FIGHT BREWS OVER METHADONE CLINIC

The Hershberger Road Clinic Is Still Scheduled To Open In The Next Few Weeks.

Residents opposed to a methadone clinic in Northwest Roanoke said Thursday
that they have hired an attorney and are raising money for an expected
legal fight over the controversial drug treatment center.

Michael Bragg of Abingdon, who has previously represented citizens opposed
to a methadone clinic in Washington County, was recently retained in the
fight to keep the Roanoke Treatment Center from opening on Hershberger Road.

Bragg could not be reached for comment. But at a news conference Thursday,
clinic opponents distributed a letter he wrote earlier this month to City
Attorney Bill Hackworth.

"Unless I am advised of facts to change my evaluation," Bragg wrote, "I
intend to file suit ... seeking a declaration that the methadone clinic is
an unlawful use under the amended zoning ordinance."

Last year, Roanoke City Council changed the zoning ordinance to require
proposed methadone clinics to obtain a special exemption, even if the site
where they plan to operate is zoned appropriately.

But because the clinic had already received a business license by the time
the ordinance took effect, the city could not retroactively apply the new
requirements, Hackworth said.

"Mr. Bragg can do what he wants and make whatever arguments that he wants,
but I think we in the city are of the same mind" that the clinic has a
vested right to open on Hershberger Road, Hackworth said.

In his letter, Bragg said he intended to file suit against the clinic,
which is being proposed by CRC Health Group of California. He wrote that he
might include the city of Roanoke as a defendant for failing to enforce its
zoning ordinance.

Joe Pritchard, vice president of operations for CRC's eastern region, said
the company is proceeding with plans to open the clinic within the next few
weeks.

Supporters say dispensing daily doses of methadone to addicts of
opium-based drugs such as heroin and OxyContin will allow them to reclaim
their lives. Opponents say putting such an operation in the middle of a
residential area will invite drug dealing, crime and traffic congestion.

Earlier this month, CRC and city officials met and agreed to continue to
look for a better site for the clinic, which is expected to treat more than
100 addicts when fully operational.

"We're all in agreement that we want to look for a more appropriate spot,
and we are willing to do that," Pritchard said. But until a better location
can be found, he said, CRC plans to operate on Hershberger Road.

Although the clinic still needs approval from the Drug Enforcement
Administration and a renewed business license from the city, Pritchard said
he expected to clear those regulatory hurdles by the end of the month.

The possibility that the city might get sued did not stop Councilmen
Sherman Lea and Brian Wishneff from attending Thursday's news conference to
support the clinic opponents.

Lea said that while he did not want to encourage legal action, he hoped
that an attorney might pry some answers from the city that regular citizens
have been unable to obtain.

"I am disappointed that the situation has gotten to the point where
citizens feel they need to go out and get an attorney to do something that
I feel the city should be forthcoming in doing," Lea said.

Perneller Chubb-Wilson, president of the Roanoke branch of the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference, said hundreds of Northwest Roanoke
residents have joined her group in opposing the clinic.

"I'm glad the community is supporting the SCLC with this because we don't
need that clinic near our children," Chubb-Wilson said.

So far, about $2,000 has been raised to cover legal expenses, said Judy
Ferguson, who lives near the clinic and has been involved in opposition
efforts. Ferguson said donations can be made to an account set up for the
Northwest Concerned Citizens Defense Fund at the Wachovia Bank branch on
Hershberger Road.