Adolescent recovery center to be built in Cassian

Following the July 31 meeting of the Town of Cassian’s five-member planning committee, yard signs were distributed in the parking lot to those who wanted one.

“Stop the Cassian rehab center,” the signs, which feature white lettering over a red background, read.

The signs also promote a Facebook page called “Stop the Cassian rehab.”

As of Aug. 3, there are actually two Facebook pages, one is public and the other is private. 

The proposed facility at the center of attention is the Adolescent Recovery and Wellness Center (AWRC).

Bryan Bainbridge, chief executive officer for the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council (GLITC), based in Lac du Flambeau, is hoping construction of the facility will start in October. 

“The ARWC is a 36-bed residential facility centrally located in Wisconsin to best serve all Member Tribes and urban Indians,” according to the GLITC website. “It will provide culturally relevant services and responsive residential substance abuse treatment for Native American youth, ages 13-17, who are suffering from Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and any co-occurring mental health conditions. Priority will be given to Native American youth, but the facility would be available to non-Native adolescents as well.”

The plan —for the AWRC to be built on 150 acres of land that was purchased by the GLITC — has upset some town residents as well as others in nearby Little Rice and Nokomis. 

An audience of approximately 100 people were present at a July 24 informational meeting held at the Cassian town hall and approximately 25-30 people attended the July 31 planning committee meeting. 

“Basically, what we’re going to try and do ... we’re not gonna make any decisions tonight, we’re just gonna try and inform you of what options we have, if any,” committee chairman John Schaub explained at the start of the hour-long meeting. 

He said he had spoken “at length” to U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany about the matter on Friday, July 28. 

“He basically gave us some minimal options as far as, like, if it comes to the point where we have to do stuff legally,” Schaub said. “He gave us the name of a lawyer that has actually dealt with the Indians before and has won a couple cases.” 

Earlier that day, he said also spoke to Oneida County planning and zoning director Karl Jennrich for “40 minutes or so” and learned that Jennrich was scheduled to meet with Bainbridge on Aug. 1. 

“That’s the first time he’s had any contact with him (Bainbridge) other than the fact of last Monday night (July 24),” Schaub said. “He specifically asked Bryan how this land would be licensed as far as what their CUP (conditional user permit) would be and Bryan told him, he said, he doesn’t know.”

Schaub said Bainbridge had indicated to Jennrich he was “working with the state to see what his options are.”

“I mean, all we can do is listen to him (Bainbridge) but it’s hard to believe some of the things he’s told us,” Schaub said. “Anyway, he (Jennrich) said if the group meets all the state standards and the county requirements, he said they really don’t have ... because of the way (the property) was zoned many years ago, they basically have to pass the permit.”

Over the course of the planning committee meeting, topics such as zoning, the need for infrastructure improvement for roads, security at the facility, the property tax impact on town residents and infrastructure improvements along with additional fire protection and emergency medical service (EMS) support were discussed.

People were urged to contact members of the Oneida County board instead of elected representatives from Cassian and the towns around it. 

“We’ll try to keep you informed as well as we can,” Schaub told the group before he adjourned the meeting. 

A good neighbor

A ground blessing ceremony was held at the site of the planned facility, on North Pine Square Road, on July 31 that featured tribal leaders from across the state as well as Gov. Tony Evers and state attorney general Josh Kaul. 

“It was a good event,” Bainbridge told The Lakeland Times last week. “

He said the meeting with Jennrich was expected to include his “construction team just to make sure everybody’s on the same page ... because of all the misconceptions of what’s going on with the project.”

“Just to make sure nothing’s holding me up,” Bainbridge said. “We’ll be submitting our CUP and that’s what the meeting’s about. To make sure everything’s in place and we have what we need to have the full package so there’s no confusion and to eliminate a lot of the questions once the CUP is submitted and it can go through the process and go through the steps.”

He acknowledged the beginning of construction and the proposed October time frame is dependent on the permitting process. 

“That’s why I’m trying to eliminate the questions so all the details are there and that’s why it (the CUP) wasn’t submitted right away,” Bainbridge said, stressing that transparency about the project is key. “I want to make sure all the specifics are in there and eliminate the questions before they become questions.”

He also repeated something he said at the July 24 informational meeting.

“The transparency about this project is going to come from the CUP package,” Bainbridge said, adding that the way to deal with issues, such as the needed infrastructure and EMS improvements, “is we partner.”

“We work together and we identify what needs are there and we work together to find the funding to address the increased capacity and the burden isn’t passed on to the township,” he said. “I want to be that good neighbor.”

Brian Jopek may be reached via email at [email protected].