Biases clouded facts on Boerger Rd. plan

It seems necessary to clarify some issues regarding the building of a facility for persons suffering from a mental illness but who are appropriately medicated for their illness.

Quoting from a recent letter to Fencepost: "The mayor (of Arlington Heights) is giving her pet project on Boerger Road" an 87 percent density variance.

This project was presented to Arlington Heights by the DAVERI Group/Thresholds representatives. A task force of concerned citizens from various suburban villages has been working for many years to find a suitable location for their mentally ill relatives (but medically stable) in this area. Arlene Mulder was NOT a member of this task force.

It was also stated that the facility would be "across the street from Buffalo Grove High School." The fact is that the building would be buffered from the high school by busy Dundee Road. In addition, the fast food businesses located across the street from the school have "No Loitering" signs posted already.

Those signs indicate that the businesses discourage their current customers from lingering on the premises; this long before the facility might be nearby.

There was an assertion that the vast majority of the residents would NOT be from Arlington Heights. Is the writer of that "fact" on the selection committee for possible residents? At the public meeting I attended, it was stated that any current mentally ill, but appropriately medicated, person who now lives, or did live, in Arlington Heights and applies for admittance to the facility would be given first consideration.

Any client would have to be free of a criminal record and not be a pedophile.

Perhaps some writers need to be more attentive to statements made by the officials in charge of this project.

Patricia D. Herrmann

Arlington Heights