SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. -
The South Burlington Development Review Board will soon decide whether a permit needed to open a methadone clinic should stand.
That clinic is controversial because it is close to two South Burlington schools.
The Howard Center, which will run the clinic, defends the plan and tried to address safety concerns from the South Burlington School Board and parents.
Howard Center director of mental health Bob Bick says safety is an issue for them too and the clinic will have security staff.
"Individuals who can walk outside the space. Could be walking in the parking lot. Could be walking around. Generally to be sure there are no incidents," says Bick.
The Howard Center says crime should not be a problem and UVM professor Dr. Eleanor Miller agreed. She pointed to a study of areas around methadone clinics.
"The crime rate stays the same. In some instances, it seems to go down," says Miller.
The Center needs a permit to fix office space to be ready for the clinic to open. The school board argues the permit was not issued correctly.
While the Howard Center defended the permit it needs to work on the office space, the school district's attorney Pietro Lynn says there were mistakes in the permit application process.
"For that reason it should be sent back to the beginning," says Lynn.
On Tuesday, the review board just wanted to hear from everyone involved. Once it closes public comments, it has 45 days to decide whether the permit will stand.
