'~'--"---tea.

Brook Creek Neighborhood Association

Kirsten Roussel, President
Mail Address: 1944 Miller Drive (66046)
Telephone: 785/ 841-4997
e-mail: brookcreek@msn.com; KARoussel@aol.com

November 24, 2003

Commissioner Kenneth Baillie

Salvation Army Central Territory Commander 10 West Algonquin Rd.

Des Plaines, IL 60016

Dear Sir,

Representatives from the Salvation Army (SA) in Lawrence and its local Board attended a meeting of the Brook Creek Neighborhood Association (BCNA) on November 12 of this year. The Army representatives were invited as a way to share information and concerns about a proposed new facility to be located within the BCNA area. I would like to share with you some of our specific concerns and express our strong opposition to the location of the new Salvation Army facility at the location being considered.

1. The proposed location is approximately 1.5 miles from the current service facility.

Safe continuous sidewalks do not exist along the streets between the two locations.

The representatives who attended our meeting did not have any proposals to

address getting clients to and from the new facility in a safe manner.

2. This safety concern extends to the residents (both commercial, industrial, and residential) surrounding the proposed facility location. The areas between the current location and the proposed location are primarily residential. There is great concern for the safety of persons and property along any pedestrian route to the new facility. Without an enforceable plan by the SA for transportation of clients, there will likely be increased trespassing and potential for vandalism of property.

3. The proposed location is within three blocks of an early childhood education center, two blocks from the Boys and Girls Club, and less than one block from two different park and playground areas. We are concerned about endangerment of children who use these facilities by unstable persons who are seeking services at the SA. We are not categorizing all homeless persons as unstable, but it only takes one to cause a real problem.

4. Other day service centers for homeless persons are located in the downtown

Lawrence area — approximately 1.5 miles from the proposed location. Again, the

issue of transportation or means of moving clients between service facilities in

order to address safety of everyone was not addressed.

5. The current SA policy is to feed any persons who arrive for meals. There is no requirement for participating in the program (social/job rehabilitation) as there is

for remaining in the shelter. This will lead to increased traffic of persons during the day at the lunch hour – which is the same time as the morning/afternoon sessions shift at the pre-school. The SA estimates it serves 50-60 people at meal times.

6. As an adjunct to #5, persons who arrive intoxicated or under the influence of illegal drugs are not allowed to stay in the emergency shelter. This means that persons who arrive for the evening meal who fail this requirement will be turned away into the surrounding neighborhood to fmd their own shelter for the night. There are several wooded areas surrounding the proposed location as well as several parks and playgrounds. There is concern that those who are denied shelter or choose not to stay for the night will seek shelter within the neighborhood. Again this goes back to the trespass and vandalism concerns as well as safety concerns for the homeless who are out-of-doors at night.

7. We believe that placement of the new facility at the proposed location will decrease the property values of the surrounding residences. There is also concern that those properties will become undesirable and unsaleable.

8. There are continuing concerns about the additional storm water run-off that will be generated by a facility of the size proposed. The areas to the North of the proposed location that are along the Burroughs Creek drainage area and into the Brook Creek drainage area already experience significant flooding during heavy rainfall. New construction in this area will require retention ponds to address some of this, but these retention systems require long-term maintenance in order to function properly. Our experience in other situations is that this is not done and downstream flooding worsens.

9. The proposed facility includes duplication or triplication of some of the services

already offered in the area. There are two other services that also have food banks;

there is a gymnasium available for activities at the pre-school and at the East

Lawrence Recreation Center.

10. There is an issue about the creation of a general nuisance environment in the neighborhood as SA clients fmd their way to and from the SA facility.

We met with SA Board representatives and Lt. Schuetz, then Lawrence Director, two years ago when another location 3 blocks to the north of the current location was being considered. At that time, we shared essentially the same concerns as listed above. The new location does not remove any of the concerns that we had two years ago. In our first meeting with Mr. Forney, he apologized for the treatment of our neighborhood by the Salvation Army in the process two years ago. Quite frankly, Lt. Schuetz was much more forthright and open about the Salvation Army plans than we have found Mr. Forney.

We were deeply disappointed that Mr. Forney and the Board representatives did not address any of our specific concerns at our neighborhood meeting. Their visit to our neighborhood appeared as a public relations move to be able to say they met with neighborhoods rather than any genuine attempt to address our concerns. We feel the Salvation Army is not meeting its responsibility as a good community member in its failure to specifically address our neighborhood concerns – even after two years. It was difficult to get a straight answer about anything from the SA representatives – even to get the name or

location of the office that has the fmal say about building the new facility. We have appointed a member of our neighborhood association to serve on the facility construction committee, at the request and invitation of Mr. Forney. We are uncertain as to the role of this committee, as the location seemed to be fmal and the SA itself needs to determine its policies and programs.

In summary, the Brook Creek Neighborhood Association is strongly opposed to the location of the new Lawrence Salvation Army facility at the proposed location of Homewood Ave and Haskell Ave. This is not a good location for a new facility. There are significant safety concerns for both the surrounding residents and businesses as well as safety concerns for the clients of the Salvation Army. The Lawrence Salvation Army needs to keep looking for a more suitable location.

Kirsten Roussel, President

Beth Ann Mansur, Vice-President Doug Miller, Secretary

Susan Miller, Treasurer

Brook Creek Neighborhood Association

cc: Divisional Commander, Lt. Colonel Dahlberg Lawrence Salvation Army Director, Rich Forney