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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-30-19 Public Comment - J. Grace - Recovery HouseFrom:Chris Mehl To:Agenda Subject:FW: Support Figgins Recovery House Date:Tuesday, July 30, 2019 2:55:27 PM Chris Mehl Bozeman Deputy Mayor cmehl@bozeman.net 406.581.4992 ________________________________________ From: Jen Grace [jengrace@icloud.com] Sent: Tuesday, July 30, 2019 12:15 PM To: Chris Mehl Subject: Re: Support Figgins Recovery House Hi Chris, We look forward to participating in the process and helping as best we can. I live down the street from the proposed recovery house and have not entirely formed my opinion. While I’m not worried, my neighbors are so I’d like to check the facts and determine if this is a suitable location. It may be too early in the process but when you can, please address these things and provide supporting evidence. 1. What, if any, zoning changes need to occur? 2. It's been a group home for a number of years. What will be the parking, traffic and crime impact of the new use? 3. Can the owner provide an obscured smoking place with ventilated away from the immediate neighbors? 4. According to the city and the owner, What are the pros and cons of this location? 5. What expert sources about this population do you use to make planning decisions? Cheers, Jen On Jul 27, 2019, at 3:51 PM, Chris Mehl <CMehl@BOZEMAN.NET<mailto:CMehl@BOZEMAN.NET>> wrote: Jen, Thanks for your note. As you probably know, those interested in operating a recovery house have contacted the city, but it has been at the inquiry level only. No formal proposal has been made and the scope, size, timing and details of a proposal—if/when there is one—are not set at this time. Any proposal would require a site plan. If/when this is proposed it would be a public document with notice (posting at the site, mailing to neighbors, etc). Such a proposal would be reviewed by the city after it is received, taking 6-8 weeks at a minimum; with plenty of opportunity for public comment. City staff have met with school staff to update them. Feel free to contact me or be in touch as we all learn more about a possible proposal. Chris Mehl Bozeman Deputy Mayor cmehl@bozeman.net<mailto:cmehl@bozeman.net> 406.581.4992 ________________________________________ From: Jen Grace [jengrace@icloud.com] Sent: Saturday, July 27, 2019 1:11 PM To: Chris Mehl Subject: Support Figgins Recovery House HI Chris, Fear can be as dangerous as cruelty. Many of my neighbors are writing in opposition to the Figgins recovery house on Graf and Westridge. My family consists of my husband and I and our 8 yo son who roams the neighborhood happily. We neither object to or support the recovery house. We DO support the proposal process to gather facts and mitigate concerns. And we hope that it will be successful. We reject assumptions that this house would be unsafe for our community or that its residents have a history of criminality. Instead, we think that this recovery house in our neighborhood could be safer than many situations we all regularly experience. The residents are openly committed to bettering their lives. They will also likely be highly vetted, drug tested and monitored, unlike people in our community with closet problems. That's why the review process is so important for checking the facts against our assumptions, hopes and beliefs. Accommodating others is part of living in society. Its our moral, religious, patriotic (or whatever) obligation to support those in need. The inconveniences of parking and cigarette smoke can be mitigated. I’m curious, What are the benefits of it being there? Does this population need inclusion instead exclusion? Do they need to be close to services because they don't own cars? Sometimes the NIMBY argument against these facilities is around exposure to bad people. But the truth is that trauma, not character flaws, is the gateway to addiction. Treatment works. But without it, their road to criminality and poor health is much more likely. These services are dwindling. The article also mentions the only women's recovery house is closing due to lack of funds. That's tragic. By supporting those vulnerable people towards recovery we can actually make our whole communities MORE safe, not less. Thank you for your service to our community. Jen Jen Grace Writer, Director, Producer BS Biology; MFA Science and Natural History Filmmaking https://vimeo.com/jengraceproductions City of Bozeman emails are subject to the Right to Know provisions of Montana’s Constitution (Art. II, Sect. 9) and may be considered a “public record” pursuant to Title 2, Chpt. 6, Montana Code Annotated. As such, this email, its sender and receiver, and the contents may be available for public disclosure and will be retained pursuant to the City’s record retention policies. Emails that contain confidential information such as information related to individual privacy may be protected from disclosure under law.