County turns down treatment facility’s zoning change request
By Neal A. Shipman
Farmer Editor
Summit Counseling’s plan to convert a 17,000 square foot building located on 20 acres of land southwest of Alexander into a 16-bed alcohol and drug treatment center was dealt its third, and final, denial on Tuesday, July 24, by the McKenzie County Board of County Commissioners.
Following very emotional exchanges between proponents and opponents of the project, as well as the commissioners themselves, the board voted 3-2 to deny Summit Counseling’s Planned Unit Development. The commissioners’ denial follows a June 28 rejection by the Alex Township and a July 9 denial by the McKenzie County Planning and Zoning Commission.
Commissioners voting in favor of the denial were Kathy Skarda, Tom McCabe and Vawinita Best, while Doug Nordby and Gene Veeder voted in opposition to the denial.
“I’m obviously very disappointed,” stated George Owen of Summit Counseling on the vote. “I feel a little misled. We thought we had the support of the community, but obviously we don’t.”
While everyone in the room was in agreement that western North Dakota could use a drug and alcohol treatment facility such as the one that Summit Counseling was proposing, the main objection seemed to be the location that was being proposed.
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