PROVO OFFICIALS SEEK TO CLOSE CLUB FOR RECOVERING SUBSTANCE ABUSERS

PROVO -- Now that they have succeeded in sending amateur pugilists packing,
Provo zoning authorities have set their sights on recovering alcoholics and
others trying to overcome substance abuse.

In the latest zoning flap, city officials are demanding that a
substance-abuse center in southwestern Provo close its doors.

Following the same reasoning they used to ban boxing at Club Omni, a
downtown dancing establishment, city zoning officials claim the Alano Club
at 350 W. 500 South is not a suitable meeting place for recovering
substance abusers.

They say the area is zoned for single-family homes and accessory apartments.

In January, Provo's Board of Adjustment agreed with that decision.

Alano has been racking up $75-per-day fines while awaiting the outcome of
an appeal it filed in March with 4th District Court.

Mayor Lewis Billings said the city will not shut down Alano until the court
rules. But eventually, he warned, the club must go.

"There's no agenda in this administration to oppose, to harm or otherwise
impede good organizations that run good programs," he said. "Alano Clubs,
at times, have been a real asset. But based on what I'm hearing, this may
or may not be one of them."

Alano Clubs are nonprofit groups that rent or buy buildings to serve as
meeting places for "12-step recovery" groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous
and Narcotics Anonymous. There are seven Alano Clubs listed in Utah,
including one in Murray. The club has been operating in various Provo/Orem
locations since 1987.

But Provo has a problem with the current site -- and, city officials point
out, so do the neighbors. Community Development Director Richard Secrist
says residents have griped that the corrugated tin building is a haven for
lawlessness and raucousness.

"All the neighbors are complaining there is too much noise, partying,
smoking, drinking and people making rude comments. There have even been
some drag races out in the street."

Provo Police Chief Gregory Cooper was unavailable for comment Friday. But
several neighbors say the problems, if any, are relatively minor.

"We really haven't had any problems with them except for some parking
situations," said Marvin Marquez, who lives next door to the club.
"Occasionally, some one will pull out of the parking lot a little fast."

Gale Hansen, who lives across the street, reports he and his wife, Claudia,
have seen a few motorists peeling out of the parking lot after meetings. So
has Brad Gibbons, another neighbor, who does not like the noise and is
concerned club patrons who speed could cause an accident or run over
children in the area.

But drag racing? Neighbors interviewed this week said they have not seen
that. They were equally bewildered about city reports of drinking, fighting
and other wild behavior. Most said club patrons were fairly well behaved.

Gale Stringham, a clinical psychologist on the club's board of directors,
insists that is because those seeking help, for the most part, act
responsibly. Stringham said parking initially was an issue, but club
members now park in lots at nearby businesses instead of in front of homes.

Problems or not, the mayor said, the fact is the area simply is not
appropriate for a substance-abuse recovery and rehabilitation center. City
administrators said they told club members as much last fall when they
learned about their plans to lease the building for a meeting place. But
instead of finding another location, city staffers say, club members have
been conducting meetings there illegally ever since.

Stringham counters that board members were told by their attorney at the
time that no business license was required to hold meetings. And she said
the city erred in labeling the place as a treatment center since no actual
treatment takes place there.

The reality, Stringham said, is that city officials simply don't want what
they view as a bunch of drunks in their city. "The way it looks to me,
anytime city officials don't want something in their city, they claim it is
against zoning."

Stringham said between 20 and 60 recovering substance abusers frequent the
Provo club every day.

Billings said the owner of the building, which used to house a print shop
and an alternative school, has promised not to renew Alano's lease when it
expires in October. Stringham worries that will leave few alternatives for
recovering addicts.

There are other 12-step meeting sites in Provo, including several at
Protestant churches. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
operates recovery-group meetings at the Orem High School seminary building
and at several church houses, including some in residential areas. But
Stringham believes there are not enough of them to assist everyone who
needs help.