Troy Veterans Center Looking To Reopen After Cease And Desist Order
The owner of Troy Veterans Center, shut down by the state fire marshal in June, is trying to reopen.
Owner Clarence Scott went before the Troy Board of Adjustments tonight trying to clear up what exactly the facility is used for.
The board voted to move the proposal forward, to give time for the owner and his attorney to create concrete guidelines for the operation of the facility.
Scott said the center at 1316 N. Three Notch Street is a short-term shelter for people needing to get back on their feet and have no place to go. He said the VA and hospitals have directed people to his center. Some were incarcerated, served their time and need to get back into society, find a job, etc. He said there will be a six month maximum to the time someone can stay consecutively, but the board wanted specifics on how this would be regulated.
This is a non-regulated, privately owned facility. Scott says he receives no state or federal funding.
An architect laid out plans to address what he said the state referred to as “life safety issues” highlighted in an approximate 20-page report by the fire marshal. That report laid out about 15 issues that need to be fixed before reopening. The architect said it included things like needing to create direct access to exits and making doorways more handicap accessible.
The owner spoke exclusively to Alabama News Network after the meeting.
“We help operate a facility that helps anyone that needs the service. I truly think the decision that was made was really not a good decision but whatever they ask us to do we are going to the highest to make sure we meet any and all requirements that the city may require for us to do,” Scott said.
Scott said there used to be up to 15 people living at the facility, but that will be dropped to eight. He says they are not required to payan d can leave whenever they want.
All of the people that were in the facility were taken to other facilities after the center was forced to close.
