An addiction recovery center will open in Concord.
The city’s zoning board unanimously granted Hope for New Hampshire Recovery permission to operate at 85 S. State St. In response to concerns from neighbors, the board also set restricted operating hours between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.
By way of introduction before the board Wednesday night, Cheryl Coletti-Lawson, chairwoman at Hope for New Hampshire Recovery, told a piece of her own story. She herself is in long-term recovery.
“I haven’t had to have a drink since Valentine’s Day 2012,” she said.
In the audience, nearly 50 people burst into loud applause. Many were dressed in purple, sporting Hope for New Hampshire Recovery stickers or holding signs that said, “Recovery Voices Count.”
In the midst of a spike in overdose deaths, the nonprofit started about two years ago to help people maintain their recovery from addiction to drugs or alcohol. In addition to Manchester and now Newport, Concord will be its third location. Hope for New Hampshire Recovery does not provide treatment or other medical services. Rather, Coletti-Lawson has said the organization is designed to connect people struggling with addiction and their families to available resources.
While community leaders have expressed support for Hope for New Hampshire Recovery’s move to Concord, some neighbors asked for more information.
Five people spoke in explicit support of Hope for New Hampshire Recovery at Wednesday’s meeting. Two near neighbors – one residence, one school – said they agreed with the need for recovery services, but asked for specific conditions to be placed on its day-to-day activities. An abutting lawyer outright opposed the center opening next door, saying it would overrun existing parking.
Representatives from CATCH Neighborhood Housing and Riverbend Community Mental Health, both abutters, spoke in support. Other people in favor included state Sen. Dan Feltes and Rep. Linda Kenison, who is also a Concord city councilor.
“Folks who are suffering from substance abuse disorder live in our community,” Feltes said. “They’re our friends. They’re our neighbors. They live in the South End already.”
Others agreed with Hope for New Hampshire Recovery’s cause, but asked for more details or assurances. Steve Donohue, principal of nearby St. John’s Regional School, worried about added foot traffic passing through the schoolyard. “My purpose is not really to say no to this project, but can we both live together?” Donohue said.
Annmarie Timmins and her husband, Will Delker, who live nearby on South State Street, asked for more details about the schedule of events at the center, as well as parking and coordination with emergency services. Timmins is a former Monitor reporter.
“I want you to hear my concerns and consider what restrictions you may be able to put in place that would allow something like Hope to be successful, but also respect the neighborhood feel of where I live,” she said to the zoning board.
Her testimony prompted the board to set restrictions on operating hours, and Coletti-Lawson produced for the zoning board a tentative schedule for the Concord location. The document shows recovery meetings and writing groups from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Hope for New Hampshire Recovery is allowed to operate on the weekends, but that schedule hasn’t been set yet.
“We’re a bunch of people struggling with substance abuse disorder,” Coletti-Lawson said, her voice heavy with emotion. “We are those people, and people in opposition are fear based.”
In an email after the meeting, Timmins said she is glad the board listened to her concerns about operating hours.
“But I’m no less clear on what the Concord site will offer or how it will respond to neighborhood concerns,” Timmins wrote. “Ms. Coletti-Lawson asked tonight that the neighborhood trust her to be a good neighbor. That trust will require a two-way conversation with neighbors and so far that hasn’t happened.”
After the meeting, Coletti-Lawson said she welcomed any neighbors or community members to call with questions or concerns. The center should be open within the next week.
“I’m feeling grateful,” Coletti-Lawson said. “That’s all I can say. Grateful that the community and the board is sensitive to the need.”
(Megan Doyle can be reached at 369-3321, mdoyle@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @megan_e_doyle.)