Counseling center in Wharton considered
The Wharton Township zoning hearing board is considering a petition to grant a special exception for a live-in counseling center for people recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. A carriage house on Workman Road would be remodeled into the Cedar Valley Wellness Center if the ZHB grants the special exception, said attorney Gary Frankhouser, who represents a group that would own and operate the facility.
A special exception is needed to open the center at the proposed site, which is zoned for agricultural use, he said.
The ZHB conducted a hearing on the request last week and has 45 days to issue a decision.
Board member Charles Gentile said a hearing was held, but referred questions about the petition to Frankhouser.
No drugs would be dispensed at the center and it would house no more than 12 clients, Frankhouser said.
The treatment provided would be counseling to help people who have already gone through drug and alcohol rehabilitation reconnect with their families and help them find jobs, he said.
“To become productive members of society,” Frankhouser said.
Clients would voluntarily stay for days or months, but would not be allowed to have their own vehicles at the center, he said.
The staff of up to five would drive them if they need a ride somewhere or want to leave, and there would one person working as an overnight monitor, Frankhouser said.
Clients would not be locked in as they would in a secure facility, he said.
He explained that the carriage house already has a two-bedroom apartment and it would be remodeled to add two more bedrooms.
George and Caroline Rigg own the property.
They have a sales agreement with Ricky Perrotta of Uniontown and Gregory Mancini and Anthony Machi, two businessmen from Pittsburgh, who would own and operate the center, according to Frankhouser.
The agreement is pending the ZHB’s approval of the special exception, Frankhouser explained.
He also explained that a number of residents attended the ZHB hearing and spoke out against granting the exception.