METHADONE FIGHT NOT OVER

Despite Decision, Residents Seek Ways To Close Clinic

'I've exhausted all my local options. But it's not over.' S.C. Rep. Thad
Viers.

Thursday's decision by Horry County's zoning board to allow Center of
Hope methadone clinic to operate won't be the last of the contentious
dispute if opponents of the clinic bring a lawsuit against the county.

Also, it remains to be seen if members of the Board of Adjustments and
Zoning Appeals suffer any political fallout from their decision, as
opponents of the clinic predict.

Property owners next to the clinic could sue the county, saying it
violated its own zoning rules by allowing the clinic to open. As they
filed out of Thursday's hearing, several residents opposed to the
clinic said they would do just that.

But S.C. Rep. Thad Viers, R-Myrtle Beach, who led the fight against
the clinic, said he won't press a suit. Instead, he is working on
legislation to stop other clinics from settling in Horry County and
said he hopes to fight Center of Hope again when it goes before state
health officials to re-apply for permits to distribute methadone.

"I've exhausted all my local options," Viers said. "But it's not
over."

Methadone is an addictive opiate used to treat addiction to OxyContin,
heroin and other opiates. The clinic's directors say they expect to
provide the drug for about 200 local residents who now must drive
regularly to clinics in Wilmington, Charleston or Columbia.

The clinic, which has been open a month, is now treating about 50
clients and is screening about 70 more.

Since they learned about the clinic last fall, opponents have argued
the clinic will attract criminals and drugs to the Fantasy Harbour
area, where the clinic is located.

Last month, Viers persuaded the board to reconsider its approval of
the clinic - granted in 2002. But Thursday, he failed to persuade
members to reverse their decision.

Viers said there are grounds for a lawsuit but that because he is not
an adjacent property owner, he won't sue.

He also said he expected the board members to be removed from office
when their appointments are up. He said several residents have told
him they will ask County Council to appoint new members to the board.

Board Chairman Steve Alger said the zoning board based its decision on
the law and gave Viers the opportunity to make his case.

He said Viers' motives for fighting the clinic were
political.

The board voted to affirm its earlier approval of the clinic after
listening to five hours of testimony. Board members said Viers failed
to provide any evidence that the clinic would increase crime or that
the board erred in approving it in 2002.

Alger said he doesn't fear the political fallout from the decision. He
called Viers' threats of political reprisals immature.

"I don't appreciate those kinds of threats from anybody, including a
state representative," Alger said. "We have rules to go by, and we
went by them. My term is up in the summer; and if he wants to fight to
get me off the board, he's free to do that."

Board member Stoney Cantor might have the most to lose from any
fallout. This week, Cantor announced his candidacy for Horry County
Council District 5, which includes Surfside Beach and Garden City.

Cantor said he voted his conscience. He said he hopes voters in
District 5 respect his decision.

"I did what I thought was right, and I feel good about it," he
said.

County Council members would not comment when asked whether they would
remove the board members who voted for the clinic or appoint someone
else when the board is up for reappointment.

At the start of Thursday's hearing, the board met behind closed doors
to receive legal advice from its attorney.

Board member Carl Franklin, the only board member to vote against the
clinic, said the board discussed the possibility that if it voted
against the clinic, the county would face a lawsuit.

But Franklin said the county will likely face a lawsuit anyway - from
its own residents.

"There's a strong possibility," Franklin said. "A lot of people were
upset. They could sue, or they may choose retaliation instead."