Eklutna Lake Road site of new addiction recovery center

EKLUTNA— Three organizations have come together to build an addiction recovery facility on Eklutna, Inc land at the lower end of Eklutna Lake Road.

The Ernie Turner Center - Recovery Journey Program will provide substance abuse treatment for individuals in all stages of recovery. Eklunta, Inc., Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC), and Cook Inlet Housing Authority (CIHA) are partnering the project as a continuum of the Ernie Turner Center in Anchorage after the current property at the corner of Tudor and Elmore was sold to Southcentral Foundation. That center will eventually operate under a different name.

A public open house was held Dec. 13 at the Eklutna Village Clinic where Curtis McQueen, the CEO of Eklunta, Inc. introduced the project that will retain the name of the original Ernie Turner Center.

Gloria O’Neill, president and CEO of CITC, explained that the Ernie Turner Center in Anchorage has been successful, but that there was still a high need for substance abuse assistance in the community. This concern started the partnership between CITC, CIHA and Eklunta, Inc. She said the partnership looked at six different sites and decided on the parcel on Eklutna Lake Road because of “it’s beauty, tranquility and related positive impacts on recovery.”

CITC presenter, Rebecca Ling, shared that the facility will be organized on tribal concepts; the house has a family chief and operates as a family. This is known as a therapeutic “Village of Care” model, a nationally recognized treatment method. According to a fact sheet provided by Michelle Ritter of DOWL, the company managing the project, the process will emphasize “peer led programming and interdependence anchored in traditional Alaska Native values.” However, the program will open to those with other backgrounds.

The new facility will have 16 beds for short and long-term care, served by 13 professional staff, including nurses, and the emphasis will be on inpatient treatment with no detox services. The Center will receive referrals through community partners offering those services. Staff will be on site and available for 24-hour care.

A “stringent” screening process of applicants will be conducted in order to match the program with individuals for successful outcomes. According to CITC, the similar program in the Anchorage Ernie Turner Center showed significantly higher success rates than national averages. The fact sheet reports that at six months, up to 86 percent of residential graduates report reduction in use and in harmful behaviors. In addition, 98 percent of individuals from the CITC program become gainfully employed after full graduation. The Anchorage program has a 20-year history.

Ritter explained that the proposed development requires a replat and a zoning map amendment to rezone the smaller area from Chugiak-Eagle River Low-Density Residential, Alpine Slope District with Special Limitations (CE-R-10 SL) to Chugiak-Eagle River Public Land and Institutions with a Special Limitation (CE-PLI SL) District. The development will also require a conditional use permit.

Attendees at the Dec. 13 meeting were invited to ask questions and share concerns. Dan Thompson, a member of the EVCC at the meeting, said that the attending public seemed generally open to the idea. “I was impressed that they (presenters) seemed really interested in the aspects of the local community. They were taking notes as we spoke with them.”

Some of the community concerns voiced at the open house included current road plowing limitations, septic and well system problems in the area and the amount of vehicle and foot traffic anticipated on the steep and windy road.

According to the presenters, they hope the project creates a haven for its residents so they will want to remain on site.

The project will go through the permitting process where the design team will work with the Municipality of Anchorage and the State of Alaska Department of Traffic and Public Facilities to determine the “most appropriate design mitigations” for the site and roadway. Road maintenance issues will be discussed during that process.

The presenters assured those in attendance at the open house that the Ernie Turner Center – Recovery Journey Center was not in any way connected with another concept, the “Vet Village.” The “Vet Village” project has not received the support of Eklutna, Inc, the landowner, nor the Native Village of Eklutna. According to those at the meeting, neither of the groups have been consulted by the proponents of the “Vet Village.”

One community member voiced a concern that the area where the Center will be built is currently used for dumping trash. The group all agreed that an added presence and additional lighting would help to deter the current problem and could help with safety in the area.

The site survey is complete. The next step will include geotechnical drilling on the site.

The next Eklutna Valley Community Council meeting is planned for January 2017 where is topic will be on the agenda. That date will be set by the EVCC.