Vale officials adopt wait-and-see view on Lifeways plan
At least one city councilman opposes proposed plan for secure
mental health facility
By Katie Pizza
Argus Observer
Thursday, October 23, 2008 10:13 AM PDT
Vale — One Vale City Council member is opposed to a proposed Lifeways secure mental health facility, while other members of the elected board have adopted a “wait-and-see” attitude regarding the potential plan.
“I really don’t have any comment,” Vale Mayor Bill Lawrence said. “I can’t comment on speculation.”
Lawrence said, while he does not speak for the rest of the council, he is interested in learning more about the project before voicing an opinion.
Vale City Councilman Brian Zanotelli also said he would like the process to run its course before making a decision.
“I’m trying to keep an open mind,” he said.
Lifeways management contacted the city of Vale in an attempt to get permission to build a 6,528-square-foot living facility designed to house eight residents from the Oregon State Hospital under constant supervision. The facility could potentially be situated next to the John Day Highway in Vale, near the Cottonwood subdivision. The plan, though, did not sit well with some Vale residents.
At an informational meeting Oct. 13, many residents said they were concerned about their safety, commenting four of the eight residents will have criminal records. At the meeting, some community members questioned the safety of neighborhood children and themselves if a patient were to escape, asserting prisoners leave secure facilities frequently.
Lawrence said the last he heard about the issue was Lifeways officials were still deciding on a final location for the facility.
Zanotelli said he also heard Lifeways is looking at “a couple of different locations” and did not want to make a decision until the Vale Planning Commission made a recommendation and Lifeways officials committed to building in Vale.
The proposed building, Vale City Manager Brent Barton said, would contain a full kitchen and dining area, as well as a covered deck and outdoor meeting area.
Lifeways Executive Director Greg Schneider said the building would be surrounded by a 21⁄2- to 3-foot deep hole filled with loose gravel, and a 6-foot vinyl fence would surround the facility’s perimeter to discourage residents from leaving.
Barton said the facility is slated to be equipped with Maglock doors, video cameras, alarm windows and screens, plus an alarm fence with an intercom system.
Vale City Councilman Jeff Kunzman, who attended the Oct. 13 meeting, however, sided with the members of the public who expressed misgivings about their safety despite the security features.
“I’m part of that community,” Kunzman, who lives in the 800 block of Sierra Street near the proposed site, said. “I live in that subdivision. I have people knocking on my door every day.”
Kunzman said as a city councilman, he works for the will of the people.
“It’s the will of the people that this is not something that should be there,” he said.
However, Schneider said, the facility’s final location has yet to be decided upon by himself and the Lifeways Board of Directors.
In a phone interview last week, Schneider said a lot of community members who attended the meeting believed the decision was “already a done deal.”
However, he said, this was not the case, and it was up to Lifeways officials to decide if they want to continue with the process. However, Schneider did not set a concrete date as to when the decision would be made.
If Lifeways does decide to continue with the process, the next step will begin in early November when the Vale Planning Commission will reconvene to offer its recommendation on whether to grant or deny the request to rezone the property from commercial to residential.
“I’m not sure what we’re going to do yet,” Schneider said.
Mother of Four wrote on Oct 26, 2008 9:48 PM: