WARREN, Maine — The nearly two-year battle over a proposed methadone clinic reached a milestone Tuesday night when the town planning board approved the project that has been met with strong opposition from neighbors.
The board voted 3-2 to give overall approval to the CRC Health project after it narrowly agreed that it was a reasonable accommodation to waive the 500-foot setback from the nearest residences. The board also agreed that CRC’s agreement to construct a 600-foot sidewalk on Short Street would alleviate concerns it had over the impact on pedestrian safety.
The Tuesday night vote may not end the lengthy debate over whether a methadone clinic should operate at 1767 Atlantic Highway (Route 1). Several neighbors have hired attorney James Strong of Thomaston to represent them at the planning board meetings and an appeal to the zoning board of appeals could be made.
CRC must also get approval from the Warren Sanitary District for its sewage disposal.
The Tuesday vote follows a rancorous meeting on Thursday night when the board voted that CRC’s plan failed to meet the pedestrian safety standards of the town’s ordinances and did not meet the 500-foot setback requirement.
Two Knox County deputies attended the meeting at the request of the town. Planning Board Chairman Peter Krakoff warned those in attendance that he would not abide by the behavior at the previous meeting, in which a couple residents, including Selectman Michael York, refused to stop speaking when told to by Krakoff. The chairman said if anyone failed to stop speaking when told they would be escorted out by deputies.
There was no public comment at the Tuesday night meeting.
The board vote came after a five minute closed-door session with its attorney, Paul Gibbons.
CRC Health attorney Walter McKee said that the federal Americans with Disabilities Act requires that reasonable accommodations be provided for protected classes such as people using methadone.
Board members Melody Sainio and David George voted against ruling that it was a reasonable accommodation to waive the 500-foot setback.
In the vote on the final approval, Sainio and Albert Overlock voted against the plan.
Thursday is the deadline for CRC and the town to decide whether to settle the federal lawsuit brought by CRC for violations of the ADA.
With all the funding and legal issues surrounding drug useage, why are communities still debating opening yet another methadone clinic? Shouldn’t they be seeking ways to eliminate the clinics, not increase their numbers!!!
Rockland and Warren both tried to fight against a druggie clinic and both lost due to the threats of numerous lawsuits.
I feel the proper place for one of these “clinics”, I use the term loosely, would be in Penobscot Bay Medical Center, which is right down the street from where I live. At least in a hospital setting the “patients”, again, I use the term loosely, could get proper care and not be operated by a for profit agency.
Hey Thanks: Maybe Bangor can shut one down, now.
Planning Board Chairman, Krakoff, “warned those in attendance” that “if anyone failed to stop speaking when told, they would be escorted out by deputies”. What is Warren coming too when its citizens are not allowed to speak their minds without being threatened by law enforcement? Nothing like taking control with deputies to support your opinion as to when someone should stop speaking. unreal.
My thoughts exactly!
Warren was so afraid of a lawsuit that they rolled over for CRC. From what I understand, CRC was even threatening Warren with lawsuits for locals voicing their opinions. At least 2 selectmen stood up to Goliath.
But after the dust settles, Bob Emery got his way but it cost him the majority of his business. He went from successful businessman to losing his properties at auction overnight with this fight. He lost friends and the respect from many. I won’t even use his car wash anymore.
But if we give Drug addicts drugs . then their is less lARCENY IN YOUR COMMUNITY TO GET DRUGS ON THEIR OWN !!!! IT IS A Win Win !!!!!!!! you just do not see it yet !!!
Yeah, look what its done for Bangor with three of them.
If this had happened in a school they’d call it Bullying – CRC and it’s big shot lawyers against a poor rural town. Where is the Obama administration Outrage at this blatent bullying tactic??
Bullying is not a disease, addiction is. Bullying is not protected under ADA, addiction is. If you want to tie this into a comparison with schools, it would go more like: I can’t believe the cafeteria is forcing the kids to eat healthy to fight childhood obesity. Where is Obama’s outrage… blah, blah, blah.
the more accurate comparison is the Big Kid stealing the Little Kids lunch = what about the 40 people who have homes nearby who thought they were living in a quiet area? What about their rights? Whether you believe in this so called treatment or not, this will be by far the largest business in town. Even the local market has only about 10 parking spaces….and this place will have 250 or more people EACH DAY coming in?
Oooh so its just the number of people visiting that bother you. So you would be just as against a cancer treatment center going in there and serving 250 people a day, or a group of doctors offices seeing 250 patients a day? So what is your cut off number where it would be ok? 25? 50? 100?
in that location? yes, i would be concerned about any business that size. That is was the town ordinance says. It never mentions Methadone or Marijuana, it is to preserve the small town rural character of the town. Have you ever been there? perhaps you should see the location before you compare us to a bunch of overweight kids who need to be told to eat healthy food.
I didn’t call the people there fat, I… never mind it obviously is over your head. Sorry to inform you, but if there is need of a methadone clinic, you have already lost the small town rural character. Then again, ignoring the problem is pretty much how small town America deals with it’s drug problem, by ignoring it and convincing themselves there is no problem.
Clearly my analogy is over your head. I didn’t say you called us fat. You compared us to people who needed to be forced to eat healthy food to be healthy. And addictions of all kinds are common in rural towns. Warren wasn’t chosen because Warren has the huge need; it was chosen because of one misguided man. And “clients” will be brought in from all over the state, not just locals. Should those who have managed to stay clean and healthy lose our rights to enjoy our properties as we wish because the mistakes of a few?
The only reason there will be a clinic in Warren is because a local businessman wanted it so his son would not have to drive so far to get his daily fix. You don’t read about that in newspapers though. For the locals, it is common knowledge. The businessman invited CRC to Warren in hopes of making mass amounts of money. Go ask some of the locals, they’ll tell you more than I can on a public forum.
It’s the druggies that rob and steal that bothers me the most. Next would be how dangerous they are while driving after getting their daily fix. I’ve seen how they drive after being drugged up by this crap. Very dangerous stuff but they have “special rights” so the local Rockland police wouldn’t pull them over and drug test them even if there was a legit reason. Everybody is sue happy and it is hurting our communities. I hope you never have a druggie clinic open near your home.
My thoughts exactly. It is pitiful. What about the guy who owns the property & pushed for this? He is a lifelong resident of the area & doesn’t care. Not sure how he can face his neighbors. It’s all about money & it is bullying.
I took great pleasure in hearing of his properties going on the auction block last year. Great pleasure.
Wow, I never thought I’d read “ADA… Protected Classes… and Methadone” in the same sentence.
The Law of Unintended Consequences bites America in the butt once again.
We are on the road to Perdition.
Take a stroll behind Bangor’s Children’s Museum, then tell me that’s what your Vision for Warren is!
If We give Drugs to drug addicts who relize they have issues their will be less larceny and less hungry children in D H S And tighter family units in your Comunity, Sorry but this Drug problem did not happen over night I moved to Maine 10 years ago and the fist thing people saidto me was their is a wost drug their , Then they said it is a Butifull State this is and that clinic will help that!!!!!! Smell the Coffee !!!
thats the problem in poor rural town , Their was not enough Drug education in your Schools
Thats why their so many drug addicts, Wait and see where this State is in 10 more years
with no reabitation Were Screwed!!!!!
Eliminate ,Educate, and Reabilitate!!!!! If you dont we will still be the State with the most Percription drug problem in the country ,Maybey look at who is Precsribing them !!!!!!
Warren, You are making a big mistake. Look forward to an enlarged drug sub-culture in your town along with the crime that goes with it.
I agree. I grew up in Warren and it saddens me to know that they will be going through with this. The original plan was to open the clinic in what used to be the school where I attended kindergarten thru second grade. The methadone clinic in Rockland went under after they found out the owner was selling/trading methadone and cocaine. I realize the treatment is very helpful for some, but I can’t help but think this clinic is going to cause more harm than good to this quiet, close knit community.
” I realize the treatment is very helpful for some, but I can’t help but
think this clinic is going to cause more harm than good to this quiet,
close knit community.”
NIMBY crowd – check
It’s not in my backyard. I haven’t lived in my hometown in ten years, nor do I have any plan or desire to move back there. I am not against the clinic, but I am quite surprised it is going in, to be honest. I will remain optimistic that it will be different than the last one in that area.
The Rockland one? Yea that was just awful, but it was the person running it, not the premise of the clinic itself. That did sour a lot of people and understandably so. However, when the corner store gets busted for selling cigarettes and beer to minors, towns do not usually deny someone else from opening another corner store simply because the last one sold to kids.
If you build it, they will come.
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I’m all for giving people treatment. I worked as a substance abuse counselor in a group home for teenagers for many years, and we had many successes. Unfortunately, budget cuts eventually made it impossible to keep these places open.
I even agree with the theory behind the methadone clinics. However, when the clinics are run by for-profit companies whose only interest is money, the treatment is not provided. Yes, people get dosed-but how many of those people are still testing dirty for other drugs during their “treatment”? You’d be surprised. How many of those people seeking methadone treatment are attending their counseling sessions? A great deal are not-yet they continue to get dosed.
Replacement therapy only works if the behaviors and needs behind the drugs are addressed. These for-profit methadone clinics are not doing that. When one substance abuse counselor has a caseload of 50+ clients, no actual treatment is happening. Only dosing…
——
agreed
Has no one else seen the correlation between the methadone clinics in Bangor opening and the dramatic increase in crime since? Why are the “professionals” still touting these clinics as harm reduction???? They’ve brought nothing but misery to this area. When are other towns going to look at the direct evidence and stop listening to the “professional” bs? Stop approving methadone clinics! They are ruining Maine!
Why are the “professionals” still touting these clinics as harm reduction????
For the money, of course…………………………… you don’t really think they plan to actually heal anyone and lose that cash cow?
Unfortunately, that is the exact truth…
In an event that looked more like a prison lock-down than a public meeting, Chairman Krakoff posted armed Sheriff’s deputies at the doors and announced there would be no public participation in the decision to approve CRD’s application for a Methadone clinic within spitting distance of 45 homes. The entrance will be on a small residential street with a school bus stop and families with small children. The clinic will serve 300-500 (patients, clients, customers??) per day seeking Methadone. This is in direct violation of the towns own large facility ordinance. Despite an abundance of more suitable and available sites within the town of Warren, the planning board voted 3-2 (with one crucial member absent) to approve the application.
Despite the fact that board member David George had voted only a few days earlier against the waiver of the 500 foot set back required under the town ordinance he did a complete about-face and voted for approval. It is difficult for me to understand how the planning board, which had earlier voted 4-1(Krakoff) not to waive the setback could then vote to approve the application. It flies in the face of reason and common sense. Can this be legal???
In calling part one (May 31) of this meeting to order, Chairman Krakoff announced “let’s get this done, I want to out of here by 8 or 8.30”. In what is perhaps the most important decision the planning board has ever faced, the Chairman was in a hurry to get home. In what Chairman Krakoff described as a “circus”,there was vigorous and passionate input from the townspeople present that seemed to have considerable influence with many of the board members, prompting the 4-1 vote not to waive the setbacks. Chairman Krakoff ‘s irritation and anger that the board was voting independently was evident as he called recess after recess and huddled privately with town lawyers, without the participation of the residents lawyer or other members of the planning board.
Fast forward to part two of the hearing (June 5), the hearing is now in lock-down, the public is gagged, the application is approved 3-2 and we were all out of there at 8.30. You can come to your own conclusions.
Planning board members perform a great public service, volunteering their own personal time to serve their community. With this come serious responsibility, to uphold and enforce the integrity of the town they serve and respect the town ordinances. Sadly, they failed to do so, forcing the people of Warren to either accept this flawed decision or to fight on their own, basically they shunned their responsibility and passed it on to the townspeople
My father has owned property on the corner of Depot Street
since I can remember, you would think after paying 20 plus years of property
tax that there would be some expectation that the town would at least be able
to maintain his property value on Rte. 1. Nope,
can’t do it. The problem seems to be the
people that aren’t able to make it in the private sector are managing to slide
into public office and the result is catastrophic. These
people are nowhere near qualified to deal with what they are up against nor do
they have the ambition. It’s Sad.
Thank you for sharing, Terry. It saddens me that the Warren selectmen would bow down to the threats of lawsuits. I was hoping the selectmen had more backbone than that. At least two of them stood up for what they and the majority of town members believe in.
Now we’ll have methadone in Rockland, Warren and there is talk of another druggie clinic in Waldoboro. It sickens me.
A methadone clinic approved hurriedly and in total lockdown from any participants
voicing their opinion?
Who appointed this Krakoff as czar , anyway?
Glad I dont live anywhere near that place.
Warren residents should remember this at election time. If you agree with the vote, then keep them in office. If you don’t, then throw them out!
It’s not like they had any choice.
Why would anyone think giving a
drug addict a drug is a good thing? In
my opinion it’s Ignorant! I am a
recovering prescription drug addict for 10 years. Thankfully I was never offered Methadone because
at the time I would have done anything anyone put in front of me. I ended up doing 14days of detox and 110 days
of rehab. I was very fortunate to get
the proper care and not to be offered Methadone. I was in no position to be making decisions
as for what type of care I needed. I
just wanted to get high and after enough pressure, I wanted to stop. The only thing Methadone would have done for
me would have been to suspend my addiction, providing me with even less reason
to quit. One nurse said “There is
no easy way around it!” I am forever grateful for those words. It’s addiction, it’s not flowers, and everyone
is not a winner. The only reason methadone
exists is because lots of people make a lots of money suspending helpless people
in their addiction. It’s Just
WRONG! I’m never shocked at the
influence money has. Since I’ve been off
drugs I have two beautiful children and a college degree. My
quality of life is good. Thank God I
never took Methadone! If you’re looking
for help this is not the answer!
Excellent job! Keep up the good work.
Maybe they finally realized the town was in the wrong and has been led astray for years by Watmough? I understand and would support banning a methadone clinic, but the Town Manager appears to have botched this from day one, just ensuring this final answer.
Peter Krakof? You just can’t make this stuff up!