Carroll County commissioners cancel distillery lease for proposed respite center, direct stakeholder reset

Carroll County Commissioners on Thursday voted to cancel the county lease tied to a proposed Carroll Respite Center that Access CAROL and LifeBridge Health planned to operate at the Distillery Building in Westminster, and directed county staff to convene a stakeholder group to rework the project and report back within months.

The decision followed a two-hour public discussion and a public-comment period in which local officials, hospital and health-system leaders and Westminster residents disagreed sharply over the program’s design, who it would serve and how the project reached a signed lease. Tammy Black, executive director of Access CAROL, told the board the proposed facility “currently does include 16 beds” and that Sinai’s $5,000,000 grant both “covers construction” and supports operating costs; she said “10 of the beds are … for Sinai” patients and that Access CAROL’s sober-respite beds would be “100% designated for Carroll County residents.”

Why it mattered: Commissioners said they had expected only to provide a letter of commitment after an October briefing, not a signed lease. Several commissioners and city officials said they were not consulted before the lease was executed and voiced public-safety and process concerns. Opponents cited anticipated police, court and city costs tied to increased nonresident usage; supporters said the program would reduce emergency-room strain and help medically fragile people who are not suited for hospitals or shelters.

During the meeting Commissioner Rothstein moved to cancel the January lease (motion text in city/county files); the motion carried and staff were directed to send a termination letter. Separately the board approved a second motion to “reset” the project: staff were instructed to assemble LifeBridge, Access CAROL, the Westminster mayor and council, local law enforcement and other stakeholders for a collaborative review of options and to report back within three months. The second motion passed on a separate vote.

What was said: LifeBridge’s Sharon McLaren, vice president for population health, told commissioners the program is a “structured solution” for medically fragile individuals who need short-term recuperative care and that “case managers ensure that every individual from outside our county is returned to their home community when medically ready.” Eric Hoover, president of Carroll Hospital, said Access CAROL has been a “trusted partner” and that the Sinai grant is the only mechanism to bring the additional services to Carroll County.

Process and next steps: Commissioners left open the possibility of restarting a locally acceptable version of the program. The board’s separate direction to convene a stakeholder working group instructs county staff and legal counsel to: (a) notify LifeBridge and Access CAROL of the lease termination; (b) request a jointly led working session to review program parameters that Commissioners said must prioritize Carroll County residents; and (c) return to the board with recommended next steps and any revised legal documents within about three months. The termination and the stakeholder reset were recorded in the minutes and recorded votes (see Votes at a glance).