Several residents of Ravenna were present at the Ravenna City Council meeting Monday night to express their strong opposition to a homeless shelter on Main Street.
Gary McClanahan, who owns a business in Ravenna, said “it would be the most devastating thing that could happen to Main Street, Ravenna.”
Louis Officer agreed with him, saying patrons of a shelter would be hanging out in the park.
“They’d be drinking their booze, and tearing things up,” he said.
Councilwoman-elect Sharon Snowden referenced the number of homeless in the county that was quoted at the shelter planning meeting in November.
“I can’t see Ravenna being able to absorb that many people,” she said. She and other residents asked the council to create an ordinance to keep it from ever being put there.
Councilwoman Amy Crowe said she had spoken with Helping Hands Outreach Director Debbie Rison, who said the county has given the old youth center to the ministry to be used for an outreach program but not as a shelter.
Mayor Estine Tipton said it was her understanding that the Outreach wants to purchase property out in the county to build a place for domestic abuse victims.
Snowden said she too is in favor of helping the homeless as long as it is somewhere other than Main Street.
McClanahan pressed for an ordinance that would shut the door on a shelter being established on Main for good. He said he didn’t want it to be “grandfathered in,” so that the council could no longer prevent it.
Councilman James Richardson said he is opposed to one on Main Street as well, citing concerns that the park would be vandalized more than ever.
“We already have a problem with the park,” he said.
Officer said, “I don’t know how many shelters you’ve ever been to, but it’s not something you want downtown.”
One resident suggested that the old Hargett Elementary would be a good place, because it was built dormitory-style to house people.
Amy Crowe reminded everyone that there is a strategic planning session at Aldersgate on December 13 to discuss a potential shelter.
In other business, an amendment to the payroll was discussed. When Amy Crowe began to read a draft of a newly crafted amendment, William Van Cleve inserted, “You don’t have an ordinance, so you can’t amend it.”
Crowe asked why Van Cleve didn’t make the ordinance if he was so smart. To that, Van Cleve wondered why she needed to draw attention to herself by smarting off. From there, the meeting disintegrated into heated accusations and name-calling, and a couple of residents stormed out of the meeting.
As Mayor Tipton pounded her gavel in an attempt to regain control of the meeting, someone made a motion to create two ordinances, one to prevent the homeless shelter, and the other to create a payroll ordinance.
Another suggested using the prices that were included in the amendment, to which Van Cleve said “No.”
He said he thinks the Fire Chief makes too much money as a “volunteer,” to which Richardson said, “It’s not too much if your house is on fire.”
Earlier in the meeting, Bryan Kirby, project director for Phase 2 of the scattered-site housing project, read a resolution about a required asbestos and lead-based paint risk assessment. He said three firms had been contacted about doing the assessment, but Airsource Technology of Lexington was the only one to respond. He recommended them, noting that they also did the risk assessment for Phase 1 of the project.
He added that if the firm finds something, they will assess how much it would cost to remove it.
Kirby said house plans have “just now” been completed, and “we are a little bit behind.”
“We might get started [on the project] next month,” he said.
The financial report, police report and fire reports were approved, as well as the second reading of the ordinance to lower the insurance tax from ten percent to 12.5 percent.
In conclusion, Ravenna resident Larry Henry thanked “the two girls who stood out in 17-degree weather to collect money for Toys for Tots.”
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Ravenna says, No homeless shelter on Main
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