NO SURPRISE: NEIGHBORS CONTINUE OPPOSITION TO LOCATION OF TEEN REHAB PROGRAM

A residential treatment facility for drug addicted teenagers planned for a
residential community in Grover Beach continues to spark opposition from
area residents and city officials.

Life Steps, is a non-profit, government funded corporation that operates
several programs assisting homeless teens, people with disabilities,
at-risk infants, pregnant teens, the elderly, single mothers with drug
abuse problems, and more.

Life Steps is planning to open a facility to house six troubled teens at a
residential home at 227 N. 8th St. in Grover Beach.

Residents in the neighborhood are upset about the plan.

"Of course we don't want it here. It's just like having a dump in your
backyard," said Linda Harrah, organizer of the neighborhood group opposing
the facility. "Since I live right next door, I do probably have the most
urgent concerns. Life Steps bought the property and told the county their
intentions but they never said a thing to the city of Grover Beach, or the
neighborhood. None of us had any warning," Harrah said.

Grover Beach City Councilman Rich Neufeld expressed concerns about a
"controlled house" operating so close to an area that city officials hope
to turn into a tourist mecca.

"We hope to open up a museum a block from where they want to operate the
house and we have plans to try and create a whole 'tourist walk' area in
that downtown section, and I feel that the two just don't mix, Neufeld
said. "It could definitely impact attendance."

"My additional concern was that the Life Steps people purchased the
property with the plan to open a house for drug addicted teenage males, and
didn't talk to us (Grover Beach officials). To me that's not too neighborly."

Neufeld said Life Steps did not notify the city of their plans until
three-months after it purchased the property, and did not place it on a
city council agenda, just read a statement at a council meeting and that
the location of the house was not mentioned.

San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Peg Pinard said that when the county
allocated a $150,000 grant from the State Department of Alcohol and Drug
Programs to the organization, the Board of Supervisors instructed Joan
McKenna, vice president of drug and alcohol programs for Life Steps, to
approach Grover Beach with the program plans.

"We told Life Steps to go before the Grover Beach City Council and address
any concerns that they, or the neighbors may have," Pinard said. "They left
out the address of their facility and it was just not done as it should
have been. Leaving that information out was an extremely important piece of
information," said Pinard.

"Obviously the people of Grover Beach had no idea this facility was going
to open up," Pinard said. "I told her, (McKenna) to address their concerns
in the proper manner, she told me it had, and it hadn't. Now they, (Life
Steps) has to go back and go through the whole process because it wasn't
originally done properly."

Pinard said that even though the grant had been allocated to the
philanthropic goup, "all things can be reconsidered."

A letter and a 50-signature petition signed by residents of the
neighborhood was given to the Board of Supervisors complaining that the
size of the Life Steps house is too small for six residents and two staff
people, too close to the proposed children's museum, a liquor store, and an
already existing addiction facility.

McKenna said Life Steps is currently waiting for the state to complete
home's licensing process, and hoped to open the facility by the end of the
summer.

"We did address the city and the residents' concerns, but we just left out
the address," McKenna said. "It was just an oversight, not intentional. We
understand the residents' concerns, but our other three treatment
facilities in the county have excellent track records. We haven't had one
lodged complaint from police, or neighbors at our other residential center."

McKenna said that no sex offenders, "fire starters," or anyone with a
conviction for a violent offense would be a resident of the house.

"The referrals, (the addicted teens,) will be from this area, and will come
from county agencies such as the probation department, Child Protective
Services and the Courts. These kids are going to be kept very busy. They'll
have to attend school, or keep a full time job; they will be busy - and
supervised - every minute of the day. Since some of our kids will be doing
community service, I certainly hope they will be the ones taking the
graffiti off, not putting it on in the area," she said.

When questioned if, "24-hour supervision," included earned "free time," and
would the kids be escorted when off grounds, she answered, "That's
difficult to answer. It's based on a 'rewards' program that they must earn
to work their way up 'levels,' part of that is things like going to a
movie, the beach. I just couldn't make a statement saying that these kids
will never be walking around unescorted," she said.