Bacon Street to Address CSB Today; Contract at Stake

By WYDaily Staff Tuesday, March 30, 2010

The Colonial Community Services Board will meet this afternoon to determine the future of its funding of a longtime youth substance abuse program, Bacon Street.

The meeting, originally scheduled to be held at the CSB's offices, will move to the James City County complex in the board room in Building F – the same place where supervisors meet. The meeting begins at 4 p.m. and is open to the public.

At issue is whether the CSB's budgetary issues will lead to an end of funding for the nonprofit Bacon Street, whose 35-year history parallels the CSB and who gets a third of its budget from the agency.

Bacon Street leaders have been reeling since learning in mid-February that the CSB was considering an end to its contract with Bacon Street while developing its own program to help area youth with substance abuse issues. The CSB directed its administrator, David Coe, to investigate performing contractual services like those Bacon Street provides in-house. A report the CSB completed indicates they can do the job of Bacon Street for less money in-house and with two employees instead of eight.

Sandy Fagan, Bacon Street's executive director, says the CSB has grossly underestimated both the scope of services his group provides and the number of people required to do it.

Coe has said the CSB is just trying to do the most with decreasing funds.

Read more about the issue here.