Several residents of the Village of Saugerties turned up to speak on a proposal to convert the former Knights of Columbus building at 19 Barclay Street to housing for recovered alcoholics or drug addicts at the Village of Saugerties Planning Board meeting on Wednesday, October 13. A public hearing in September drew a large number of speakers on both sides of the proposal.
The proposed facility would occupy the former Knight of Columbus building on Barclay Street. It would be called RYAN [Raising Your Awareness about Narcotics], an acronym based on the name Ryan Kelder, the son of the buyers of the property, Vincent and Carole Kelder.
According to RYAN’s website, the organization intends to use the property as a “self-sustaining safe, sober, supportive home for individuals who are in recovery and are working to establish themselves back into the community.”
Suzanne LeBlanc said the neighborhood already has facilities for mental health, and as a quiet residential area, it should not be burdened with more. She warned that the addition of a facility for recovered addicts could lead to reduced property values in the area and bring drug dealers and addicts into the area.
On the other hand, Rosemarie Laureate said she lives near Abel House, a recovery halfway house on Overbaugh Street, “and I have never had an issue with any of the residents.”
LeBlanc said the proposed facility would alter the character of the neighborhood, primarily single family homes, which she said are well kept by their owners.
Security is an issue, as the community has no information about who would be in charge, or how security would be handled. LeBlanc asserted that the presence of the facility would decrease the value of surrounding homes by 15 to 20 percent and that the facility would probably be tax exempt, increasing the tax burden on the rest of the village residents.
“Your responsibility is to protect this neighborhood and keep it safe and secure,” Leblanc told the planners last week. “We don’t know what their security will be and I don’t have to tell you that there will be drug dealers attracted to this area.”
The location is at the entrance to the village, and people will be going past the sign that says drug half house. “If I was a stranger coming into the community, I would say, ‘whoa, this community’s got a drug problem’ and most communities do, but this is a big problem.”
She believes the facility should be in a place where it would be well off the street. “There should be lawns, grass, gardens surrounding it. Instead, it’s paved all around, except where the woods are.”
LeBlanc also raised the questions of whether the developers had the financial resources to ensure that the facility could operate, and where the residents would come from.
“Would you vote for it if it was next door to you? Would you vote for it if it was on your street? Would you vote for it if it was on your block or in your neighborhood? I don’t think you would,” she said.
LeBlanc concluded that while the proposed facility is needed, “this is not the best place for it.”
On the other hand, Laureate said she frequently passes Abel House on Overbaugh Street, a short distance from her home. “I’ve had two kids grow up there, I walk my dogs there every single day,” she said, and she has never had an incident with any of the residents.
“Ryan House is not a halfway house. I believe it is not a treatment facility, but more toward a place for someone who is in recovery.”
While she has no direct experience, she said, “God help anyone who is struggling with that kind of thing. I don’t think it will be a magnet for drug dealers.” It’s a good location, as it is close to transportation and close to the Village.
“I support it because I believe in supporting recovery and I don’t believe our neighbors, who are struggling with recovery, would be hanging out. I am part of that neighborhood [near Abel House] and
I support it wholeheartedly.”
The Kelders, who are proposing the facility, were not at the meeting; nor were any of the others who spoke at the meeting last month, except LeBlanc.
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