Rehab facility to take over former St. Catharine College campus

SPRINGFIELD, Ky. (WDRB) -- After it closed abruptly in 2016, the St. Catharine College campus will soon have a new tenant in form of a large rehabilitation center.

Addiction Recovery Care announced Monday the campus will be home to ARC's "Crisis to Career" rehabilitation and job training services. It is leasing the property from the current owner, Washington Facility and Land Company.

The two came to an agreement on the deal in May but had to wait on a zoning permit to move forward. Last week, the Springfield Board of Zoning Adjustments unanimously approved ARC for a Conditional Use Permit. The permit will be maintained as long as ARC provides an annual copy of licensing and certifications.

"This campus is an absolutely pristine facility, and I'm confident it's going to save thousands of lives," said Matt Brown, ARC's senior vice president of administration.

ARC operates more than 30 rehab facilities in 17 Kentucky counties. The new facility in Springfield will be its largest in the state. The group offers a full continuum of care including detox, residential, transitional, intensive outpatient, outpatient, medically assisted treatment (MAT), vocational rehabilitation and job training, according to a release.

Before, ARC has not had a facility to provide all its resources on one campus, and this first-of-its-kind facility will do exactly that.

"We're going to be able to take a little bit of everything of what we do and put it on one campus," Brown said.

St. Catharine College closed in 2016 due to "low enrollment and debt obligations." City leaders said it was a huge blow to the small town of Springfield and has continued to have a negative impact as it has sat desolate for four years.

"It was really a big loss for this community," said Daniel Carney, economic development director director for Springfield-Washington County.

The city realized the potential for another college to inhabit the campus was more than likely a lost cause and has since worked with partners to find another entity to call it home.

Carney said the community is excited for the benefits this will provide both Springfield and the ARC.

"At a time of uncertainty with this pandemic, to be able to add to a small community's economy is a pretty big deal," Carney said.

ARC and the city said the facility will provide anywhere from 200 to 300 jobs and will have the capability to treat hundreds of patients battling addiction in Kentucky.

The overall economic impact is projected to be at least $10 million.

"The St. Catharine College campus was an anchor for that community," Browrn said. "A lot of folks that lived nearby attended there and had families that attended there, and we believe that our campus on their property will be very much the same way."

It's not clear when ARC will be able to move on to the campus, but leaders said it will be hosting job fair around the area in the coming months.

A place that once helped propel individuals into a career will soon be doing the same thing once again, in a different way.

"We will be running a program that Springfield and the region will be proud of," Brown said.