By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
The former Mercer Oxygen Supply Co. building at 1931 Brunswick Pike, which has been vacant for several years, is going to be transformed into the new headquarters for the Mercer Council on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Inc.
The township Planning Board gave its approval to the agency to add a second story to the building Monday night, despite residents’ concerns that the non-profit agency might draw undesirables to the neighborhood.
Nearly 20 residents turned out to listen as the Planning Board reviewed the agency’s application for preliminary and final site plan approval. The parcel is located on Brunswick Pike, between Hammond Organ and the C.R. Cregar and Son Inc.’s used car dealership.
Attorney Dino Spadaccini, who represented the agency, told the board his client wants to add a 3,963-square-foot second story to the existing 3,963-square-foot building, plus an additional 24 parking spaces for a total of 36 spaces. The property has 12 parking spaces now.
The Brunswick Pike driveway would be one-way into the site, and exiting onto Carr Avenue. The Carr Avenue driveway would be a two-way entrance/exit. The property wraps around the Hammond Organ property, from Brunswick Pike to Carr Avenue.
Mercer Council on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Inc. is a nonprofit organization that provides health and prevention programs to combat alcohol, drug abuse and related problems. Its focus is on education, Mr. Spadaccini said, adding that the offices would be open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It could be open as late as 8:30 p.m. on occasion, he said.
”This is not a detoxification center or drug treatment center,” Mr. Spadaccini said, referring to a controversial application for a detoxification center proposed for another site in Lawrence Township that was denied by the Zoning Board of Adjustment last year.
Geetha Arulmohan, the agency’s executive director, emphasized that it is not a treatment agency or a detoxification facility, nor does it hold group meetings. It is not licensed for those functions by the state Department of Health and Seniors Services, she said.
It leases 2,850 square feet of office space on Bellevue Avenue in Trenton, but the lease expires June 30, she said. The Brunswick Pike property offers 3,963 square feet of office space, and the prospect of an additional 3,963 square feet if the application is approved.
The agency has 10 full-time employees and 5 part-time employees, Ms. Arulmohan said. The programs range from those geared toward senior citizens, which helps them avoid the dangers of drug addiction including alcohol and tobacco to bullying and dating abuse prevention programs. It also offers programs to help prevent drug and alcohol addiction in young people.
The agency can provide a drug evaluation on an individual, based on a Family Court order, Ms. Arulmohan said. One parent may allege that the other parent has a substance abuse problem, and a Family Court judge can order the parent to submit to a urine test for drugs that would be conducted by the agency, she said.
The results would be given to the Family Court judge who ordered the test, she said. It would help the judge to determine who gains custody of the children in a divorce proceeding. But the agency does not engage in substance abuse treatment programs, she said.
The agency holds workshops for school guidance counselors, administrators and teachers, Ms. Arulmohan said. Last month, it sponsored a workshop on emerging designer drugs that was attended by professionals from around Mercer County.
If the application is approved, she said, it would be possible to hold some of those meetings at the new headquarters. The first floor would be reconfigured to create seven offices, plus a meeting room. The second floor would also be divided into offices and a meeting room.
Nevertheless, some neighbors expressed concern about the agency.
When Paula Nerwinski, who lives on Valley Forge Avenue, said she was concerned about drug users “coming into my neighborhood” up to 8 p.m. to be evaluated for drug use, Ms. Arulmohan said that 90 percent of the time, “the (urine sample) cup comes clean.” She added that of the 50 drug evaluations conducted last year, 27 of those samples came from Lawrence residents.
Turning back to the site plan application, project architect Kevin Wilkes said the second floor would be built as a shell. It would not be finished with offices, because the agency “is not flush with money” right now. The second-floor space would be finished into offices later, he said.
Planning Board consultant Philip Caton was pleased with the prospect of adding a second story to the building, noting that it brings the building into compliance with Lawrence Township’s redevelopment plan for Brunswick Pike.
When the meeting was opened to the public, Ms. Nerwinski said that while she appreciated the agency’s mission, she was still concerned about crime. The neighborhood has been “hit hard” by burglaries recently, she said, adding that over the past few years her home has been entered several times.
Kathy Saretzky of Trumbull Avenue said her vision of the redevelopment of Brunswick Pike was an ice cream store, not a substance abuse prevention organization. She pointed to Womanspace, which has an office on Brunswick Pike and that deals with battered women.
”It’s too much for one little neighborhood,” she said.
Before casting his vote to approve the application, Councilman Greg Puliti, who sits on the Planning Board, said he thought the planned renovation to the building “makes an improvement aesthetically to the neighborhood.”
