Drug rehab center rumors are false in Warsaw

WARSAW — Rumors of a planned drug treatment center at the former Zeches Furniture and Appliances store are false, the property’s owner and village board members said Tuesday.

Businessman and developer James Rutkowski spoke during the evening’s village board meeting, in response to a Facebook page and anonymous pennysaver advertisement describing “active plans” for an in-house treatment facility.

Rutkowski said the situation stemmed from a January meeting with Wyoming County Judge Michael Mohun which sparked a local rumor mill, along with what he described as derogatory statements posted on the Facebook page.

“(Former store manager Kevin Zeches) and his family are still in the process of emptying 75 years of history and memories from the space,” Rutkowski said. “Since the announcement the furniture store would close on Dec. 31, I’ve been approached by three distinct groups about the space, each with different plans.”

Rutkowski said he was contacted by Mohun on Jan. 13, asking if he’d be willing to give a group called Cazenovia Recovery a tour of the location. “The group deals with in-patient recovery and treatment services for people with addiction disorders,” he said. “They are a hospital-picked program and are recognized as leaders in their field.”

Rutkowski gave the group a 90-minute tour about a week later.

“There are other locations the group is looking at in the community,” he said. “This is one location, far from being selected as the location. Any project of this type would require multiple steps of approval, including an extensive public comment period. “One of the first concerns that was raised by the group, and by myself and others that were there, was the proximity to the school,” he continued. “I can honestly say at this point in time there have been no deals offered. There have been no leases offered, promises or commitments made from either side. Nor are there any pending or planned offers put forth on the property.”

When a sitting judge asks for a meeting about an issue he and everybody else have seen in the community and nationwide, you take the meeting, Rutkowski said.

“The addiction crisis in the U.S. and right here in Wyoming County is real,” he said. “We are losing an entire generation of children, neighbors, firemen, lawyers, pharmacists, teachers, moms, dads, and the list goes on ... Something has to be done.”

Every county surrounding Wyoming has resources and programs available to help people with addictions, and each has a waiting list, he said. Wyoming County does amazing work with the resources it has, he said, but people are still dying.

“It is my humble opinion the people who have created this hysteria in the community have done something akin to yelling ‘Fire’ in a crowded theater,” Rutkowski said. “They have anonymously paid for newspaper ads and blown up social media, deriding community members for having a meeting for beginning a discussion about a serious problem in the community.

“ ... They have done this without having any concrete facts,” he continued. “I ask everyone here tonight to think if they know somebody who is suffering with an addiction ... I ask rhetorically, is this where we have come to in our social discourse, where we can’t even discuss something without being tarred and feathered on a blog post? Is it appropriate to take anonymous ads in a newspaper?”

He said he feels it’s tremendous so many people are passionate and concerned about the community, while noting his 31 years of working with the larger community.

“I can honestly say I hear and share the same concern about the location of the school and I agree there may be better locations,” Rutkowski said. “Even if I did go into that meeting not agreeing with that site, you still take that meeting, with a party that’s looking to help solve a serious problem in the community.”

The important thing is welcoming an expert into the community to see if a discussion can be started about securing help, he said.

Several members of the public posed questions after the meeting was over. They noted that people are often suspicious in current society, expect projects done underhandedly, and then become outraged.

“That might be the case, but it’s highly irresponsible for somebody to talk about something they don’t know anything about — that they don’t actually have facts about,” said Mayor Joe Robinson.

He said he and Deputy Mayor Cynthia Appleton have been involved in the conversations with Mohun.

“Part of our job is to have conversations with anybody, whether we agree with it or don’t agree with it,” he said. “Part of our job is to have conversations with businesspeople, with government people ... Like Jim said, you take that meeting, you listen to it.”

He said he hopes people realize the village board has been open and transparent.

“When and if there is a project of any kind, it will always be posted,” Appleton said. “Any project — in the paper, at the village office, on the village website, on the village Facebook page, on the radio ... Every village document you may need is on our village website.”

Zeches closed at the end of December after 85 years in business. The building is on 113 West Buffalo St. and is still home to residential apartments.

The location is across from Warsaw Elementary School, with Oatka Creek separating the properties. The village police station is also three parcels east.