Posted: 11/15/06
Safe and sober house goes back to planning commission
 The view looking south from the Carlson house to Hillcrest Health Care Center shows the privacy fence separating the two properties. Hillcrest has expressed concern that Carlson House safe and sober residents could pose a danger to its employees and staff. Carlson House owner Carmen Anderson disputes any such danger. |
By Patrick Tepoorten
After being tabled by the Rush City Council at its last meeting, the conditional use permit (CUP) for the safe and sober facility planned for the Carlson House by owner Carmen Anderson was tabled again.
Last month, the council stated that it wanted to wait for input from councilman David Bengtson, who worked closely with the planning commission (PC) on the issue. Recovered enough from a serious concussion to attend, Bengtson was present at Mondayís meeting, but said he thought plans for the Carlson House should be sent back to the PC for further review.
In doing so, Bengtson referred to a letter from administrators at Hillcrest Health Care Center, a nursing home next door to the proposed safe and sober house.
The letter stated the nursing homeís concern over shared parking areas and the clientele a safe and sober house would attract.
The letter asks, ìWould you place your mother or father in a nursing facility located within feet of a safe and sober house?î and implores the city to approve the CUP if it can guarantee the safety of its residents.
In a Tuesday interview, Anderson expressed frustration that her proposed facility has been sent back to the PC, and noted that it has come before the PC three times already, including two public hearings.
She took issue with the nursing homeís concerns, noting that her facility is not for violent criminals or sexual predators. ìThese people have already been through treatment, they are clean and sober, and just need a place to live,î she said.
A privacy fence runs the length of the property line between the Carlson House and Hillcrest, which Anderson felt should alleviate concerns over Carlson House residents mingling or encroaching with Hillcrest patients and staff.
In a letter of support for the facility from Darwin Beachem, a chemical health case manager for Chisago County, he noted, ìThe fact is these people are already residing in the community. Sober housing allows them to live together and provide accountability to each other and to the community. Properly administered sober housing will reduce the risk of criminal activity, rather than increase it.î
Anderson pointed to the reputations of her caretakers, Kenneth Sims and Lonny Canfield, as examples of her dedication to seeing her facility as an asset, not a problem. Both Canfield and Sims have been recognized by Chisago County law enforcement for their work with recovering addicts.
Anderson also produced the deed to her property, which was purchased from Hillcrest. That deed, she said, allows her ingress and egress in the shared parking lot. Hillcrestís only stipulation in the deed is that the house not be used for an elder care facility.
A PC meeting is tentatively planned for Nov. 20, at 6:30 p.m. As of presstime though, the meeting had not been officially scheduled. Interested parties should call the Rush City offices at (320) 358-4743 to verify date and time.
The issue is scheduled to come before the city council again Nov. 27. The city council must make a decision on the facility by that time, or request an extension to the 60-day rule, which requires the city to approve or deny requests such as this in a timely manner.
In other city news:
ï A variance allowing Rush City Bakery to place a driveway within 60 feet of an intersection was granted. The proposed driveway will be 32 feet from the nearest intersection, and was approved to allow trucks to load and unload off of the street. With the variance, Rush City Bakery is able to expand its operations to the north instead of to the east, preserving rear parking downtown, a concern that neighboring businesses had with the bakeryís plans to expand.
ï A minor subdivision was approved for the Western International Trading Company (WITCO), for its property on the southeast corner of I-35 and State Hwy. 361. The subdivision splits the single piece of property into two pieces, with parcel A to the north, and parcel B to the south.
ï The council approved a bid of $10,000 for removal of the industrial park water tower. Work is expected to begin on Dec. 1.
ï Approved were election results, the Rush City Wellhead Protection Plan Part II, a tobacco license for Holiday Stationstores, and a donation of $1,500 for the Rush City Summer Recreation Program.
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