Last night, the Village of Albion held a public hearing on GCASA's application for a Special Use Permit for the building located at 249 East Avenue, Albion. GCASA purchased the building from the Knights of Columbus to use for prevention offices, treatment clinic and EAP services. For the past 12 years, GCASA has been located at 438 West Avenue, Albion.
A handful of residents posed the following questions:
What is the intended use of the building - The building will be used for treatment services (individual and group counseling, doctor appointments, nurse appointments), prevention programs and EAP counseling.
Will medications will be dispensed or kept at the building -Medications are not kept in the office building nor will they be dispensed there. Patients being treated for some addition disorders are prescribed medications - which are obtained from the patient's pharmacy of choice.
How will patient loitering in front will be managed - GCASA's experience is that most patients come for their appointment and leave.
What measures will be taken and who will be responsible if an incident occurs - Any incident that occurs in the office building or on the grounds that is illegal will result in a call to law enforcement, any other incident will be handled by staff. GCASA policy and procedure provide a framework and guidelines for staff.
Why was the project kept quiet for so long - Not all residents attend all Village meetings. Requests for changes in use of existing property (Special Use Permit, Variance, etc.) are a common occurrence. If residents don't attend meetings or read the classified section of the newspaper they may not be aware of information on local projects and land use. GCASA posted articles in the newspaper and on the GCASA Cares Blog.
What percentage of patients are Orleans County residents - According to Executive Director John Bennett, approximately 90% are Orleans County residents.
I've seen people smoking on the sidewalk in front of the present location, I thought GCASA was a smoke-free facility - All GCASA property is tobacco-free. Many patients smoke cigarettes however, they are respectful of the policy and therefore leave the grounds to smoke. GCASA staff have special training to assist individuals with their tobacco addiction. Patients are encouraged to utilize GCASA's resources including nicotine replacement products to further assist them with in making a quit attempt.
Executive Director John Bennett addressed the concerns and offered general background on the agency and the services provided to the community.
The Special Use Permit was unanimously approved.
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