River Regions is being disingenuous.

According its own mission statement, River Region Human Services, is an organization that assists individuals that struggle with "dependency-producing drugs, debilitating mental disorders, involvement in anti-social and criminal activities, and HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases. Nevertheless, it has been selected by the Federal Government to take possession of the historic Jewish Center/Job Corps facility on W. 3rd Street, to be used as a living and treatment facility, despite the fact that this use is precluded by local zoning laws and historic covenants.

In June, four-hundred Springfield residents turned out at Henrietta's Restaurant to tell to federal, state, and local officials what they thought about River Region's plan. No representatives of River Region attended.

At the Mayor's June town hall meeting at the FCCJ campus Downtown, Springfield had another great turnout to learn that the Mayor also did not support River Region's taking over this building. The Mayor promised to form a task force stating that "there could be better use made of the building, one that would better serve the interests of the Springfield community."

On July 11th the Springfield community was seemingly rewarded for its vigilance on this issue when Derya Williams, the CEO of River Region, wrote a letter to the Mayor stating that they had "agreed to suspend its pursuit of the former Job Corps building based on your commitment to assist us in finding comparable accommodations."

In September, Springfield learned that the General Services Administration was still moving forward with rewarding the property because River Regions had never withdrawn their application. Until such a withdrawal occurs, GSA is forced to continue processing the property.

Despite attempts to contact River Region, no answer has been given to Springfield's residents of why River Region has not withdrawn their application. The Mayor's office was also unaware that this was still an issue, as they felt that they had handled the issue and were already working to find a suitable location for River Region.

The Board members of River Region do not seem to care that they have hijacked a neighborhood and its future in this process. They seem to only care that they get what they want, and with their actions they are saying that their word is no good. This is a very obtuse position from an organization that receives the vast majority of its funding from Tax Payer money. If River Region treats the Mayor's office and Springfield this unethically, it frankly makes one wonder how it treats its patients.

Time is running out, if River Region does not withdraw its application for the Historic Jewish Center in the next few weeks, they will be awarded the building, and Springfield's future will once again have suffered at the hands of the City and Federal Governments.