Once again, the former Summit Shock Camp is being considered for a 125-bed drug rehabilitation and treatment facility.
The proposal for the Eagle Summit Treatment Facility is being floated by J-CAP Inc., which operates a 192-bed facility in Jamaica, Queens.
Schoharie County’s Community Services Board has been reviewing the J-CAP proposal since April and has questions about both its financial viability and staffing.
Friday, Project Developer Kenneth Pfeiffer asked the Board of Supervisors to support the project, but like the Community Services Board, supervisors want more answers first.
The decision on whether to move the project forward is the CSB’s, said Vice Chair Susan Emerson; if they approve the concept, it then goes on to the state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS).
“If we say no, it’s the end of this,” Dr. Emerson said after Friday’s presentation. “But once we approve it, it’s totally out of our control.”
Summit Shock is located in the Town of Fulton.
Fulton Supervisor Phil Skowfoe said Friday that his board has “put out a letter of support for the project. We support the concept as long as all of the regulations are met,” Mr. Skowfoe told fellow supervisors, and as long as local neighbors’ concerns are addressed and public hearings are held.
In September 2016, Frank Stubbolo and Regis O’Neil Jr. of the SYFF Group LLC from Happauge presented similar plans for a 200-bed drug and rehab treatment facility, the Eagle Heights Substance Abuse Treatment Center, also at the former Summit Shock.
According to a project summary passed out Friday by Mr. Pfeiffer and Murray Kaplan, who handles admission/legal for J-CAP, the SYFF Group is also involved this time and “will be working with H2M Architects and Engineers…with the design requirements that the operator will need to provide the drug treatment services.”
Mr. Pfeiffer told supervisors that J-CAP has been providing residential rehab services for 50 years and believes the Fulton facility “offers a wonderful opportunity” to address unprecedented addiction issues.”
Eagle Summit would offer voluntary, 9-18 month residential treatment—with about half of its residents receiving mandated treatment there as an alternative to jail; education and job skills training would also be required as a condition of “graduation.”
Though Mr. Pfeiffer said not much work would need to be done to make the site suitable for the project, he said the barracks would need to be converted to rooms and they’d put up a cell tower.
He estimated the facility would employ 200 people—from doctors and counselors to support and grounds staff.
But that’s one of the issues raising a red flag for the CSB, which is charged with looking at concerns including whether it’s a good, local fit that’s likely to work, and whether it can be staffed without impacting the rest of the community.
“There’s no question that we need rehabilitation facilities and there’s no question that it’s a nice use for that land,” Dr. Emerson said. “But we need to know it will be effective, sustained, and appropriate…”
Dr. Emerson said the CSP has concerns about whether there’s a sufficient local medical workforce to staff the facility.
She also said J-CAP’s been slow to answer many of the CSB’s questions.
Answering a question from Cobleskill Supervisor Leo McAllister, Mr. Pfeiffer said there will be “numerous funding streams” for the treatment, including OASC, Medicare, Medicaid, and [county] Department of Social Services.
Mr. Pfeiffer said developers are in the beginning steps of seeking community support for the project and are “ready to move forward as soon as the pieces are in place.”
If it’s approved by the CSB, the next step would be to submit a full application to OASAS, which would determine its ability to run the program.