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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br />Monday, February 22, 2010 <br />7:00 o’clock p.m. <br />_________________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br /> Page 12 of 19 <br /> <br />(4. #10-3442 THE EMILY PROGRAM, 2180 NORTH SHORE DRIVE, Continued) <br /> <br />prisons called the Alpha House, which charges $125 a day. The Emily Program receives $1200. Dr. Miller <br />indicated a 10-bed inpatient residential facility is simply not economically feasible for most programs. <br /> <br />Dr. Miller stated in his opinion a number of the concerns raised by the neighbors will not occur. We all live <br />near alcoholics but we do not consider them to be horrible people where we have to lock our doors and be <br />afraid of them. Dr. Miller commented that in his view he is listening to a lot of irrational fears which simply <br />will not come to fruition. <br /> <br />Steinhafel commented that they heard resounding support for the program tonight and that the neighbors‟ <br />opposition is to the location. Steinhafel requested The Emily Program consider other alternative locations. <br /> <br />Dr. Miller stated they are constantly looking for sites and that they feel this location will meet their needs. <br /> <br />Dr. Croll stated she understands the residents‟ concerns and that she appreciates their support of The Emily <br />Program. The mismatch is that they are not an inpatient psychiatric facility. What The Emily Program is <br />proposing is a residential treatment program, and in order to be in a residential eating disorder treatment <br />program, you have to be located in a residential area. Dr. Croll stated they want a structure that will feel like a <br />home and not an office building. <br /> <br />Dr. Miller stated the square footage of the Hill School is 10,000 square feet. They are willing to consider any <br />space and are still looking at properties. If they find a space that will work, they will pursue it. Dr. Miller <br />commented that the “not in my back yard” is sad to hear from the residents and that he is not sure what the fear <br />is about eating disorders. <br /> <br />Dr. Croll indicated she runs all the educational programs for The Emily Program and that they would like to <br />change the residents‟ minds about how people with eating disorders are perceived. Dr. Croll stated she does <br />not want the residents to leave the meeting tonight thinking that people with eating disorders are psychotic. <br />Dr. Croll reiterated her appreciation of the residents‟ support of The Emily Program‟s charter and expressed a <br />hope that the residents will extend that support to treatment of these people. <br /> <br />Sam Marfield, 2455 North Shore Drive, commented that he loves this city and that it is a wonderful place to <br />live. Marfield noted that the people with The Emily Program do not know for certain that their real estate <br />values will not go down. Marfield pointed out that they have had two people get up and say that our real estate <br />values may go down and that it is likely they will not go up. Marfield questioned how Dr. Miller can say they <br />are afraid real estate values will go down. <br /> <br />Dr. Miller stated there is no evidence to support a decrease in property valuations and that it is all conjecture. <br />If your home was located next to a 50-bed psychiatric hospital, that might impact your valuations. There is no <br />evidence that having a 10-bed facility in the neighborhood will cause property values to decrease. <br /> <br />Dr. Croll noted they will be improving the building. <br /> <br />Marfield stated valuations are dependent on emotion and that it was the opinion of the real estate person that <br />property values may go down. <br /> <br />Dr. Miller asked why the houses in this neighborhood are not selling at the present time and questioned how <br />The Emily Program has influenced that. <br />Item #02 - CC Agenda - 03/08/2010 <br />Approval of Council Minutes 02/22/2010 <br />[Page 12 of 19]