MANKATO — A new alcohol and drug abuse counseling center will be allowed to open in a Mankato residential area despite broad neighborhood opposition.
Mankato Chemical Health, an outpatient substance use disorder treatment center, was granted a permit to operate in a former church at 114 Pohl Road after a lengthy debate before the City Council Monday night.
“The decision should be based on objective land-use standards, not fear, assumptions or stigma surrounding the people receiving care,” Amanda Furnas, owner and treatment director for Mankato Chemical Health, told the council.
Furnas was seeking the required permit to operate in a residential area — specifically in the former Unitarian church and, more recently, the Hope Interfaith Center on Pohl Road just south of Glenwood Avenue. Furnas currently operates drug counseling centers in Waseca and Le Sueur County.
“I’ve seen first-hand how treatment changes lives,” she said. “The individuals we serve are not defined by a diagnosis. They are parents, veterans, teachers, nurses, construction workers, business owners and young adults. They are members of our community who have made the courageous decision and have chosen to seek treatment and rebuild their lives.”
Residents of nearby homes emphasized that they respect the need for drug treatment counseling but believe a neighborhood of single-family homes is an inappropriate place for it to occur.
“We see the good behind it,” said Donald Kusick, a Pohl Road resident. “What we’re stressing here is: Yes, it can legally happen. That’s what the conditional use permit is about. Just because something can legally happen doesn’t mean it should.”
Kusick said people struggling with addictions “have a tendency to aggressive violent behavior,” and the homeowners in the area don’t want more problems when they are already surrounded by criminal activity in residential developments to their east.
“Why put it in a neighborhood — the one remaining tiny oasis that still exists?” he said. “… Don’t jeopardize that.”
Charlotte Nefzger, who lives on Eastwood Drive just west of the proposed treatment center, said Furnas attempted to portray opposition as intolerance when meeting with residents.
“She did try to shame us for not wanting a mental health facility in the neighborhood when all know very well that it is needed,” Nefzger said. “A lot of our families have alcoholics and people with addictions. We just kind of feel there would be other places that would be just as accommodating to her clients.”
Council member Jessica Hatanpa sided with the opponents.
“I don’t think it’s fair to ignore the neighbors,” Hatanpa said. “… It’s our job to listen to the residents.”
Council member Kevin Metter offered a contrasting view, saying city leaders should be supportive of additional counseling opportunities in a state that is steadily losing treatment facilities.
“Not everybody who’s involved with addiction is a criminal,” said Mettler, who oversees the drug court, DWI court and veterans court in Blue Earth County for the Fifth Judicial District. “I think we need to take a step back and understand they’re the people who live next to us, they’re our family, they’re our friends, they’re everybody, and they need our support. And one of the biggest issues we have in America today is we continue to demonize people with addictions.”
The council asked multiple questions of Furnas about her clients. She estimated roughly half have criminal histories, and that’s counting non-violent crimes such as driving under the influence. Staff at her existing facilities have needed to call 9-1-1 only four or five times, she said, a number that includes for medical emergencies.
It’s critically important that Mankato Chemical Health offers both daytime and evening hours — the clinic will operate from 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and 4:30–8:30 p.m. — so that appointments are available both to clients who work dayshifts and those who work night jobs, she said. There will be no residential treatment, no detox and no drop-in appointments.
Council members were persuaded, proposing only minor changes to the permit. Outdoor therapy sessions will be prohibited during evening hours and Furnas is required to meet with neighbors to reach consensus within 60 days on where any fencing should be added on her property.
Mayor Najwa Massad, speaking to the opponents, recalled neighborhood concern when a mental health clinic was proposed on Pfau Street a decade ago. Massad checked with the Department of Public Safety in recent days and learned that police have been called to that facility just once since 2015, and a Pfau Street resident also verified that the facility goes largely unnoticed by neighbors today.
“The unknown is always worrisome,” Massad said before calling for a vote on the Pohl Road permit. “… Hopefully, like Pfau Street, we’ll all be pleasantly surprised.”
Furnas received her permit on a 6-1 vote with only Hatanpa opposed.