PETERSHAM — Shawn Hayden, vice president of the Gardner Athol Area Mental Health Association (GAAMHA), met with Petersham officials to address concerns with a sobriety home that the organization opened on the grounds of the Quabbin Retreat in May.

The Greenwich Housing Center was established to reunite mothers recovering from substance addiction with their children.

Selectboard Chair Nancy Allen asked Police Chief Peter Buck and Fire Chief Bob Legare to comment on any interactions their departments have had with GHC since it opened four months ago.

Buck said that the department has only had one call related to the housing center. Buck added that he was familiar with Hayden and GAAMHA through his work with another agency, adding the relationship has always been “very positive. I’m very much supportive of people who are in recovery, but I also have a duty to the town, my agency, and my community to prepare for how this may impact us.”

Buck said among his main concerns, in addition to security, is the potential financial impact of new Petersham residents on the town budget. Another issue, Legare said, is the lack of a backup generator on-site.

“During a recent lightning storm,” said the fire chief, “the alarm system got taken out and the sprinklers were taken out.”

Legare said the Athol Fire Department, due to its proximity to the facility and that it has full-time personnel, will be the first-responders for the site.

Hayden said the program model used is called ‘family supportive living’ and is intended for mothers who are in recovery and their children. To qualify for the program, they have to be in recovery for a minimum of six months. Mothers can enter if they have dependent children who live with them, or if imminent reunification through the Department of Children and Families is scheduled.

“In this program, moms can live here for up to two years rent-free – they don’t pay to live there. There’s a focus on not only maintaining their recovery, but a return to independent living,” Hayden said. “Moms are expected to find gainful employment, identify daycare for their children. We have staff in place to assist, but there’s a real emphasis on returning moms to being fully independent, working in the community, and contributing to society. It’s not a treatment model; it’s supported living.”

Hayden then touched on the potential impact on local schools as a result of children living at GHC. As of last Wednesday, there were 13 children living at the facility, one of which was a kindergartner attending Petersham Center School. Eight adults are living on-site.

Petersham Center School Superintendent Elizebeth Zielinski said “whenever an individual is in any particular town, they are a resident of that town…and as a school system we are obligated to provide them education services. If that child was in another district, and because this is considered temporary residency, that means…we are obligated to provide educational programming, but the preference is for them to go to their home or sending district.”

Zielenski said that one child living at the GAAMHA facility is attending Mahar Regional, most likely in the middle school. There is also a first-grader in Petersham and others that come with “significant costs,” said Zielenski, based on student needs.

“So, currently, based on the students we know will be coming in, just for Petersham, currently we are in debt – that’s the only way I can put it because we have an extremely tight budget, as you know – we’re about in debt about $120,000 for the services that are needed for the students,” Zielenski said. “That does not include the student at Mahar.”

While Wednesday’s meeting ended without definite plans on how to deal with the impact of the facility, it did give officials a better idea of what issues will need to be dealt with – in terms of both public safety and municipal finances. It was agreed the lines of communication would be kept open with an eye toward maintaining a cooperative relationship between GAAMHA and the town.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.