LAFAYETTE PARISH — Follow the story:
- Proposal for new mental health facility raises questions.
- 'Why here?': Residents strongly oppose new mental health facility proposal.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
(NAT OF DOOR)
TUESDAY NIGHT, THE DOORS OPENED TO DISCUSSION.
"Would you like to have that in your neighborhood? 'Well, maybe not.' Well then how could you say that it would be good in somebody else's neighborhood?"
22 PEOPLE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING. MOST OF WHOM, ARE AGAINST THE IDEA OF PUTTING A MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
"There's some momentum building now, and something like this would probably put the lid on it."
"The downsides are anything but hypothetical, they're very real and I see them everyday."
THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE PROPOSAL WORKED TO DISPEL RUMORS ABOUT HOW THE FACILITY WOULD EFFECT THE COMMUNITY.
"We're not a sober home, we're not a jail, we're not a public pharmacy, we're not a homeless shelter."
"The developers are obviously planning on spending a substantial amount of dollars in the facility."
BUT AFTER MORE THAN AN HOUR OF DEBATE...
"But when you guys go home, guess what...you don't see what they see, especially after 5 o'clock; I do."
THE COUNCIL DECIDED NOT TO REZONE THE FORMER J WALLACE JAMES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. SO FOR NOW, THE DOORS HAVE CLOSED ON THE PROPOSED MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY.
(NAT OF DOOR)
IN LAFAYETTE. ANNA FISCHER. KATC. TV3.
