PUBLIC HEARING DRAWS MOSTLY POSITVE COMMENTS FOR BLUEBONNET HAVEN

  

A public hearing to add four additional residents to the Bluebonnet Haven Residential Treatment Center drew mostly positive comments this morning. The hearing, held at the Salem Volunteer Fire Department building, drew a few interested persons this morning when it started at 10:00, but wound down after only 30 minutes of comments and questions and answers. Four people with the Texas Department of Health and Human Services were in attendance, including District Director Willie Salas. The comments are being recorded for submission to the state, and are open to the public until 2:00 PM today (Monday).

Washington County Sheriff Otto Hanak spoke and said he did not see a problem with adding 4 girls to the residential treatment center. He stated that so far this year, only 7 calls have come through dispatch for the facility. He added that the kids need the help provided by the facility, and that the public needs to be kept safe also.

County Judge John Durrenberger and County Commissioner Candice Bullock also spoke and said they were pleasantly surprised to see how well the facility has operated. Bullock said that when the facility opened, everyone expected it to be another Five Oaks:

Bluebonnet Haven owner Randall Bryant answered several questions about the residential treatment center during the public hearing. He said that while he is seeking to increase the capacity of the facility from the current 32 to 36, he ultimately would like for the facility to house 48 girls. He said he has no plans to go beyond that number. He said the facility is not a prison, and that the girls sometime go out in the community, but are always supervised when they do. Bryant invited interested persons to come by and take a tour of the facility and see for themselves how it is operated.

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8 Comments

  1. I am so glad that Bluebonnet Haven is expanding! They have already done so much for the girls that they have taken in, rehabilitated and were sent home with their families. God has helped them make a difference in every life that has come there- the volunteers, the staff, the owners and all the girls. They create hope for the future for these girls! God willing they will be able to continue to do great things! As a community Brenham should uplift them in their prayers because what they’re doing is not easy.

  2. So the county judge as well as Sheriff Hanak are pleasantly surprised how this treatment center is operating.
    Only had to call the law out on them 7 times. Isn’t one time enough? How has the security changed since
    the two girls escaped and ran down Highway 36 and threatened the police with a pipe?

    1. Gloria,
      Do you know how many times the BPD is called to the public high school each year? Or even the State School support living? This is a comparably low number.

  3. You are correct! Someone had posted it on the Washington County News page on Facebook last Friday. We then saw a small notice in our Sunday paper.
    This facility was presented at the beginning to all of Washington County to house 12-16 girls at the most.
    While all of us were home under quarantine, they began building once again. Dirt moved, foundations poured, framing accomplished quickly. We didn’t see it coming.
    Searching through building permit notices, we never read anything about this.
    Holding the meeting on a Monday, with three days notice, the quarantine has been gently lifted, and people are finally able to go back to work is NOT the time to have a meeting.
    Brenham ISD has a new Superintendent. School started back yesterday for all of BUSD. Was the new Superintendent notified of the meeting?
    Everything about this place seems to be accomplished underhanded. Only seven incidents is seven too many.
    Just our opinion.

    1. You are so correct NEIGHBORS. A Monday not favorite day simply most working taxpayers getting geared for the week. This Mr.Bryant has not followed “rules” & that add-on was thrown up so quickly. He’s not a part of the community….. What does he care cause the funds that pay him come from State fund from Taxpayers. He’s making money $$$$$$$. He’s guaranteed his income not like many especially during this Covis time. Yes 7 INCIDENTS are too many. I wonder if the incidents were of same nature or different from one another? We have a great Sheriff & wish he’d have shared more to the nature of the calls. Hope Sheriff Janek will reply to this question.

  4. Seriously, what do you expect when you hold a meeting at 10;00 a.m. on a Monday morning. Most everyone is at work, hold the meeting in the evening at a facility that can hold a crowd and see what happens. This was staged as a check the box type thing, they were not interested in real public input or the meeting would have been held when the working public could actually attend.

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