The future of the School Sisters of Notre Dame Good Counsel Hill

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - Members of the community and developers discuss the future of School Sisters of Notre Dame Good Counsel Hill.

The possibility of a Christian-based addiction recovery center is on the table. But some parents are airing their concerns.

“We don’t think people don’t deserve treatment, we’re not not compassionate to it,” said a concerned parent. “We as parents are trying to mitigate risk for our children, and what you’re saying right now doesn’t offer a sense of security.”

On Thursday night, developers of the school sister of Notre Dame hosted a meeting. Over 100 people showed up.

“It is overall Community Health,” stated developer, Mike Drummer. “It’s not just about the health and wellness of Teen Challenge, the affordable apartment complex, the slab of great apartments that we want to do with is affordable for seniors to live out their final years on the hill in the grace... it was the sisters decision.”

The developing project plans to divide the building. On one side, developers plan to remodel the current living quarters of the School Sisters into affordable one and two-bedroom apartments.

Developers say the goal for the affordable property is to keep rates that are 50 to 75 percent the cost of other properties in Mankato.

But the part of the plan drawing fire is a Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge proposal to purchase a part of the campus.

They hope to treat over 70 men dealing with addiction, with a staff of around 55 people.

“Sadly, they self-medicate on terrible things like drugs and alcohol,” said CEO of Minnesota Teen and Adult Challenge, Tom Truszinski. “This isn’t just a stereotypical drug addict issue. This is an all-of-us issue; the numbers showing addiction and alcohol use to the point of abuse have just gone through the roof, especially since Covid.”

Which is what drove a lot of the parents to speak out. Critics say the planned location is too close to Loyola Catholic School, prompting public safety concerns.

“They have chemical abuse additions. They have other mental health issues,” added another concerned parent. “By definition, they can’t control their behavior. It’s an unsecured facility and a couple hundred feet from the school. So To me, that creates an inherent Public Safety problem that can’t be mitigated.”

Another meeting is planned before applying for permits from the city. A date hasn’t been set yet.

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