Holistic Sober Center, located at 132 Main St. in Coopers Mills. Holistic Sober Center Executive Director Kristina Simpson’s change in use application for the facility previously known as Country Manor Nursing Home was approved by the Whitefield Planning Board the evening of Wednesday, May 16. (LCN file photo)
Following months of discussion and research, the Whitefield Planning Board voted to approve a conditional use permit for a residential substance abuse treatment facility in Coopers Mills during a meeting the evening of Wednesday, May 15.
The board voted 3-1-1 to approve a conditional use permit for the facility once known as the Country Manor Nursing Home, at 132 Main St. in Coopers Mills. Planning board member Kathleen Goetzman abstained from the vote, as she joined the board after the board’s review of the application was well underway. Mary Morgan voted in opposition, saying she feels the project does not fully comply with the town’s ordinances.
The facility will now be known as Holistic Sober Center, and is owned by Harmony Haven LLC, a company owned by Holistic Sober Center Executive Director Kristina Simpson and her business partner, Kenneth Raye, who currently resides in Florida.
With the application’s approval, the use for the facility shifted from residential care for the elderly to residential care for substance use.
Simpson submitted a change in use application on March 10 for the facility at 132 Main St.; however, the proposed change in use for the facility came onto residents’ radars over a year ago.
Simpson went before the Whitefield Planning Board in April 2023 to briefly discuss her plan for the facility, which housed Country Manor Nursing Home until September 2021.
Simpson said the nearly 17,000-square-foot building will be a 54-bed coed facility for individuals who are seeking a treatment plan post-detoxification from addictive substances, such as drugs and alcohol.
The clientele for the center is men and women ages 18-65 who have recently gone through detoxification.
The majority of residents will be referred to the program by hospitals and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, according to Simpson.
Simpson said her intent is to maintain the current size of the building, having no plans to expand on the land in the future.
Simpson said she plans on hosting an open house at the facility in the near future so Coopers Mills residents can experience the repurposed facility firsthand and learn more about what programs will be offered.
For more information about the Holistic Sober Center, email kristina@holisticsobercenter.com.
Harmony Haven LLC’s conditional use permit can be viewed at the town office, at 36 Townhouse Road. The town office is open Monday and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday from 7 a.m. to noon and 3-7 p.m., and Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. To contact the town office, call 549-5175 or email townwhitefieldadm@gmail.com.
