BAKER — Whether or not you support Exodos Ministries' move to Buck Ward Road, you can finally have your say, and learn more about the proposal, during a public meeting this week.
The Christian substance abuse rehabilitation ministry's representatives will explain their plans and answer questions 6 p.m. Thursday at the Baker Recreation Center, according to Okaloosa Commissioner Nathan Boyles, the discussion's host and moderator.
In addition, "County staff will explain the zoning and future land use rules relative to the proposed use of the property and explain the development review process as it would relate to a project of this nature," Boyles said in an email.
Exodos, a six-year-old nonprofit organization that offers Bible-based, post-detoxification intervention for HIV-negative men with no violent criminal record and no hepatitis or tuberculosis, plans to move its ministry from Crestview to the agricultural-zoned Buck Ward Road.
The goal is to build a house that initially serves eight men and eventually can minister to 16 men, said Kyra Crowson, Exodos' admissions director and secretary of its board of directors.
A number of Buck Ward residents who live near Exodos' proposed site have said they support the ministry but fear having close proximity with recovering drug, alcohol or sex addicts. They also have expressed concern that their property values will dip.
Exodos and Buck Ward Road representatives have discussed possibly scheduling meetings with each other's committees, but, for reasons both groups disagree on, those plans never worked out.
In the meantime, a number of signs protesting the move have been stolen or damaged, Buck Ward Road residents said.
On Dec. 10, approximately 35 demonstrators showed up on the road to support Exodos.
County officials have been researching whether Exodos' services align with typical agricultural-zoned property uses, but they said the answer is uncertain since Exodos' exact plans haven't been presented.
Boyles has said he will simply facilitate Thursday's discussion and will take no position on the issue.
WHAT: Public meeting on Exodos Ministries' move to Buck Ward Road in Baker
WHEN: 6 p.m. Thursday
WHERE: Baker Recreation Center
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Meeting on embattled Christian ministry set for Thursday