
By Brenda Erdahl
Not in our neighborhood was the overwhelming response of Maple Lake residents at a recent city council meeting where a proposed facility for adult males recovering from substance abuse was on the table.
On July 9, the Maple Lake Planning and Zoning Commission approved a request by Anchor Living LLC for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) at 207 Division Street East, a site that previously housed a residential treatment center for adolescent boys. With the approval of the planning commission the ball was in the city council’s court to make final approval at its regular meeting, Tuesday, July 16.
It was standing room only at City Hall Tuesday, as residents gathered to urge councilors to deny the request on the grounds that the potential for drug abuse was too high considering the proximity to St. Timothy School and the Community Park playground.
After listening to 13 emotional testimonies from concerned parents and grandparents living in the neighborhood, as well as legal advice from City Attorney Sam Ketchum (Kennedy & Graven) and some clarification from Anchor Living Director Tonya Klug, the council decided to table the matter until the next city council meeting on Monday, August 5 at 6 p.m.
The reason it was tabled was because Councilors Scott Chantland and Lori Hausken were absent from Tuesday night’s meeting.
“This is one of those impossible decisions, legally and otherwise. I want to give absent council members the opportunity to watch the meeting and to partake in the discussion,” Mayor Lynn Kissock said.
Not in our neighborhood
Fourteen people spoke at the open forum portion of Tuesday night’s meeting then waited over an hour for the council to return to the matter as it came up on the agenda. Of the 14, only one did not speak against the facility, she only remarked that “addicts are already here roaming our streets . . . why is this any different?”