Bond Commission Vote Set On Plan B For Methadone Site

That was fast.

Less than two days after the public learned about an alternative plan to opening a controversial methadone clinic in New Haven’s Newhallville neighborhood, that alternative plan appeared on the agenda of the next State Bond Commission meeting.

The agenda for the March 31 meeting was posted on a state website Thursday. It calls for approval of $2 million grant to help a partnership — consisting of Clifford Beers Guidance Clinic and Rev Boise Kimber’s First Calvary Baptist Church — to purchase and undertake repairs at 794 Dixwell Ave. for a total of $3.5 million in order to ​“create Connecticut’s first trauma informed community wellness and education center focused on youth and families.” The center is to be called Resilience Academy; it would at first include after-school and summer programs with the possibility of all-day schooling down the pike. The purchase price would be $2.4 million under the proposal. (Click here to read the full proposal submitted to the state.)

The partnership is speaking with APT Foundation about buying the property, a vacant former school building. 

The APT Foundation bought that vacant two-story brick building, which formerly housed a charter school, on Dec. 14 for $2.45 million, without notifying Newhallville residents. APT planned to transform it into offices, a primary care facility, and a methadone clinic. The foundation’s plans sparked widespread pushback from neighbors on both sides of the New Haven-Hamden town line, who formed a group called Newhallville-Hamden Strong to mobilize against the government approvals that APT would need in order to create a methadone clinic at that site.

APT Foundation President and CEO Lynn Madden is in conversation with the Resilience partnership about selling the property. But Madden said a sale would need to be ​“part of a potential reasonable solution that includes also finding a location for APT to relocate.”

Also Thursday, two influential state legislators representing the neighborhood told the Independent they’re backing the concept of the Resilience plan.

State Sen. Gary Winfield said he supports the concept of a school ​“dealing with issues of trauma.”

So did State Rep. Robyn Porter. Porter had joined neighbors who protested against APT’s methadone clinic plan over concerns about violence and drug-dealing outside APT’s Congress Avenue clinic as well as outrage over APT’s failure to consult Newhallville before purchasing the Dixwell Avenue property.

Porter Thursday said the Resilience alternative plan could strengthen the community by focusing on trauma and mental health. She said she wants to learn more about the details of the plan.

But she also said she needs to learn more details before she can fully support the project.

Rev. Kimber and Clifford Beers CEO Alice Forrester brought the proposal to Tuesday night’s meeting of the Newhallville Community Management Team, and received supportive feedback. (Read about that here.)

Next Thursday’s Bond Commission meeting agenda includes two other seven-figure grants for New Haven, pushed by State Rep. Patricia Dillon along with State Sens. Winfield and Martin Looney.

One item would prove a $2 million grant ​“to the Montessori School on Edgewood for the renovation of 1377 Ella T Grasso Blvd. to expand pre-school offerings,” building on federal money won for the project from U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro.

The second item would provide a $1 million grant to the city to address flooding on Forest Road.

New Haven State Rep. Juan Candelaria also announced that he’s supporting the expected approval at the meeting of $1.3 million to Farnam Neighborhood Center for Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant parking lot, building and pool improvements, as well as $500,000 for renovations to city government facilities.