Valley News Correspondent
Published: 08/15/2022 21:31:56
Modified: 08/15/2022 21:28:28
CLAREMONT — The county can now begin accepting residents at the Sullivan House after a temporary occupancy certificate was issued for the sober living center just off Opera Square.
The 90-day permit requires the county to have an elevator installed, inspected, and certified by the New Hampshire State Elevator Inspector by December 1.
In late July, Sullivan County Executive Derek Ferland said the county had scrapped plans to fix the elevator in the building because parts were hard to find and there was no guarantee the system would work. would work again. The county instead ordered a new elevator for $100,000, and Ferland said last month that it could take up to 16 weeks to manufacture, ship and install.
The temporary certificate also states that the county “will provide necessary accessibility accommodations until the elevator is installed and certified.”
There are other minor issues in the temporary permit that the county needs to address, including the signage that the fire alarm control panel is in the electrical room and the labeling of the second floor electrical panel.
The Sullivan House, which is located in the building that once housed the eagle time journal, has been renovated to accommodate a total of approximately 35 male and female residents on separate floors. Those accepted into the facility must have completed a certified treatment program, such as the TRAILS (Transitional Reentry and Inmate Life Skills) program at the Unity Community Correctional Center.
Sullivan County Department of Corrections supervisor Mark Deem said Monday that they will first move the resident counselor into place and then begin welcoming residents. He said he had received a few calls from people asking when the establishment would open. Its objective is to have the first residents move in within a few weeks.
“We are looking for Sullivan County residents who have completed a treatment program,” Deem said.
The goal of the Sullivan Home is to provide a safe, sober place for people recovering from alcohol and drug abuse so that they are not forced to return to the environment where their addiction began.
Residents will need to have a job, pay rent and be responsible for meeting their daily needs, including buying food and preparing meals.
The $3.24 million project began in the spring of 2021, but ran into supply chain shortages caused by the pandemic that delayed completion until this spring.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at [email protected]
