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Four Petitions

On June 28, four petitions were submitted to the Town Clerk, each signed by approximately 90 Guilford registered voters. Two of these petitions concern the APT methadone clinic as follows:

Petition One requests that the Guilford Planning and Zoning Commission call a public hearing to discuss and vote on proposed changes to the current Guilford zoning regulations. Specifically, the only current definition for medical (clinic/facilities medical and dental – a healthcare facility providing medical or dental services to outpatients) be replaced with three separate definitions: one for “medical dlinic,” one for “medical office”, and one for “medication assisted treatment (MAT) facilities for opioid addiction.” Both “medical clinic” and “medical office” definitions would explicitly exclude methadone or drug rehabilitation clinics, while “MATs” would permit stand-alone facilities for the treatment of substance abuse with medication including methadone, suboxone, and naltrexone in industrial-zoned areas only with special permit application. It would also prohibit MATs from being located closer than 500 feet from the closest residence or 1,000 feet from the closest church, school, or daycare facility. These zoning regulation changes will ensure that public notice and public input will always be part of any MAT approval process in the future.

Petition Two requests that the Board of Selectmen enter into immediate discussions with the APT Foundation to restrict treatment with methadone at their Guilford clinic to a mobile operation, i.e., no methadone will be given to patients to ingest at the clinic, and no patients will be dispensed methadone at the clinic to take home. This will prevent patients from driving while high and deter criminals from following methadone patients to the clinic, and loitering outside the clinic.

All four petitions can be found on the relocatethemethadoneclinic.com website under “How can I Help” along with the complete timeline for the APT methadone clinic.

Pete Connal

Guilford