Record-Journal
08-24-2007, 01:23 AM
MERIDEN -- The Planning Commission voted unanimously to send a recommendation to the City Council that it not approve a 20-year lease of the former WWII Veterans Memorial Hospital on Paddock Avenue.
The Rushford Center, which provides mental health and substance abuse treatment in the part of the hospital that it currently rents, has sought to lease the entire building for $1 a year for the next 20 years.
In return, it would replace the roof and air-conditioning system, as well as fund other renovations.
Though praising Rushford for its good service, numerous commission members spoke in opposition to the lease, citing 20 years as being far too long to lose a city asset.
Commission member John Thorp mentioned that the Meriden Police Department has been called numerous times to the Rushford Center, which does not have trained security personnel, to deal with problem patients.
He said one of these calls can often occupy two officers for some time, and that the department is sometimes stretched by these frequent calls.
Rushford Center president Jeff Walter addressed the commission, reviewing his proposal and noting that his center treats 2,000 Meriden residents per year.
Later, School Superintendent Mary Noonan Cortright addressed the commission, saying the former hospital would be useful in easing the district’s crowded schools.
If the building was given to the Board of Education, she said, it would seek to expand numerous programs and make room for 160 special needs children who currently must be bused outside the district
She said the cost of the outside schooling totaled $5 million per year, and that a significant portion of that could be saved by keeping the students within the district.
She added that the Board of Education is capable of receiving funds from the state for repairing the building if it is fully converted into a school.
Most commission members seemed to favor turning the hospital over to the school board, and no one spoke strongly in favor of the Rushford proposal.
The City Council could still approve the Rushford lease, but now needs a two-thirds majority to do so.
The Rushford Center, which provides mental health and substance abuse treatment in the part of the hospital that it currently rents, has sought to lease the entire building for $1 a year for the next 20 years.
In return, it would replace the roof and air-conditioning system, as well as fund other renovations.
Though praising Rushford for its good service, numerous commission members spoke in opposition to the lease, citing 20 years as being far too long to lose a city asset.
Commission member John Thorp mentioned that the Meriden Police Department has been called numerous times to the Rushford Center, which does not have trained security personnel, to deal with problem patients.
He said one of these calls can often occupy two officers for some time, and that the department is sometimes stretched by these frequent calls.
Rushford Center president Jeff Walter addressed the commission, reviewing his proposal and noting that his center treats 2,000 Meriden residents per year.
Later, School Superintendent Mary Noonan Cortright addressed the commission, saying the former hospital would be useful in easing the district’s crowded schools.
If the building was given to the Board of Education, she said, it would seek to expand numerous programs and make room for 160 special needs children who currently must be bused outside the district
She said the cost of the outside schooling totaled $5 million per year, and that a significant portion of that could be saved by keeping the students within the district.
She added that the Board of Education is capable of receiving funds from the state for repairing the building if it is fully converted into a school.
Most commission members seemed to favor turning the hospital over to the school board, and no one spoke strongly in favor of the Rushford proposal.
The City Council could still approve the Rushford lease, but now needs a two-thirds majority to do so.