City says no to halfway house center
El Centro City Council unanimously voted against a proposed halfway house project after listening to dozens from the community who opposed the project.
“Where the local business people attending the meeting voiced concerns against this facility being built here because of their businesses,” Peter Rodriguez said.
The council chambers were crowded with people who raised their hands in opposition to the project which was to be built near downtown.
“With the issues that we have already with drugs and gangs and violence and theft, and dangle it in front of someone who’s trying to better their life? I just think it needs to be elsewhere,” Jessica Solorio said.
The project was proposed by Behavioral Systems Southwest Inc. It was to be a 55-bed re-entry center at Olive and 4 th Avenue. It would house offenders convicted of federal crimes on their last six months of sentence.
“It’s really close to the Methadone Clinic, plus a dance studio be two blocks west of us with kids. They are talking now possible level one sex offender,” Rodriguez said.
BSS officials said their center would bring money and create jobs. Local merchants rejected that. They said the center would actually lose jobs and possibly deter new economic development in the area by scaring away investors. The District Attorney’s Office said they’re against it, as well.
“We already have enough problems as it is. We don’t need additional problems in the City of El Centro for the businesses and for the safety of our children,” Rodriguez said.
At the council meeting only one person was in support of the project: the owner of the property. The majority wanted the project built somewhere else.
“On the outskirts of the city where they’re nowhere near where families are going to be there; nowhere near a school or a housing development or anything,” Monica McCain said.
“They should build it next to the county jail on the empty land right there. It would be monitored. If they violate they go quickly to jail,” Rodriguez said.
