Residents who live in one of Magee’s premiere neighborhoods are upset over the establishment of an alcohol and drug recovery residential facility as a neighbor.
Renee O’Cain, spokesperson for the group that appeared before the Magee Board of Aldermen last week, stated that she has experience working with rehab centers and that alcohol and drug addictions do not qualify as debilitating illnesses and do not qualify in the same way as other facilities that fall under the American Disabilities Act. It is considered discrimination to refuse a permit to locate a facility serving individuals covered by the ADA.
The owner of the property being planned for a rehab center is identified as Steven Tullos. According to O’Cain, the rehab center developers consider themselves the same type of facility as Boswell Rehabilitation Center, which has group homes in the community. O’Cain protested that drug and alcohol rehab centers do not qualify because addictions do not qualify as disabilities.
Brent Walker, a member of the group, chastised the board for allowing the facility to be located in a residential neighborhood. He stated that he had served several years on the planning commission as well as the zoning committee.
Mayor Dale Berry told the group that they needed to follow proper procedure to file an objection through the Zoning Committee and that the city attorney would assist in the matter. While construction has been reported as started, no permits have been issued from the city for construction and or renovation.
According to law, drug and alcohol facilities must provide evidence of compliance with local zoning ordinances and building codes and have certification of public liability insurance. It is not clear whether the City of Magee has codes that would determine the location of a substance rehab facility.
Zoning Administrator Darnell Moffett agreed to set up a meeting with the Zoning Committee and interested parties from the neighborhood in southwest Magee.
In other business, Mayor Berry expressed his concern about the city’s relationship with Barge Contracting, a consulting firm that works with the Magee Airport. He said the issue has to do with federal funds available to deal with Covid. A grant of over $200,000 from those funds finally came through after it was reported as approved. Now the city has spent an additional $22,000 and has run into problems with the funding for that amount. According to City Clerk Jon Styron, the city will re-file for the funding.
The board then heard from Anna Rushing regarding the Magee Police Department’s treatment of her son and grandson. According to Rushing, the two were stopped at 3:30 a.m. because of non-working tail light and an expired tag on his vehicle. Rushing’s son David Rushing was immediately accused of being a “meth-head,” she said, for being out at that time of the night. The officer asked to search the vehicle and Rushing refused but did allow a canine to search the vehicle. One of the officers opened the boat cooler without permission only to find chicken livers.
Rushing met with the mayor and asked to see film footage of the stop and was told there was none. Magee Police Chief Shane Little was present for the meeting and said that referring to someone as a “meth-head” is a strategy to gather information.
It was also reported that video of the stop was made despite claims that it wasn’t. Rushing’s grandson was also in the vehicle and said he doesn’t feel safe coming to Magee. One of the officers at the scene stated that in the old days the police would just have taken him to jail and then searched the vehicle. Rushing said if the matter is not addressed she will hire an attorney to deal with it.
It was reported that Roma Windham had tendered her resignation from the Zoning Committee. She was appointed by Alderman Matthew Hickman and he will be making another appointment.
Malinda Green, a local community activist, reported to the board that she has a volunteer to paint the jail and repair the bathroom. The board agreed to accept the offer of assistance.
Jimmy Zila, parks director, reported that several tournaments are occurring at the Sportsplex. He also said the splash pad there is down because a tub that provides chlorine is broken and it will take two weeks to get a new one.
Ashley Steele, airport manager, reported that a sump pump was required for the Jet A fuel needed at the airport. The board approved the $22,371.91 costs because it had been approved when the initial grant funding and applications were made.
Phillip Magee, city building inspector, requested that anyone who plans to build or do demolition on their property should come by and get city permitting. He said that while there may not be a fee the city needs a record of what construction is occurring within the city limits. He said if there are questions he would be happy to answer if the resident will contact city hall.
