A proposal for an in-patient drug and alcohol rehab facility at Dutzow met with strong objections from many nearby residents who envision a number of problems arising if approval is granted.The residents fear the facility could cause criminal activity in the area to climb, and property values to plummet, while increasing the number of emergency calls handled by first responders.The proposal also drew a challenge from one Warren County Planning and Zoning Commission member who asked the applicants to delay their request until a more defined plan could be presented.Catholic Camps of America/Rocky-vine, which owns 130 acres at 10454 Voelkerding Road, off Highway TT, is seeking the permit to allow Summit Behavioral Health Care to lease a residential building on the campus to be used as the 24-hour rehab treatment facility for those 18 and older addicted to drugs and alcohol.A nonprofit group, Catholic Camps of America, has owned the property for the past 13 years, according to trustee Patrick Barron. The property is zoned agricultural.The Warren County Planning and Zoning Commission tabled a decision on the permit request at its Dec. 17 meeting, a move that is standard for a proposal when it’s first presented. The board meets again at 7 p.m. Jan. 21 and is expected to make a decision at that time.Also at the Dec. 17 meeting, the P&Z board voted unanimously to allow for more public comments to be made if new information is presented by the applicants at the next meeting. An earlier motion made by board member Rebecca Herbst for a more detailed plan to be prepared died for a lack of a second.“I have a huge problem with this,” Herbst remarked. “There are not enough answers to enough questions. You don’t know what you’re doing. I think you need to get things more locked down and come back to us.”Dr. Tim Dalaviras, CEO of Summit Behavioral Health Care, attended last month’s meeting with Barron and stated the company expects to admit no more than 30 to 35 patients at one time and that 30 to 40 people would be employed. He indicated approximately eight employees would work during the daytime, with the number of on-duty personnel dropping to two or three in the evening, depending on the number of patients.He said patients are admitted on a voluntary basis and can leave at any time. Most of the patients would be dropped off and not have access to a vehicle. The average length of stay for a patient would likely be three to four weeks, Dalaviras said. Only minor medical procedures, such as blood draws and urine drug screens, would be performed at the facility.Obtaining the county permit was the first step prior to seeking state approval to open.“If we don’t do it right, we don’t open,” Dalaviras said.The proposal drew criticism when it was acknowledged youth camps would still be held on the campus property with both entities using the same dining facility. Barron indicated meals could be scheduled to keep youth and adults from sharing the space at the same time, but no definite procedures were outlined.Barron said the rehab facility’s lease would provide a revenue enhancement to continue the youth camps. In the past 13 years, between 24,000 to 26,000 youth have visited the property, Barron claimed.“We work with kids and some college groups,” Barron commented. “That is addressing spiritual needs. I saw this as addressing a physical need.”Still, nearby residents remained skeptical.One speaker recalled how a vehicle was stolen from her garage years ago and others alleged that trespassing was a regular occurrence from those who visit and stay on the campus.A representative of Whitegate Montessori School said they have concerns about the rehab facility opening, while Tim Maune, a firefighter with the Marthasville Volunteer Fire Department, said an increase in emergency calls could overload first responders.“We absolutely struggle to handle the calls we have now,” Maune said.Mary Ruether added: “If I was parent of a child sent to this camp and found out about this drug and alcohol rehab, my child wouldn’t go there.”

Pictured above is the entrance to Rockyvine, a 130-acre campus in Dutzow that hosts youth camps throughout the year. The property owners are seeking a conditional use permit to allow an in-patient rehab facility to operate on the campus.