NEIGHBORHOOD OPPOSITION MOUNTS IN GREENPORT

Mike McCagg

ccSCOOP News

04-22-10 - 2:15 p.m. - A report listing 911 calls reporting dozens of incidents ranging from sex abuse to drug possession at the Mental Health Association's Columbia Street Residence in Hudson made its way around the Greenport Town Hall on Tuesday night when residents met to discuss ways to oppose similar facilities being proposed for the West Meadows section of town.

According to meeting organizers Beth Harring and Maria Fisher, Jeffrey Rovitz, MHACG Executive Director, had originally agreed to be at the meeting but later said he had been advised by the association's attorney not attend.

With no one from MHACG present to allay fears about the facilities proposed for two existing duplexes located at 24, 26, 28, and 30 Arthur Avenue, the residents instead shared their concerns and focused ways to block the proposed facilities. Key among the concerns was the potential threat posed by the transient residents.

“I am a retired police officer in Hudson. I worked with these people. When they are off their meds, they beat people up. They chase people down the streets with knives. They can be extremely violent. It won’t be safe for anyone in the neighborhood,” said resident Bill Osuch.

Another resident with a law enforcement background seconded that opinion, saying that when the residents go off their meds, “they are extremely dangerous.”

The gathering then discussed the dozens of 911 calls made since 2003 from MHACG's Columbia Street Residence, a unit that was described by Dr. Michael O’Leary, Director of the Columbia County Mental Health Department, as “safe” and similar to those proposed for Arthur Avenue.

O'Leary told ccSCOOP last week, "These are not sexual perpetrators. These are not criminals. These are people that tend to more likely be victims. These people look like you and me and just need a little extra support. . . . I would welcome [these facilities] into my neighborhood.” The 911 incident log for the Columbia Street facility, however, included numerous calls for the police, and among the descriptions of incidents listed by the Hudson Police Department for the facility were sexual abuse, harassment, unruly subject, domestic dispute, drug possession, and larceny.

“This is a single-family, kid-friendly neighborhood. This is not the proper location for such facilities,” said Harring. “Now our kids can walk to their friends on Charles Street, Christy Street—all over the neighborhood—and we don’t have to worry. We will have definite concerns with letting our children walk anywhere if these [transitional homes] are permitted.”

The two buildings proposed for transitional housing facilities are owned by attorney William Spampinato and are located just off Joslen Boulevard and near the Rite Aid and Walgreens pharmacies as well as McDonald's. The proposed sale of the homes to the Mental Health Association was made public earlier this month. The association operates three similar homes: the Columbia Street Residence in Hudson, the Clermont Residence in Tivoli, and the High Cliff Terrace Residence in Catskill.

The transitional housing facilities were described by O’Leary—whose department approved the facility—as being 24-hour supervised living for those with thought process disorders, but others have questioned if there would actually be full supervision or simply visits by association workers made to the residents.

The Greenport Town Board voted last week to oppose the facilities, saying there are already three group home facilities within a one-mile area of the proposed site and stating its opinion that the facility would significantly alter the character of the single-family, child-dominated neighborhood. The board has also hired attorney Robert Gagen to look into legal recourse the Town might pursue. The Town has agreed to recommend other sites for the facilities.

Neighborhood residents also raised concerns over property values declining if the facilities were permitted. “Who would want to look at a house right next door to one of these homes? Nobody,” said resident Todd Gardner.

Bob Vining, another neighborhood resident, predicted a significant decrease in property values would result from the facilities being sited at that location. Also, owned by MHACG, the duplexes would be tax exempt, resulting in a projected loss of $7,500 to $8,000 in town and county property taxes and $6,400 to 6,800 in school property taxes.

Nabozny said the Town would request that MHACG representatives appear at the May 5 Town Board meeting to answer questions. In the meantime, the town residents said they plan to mount an opposition campaign that includes letters to MHACG, picketing, and contact with state elected officials. The latter would seek to stop the funding to purchase the buildings, since officials said that MHACG would rely on state funds to make the purchases.