Thursday, Schoharie County’s Community Services Board voted 6-3 that it couldn’t support plans to turn the former Summit Shock Camp into a 125-bed drug rehabilitation and treatment facility.
But Friday, supervisors disregarded the CSB’s concerns that the project was too large and would be too difficult to staff, voting unanimously to send their own letter of support for J-CAP’s plans to the state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, which has final approval.
“I felt they [CSB] went quite a bit beyond the scope of evaluating what they were supposed to be doing,” said Earl VanWormer, Esperance supervisor and chairman of the Board of Supervisors Friday, who attended part of the CSB’s meeting with J-CAP’s Project Developer Ken Pfeiffer and attorney Mike Wasserman.
That’s a charge Mr. Pfeiffer also made Thursday when answering the criticism that his office had repeatedly not answered all of the questions CSB had raised about the project.
“Part of our confusion is this,” he said. “You’re supposed to be looking at the concept, not our viability. We are presenting to you a very, very viable program. The time of your questions goes beyond the scope of your mandate. It is not a forensic history of our company’s ability to provide this service here.”
J-CAP operates a 192-bed facility in Jamaica, Queens and has been providing residential rehab services for 50 years.
What would be called Eagle Summit would offer 9-18 month residential treatment with most of their clients relying on Medicaid managed care to cover their costs, Mr. Pfeiffer said.
The CSB’s charge wasn’t to determine where the facility would go, said President Pat Clancy, but rather to review the concept and determine whether there’s a need for 125 rehab beds in Schoharie County.
Among the questions that review raised is whether the project is fiscally viable—a 2017 audit raised serious concerns there, they said--and whether it can fill the 200 projected jobs without raiding the staffs of existing health care providers.
“If this was for 30 beds, I’d be more willing to take a look at it,” said Susan Emerson, CSB vice-chair.
Ms. Clancy read through a list of questions the CSB had sent to J-CAP, most of which went unanswered, she said raising too many red flags.
The old Summit Shock is located in the Town of Fulton which had agreed to support it in concept—though Supervisor Phil Skowfoe was surprised to learn Thursday it would likely come off the tax rolls.
Still, he said afterwards, sometimes you have to take the bad with the good, and he accused the CSB—which he sits on—of not keeping an open mind.
Cobleskill Police Chief Rich Bialkowski also supported the project Thursday.
“At the end of the day, we have crimes committed every day because of addiction…it’s the risks versus the rewards.”
Friday, Mr. VanWormer downplayed the CSB concerns, arguing the project would be a good use of a blighted property and would fill a need that everyone agrees exists.
J-CAP can appeal the CSB’s decision to OASAS and supervisors, with Mr. Skowfoe abstaining, voted unanimously to forward their own letter of support.