Carroll County hearing draws neighbors27 objections and advocates for Westminster Rescue Mission27s proposed women-and-children recovery house

Carroll County commissioners on Jan. 16 heard more than two hours of public comment about Westminster Rescue Mission27s plan to acquire and renovate 35 North Tannery Road as a recovery residence for women and children using a $1,750,000 Community Development Block Grant.

The hour-long presentation from Westminster Rescue Mission executive director Stephanie Holly explained the intended program and operations. Holly said the organization plans a Maryland-certified recovery residence (MCOR), supervised housing with a live-in caretaker and a small household size to match zoning: “Our capacity ... it27s designed for up to 8 individuals that would include 2 to 4 in mothers and their children,” she said, and emphasized the mission will follow zoning and health-department certification requirements.

Why it matters: Commissioners and county staff said the grant creates a local option for women and children who currently must go out of county for dyadic recovery services. Supporters argued the program could keep families together and improve outcomes for mothers and their children.

Neighbors who live near 35 North Tannery Road urged the board to delay or block the acquisition, citing a cluster of practical concerns. Christian Glenn, who lives at 31 North Tannery Road, called the only access a “single lane, dirt private road” with no shoulders or guardrails and said an ambulance once could not find his house during a child27s asthma attack. He urged commissioners to require the rescue mission to mediate with neighbors before closing: “The only way to make this project work is to widen and pave it the nearly mile long private road,” he said.

Other neighbors raised similar emergency-response and wayfinding concerns, questioned whether well yields and an aging septic system can support a larger household, and said they received inadequate direct notification about the sale and the information session. Several residents said signs and mailings arrived only days before the public meeting, contrary to earlier commitments they said were made in grant briefings.

Westminster Rescue Mission and mission supporters acknowledged shortcomings in outreach but said the organization had limited time because the house was a private sale in a competitive market. Dan Cooper, a mission board member, said the mission had sought a longer closing window but the seller required a quick sale. He asked the community to focus on operations and mitigation rather than assuming bad intent.

Supporters from the recovery community, including residents and recovery-house operators, described certified recovery residences in the county that have operated without incident and urged commissioners to allow another women-and-children program. Jimmy Gast, who runs a sober home in the region and said he is in long-term recovery, called the proposal 22a certified recovery residence that can change lives.22

What commissioners said: Members of the board expressed sympathy with both sides. They repeatedly named three central issues for follow-up: emergency access and the shared driveway; potable water and septic capacity; and communications/outreach to residents. The commissioners did not take any formal action on the property purchase at the meeting; the county attorney had earlier explained the county27s role is as a pass-through for the CDBG funds and that a second required public hearing will occur after the project is occupied.

Next steps: Commissioners closed the public hearing by voice vote and asked staff and the mission to continue engagement with neighbors. Staff told the board that health-department approvals for wells and septic have been reviewed and that the mission said it will work on access improvements; commissioners asked that contingency steps and timelines for addressing road, access and utility concerns be communicated back to the board before any subsequent action triggered by the grant.

Representative quotes from the hearing reflect the core divide: one neighbor said, 22It is unsafe for my family. It is unsafe for the future residents of the shelter,22 while a mission supporter said, 22We need to provide hope and recovery to those who need it.22