By Michael Lafleur, mlafleur@lowellsun.com
LOWELL -- City Councilor Eileen Donoghue last night described it as a "cancer" on the surrounding Jackson-Appleton-Middlesex neighborhood.
Councilor Armand Mercier said the Lowell Transitional Living Center, at 189 Middlesex St., which provides beds for up to 90 homeless individuals in its newly renovated wing, "shouldn't even be there."
"We're all spinning our wheels if that shelter stays operating as it operates now," he added.
At issue were a motion by Councilor Rodney Elliott and complaints raised by Karen Bell, owner of Club Fitness Health & Spa on Middlesex Street and president of the Jackson-Appleton-Middlesex Business and Residents Association. She told councilors her neighborhood is "being held hostage" by the shelter.
Bell said social problems she associates with the shelter and its courtyard, such as public drinking and loud disturbances, could threaten the $25 million, 900-space parking garage the city is building on Middlesex Street as well as city officials' ambitious redevelopment plans for the so-called Hamilton Canal District.
"We have to do something permanent to make sure this whole area can prosper," she said.
Councilors unanimously voted to have City Manager Bernie Lynch and Police Superintendent Kenneth Lavallee meet with the agency's board of directors and its executive director, Joe Tucker, to alleviate those concerns.
Tucker was present at last night's meeting but did not speak publicly.
In an interview afterward, Tucker said he will work with the city to address any problems. He added that the shelter retains an alcohol-free policy and bans intoxicated clients. He noted that some problems in the blighted area of Jackson, Appleton and Middlesex streets, such as public drinking and drug selling, have been long-standing.
"We know we have a tough population," he said. "We want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem."
This story appeared in the Lowell Sun on Wednesday, October 10, 2007