PETITION HANDED OVER TO CITY

A petition with the signatures of 2,000 people opposed to a
controversial housing complex for drug addicts and homeless people was
presented Monday to city officials.

About 60 people, some carrying placards, delivered the petition just
before the start of the regular council meeting.

"Our goal was not to disrupt City Hall," spokesman Jim Carta said.

"We just wanted to be here, out front and visible."

The petition asks city council to reject the so-called wet housing
model being proposed for the apartment building.

That approach would allow addicts chosen to live in the apartment
building to keep using drugs so long as they say they're committed to
a treatment program.

City council is expected to make a decision next week on where the
apartment building should be built.

It was originally proposed for St. Paul Street, but council created a
task force to consider other possible locations in the face of
opposition from area merchants and landlords.

"Our hope is that city councillors will realize they may not have had
all the facts about this housing model when it was first presented to
them," Carta said.

Critics believe the apartment building will lower the value of
surrounding properties, attract drug dealers and scare away potential
customers and clients from area businesses.