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As for the meetings, I have attended both and find them very beneficial in understanding the depth of pain, frustration, fear and anxiety this situation has created. On the other hand, it has been very heart warming to see a small community come together for the cause and get to know some new people in the area. I wish the last presenter (Finney) could have found the decency to actually look us in the eyes and try and hear and feel our pain. With nose in the air and remotely repeating the same verses, it did little for me to believe that he was really going to take our concerns back to Albany. Please prove me wrong.
Letter sent to Lt. Governor Robert Duffy (who lives in Rochester)
Lt. Governor Duffy;
I am writing to you hoping you can help our community, especially since you are familiar with the Rochester Area. On the southeast side of Canandaigua Lake, there is a picturesque area called Vine Valley. Located on 6166 S. Vine Valley Rd. Middlesex, New York there was a State Home for developmentally disabled people. Many of the residences have lived there for years (one resident for 17 years.) They became part of this community. They attended the local church, community residences have attended funerals of the State Home residences and neighbors brought their pet therapy dogs to the home.
The current residences have been relocated because the home was not up to code. Family and staff have been separated and these people, I feel were treated like “throwaways.” The stories of the separation are heart breaking. To make matters worse, the home will soon be housed with level 2 and 3 sex offenders. The community is in an uproar; we are losing members of our community and replacing them with sex offenders. The house is located a quarter a mile from a public beach, boat launch, church, a seasonal family mobile home park, a seasonal camp for adults and many homes and cottages. This road is also the path for many races, where hundreds of people bike or jog front in front of the home
I am asking if you could assist the community to return the former residents to the home they know and love and not let sex offenders live in this resort/recreational area. There have been numerous town meetings and we are not getting any answers. The residents of this community are extremely upset. While the State probably feels Vine Valley is a little rural area, the housing market ranges from trailers to million dollar homes.
Would you want to live next door to sex offenders? My neighbors do and have an 11 year old son. Again, would you want your 11 year old playing outside or waiting for the school bus with sex offenders living within yards of your home looking out the windows?
I would appreciate any assistance you could offer. I pay to enjoy the luxury of living in this area, what gives these people the same privilege I have? The peace and safety I felt in this community will soon be gone. I am very afraid for what is about to take place. I thank you for your help.