The Center’s new building at 1402 East Superior Street in Duluth’s Plaza district has begun serving Northland residents.

The Center takes a giant step this fall, celebrating both an anniversary and a leap into the future.

Ceremonies Aug. 14 marked the Center’s 40th anniversary of chemical dependency service to the Northland. Concurrently, the Center’s new building in Duluth’s Plaza area was dedicated in a ceremony for invited guests and a community open house.

HT Klatzky & Associates, Inc., Duluth advertising and public relations firm, was in charge of the day’s arrangements.

The new facility, a former automobile dealership at 1402 East Superior Street, eventually will house all of the Center’s Duluth-based chemical dependency treatment programs.

Opened in September was a replacement for the Duluth Detoxification Center. Later this fall, a brand new, 10-bed residential treatment center will commence operations.

These programs will occupy all of the 27,000-square-foot building’s Superior Street level. The lower, Jefferson Street, level remains unfinished for now, but its 12,800 square feet of floor space will be developed into quarters for the Center’s outpatient treatment programs next year during phase 2 of the building program.

Altogether, the project will cost some $2.7 million, including outlays for the building and land. The bill for construction, engineering and architectural work totals some $2.6 million. Project costs are being paid with tax-exempt bonds issued on behalf of the Center by the Duluth Economic Development Authority (DEDA) and purchased by USBank.

Center Executive Director Gary P. Olson expressed appreciation for the financing assistance on the part of the City of Duluth, DEDA and USBank. “They were very helpful,” he said, “in putting together this bond issue. The issue is good for the Center and good for the taxpayer, because it reduces the cost of borrowing to a very low level – a cost which would have to be passed on to taxpayers.”

Taxpayers become involved because detoxification services are mandated by state law. The Center has contracts with St. Louis, Carlton, Cook and Pine counties in Minnesota and Douglas County in Wisconsin to provide these tax-supported services. Altogether, the Duluth Detox serves some 3,500 individuals per year.

The new building is the culmination of several years’ efforts. In 1998, the Center was informed that its lease would not be renewed for the space until recently occupied by the Detox program. That space is on the ground floor of St. Luke’s Hospital’s east wing, in the old “infirmary.”

John Strange, St. Luke’s President, said the hospital had no choice but to reclaim the area that Detox has occupied since 1974. The hospital, he noted, has “lots of needs, and ground-floor space is at a premium.” It’s likely the current Detox quarters will be reused in some aspect of outpatient medical care, he said.

Despite the displacement, Strange noted, St. Luke’s and the Center will continue their 27-year tradition of cooperation. St. Luke’s Emergency will continue to refer clients to Detox in its new location, he said. And Detox will be referring clients to St. Luke’s for stabilization and other medical needs.

“I’m thrilled and excited for the Center,” noted Strange. “We’ve had a long and good relationship with the Center, and the new facility will take care of the needs of staff and clients for sometime to come.”

Billie Wurzel, who supervises chemical dependency matters for St. Louis County Social Services, echoed Strange’s comments. She said she was concerned when she learned that the Detox lease would not be renewed, but actually, the nonrenewal was an opportunity. It offered, she said, a chance for the Center to “rethink and re-evaluate its service” and upgrade for the 21st Century.

“The Center and the County have been working together in efforts to improve the continuum of care offered to St. Louis County residents,” she said. “I congratulate the Center on the completion of its new building, and I’m looking forward to the excellent service (the staff) will provide in the new facility.”

Also enthusiastic about the new building is Duluth’s Police Chief, Scott Lyons. He noted that the Police Department transports upwards of 2,200 persons a year to detoxification facilities; hence, there was some concern over nonrenewal of the lease. The department, said Lyons, assumed a leading role in making arrangements for the new facility. For without a functioning Detox center, there would have been a crisis.

“There is a tremendous problem with street alcoholism in Duluth, and the Center has always been there to help,” Lyons said. He added, “Over the years, we’ve established a very good working relationship with Detox, and we’re looking forward to the new facility. It’s a positive thing, a state-of-the-art center, which offers easy access. That’s important to us, because members of our department will be spending a lot of time there (transporting and helping intoxicated Duluth residents).”

The Center has provided detoxification care in Duluth since 1972, with opening of the first Detox Center at 2001 West First Street. Inpatient treatment is a new venture for the Center.