ARC gives Russell Council update
Feb. 23—RUSSELL — Jonathan Frazier, Community CEO of Addiction Recovery Care, said construction is well under way at the former Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital as he provided an updated during Thursday's Russell City Council meeting.
The first phase of ARC's rehab of the former hospital's campus was completed in November 2023 with the opening of a 40-bed psychiatric unit.
Frazier reported since the opening of the facility, all 40 beds have been filled and approximately 60 jobs have returned to the previously vacant hospital grounds.
As previously mentioned, the main hospital building is in its construction phase and Frazier said ARC anticipates the first patients to enter this fall, with 250 jobs expected once fully operational.
In previous council meetings, ARC faced pushback, with multiple Russell residents fearful of possible security risks.
On Thursday, Frazier was pleased to report there had been zero instances of "serious" security risks, and extended appreciation to the Russell, Flatwoods and Ashland Police Departments.
Frazier said one of ARC's goals is to eliminate "stigma surrounding mental health" and to remain transparent with the community about developments.
"ARC is far more than what's been presented previously," Frazier said, adding ARC's aim is to update the city at least twice a year as the hospital campus continues to grow.
Councilman Butch Meadows gave an encouraging "keep up the good work," and a brief applause from the audience greeted the announcement that more than 90% of ARC's staff is from the surrounding community.
Here are a few more highlights from Thursday's meeting:
—Mayor Ron Simpson attempted to discuss changing the city's current ordinance on the sizing of political signs, but the council wasn't willing to take it up for discussion.
The current ordinance in effect states any sign larger than 3-by-3 feet would be removed if place near the city's right-of-ways, but city building inspector Richie Blum proposed changing the ordinance to 2-by-2 feet signs only.
In the proposal, any sign larger than 2-by-2 feet would be removed by city workers and could be recovered at $10 a pop.
Councilwoman Alice Thompson asked if a motion had to be on the floor before discussion, which Simpson answered in the affirmative.
"Do you have a motion?" Simpson asked.
"No, I do not have a motion on this," Thompson said.
"If there's no motion and no second, we don't even have to talk about it," Councilman Vincenzo Fressola said. "But I don't know where it came from."
Fressola's question of origin stirred up Blum.
"'Cause we're the ones getting calls about people putting 4-by-8 signs up in their yard in residential neighborhoods," Blum said, claiming the proposal came from him and "Gene."
"I make a motion we do not accept this," Meadows attempted, before multiple councilpeople chimed in that was not how motions work.
"Political signs are as American as apple pie," Thompson added.
"We can't talk about that now," Meadows laughed.
"If there's no motion, it dies, we move on. OK? End of story," Simpson said before attempting to move down the agenda.
"If it dies, what do you do then?" Councilwoman Ruth Hopkins chimed in, as Simpson attempted again to move to the next item.
"Nothing, talk about it tomorrow," Fressola said.
Blum briefly approached the podium to restate the city's current sign ordinance, stating, "So let it be known, that anything over 3-by-3" would be "gone."
"People put 4-by-8 signs ... once you start trying to enforce it, there's a gazillion of them," Blum said, before adding the new ordinance was "just a suggestion."
—It was announced that downtown Russell was selected along with Ashland and Louisa for a Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) music festival.
The musical festivities will take place in Russell on June 1 with guests still to be announced by SOAR organizers.
(606) 326-2652 — mjepling@dailyindependent.com
