Last month, Mike Scott, Code Enforcement Officer for the Village of Lansing, notified the Alcohol & Drug Council (ADC) of Tompkins County that he had officially classified the Open Access Center as a âhospitalâ use, a use that is not only not permitted in the village, but a use that several individuals at the ADC that does not accurately describe the facilityâs purpose.
âItâs not a hospital, and the hospital doesnât have the capacity to treat people with addictions with the way we are,â Douglas Freeman, incoming president of the councilâs Board of Directors, said.
The council is currently seeking a special use permit from the village to renovate the second floor of the center to install 40 beds for patients to sleep during their stay. Freeman said such a designation would prevent people suffering from addiction from getting the necessary and precise treatment.