GROUP RENEWS METH CLINIC BID FOR SAGINAW SITE

A group that wants to open a Shelby County methadone clinic has filed a new
letter of intent with state regulators to open the center in Saginaw.

The filing by the proposed owners of the Shelby County Treatment Center
follows a court ruling that prevented them from opening the clinic last year.

The letter to the State Health Planning and Development Agency is the first
step in starting the approval process over.

The state granted the owners a license to operate last year, but Shelby
County Circuit Judge Dan Reeves blocked its opening after Saginaw residents
sued.

In October, Reeves ruled that the clinic's owners had denied Saginaw
residents the right to participate in public discussion before the clinic
won state approval. The clinic's location was not made public until it was
too late for meaningful protest, the judge found.