TURN THE CLINIC DEBATE NEGATIVES INTO A POSITIVE

Reasonable people would agree that the black community got shafted in this
methadone clinic deal.

No, I'm not annoyed by the idea of a methadone clinic in Northwest Roanoke.
Instead of traveling to Galax or Charlottesville, recovering drug addicts
in the Roanoke Valley desperately need help closer to home. A more ideal
location would be Crossroads Mall or a similar commercial venue with plenty
of parking, easy access and less proximity to schools and homeowners.

But the way this thing went down - the clinic owners' end-run around
neighbors to locate the facility at 3208 Hershberger Road, their refusal to
even meet with the community at large to hear its concerns and the city's
leaders largely standing on the sidelines - is both disappointing and
disrespectful.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think the site at Ogden Road and Colonial
Avenue was appropriate, either.

But when neighbors of that site got wind of the proposed clinic and railed
against it, the county supervisors geared up to fight it, and the zoning
administrator nixed the application for a business license. Public
chest-thumping with little likelihood of success? Yes. But who is to say it
had no effect? Eventually, the owners of that proposed clinic decided to
drop their plans.

In Roanoke, none of that occurred. I'm not suggesting a conspiracy but
rather an unfortunate indifference to the concerns of the community.
Roanoke leaders essentially shrugged their shoulders and said there was
nothing they could do.

Sure, the company that executed the stealth maneuver last year to open the
clinic on Hershberger in what used to be the Family Services building can
legitimately say its clinic meets all of the legal requirements such as
zoning and city licensing. But just because something is legal doesn't make
it right.

Unfortunately, even if the clinic owners were willing to consider other
sites in Northwest, state lawmakers tied their hands with a law that
greatly restricts the placement of methadone clinics.

Despite the vehement neighborhood protests, plans to open the Hershberger
clinic will succeed.

Yes, the proceedings and the disregard for community concerns were ugly.
But the operation of the facility doesn't have to be. The clinic is coming,
and the community has a vested interest in its success.

If operated properly and efficiently, the clinic can do much good for the
region, helping addicts - many in the neighborhood - recover.

Several examples exist of clinics that function as good neighbors and pose
no danger or problem for nearby property owners. The challenge is to make
sure the site at Hershberger is among those.

Clinic opponents threaten protests and pickets to shut down the clinic when
it opens. Such tactics would needlessly prolong a futile fight and disrupt
patrons who rely on other nearby businesses.

One of the main objections of nearby residents has been the potential for
an open-air drug market.

Anyone familiar with that area knows residents raise a legitimate concern.
Lurking nearby are those who would not hesitate to exploit the
vulnerability of addicts trying to kick their habit.

To prevent such activity, the clinic and the community must work
collaboratively with the Roanoke Police Department to ensure that
residents' worst fears don't come true.

The city didn't respond earlier, so now it must make sure the police are
vigilant in their patrols so the clinic is a benefit - and not a problem -
to the neighborhood.