Administration, as well as the Department of Drug and Alcohol Licensing. It's really directly in
response to some of the statements made by experts brought by the applicant, you know,
statements like there are no 3.1 facilities in Philadelphia. This is research performed over
eight or so months um which gives me the feeling that the same amount of research and um seriousness
was not given by the applicant and so that's what I'd like to go through and also to assert that
the people that Mr. Masters represents do not oppose substance use disorder treatment centers
and it's very specific to this applicant this site um and that's what I'd like to go through
okay all right so the next slide um tell us what we are looking at with the next slide
sure so i felt it's necessary to tell a little bit about myself since from the very first rco
meeting on this matter neighbors have been questioned as if we're under review for this
application questions like who here has lived here longer than 10 years why have i never seen
you at an rco zoning matter before even though i joined and volunteered with the rco for six months
leading up to this project, I still could not get a straight answer on the RCO or applicant
on what valid experience they have to warrant this application before the community and
community and the zoning board asking for 56-bed 3.1 facility. I volunteered with the RCO because
the zoning board asking for 56-bed 3.1 facility.
I needed community and support after a second shooting occurred in front of my house. However,
the RCO is not the center of the universe, and having worked with neighbors on this matter for
months, it's insulting the way that the RCO and applicant have tried to invalidate the numerous
people who enrich the community in ways beyond the scope of the RCO. So that is that slide,
uh steve if we could just quickly um and to be clear i had in no way would i spend months
researching this project speaking with people in the community out of a fear of and bias of
people undergoing said treatment i voiced reasonable and clear concerns regarding this
specific applicant project community this zoning hearing is the only chance this community has to
express concerns about this project. There is no other procedure during licensure which
is open to public comment. The concerns are and always have been concerns with project size and
scope, applicants experience in sub treatment facilities, applicants practices throughout
the process, and the community's ability to absorb any failures and missteps by the applicant in
their operations. I have serious reservations about the RCO's due diligence in supporting
this project especially considering the neighbors concerns they um the actions appear biased towards
the developer and their approval rationale simply stating cba a cba from which the community and
neighbors were blocked from participating in razors further concerns the rco board threatened
residents like myself with legal action for asking normal questions related to this zoning procedure
and they attempted to cancel a meeting the community organized with the developer to get
additional clarity on the project. The absence of RCO elections in October of 2023, as required
in our RCO bylaws, adds to my apprehension regarding this matter before the ZBA. So I'd
like to just talk a little bit about what due diligence looks like, what I would have liked
to have had acknowledged by the applicant, the RCO, as we went through this process, acknowledging
United States Substance Use and Mental Health Service Administration in 2020 said 60% of
for-profit sub-facilities are not this large. They have fewer than 15 clients, 60% of them.
And then, Steve, if you could go to the next slide.
Acknowledging that most inpatient non-hospital facilities in Philadelphia are not this large.
The Department of Drug and Alcohol Licensing in the state of Pennsylvania, as of early 2024,
when this was pulled, we have 32 treatment centers, non-hospital, inpatient in Philadelphia.
Only five of those are over 50 beds. And if we could go to the next slide.
Acknowledging that for-profit status matters. So in 2024, the New Jersey State Commission,
other states have come to similar findings. Profits drive abuse in this industry. The
Commission's in-depth investigation into recovery industry revealed unchecked abuses by so-called
professionals, owners, and operators of addiction-related businesses who routinely engage in
corrupt practices that were more about making profits and promoting their own interests
and less about getting their clients clean and sober. Fraud, unethical conduct, and wrong.
So I think, Steve, I don't want to talk about general. Let's talk about this project here
and not like this general people committed crimes
in other places.
Well, I know, but I understand,
but I want to try to let her get back to the here,
where we are today.
So, Messini, can you, why are you talking
about for-profit, the problems of for-profit facilities?
How does that relate to this project?
Objection, right.
What are her implications?
Let's see if she can answer that.
So Michael Daly thought it was wise in January of this year to, while he was presenting this application to a community with above average poverty rate to be interviewed by Food & Wine about his time on yachts with billionaires.
He has introduced his daughter Bridget Daly as a leadership role in operations of this facility without providing any experience to support that.
The applicant has used SUD residents as unpaid pawns in the RCO CBA negotiations to provide unpaid labor to specific non-RCO organizations, which could be worth thousands of dollars if we're talking about full-time people being unpaid.
RCO and applicant discussed specific non-RCO organizations.
Bridget Daly in the 410 CBA hearing said businesses in the area, a kitchen and corner store not too far from the last community meeting.
so they've already discussed who that will be and then most shocking of all the late introduction of
So they've already discussed who that will be.
And then most shocking of all, the late introduction of Chris Devaney, former Chief Operations Officer of Community Connections, as Interim Director of Operations, who I guess would be training Bridget Daly in how to operate a facility.
And this is how investigators in the $15 million DOJ settlement described this program.
So, so, so.
Improperability.
Listen to me, listen to me.
So what she's saying here is she objects, am I right, to the person who was named as the interim head?
is that he's objecting to the lack of experience of literally every single person in the team
then that was gone over by our expert but there's but um but specifically um miss missini what
i'm sorry i didn't ask where you live and what your profession is i'm within the 250 foot um
radius my my profession is it analyst and as a in your professional career do you engage in
online research and online searching for for various uh various causes or various absolutely
when it comes to what i'm supposed to be an expert in um it's very important for me to do
research of all types and say you know on top of constantly changing um information around
and i and i i appreciate that but we want to just concentrate on more street um so we're looking at
some some images now of do these have have what's the what's what are we looking at in these photos
and what's the relevance to this project so these are shootings in 2020 2021 all within the vicinity
of my home and the so so so so we're not going to let that in Steve I mean I understand she's saying
there's issues in the neighborhood but i i think i think shootings four years ago may not be
relevant and i understand she's affected by it but we can't do all this we have we have more
recent ones mr sheriff okay right within within the past year um we have had shootings and what
what i'm trying to communicate is that we are spread thin as a community we cannot you know
be able to come to this applicant and handle every single misstep that they do, especially
with the amount of money coming behind this applicant. There is too much on our plates right
now. And they have not done, they haven't shown any effort, any research to warrant the size of
this just extremely large project. All right. So why don't, why don't we move on in your
presentation okay i i can conclude at this point um what does due diligence look like uh to close
i wanted nothing more than to walk into the february rco zoning meeting and hear from an
applicant like our expert michael hurl who described his decades of experience and successful
sud programs so i could support this rco and this project instead i got michael daly who could only
tell us that he was a quaker when we asked for his sud experience instead i saw the rco run
interference for this application applicant as we ask for information. As a result, I urge you to
consider the applicant's lack of said experience, the series of inappropriate experts they paraded
before us, as well as their legal team's actions throughout this process, dehumanizing near
neighbors with accusations of not being part of this community. I urge you to deny the special
exception for group living at any capacity, so thank you for your time. Hold it, hold it, hold it,
Hold it. Are you done with with her, Mr. Masters? I believe so. Yes. All right. Darwin, do you have any questions?
Yeah. How do you pronounce your last name? Sini? Correct. Yeah. Your last one among your last statements, you said you didn't like what the legal team has done.
Have I done something to you? Yes. And some of the first zoning hearings, if you go back to listen to recordings,
you said supposed members of the community and a lot of other insinuations that we are not real
people that we are you know no I never said you were not real people it was the insinuation but
oh so you insinuated that I made an accusation okay so are you familiar okay
Are you familiar with Horizon House?
I think it did come up in the list of, but as far as familiar, absolutely not.
This is not my background and expertise.
Are you familiar that they have locations in your neighborhood?
No, because I'm not familiar with them and I would not be opposed to small groups that have experience at all.
In your research, did it ever occur to you to look for possibilities, what might be?
to look for possibilities, what might be close to you, or if not, at least.
I'm not concerned about ones that are operating close to me because the assumption is that there
was due diligence performed there, and I don't need to worry about that.
That's from the New Jersey Commission to discuss and bring here. I was just curious if you would
just do the simple research to figure out what other uses or similar uses might be in your name.
No, and certainly there are no 3.1s and certainly none of 56.
Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Masters, your next witness, please.
My next witness is Derek Ayers.
Do we have a proffer, please?
He has a letter that's in our exhibit binder.
Hello. Hi. Derek, could you please state your name and spell for the court stenographer?
My name is Derek Ayres, spelled D-E-R-E-K-A-Y-R-E-S.
You swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Yes, I do. Mr. Ayres, are you a neighbor?
Yes, I'm a near neighbor. I'm within 50 to 100 feet of the front door.
Sure. Please proceed, Mr. Masters.
Can Mr. Ayres be given his video?
Derek Ayres will be coming in as a panelist.
Hello.
Hi. Good afternoon, Mr. Ayres.
you live at 529 Moore Street is that correct yes I do I live at 529 Moore okay and how long have
you lived in the neighborhood I've lived here for 12 years what are the major points that you have
that are concerning you about this project yeah I don't want to be redundant with anything that's
gone before so mine is not necessarily statute based I happen to be the father of a young
daughter. And I'm also speaking on concerns of other parents on the block. Our concerns have to
do with the fact that this is a neophyte facility. It is massive. It's a transient population that's
being proposed. And we are speaking out on behalf of the people who can't speak out, which is for
our children. We would assume, of course, that there are attendant issues associated with patients
of this type. And we are very concerned that this facility is so very close to such a densely
populated area that has seemingly kids at every other house that like to play on the street.
That's our main concern. I feel like it's sort of a giant in the room of what's stressing out
a lot of the parents on the block. How old are your children? I have a nine-year-old daughter.
okay and then um close to you are there other children that your daughter plays with on the
block absolutely we have a there's a two children next door that are that are small but are play
age they have by we just gifted them a bicycle across the street there are two sisters that are
seven and ten there are other children on both sides of the street going all the way down in
front of the facility well i'd also like to say uh in terms of being active in my community i
started a I am party to a community garden that's directly located right across the street from this
facility and my wife used to be on the NC the on the board of the of this NCO before it was renamed
so just to give context to the fact that we've been in the neighborhood so when you talk about
the children playing on your street can you describe in more detail do they do they play
on the street often do they where do they go uh they like to ride their bikes up and down the
street they like to chalk on the sidewalk uh they like to plant uh plants in the uh the tree boxes
variety of typical uses they also like to walk the dogs we're also at the age where we uh are
interested in giving them some freedom to not necessarily be a helicopter to be parent you know
be watched over every single second. So the idea that we would have to helicopter our parents
due to a large transient population that we could not form any bonds with to really get to know,
it's stressful. I mean, I defy anybody to tell me their first choice in neighborhood would be to move
right next door to a 56-bed rehab facility halfway to house. I think these facilities
I think these facilities are warranted and they are needed, but this is not the appropriate place for one.
are warranted and they are needed, but this is not the appropriate place for one.
It should be located in a medical block.
Is the size of the facility also a concern for you?
Absolutely. It would double the size of our block.
I know parking's not my purview, but it's going to blow the parking off the block.
It's already contentious. It's already a hot block.
There's shootings. There's contentious. There are things going on with the neighbors.
This is just going to change the entire tenor of the block.
is massive and they don't they're not experienced is there anything else you want to wrap up with
no that's it i know we're short on time thank you thank you so much hold on hold on mr bouvet
yes derek um isn't there a beer distributor down the street from you no no there's no more more
here burned down they're closing what's your answer no they burned down they but there was one
but there was one how long ago uh the fire was in the last six months
okay so was were there people hanging out there sure okay um are you familiar with your neighbor
miss cena uh the woman who spoke to her earlier no i don't know her person so she talked about
their shootings in the neighborhood right where have you been aware of any shootings yes okay
all right no other my next one my next door neighbor actually the front of her house got
shot. Okay. Now the questions. Mr. Master is your next client. Next witness is Andrew Hartnett.
Any more witnesses do you have, Steve? That's the last one on my name list, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you. I appreciate it. Andrew has been allowed to speak. Andrew, could you please
state your name and spell for the court stenographer? Sure. My name is Andrew Hartnett,
a-n-d-r-e-w-h-a-r-t-n-e-t-t
where are firm to tell the truth
the whole truth and nothing but the truth
yes sir
are you a neighbor
I live at 511 Moore
which is directly across the street
I can see it out of my front
proceed Steve
can I have Mr. Harden
promoted to panelists