Group home meeting set

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

A group home for juveniles with emotional problems has raised questions among the residents of eastern Wythe County where the proposed site is located. A representative from Camelot of Virginia, which will manage the residential treatment center, will answer them at an informational meeting Tuesday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m. in the fellowship hall of the Draper Valley Pentecostal Holiness Church.
The Wythe County Board of Supervisors has called the meeting to find out more about the operation for itself. The board heard an appeal from several concerned citizens last month and promised them additional information.
At the supervisors’ meeting, the group of East Lee Highway area residents expressed frustration that no advanced notice had been given by the private company planning to bring the group home into the residential community. One of the group’s main concerns is the type of emotional disorders the children might have.
According to Camelot’s Web site, the treatment centers are specifically tailored for children and adolescents up to age 17. They take youth suffering from complex autism, cerebral palsy, substance abuse, significant psychiatric impairments, sexual behavior problems, physical or verbal aggression, self-harm/cutting and other afflictions.
Supervisor Lisa R. Eaton pointed out that state law says any group home with eight or less children is considered a residential facility, limiting the county’s power to restrict location.
A lack of zoning in the county also allows the residential treatment center to locate in the community.
The Tennessee-based company plans to lease a house near the campus of Breckbill Bible College from Catron Properties LLC of Wytheville. It has opened a similar center on Monroe Street in Wytheville. 
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or .