METHADONE CLINIC RULING DELAYED

ABINGDON - It could be the end of this month before county administrators
decide whether a methadone clinic can locate in southern Washington County.

Meanwhile, clinic operators said that their recent efforts to talk to
county leaders about a different location have been ignored.

When Greenville, S.C.-based Appalachian Treatment Center came to county
officials in Dec. 2002 asking for permission to locate an addiction
treatment center on Old Dominion Road in the Lowry Hills community, County
Administrator Mark Reeter said he expected to make a decision by mid-January.

"I wish I hadn't said anything until I actually checked how much time we
had to make a decision," Reeter said. "I thought we had 45 days. We
actually have 90 days to do that."

He said the county could use the remaining month before the deadline to
render a decision.

At question is whether or not a methadone clinic is suited for the
property, which is zoned for general business.

Although the county's zoning ordinance allows pharmacies and offices for
health care practitioners, opponents claim methadone clinics should not be
allowed.

Those opponents, largely residents of the Lowry Hills subdivision, said
they're worried about an increase in crime and traffic and a decrease in
property values.

The county school board has also opposed the clinic because it could be as
close as 1,650 feet from John S. Battle High School.

Mike Bragg, a Lowry Hills resident and lawyer, also claims the manufactured
home he said the clinic plans to house the business is illegal.
Manufactured homes are only allowed in general business areas if they're
used as model homes or offices for a manufactured home business.

Although this had been the case at one point, Bragg said, the business has
long closed and the house should have gone with it.

Reeter said a decision on the building, as well as the zoning issue, will
be ruled on at the same time.

Larry Worley, the man behind the clinic effort, said he regrets the
controversy and would consider an alternative location. Worley said he's
been trying to get that message through to Reeter for two weeks.

"We would probably consider another location if someone would sit down and
talk to us," he said. "If not, we have no alternative to remain where we're at.

"Our desire is not to be in an adversarial relationship with anyone.
Frankly, though, you don't know what to do until you get some kind of word
from the county."

The county administrator said he is not in a position to talk about the
matter until the zoning issue has been decided.

There has been speculation that the county is taking its time to dig in for
a legal fight. Parties involved have threatened to appeal if the county
administrator's decision doesn't go their way.

"We're taking a close look at how the language is written in the (zoning)
code," Reeter said. "There's a great deal of research we're trying to do on
the legal end."

He said staff was busy reviewing case law in similar instances.