Meeting held on group home

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

A lengthy informational meeting Tuesday evening apparently “surprised and disappointed” the executive director of two proposed group homes for children with emotional problems. Larry Morrisett, who will oversee Camelot of Virginia’s residential group home in Wytheville and another in the eastern end of Wythe County, expressed his feelings in a statement Wednesday morning.
“We are extremely surprised and disappointed by the negative response voiced by community members and leaders about placement of a group home for children with mental, behavioral and emotional illnesses within the community,” Morrisett said in the release. “The safety and well-being of children in our care is paramount and given the outright hostility voiced at yesterday’s (Tuesday) meeting, we will now be internally addressing this issue to make the best decision for all those involved.”
He could not be reached for direct comment about plans to continue with the residential group home on East Lee Highway, which was the subject of the meeting. Morrisett said the Monroe Street home will open within the next two weeks.
Tuesday evening’s meeting at the fellowship hall of Draper Valley Pentecostal Holiness Church drew approximately 80 residents of the eastern end of the county. It was a continuation of the Wythe County Board of Supervisors’ morning session.
The entire board, county administrator and board secretary attended. Sheriff Doug King also was present.
“I felt like it was a good meeting,” said Charlie Shupe, who lives just across East Lee Highway from the proposed site of the residential group home. “I think the people showed their frustration about how Camelot sneaked this into our community. I felt like the Board of Supervisors was interested in what we had to say.”
Don Gridley, who also lives near the proposed group home, said Wednesday morning, “I thought we had a really good turnout in opposition to Camelot. Overall, the meeting turned out pretty good.”
He also expressed optimism a wastewater issue would deter the property owner from pursuing plans to continue with the project. The county, Gridley said, doesn’t provide sewer to the area of the proposed home.
“I do not feel it’s a lost cause,” Gridley added. “Our attorney and the county’s attorney are redoing some of the wording in the county’s proposed ordinance to regulate such homes.”
In a statement issued Wednesday morning, Barry Catron of Catron Properties LLC of Wytheville, whose company is leasing the site to Camelot of Virginia, said, “I attended Tuesday night’s meeting with Camelot Schools to hear the communities’ concerns and I was surprised at the outpouring of opposition. From day one working with Camelot, I have had only great experiences and have been so impressed with their work with children.
“Anyone who truly knows me knows that my extra time is spent dedicated to my own children and the children of this community. I still think having our children being able to stay in the community rather than being sent away to work out their problems is a good thing. To have individuals make statements about me and my character without ever talking to me about these issues is truly disappointing.”
Catron and his company came under fire again at Tuesday night’s meeting. They’re being accused by residents in the area of the proposed residential group home of being more interested in money from the property lease to Camelot of Virginia than the welfare of the community.
Catron Properties LLC also owns the site of another proposed residential group home in Wytheville. The company has already leased both properties to Camelot of Virginia.
William Sampson, a West Lee Highway resident, asked if the property owner lived in the community where the home is proposed. He also inquired of Morrisett if Camelot looked at more accessible properties.
“I don’t know,” Morrisett said of Catron’s residency. “He lives in Wythe County.”
Morrisett said Camelot did look at other properties but chose the West Lee Highway spot because of its proximity to the newly opened Camelot School in Pulaski and its relation to the Interstate 81 corridor.
A major complaint of residents was echoed several times during Tuesday’s informational meeting. In fact, it was the reason for the meeting.
“Why did you have to sneak into our neighborhood without people knowing about it?” was Shupe’s question to Morrisett.
Morrisett replied, “I don’t feel like it was done that way. It was certainly not our intent.”
Earlier in the meeting, Morrisett explained that Camelot representatives met with local school officials, department of social services personnel and mental health agencies in August. He said they discussed the serious lack of local foster homes and mental health care for youth.
Because Camelot of Virginia is a for-profit business, it does not have to advertise its intents. The residential group home isn’t governed by the town or county.
News of the two proposed residential group homes circulated widely after a Sept. 11 article appeared in the Wytheville Enterprise. The news story was a result of Shupe’s concerns about the proposed group home.
Concerned citizens from the East Lee Highway community approached the Board of Supervisors the following week asking for more information on the group homes. They were told by the board that it had no specifics about the proposal but would arrange a meeting with Camelot of Virginia to learn more about it.
Tuesday evening, Morrisett presented an overview of the proposed homes. According to him, both will house eight boys each from Wythe County, ages 12 to 17, on a 24-hour per day, seven days a week basis with the exception of school hours.
The homes, he noted, will be monitored by an around-the-clock awake staff. They will not house violent juvenile delinquents or juveniles requiring placement in a juvenile justice facility, juveniles requiring sex offender treatment or juveniles with fire setting behaviors, Morrisett said.
He pointed out that group homes are licensed by the Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services. The group homes must pass mandatory building inspection and other pre-licensure requirements, according to him.
The meeting was recessed by board Chairman Wythe B. “Bucky” Sharitz until 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 29. At that time, the supervisors will conduct a public hearing to consider adopting a Juvenile & Adult Facilities Ordinance.
The proposed ordinance will require an applicant to provide public notice and attend a public hearing regarding the applicant’s plans to establish such a facility. It also requires any such facility to provide a new wastewater disposal system that meets the current design standards and regulations to serve the residents of the facility or to demonstrate that the existing system has adequate capacity to meet the projected discharge.
According to the proposal, the wastewater disposal system can’t be within 1,000 feet of any public or private well that could impact the underground water source. The ordinance is to protect the health and safety of the existing residences.
Following the Oct. 29 public hearing, the Board of Supervisors is expected to adopt the ordinance which would become effective Tuesday, Oct. 30, at 12:01 a.m.
“Sadly, the powerful stigma associated with mental illness continues to color public sentiment and create unnecessary fear that stands in the way of children getting the care and treatment they need,” Morrisett remarked in his prepared statement Wednesday. “These are children who have been misunderstood by the community and their peers for most of their lives. These are your children, members of your community and our goal was to give them a place close to home, close to their moms, dads and the people they love. It is shocking that some members of the community and its leaders would show such an outpouring of anger instead of hope and compassion.”
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or .