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Wapak business owners air concerns about recovery house |
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Wednesday, 02 December 2009 |
By WILLIAM LANEY
Managing Editor
With a petition seeking a variance withdrawn, members of the Wapakoneta Zoning Board of Appeals could make no official decision this week which would have permitted a recovery house, or half-way house, to locate in the downtown area.
Despite no decision having to be made, the Zoning Board of Appeals president says he believes Monday’s meeting helped board members as several downtown business owners expressed their concerns.
“I think we made some great headway because we got opinions from those people who attended the meeting and all those people stated their reasons why they are not in favor of the recovery house locating downtown,” Zoning Board of Appeals President Dale Thomas told the Wapakoneta Daily News in a telephone interview Tuesday night. “I thought it was good for them to express their opinions because now the board knows what downtown business and property owners feel.”
Thomas said he received a letter in November addressed to the Rev. LaMont Monford, of Lima, regarding the recovery house but Thomas disregarded its contents since it was not signed. He inquired if any of the people attending Monday’s meeting penned the letter, but no one claimed they had written it but they learned about the letter’s contents earlier that day or Monday.
“I think it was a good thing that they expressed their views because if the petition comes before the board again then we know how the downtown people feel,” Thomas said.
The petition filed by representatives of the Mary Alice House seeks a variance for two dedicated parking spaces, which are required of the business. The recovery house would be located on West Auglaize Street.
Thomas said supporters of the recovery house want to locate downtown so the people could walk to work. They also could report to their probation officer, who is under the jurisdiction of the Auglaize County Municipal Court.
The recovery house would be for violators of misdemeanor crimes related to alcohol or drug addiction.
Thomas said he anticipates they may try to file a petition again or to consider another location.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 December 2009 )
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