I'll leave this for a rebuttal testimony from our witnesses.
us. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. McElroy. Next hand, please.
Ros has been allowed to speak. Please unmute yourself.
Could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer?
Rosalind Pichardo, R-O-S-A-L-I-N-D, Pichardo, P-I-C-H-A-R-D-O.
Do you affirm the fellow truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Are you a neighbor?
Are you in favor or against this project?
I'm in favor of the project.
Is there anything that hasn't been said that you could offer?
Yes, as a Kensington resident and Kensington business owner, I feel like Prevention Point adds additional support for a community that's already suffering.
And as a resident, I've seen an improvement of many of the people that I do to serve and needs help in the community.
So I just feel like this is necessary for us to support people and provide services that's a necessity to keep people alive in Kensington.
Thank you very much. Mr. Phillips, do you have any questions?
I have no questions for Ms. Pichardo.
Next hand, please.
Jose Antonio has been allowed to speak.
Could you please state your name and speak for the stenographer?
Yes, my name is Jose Antonio Chacon.
Jose Antonio is two words, one name.
And my last name is C-H-A-C-O-N.
You swear or affirm that tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Yes, sir.
Are you a neighbor?
Are you a for or against this project?
Against.
Thank you.
Is there anything you could offer that hasn't already been said?
I think so.
Okay, thank you very much.
i appreciate it um what what is it what is it you yeah i'm sorry basically what i'm here to say is
prevention point are bad neighbors um no one is saying people don't deserve care no one is saying
uh that they are not doing some good work but they're bad
that they are not doing some good work but they're bad neighbors uh and having multiple
doctors in one place we're seeing people linger more and then when they get pushed away they go
into the neighborhoods they defecate they urinate they linger they shoot up and it's really
diminishing the quality of life of the people who live around there work around there and who
have to traverse the area um i talked to a lot of my neighbors most of us avoid going by it as much
as possible sometimes adding up to 30 minutes to our commute um i know people who have changed
their public transportation routes just to avoid going near here it they're bad neighbors that's
what it comes down to thank you very much we don't think they should be rewarded for being bad
neighbors hold on mr phillips you have any questions sure uh mr chacon uh can you please
take your address for the record 2305 east cambria street and is that where you um reside
yes okay and uh were you here during the last hearing
uh for parts of it it went on quite long and was not held in a timely fashion
and i've heard your presentations before okay did you hear uh miss woodcock's uh testimony
regarding the number of idling persons uh throughout kensington and where the highest
concentration and distribution of those persons are yes and it doesn't diminish the fact that
hear about neighbors. And can you please explain what detrimental impacts to the neighborhood
will result from increasing the number of medical providers at prevention point from one to three?
It encourages people and then they can meet the drug dealers and they can linger outside. And
And when you push, when your security pushes them away, it pushes them into the neighbors, causing them to linger around the neighborhood.
And Mr. Cohn, where do you think these people are coming from who are seeking services?
Generally probably from the area too, yes.
So these are people from the area coming to a location within the area?
Correct.
I have no further questions.
Thank you.
Next hand, please.
please. Gloria has been allowed to speak. Hey, could you please state your name? It's
spelled for the stenographer. Yes. Good morning. My name is Gloria Cartagena Hart. Gloria G-L-O-R-I-A
Cartagena C-A-R-T-A-G-E-N-A Hart H-A-R-T. Do you swear or firm to tell the truth,
told truth nothing but the truth? Yes, sir. Are you a neighbor? Yes, sir. Are you in favor of this
project or against? Against. Thank you very much. We've had a lot of testimony as to why
and we're to move on and try to get to as many people as possible. But thank you very much for
calling. Next hand, please. Savannah has been allowed to speak. Could you please state your
name and spell for the court stenographer can you hear me i i can could you please state your name
s-i-l-v-a-n-a-m-a-c-z-e-l-l-a you swear to firm to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but
the truth i do this is this is my client this is sylvana mazella who testified on behalf of
prevention point i believe she was raising her hand as a rebuttal witness but i do not know i
think you'll hand you're going to handle the rebuttal am i correct with miss i'm going to
ask miss mazella some questions for rebuttal but that was going to be after public okay all right
next hand please
this has been allowed to speak why could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer
hi yes my name is tess doni t-e-s-s-d-o-n-i-e you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole
truth nothing but the truth yes um are you a neighbor yes are you in favor of this project
or against against thank you very much for taking the time to call us we appreciate we're trying to
get to all the hands we can. Next hand, please. Could you please state your name and spell for
the stenographer? Sure. It's Ashley Viles, A-S-H-L-U-Y. Last name is A-V as in Victor, I-L-E-S.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Yes. Are you a neighbor?
Are you a neighbor?
Neighbor, yes.
Are you for this or against the project?
I am against it.
Thank you very much for calling in.
We appreciate it.
We're trying to get to all the hands we can, but thank you for your comment.
Next hand, please.
Joan Wright has been allowed to say.
Hi, could you please state your name and spell for the sonographer?
Joan Wright, J-O-A-N.
W-R-I-G-H-T
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth
the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
Are you a neighbor?
Yes, I am.
Are you for this project or against?
Against.
Thank you very much for taking the time to call it.
We appreciate it.
Next hand, please.
How many more hands do we have?
Last hand, Carlos.
Nitti has been allowed to speak.
Hi, could you please state your name
and spell it for the court stenographer?
My name is Carlos Midi, C-A-R-L-O-S, last name Midi, M-I-T-T-I, and I'm arrested.
All right.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Yes, indeed.
Are you a neighbor?
Yes, sir.
Are you in favor of this project or against?
I'm against the project.
Thank you very much for taking the time to call us.
Is there any other hands on?
There are no other hands.
Mr. Phillips, how long do you think your comments are going to be?
I assure you, I know that I don't have the best track record for timing, but I assure you they will be very brief.
Is she?
I'd like to just call Sylvana Mazzella for rebuttal.
I think I swore her hand when she put her hand up, am I correct?
Yes, thank you. Can you hear me?
I can. Please, Mr. Phillips, please proceed.
Sylvana, there's just a few things I want to go through with you.
But first, you heard some of the testimony in opposition, including that from Mr. McElroy, who spoke to the services that were being provided for his perception of that based on prevention points, fiscal numbers.
Can you please just state whether you agree with Mr. McElroy's testimony or disagree?
And if so, why?
I can't agree with it because even going through the numbers on the website, when I add them up before this meeting and during this meeting and divide by 12, that they are different numbers.
We provide at least four different types of medical care.
I want to add that while it is true that people can go to other neighborhoods, one of the challenges that we know with medical care is that if it is low barrier and provided nearby, people are more likely to access it.
We also, in addition to providing treatment here, we refer people to other places, and there are people that don't want to go for medical care or substance use treatment or other types of services in their own neighborhood.
And of course, they should be referred elsewhere. But this is where the greatest need is. There are other providers providing the same services. Hospitals do not have an overwhelming amount of outpatient programs, and there are wait times. And they would say that as well themselves.
and it is unfortunate that there is the type of drug activity that exists in the neighborhood
including the drug dealing but again as as based on the assessment that was objectively done and
presented by the architect the last meeting and as per police data that anybody can look up
This is by no means a location that has more of either activity than any other.
Silvana, at the last hearing, Chairman Bergman was asking you some questions about security at the property, and you would testify regarding some changes that were going to be made.
Can you please just provide the board with an update as to the security at 2913 Kensington?
Currently, how many individuals are employed and what the future plans are?
Yes, we stated at that meeting that for October, we would hire a security lieutenant for the location.
That did happen in October.
We have three other staff that are posted as crisis de-escalators and greeters.
They are skilled at identifying potential issues on the block or as people are coming in.
I also want to point out that it is not unheard of for any of the clinics in the area or clinics in any other community to have some type of presence outside.
There's nothing specific.
There's nothing specific. There are different conditions in this area, of course, because of some of the dealing activity, but there's nothing different about us in needing some type of presence.
There are different conditions in this area.
We have that right now every day. And it is it has been an appropriate response to being able to manage the block.
All together, can you speak to the frequency or number of incidents where the security has had to get involved with any issues in the neighborhood?
Since this September, without the other security team, we have had three issues, and they were not specifically related to anyone coming to the building.
As the landlord stated, there was an issue yesterday, a block and a half from here.
This is unfortunate, this condition, but it's not related to something that we are specifically doing, and we are able to manage safety for the building.
Last question, Savannah. If the medical services and care provided at 2913 to 15 Kensington were decreased if this special exception were denied and you were limited to only one provider at that property, can you just explain for the board what that would do in terms of wait times and the ability to provide care and access?
It would add to wait times and it would make care more difficult for people to access. I also want to point out that, you know, a statement was made that we're not effective. We understand that there are parts of the work that do not make people happy.
But in terms of the efficacy of the services, we have some of the highest outcomes for treatment, assessment, and treatment services for PrEP navigation, PrEP medical care on site, wound care services delivered.
these services are evaluated as effective or more than in many other settings. And it's not because
we are a better clinic. It's because we provide services in a specific way to a population that
is not necessarily going to access them in other sites, not only in the area, but certainly outside
of the area. I have no further questions. I do have one additional witness. Mr. Phillips,
I have one quick question. I noticed the last time there was testimony that if the area is having severe issues, they close.
Is that true?
It does happen in the summertime. We have had, unfortunately, there is the dealing activity in the entire area increases during the summer. And there are times where for safety reasons, we and other businesses in the area have chosen to close for some period of time during that day until the scene is secured.
An example is what happened yesterday, unfortunately, two blocks down.
Did you close yesterday?
We did not close yesterday, but I'm saying that others.
Okay, all right, good. All right. Thank you. I was just curious. I saw that the last time and I was trying to figure, and I remember you had said that. Thank you very much. Who's your one more witness, Mr. Phillips?
Just for rebuttal, I would just ask Janice Woodcock. I have one question for her, who was our expert who testified at the last hearing.
Hi, could you please state your name, Ms. Bell, for the court stenographer?
Yes, my name is Janice Woodcock, J-A-N-I-C-E-W-E-B-C-O-C-K.
You swear or affirm to tell the truth, tell the truth, nothing but the truth.
Please proceed, Mr. Phillips.
Well, Ms. Woodcock, you heard the testimony of various members of the community this morning.
I have.
Okay. In listening to the testimony of members of the community, did it cause you to change your professional opinion in any way about the specific negative impacts that would be potentially caused by the increase in services at 2913 Kensington Avenue?
It did not.
Did you hear any testimony of any detrimental impacts that would be caused at the property beyond what would normally be expected from a group medical services use?
I did not.
And did you hear any detrimental impacts that were directly tied to the increase from a sole practitioner?
And did you hear any detrimental impacts that were directly tied to the increase from a sole practitioner to group medical services?
No, and I do want to reiterate that in my analysis of the blocks, in terms of the ways that you measure urban blight, that this block is of the eight blocks studied, is the third best in terms of vacancy, and the fourth best in terms of number of people loitering on the street.
So this clinic could be said to be having a better influence than other other activities on other blocks.
Thank you, Ms. Woodcrocke.
Thank you.
Hillary, do we we're going to hold a vote on this, Mr. Phillips?
Mr. Chair, would you take the recommendation of the planning?
I know, that's what I'm saying.
We'll go to planning next.
Planning Commission.