On or about January 11, 2012, a few Middlesex residents became aware of an emerging matter of deep concern.  As has been the long-standing custom, an SOS was put out to the community, calling for a meeting on January 28th to discuss the rumored closing of  the Middlesex IRA Residential House located at 6166 South Vine Valley Rd.  The facility is owned by NYS, and has housed disabled adults for over 20 years.  It was said to be closing within days to weeks, due to alleged fire code violations.  “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”… often mistakenly attributed to Edmund Burke.

However, it was further stated that, after renovations, the long-time occupants would not be returning, but that an ‘unidentified’ population would be moved from the Monroe Developmental Center to the South Vine Valley Road site.  (The Monroe Developmental Center is reported to be closing also.)  The rapidity with which residents were being moved without full explanation, without appropriate notice to families, the lack of information about future residents, and the concern that those being moved in might be of a population incompatible to the needs and character of the local community all resulted in an emergency meeting being called at the Middlesex Fire Hall on Saturday, January 28, 2012 and then again on February 4, 2012 to quiz Michael Feeney, Director of the FLDDSO, who announced that level 2 and level 3 sexual offenders would be housed at the 6166 property.  

To the residents logical questions “Who is coming?”  and “When are they coming?” we have no answers other than Michael Feeney’s saying they would be level 2 and level 3 sex offenders.  Rumors abound but so do false rumors, so officially we know nothing except the little bit from Michael Feeney.  A map shows the proximity of the 6166 property to our public beach, campgrounds, Community Center and Church, where children and families congregate.  Moreover, their are children right in the immediate neighborhood of the 6166 location, causing great concern to parents and neighbors. 

On February 18, 2012 nearly 100 residents met with Assemblyman Palmesano who, with Senator O’Mara, had gone to bat for our community and for the previous occupants of 6616 to Commissioner Courtney Burke.  Unfortunately, she is seen as being non-responsive, evasive and unhelpful.  See Correspondence tab with content of two letters from Palmesano and O’Mara to Burke, and two letters from her to our legislators.A summary of the public meetings held can be found to the right under “Emergency Meetings.”  Also visit the Media Coverage tab in the right column. 

Pictures of the permit are shown, and also of the cut-up water storage containers left in a dumpster at the property, making it all the more difficult to prove whether or not the alleged insufficiency of the sprinkler system was true or not.

Deep concern is also shown about the prior residents, our neighbors for 20 years, whose locations are secret and where people are prevented from visiting.  We will report more on this egregious state of affairs very soon.