From left: Whitefield Select Board members Lester Schaefer, Seth Bolduc, and Keith Sanborn listen intently as residents express strong opposition to a proposed residential substance abuse treatment facility in Coopers Mills on Tuesday, May 23. Convinced by the consensus of comments, the select board agreed to confer with town counsel regarding a potential moratorium on the project. (Sherwood Olin photo)
Convinced by a crowded meeting room expressing unanimous opposition to the potential opening of a residential substance abuse treatment center in Coopers Mills, the Whitefield Select Board agreed to consult with the town’s attorney on the best way to proceed developing a moratorium that could potentially delay or derail the project entirely.
Not one of the more than 20 residents in attendance at the select board’s Tuesday, May 23 meeting spoke in favor of the Holistic Sober Center. Co-investor and self-described resident Executive Director Kristina Simpson has described the center as a voluntary, private, substance abuse treatment facility specifically for post detoxification, post incarceration men.
The expressed opinions during the meeting unanimously opposed the proposed repurposing of the former Country Manor Nursing Home, which closed in September 2021.
The totality of comments cited a lack of public disclosure by the facility’s investors, particularly Simpson; the absence of a written application to be reviewed; and potential problems posed by the aging facility, allegedly decrepit septic system, and the potential threat to the public welfare posed by one or more members of a substance addicted, possibly nefariously inclined residential clientele
Lauren Pignatello, owner of Swallowtail Farm, a Main Street neighbor of the planned sober center, asked for help developing a moratorium to “postpone what’s happening at the old Country Manor.”
Pignatello said there has been no change of use application filed with the town, alleged no inspection was done after the sale of the property in 2022, and said Country Manor was located in the shoreland zone, being situated within 150-220 feet of the Sheepscot River.
Pignatello further alleged the septic system was failing, saying she had consulted with the state plumbing inspector, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and Whitefield Code Enforcement Officer Arthur Strout.
“Arthur called Kristina Simpson, she hasn’t done what she was supposed to do … and he called her because she didn’t come to last week’s planning board meeting, and she hasn’t submitted anything, and any time you call or try to get in touch with her to figure out what she’s doing, her story changes,” Pignatello said.
Pignatello cited Simpson’s alleged ownership of a cannabis dispensary and a hemp farm, as a cause for concern and alleged that individuals were already living on site, saying she had spoken to “two men last Thursday at 5:30 a.m. who were in their pajamas drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes,” who claimed to be living on site, which has not yet opened.
Pignatello said she observed one of the two men she had seen in his pajamas engaged in a drug deal in front of her house later.
“I watched him pass an envelope, a small little packet to another man,” Pignatello said. She confronted the men, one of whom screamed at her and her children as they sat in her car, leaving her house to get ice cream.
Asked by select board Chair Lester Schaefer if the proposed repurposing of a former nursing home into a residential recovery center amounted to a change of use, Whitefield Planning Board member Glenn Angell said the board had not yet reached a conclusion. Angell said the town’s counsel has advised “group living facilities are treated differently from most other things,” but added that statement has not been clarified for the board.
“Beyond that we have received nothing in writing as to what exactly is going on there,” Angell said. “We’re told it’s going to be a sober house. What’s does that mean? And so at this point in time, we have not made any determination as to whether or not it is a change of use.”
“It seems as though everybody is in agreement that this would be in the best interest of the town and if it’s in the best interest of the town, how about having the town attorney lead us through this process,” Chuck Vaughn said. “We don’t really want to dig into our pockets to hire a lawyer for something that is in everybody’s best interest.”
Schaefer expressed personal support for a moratorium, but said he was obligated to make sure the town did everything by the book.
“I am, going to say this personally, you had me with the drug deal,” Schaefer said, breaking up the room with a comedian’s deadpan delivery. “I am behind this 100%. Professionally as a part of the select board, I have got to make sure all the t’s are crossed and the i’s are dotted so what we do has to be legal and above board. It is kind of hard for me because I want this done, but I’ve got to drag it out and make sure this is done right.”
Ultimately the board agreed to begin a two-pronged process, asking Strout to inspect the facility for problems that could forestall any residency plans while the board consulted with town’s attorney on the parameters of a potential moratorium.
The Whitefield Select Board will next meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 6.
