The Inter-Mountain photo by Brad Johnson Arch Recovery Center officials taking part in a public forum in Barbour County this week were, from left, John Messenger, director of operations; Howie Bromberg, chief operating officer; and CW Dent, director of business development.

BELINGTON — Representatives of the company creating a treatment center in Barbour County met with concerned citizens this week during an hour-plus public forum.

“We need facilities like this,” CW Dent, director of business development for Arch Recovery Center, said during the forum. “I spent 20 years in active addiction. Without rehab facilities like this, I’d be dead today. My kids would have no father. My wife would have no husband.”

About 20 people attended Tuesday night’s forum, hosted by the Barbour County Family Support Center at the historic Golden Rule Building in Belington.

The 60-bed facility, for male patients, will be located in the former Mountaineer Inn building in Philippi, which has been purchased by Arch Recovery.

Many of the residents speaking at the forum were seeking more information about the facility, concerned about it being close to their homes.

The Arch Recovery Center representatives said there will be a fence built around the facility, and that people being treated there will not be allowed to come and go as they please. The patients will be staying at the facility voluntarily, however.

The Medicaid-funded program will not accept violent criminals, the officials said. They estimated that the facility will be up and running within four to six months.

The facility will operate a level 3.1 treatment program, the company officials said. They described treatment levels as starting at 4.0, “medical detox”; going down to 3.7, “in between medical detox and a residential state”; and on down to 3.5, “typical residential treatment.”

The 3.1 facility in Philippi will offer longer-term residential stay treatment, “where you start getting life skills, you start training on writing resumes, job search, personal finance lessons,” Dent said.

One of the company officials said he “flew in from New Jersey” for the public forum.

“I’ve been all over the country doing this type of business for about 15 years now,” Howie Bromberg, Arch Recovery’s chief operating officer, said. “I’ve opened up facilities in multiple states – Indiana, Louisiana, Texas, Iowa.”

Bromberg said he had “a very small ownership stake” in the company, noting, “I’m the owner that has experience running these facilities.

“I try to come as often as I possibly can. Usually, I’m down here three days a week, every other week. And that’s usually to have meetings with my staff to make sure they’re doing the things that they’re supposed to be doing, and supporting them in any way I can. I want to be part of the solution.”

Some of the residents present were upset that the meeting was held in Belington, and not in Philippi, where the facility will be located. Officials said they would begin planning to have a second public forum in Philippi.

Last year, Arch Recovery opened the first detox and residential recovery facility for drug and alcohol addiction in Harrison County.