funds
will be used to pay the first lease payment for the deployment of Chromebooks at
Salem High School; this project was funded from prior year fund balance; this
Committee recommended approval of said appropriation.
ON MOTION MADE BY VICE MAYOR GIVENS, SECONDED BY
COUNCILMAN JONES, AND DULY CARRIED, the request to amend the
School Capital project Fund as approved by the School Board on April 14, 2015
is hereby approved – the roll call vote: Lisa D. Garst – aye, William D. Jones –
aye, Jane W. Johnson – aye, John C. Givens – aye, and Byron Randolph Foley –
aye.
Mayor Foley requested that Council consider setting bond for erosion and
sediment control measures for the Trustpoint Insurance project; and
WHEREAS, Vice Mayor Givens, Chair of Council’s Audit Finance
Committee, reported that the Committee reviewed the estimate for erosion and
sediment control measures for the Trustpoint Insurance project; this Committee
concurs with the Engineering Department’s recommendation that bond be set in
the amount of $24,420.00 with a time limit of twelve (12) months for completion;
and
ON MOTION MADE BY VICE MAYOR GIVENS, SECONDED BY
COUNCILMAN JONES, AND DULY CARRIED, the bond for the Trustpoint
Insurance project be hereby set in the amount of $24,420.00 with a time limit of
twelve (12) months for completion – the roll call vote: Lisa D. Garst – aye,
William D. Jones – aye, Jane W. Johnson – aye, John C. Givens – aye, and Byron
Randolph Foley – aye.
ITEM 11
APPROPRIATION TO
AMEND THE
SCHOOL CAPITAL
PROJECT FUND
BUDGET APPROVED
ITEM 12
BOND SET FOR
TRUSTPOINT
INSURANCE IN THE
AMOUNT OF
$24,420.00 WITH
TIME LIMIT OF 12
MONTHS
Mayor Foley requested that Council consider appointments to fill
vacancies on various boards and commissions; and
ON MOTION MADE BY VICE MAYOR GIVENS, SECONDED BY
COUNCILWOMAN GARST, AND DULY CARRIED, appoint Nathan Routt to
the Board of Building Appeals, term to expire May 11, 2020; reappoint William
R. Shepherd to the Personnel Board, term to expire June 9, 2017; reappoint Jane
W. Johnson to the Roanoke Valley Allegheny Regional Commission, term to
expire June 30, 2018; and reappoint McMillian H. Johnson, IV to the Roanoke
Valley Greenway Commission term to expire April 19, 2019 – the roll call vote:
Lisa D. Garst – aye, William D. Jones – aye, Jane W. Johnson – aye, John C.
Givens – aye, and Byron Randolph Foley – aye.
There being no further business to come before the Council, the same on
motion adjourned at 10:48 p.m.
ITEM 13
RECOMMENDED
APPOINTMENT OF
NATHAN ROUTT TO
THE BOARD OF
BUILDING APPEALS,
WILLIAM R
SHEPHERD
REAPPOINTED TO
PERSONNELL
BOARD, JANE W
JOHNSON
REAPPOINTED TO
RVARC; AND
MCMILLIAN H.
JOHNSON, IV, TO
THE ROANOKE
VALLEY GREENWAY
COMMISSION