LIVERMORE FALLS — A New Portland couple is proposing to turn a vacant house at 80 Park St. into a sober living house for those who have alcohol and substance abuse disorder.
Janine and Ken White of New Portland are proposing to develop a sober living facility known as the The Emery Recovery House, now vacant, at 80 Park St. in Livermore Falls. Janine White is a nurse practitioner and Ken White is a construction contractor. The hope is, with the help of volunteers and others, to open the center in the spring of 2025. Donna M. Perry/Sun Journal
Janine White, a nurse practitioner at Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington, and her husband, Ken White, owner of Bianco Co., a construction property management company, are proposing The Emery Recovery House for the house.
Janine White gave a presentation on the project to selectmen April 2. She said the couple purchased the house about four years ago for reasonable money and they decided to make it a sober living house. The house was formerly owned by Eugene Emery so they named it after him.
“We want to make it into a place for healing and hope,” she said.
There were 600 lives claimed by overdoses in 2023, she added. Since Jan. 1 there have been 55 lives lost, White said.
It will be a 10-12 bed facility.
The Emery Recovery House will be built on the strength of the community and partnerships with law enforcement, courts, medical professionals and the town, White said.
“Together, we are stronger,” she said.
Their alliance with Franklin Health, Healthy Community Coalition, and Lifeline for Maine is part of their plan to create a network of support and forge pathways forward.
The project still needs to go before the Planning Board for a site plan review but no date has been set for it. The couple also has a vision for another property in the area to be an addition to 80 Park St.
Anyone interested in volunteering to help clean up the property is welcome, she said, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and again Saturday, April 20. They are also planning a benefit pasta dinner for a fundraiser from 4-6 p.m. on May 10 at George Bunten American Legion Post 10 at 17 Reynolds Ave. in Livermore Falls.
The couple is also asking for help writing grants for financial support for the project.
The opening is set for spring 2025.
It was unclear Monday if the recovery house will be nonprofit or stay on the town’s tax rolls.
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