Lack of answers at re-zoning meeting disappoints public in Bolivia

BOLIVIA, NC (WWAY) — The Town of Bolivia could bring a new drug and alcohol rehab facility to the area. But there are some people who are against the proposed location. They were not upset about the idea of a facility but where it’s being put, they said they don’t want a rehab center near Bolivia Elementary School, and their kids. But after the meeting, that’s not all the members of the community were angry about .

“Why is everyone being so super secret,” Lorri Shipston said.

Many people walked away from this meeting disappointed.

“When we got here tonight, they told us to ask questions and at the end of the meeting when everybody got done, they shut the meeting down and didn’t give nobody no responses back,” Michael Ferguson said.

A meeting was called at the Bolivia Fire Station to answer questions about a re-zoning request for a possible drug rehab center, housing up to 45 men with drug and alcohol addiction. The problem for many people is that it’s in walking distance of Bolivia Elementary School.

“We have an 18 month old son that’s going to be going to Bolivia Elementary, which is pretty much right across the road from this soon to be drug rehab center if it goes through and I don’t approve of that,” Ferguson said.

Joshua Torbich is the Brunswick Christian Recovery Center Executive Director and says he understands their frustration. People asked him: why have the rehab center here?

“Because that’s the property that was given to us. Now if one of the residents here would like to find us another piece of property, then we would be happy to analyze that one. But to essentially say that we picked this place on a map and said that’s where we’re gonna go, well that just not a reality,” Torbich said.

Not what residents wanted to hear

“We are concerned that there’s not enough transparency. We need to learn more about what they’re doing. No one’s opposed to the actual facility. We are opposed to the location being so close to the school without people knowing more about it,” Shipston said.

The people are just hoping things will turn out better at the next meeting. The board said they would only speak about rezoning and nothing else. The board members said they would not comment on the matter at this time.