Ledger-Dispatch

By Jerry Budrick (jbudrick@ledger-dispatch.com= )=20

Dozens of residents attend a Jackson = City Council=20 meeting to see whether a proposed rehabilitation center would = receive=20 approval.

Photo by: Jerry = Budrick

The Jackson City Council approved a = Jackson=20 Rancheria-sponsored drug and alcohol recovery center to be located = at the=20 former Emmanuel Baptist Church at 975 Broadway near Clinton = Road.

Photo by: Jerry=20 Budrick
"My name is Bill and I'm an = alcoholic,"=20 said the man in western garb to a packed house at Monday night's Jackson = City=20 Council meeting. "Hi, Bill," responses came from many corners of the = room.=20 "There's not a person in this room," Bill insisted, "who hasn't been = affected by=20 alcohol."

Bill was one of dozens of residents who made their way = to the=20 podium that night, to speak either for or against the highly charged = issue of=20 whether to overturn the Jackson Planning Commission's approval of a drug = and=20 alcohol recovery center. At their March 17 meeting, planning = commissioners had=20 wrestled their way to a divided approval of the Jackson = Rancheria-sponsored=20 project, which will be located in the former Emmanuel Baptist Church at = 975=20 Broadway near Clinton Road.

Jackson resident Don Gagnon, who = lives near=20 the intended location, filed an appeal, seeking city council reversal of = the=20 planning commission's approval. As spokesman for the group Concerned = Citizens of=20 South Jackson, Gagnon read the group's letter of appeal to the council = and=20 attendees.

Among the objections were lack of a clearly defined = plan for=20 operation or supervision, adverse effects on the surrounding residential = area,=20 increases in traffic, both pedestrian and vehicular, and exposure of = nearby=20 children to the clientele of the recovery center.

As clear = evidence of=20 opposition within the community, Gagnon presented a stack of 150 signed = copies=20 of the letter of appeal to the city clerk. A later statement by Gagnon = estimated=20 the number of residents represented by the letters at 225.

Tony = Capasso,=20 the rancheria's vice president for real estate and facilities, passed = out copies=20 of the rancheria's plan, while stating an intent to make the facility = into the=20 "jewel of the neighborhood."

"The building was originally a place = for=20 people who wanted to improve their lives," Capasso said, referring to = the=20 building's former use as a church. "We want to use it for a similar=20 purpose."

Jackson residents who spoke against the recovery center = generally expressed a recognition of the need for a facility of this = nature,=20 just not where it was about to be placed.

A recurrent question = was=20 typified by Artesia Court resident Shane Alderson, who asked, "Why not = do it on=20 the rancheria property?"

Jim Vinciguerra, whose mother, he said, = lived on=20 Broadway for 90 years, swept his arm across the room, decrying the = conflict that=20 has pitted locals against each other. "I'm in favor of a drug center," = he said,=20 "but how's the city going to benefit? Will it generate revenues or raise = property values?"

A number of hopeful clients told of their own=20 experiences at facilities similar to the one proposed. Most referred to = Alano=20 Clubs, which are in hundreds of locations nationwide. The nearest are in = Lodi,=20 Stockton and Modesto. Although Alano is not specifically named in the = project=20 application, the plan does include a statement that the facility will be = available for meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, = Al-Anon and=20 Alateen.

TSPN owner Tom Slivick made a rare appearance at the = podium.=20 "The rancheria helps the community in every way it can," said Slivick, = "and now=20 it's asking for council help." In response to earlier speakers' fears of = trouble=20 at the center, Slivick noted, "The highway patrol is right next door, so = people=20 probably won't just be partying around."

Councilwoman Connie = Gonsalves=20 asked Jackson Police Chief Scott Morrison whether there had been many = incidents=20 at the county drug and alcohol center, which had operated on the nearby = corner=20 of Clinton and Broadway for many years.

"There were no calls in = 18 years=20 to the alcohol center," responded Morrison.

When Gonsalves asked = why the=20 facility couldn't be located at the rancheria, CEO Rich Hoffman replied, = "We=20 didn't anticipate a problem. The property had been used for similar = purposes=20 before. We think this is the best and highest use for the=20 property."

Councilman Wayne Garibaldi told of his sleepless night = anticipating this meeting and of his fear of losing long-standing = friends over=20 this, "I keep looking for the right thing to do and I think the right = thing to=20 do is to have the facility at this location."

Mayor Rosalie Pryor = Escamilla turned to Garibaldi and said, "Wayne, you may lose some = friends." She=20 added, "I've had family members with alcohol problems. I've been to = Alano=20 Clubs."

Technically, this project is on a commercially zoned = parcel with=20 a planned unit development overlay, making it exempt from conditions = that would=20 be possible with a conditional use permit. There can be only conditions = dealing=20 with such issues as plumbing, fire safety and legal indemnification. In = the end,=20 the city council voted 3-2 to uphold approval of the project, with = Councilman Al=20 Nunes and Gonsalves opposed.

Jerry = Budrick