Proposed veterans, first responders center meets resistance
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Tim Motte of Gunny’s Ridge Veteran and First Responder Outpost outlines the proposed location for the proposed non-for-profit that would serve veterans and first responders with PTSD during a hearing at Hanover Township Municipal Building on Tuesday.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
In this file photo from December, retired Pennsylvania State Police trooper and U.S. military veteran Tim Motte discusses plans for Gunny’s Ridge Veteran and First Responder Outpost, a not-for-profit that aims to help veterans and first responders with PTSD.
Courtesy of Google Maps
101 Meadow Road in Hanover Township
A Hanover Township man is seeking to launch a not-for-profit organization on his 101-acre property to serve veterans and first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but his plan has riled some residents who don’t want the facility near their homes because they are located in a rural conservation district.
During a hearing with the Hanover Township Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Timothy Motte, vice president of the not-for-profit Gunny’s Ridge Veteran and First Responder Outpost, said the organization aims to assist veterans and first responders by providing a natural environment for them to bond and heal by participating in recreational, educational, and physical programs.
Motte said Gunny’s Ridge is partnering with Fortis Future and Adventures in Training With a Purpose for training and education programs that would serve up to 12 veterans and first responders at a time.
Said Motte, a retired Pennsylvania State Police trooper and U.S. military veteran who served two tours of duty in Iraq and battles PTSD, “There’s a lot of stuff out there for veterans having issues with PTSD – taking them fishing, taking them on trips, hunting and stuff – but at the end of the day, they still have the issues, and what we want to be able to do is to have programs to train and educate people how to recognize this stuff, how to deal with it and how to point people in the right direction. We’re not doing any kind of treatment; this is all training and education.”
Motte compared Gunny’s Ridge to “a Boy Scout camp for veterans and first responders.”
Residents say the applaud the mission of Gunny Ridge, but not in a rural preservation district.
The location of the proposed Gunny’s Ridge – 101 Meadow Road – and the neighboring properties lie within a rural preservation district. Those districts provide owners of rural property a means of ensuring preservation of farms, open space, and the scenic value that rural land provides.
Rural preservation zones also provide a way to conserve natural, scenic, and historic resources.
Gunny’s Ridge has applied for a tourism conditional use in the rural preservation district.
During half-day and full-day classes, qualified instructors will provide workshops on programs that include team building (obstacle courses, adventure-based leadership courses), animal husbandry workshops, sustainable agricultural and forest management practices, and skills development such as woodworking, beekeeping, and portable sawmill operation.
Among the recreational programs Gunny’s Ridge plans to offer are military orienteering, hiking, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, and bicycling.
Motte said there will be no hunting or gun range on the property, and no alcohol permitted.
Gunny’s Ridge board members appeared before supervisors in September to present its plan, but was given a continuance until the Dec. 13 meeting to provide a more comprehensive presentation.
Gunny’s Ridge still must raise money to build the $446,000 complex, which will include a main lodge, a barn, and a parking area.
It also is awaiting approval of its not-for-profit 501©3 application.
About 30 people have signed a petition against putting in the facility.
Residents argue that Gunny’s Ridge doesn’t meet the criteria for tourism, and are concerned about the potential impact on their rural lifestyle. They also worry that the program could draw unstable people to their neighborhood.
“I do not believe this is at all a tourism industry. If you would go up and somebody asked what tourism is, they wouldn’t say it’s a facility for PTSD victims to go and do horseback riding in the woods. It’s a select group of people you’re aiming toward,” said Hanover Township resident Aiden Jennison, whose property is adjacent to the proposed Gunny’s Ridge. “The safety factor is big for my wife and myself. We want our kids to be able to run outside. I want to be able send them down to the creek in the back valley and not worry that they’re 50 yards from your property line where God knows who is running around.”
Organizers believe the residents’ fears are misguided.
Motte and Mike Snider, retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer and president of Gunny’s Ridge, said Fortis Future and Adventures in Training With a Purpose (ATP) changed their lives, and Gunny’s Ridge, with its collaboration with those groups, could go a long way toward helping other veterans.
“Our program is going to be working with Fortis and ATP so there’s a continuous program that (participants) are involved in,” said Snider. ‘We want to have a place where guys can come and feel safe, not surrounded by a bunch of people they don’t know … we want to have a place where they can come in and do activities, and have freedom of movement and be able to operate safely and effectively.”
All of Gunny’s Ridge board members are combat veterans and first responders.
Fortis Future is a multidisciplinary treatment program for veterans, military and first responders coping with traumatic stress and was co-founded by Dr. Timothy Murphy, a licensed psychologist and former congressman who served in the U.S. Navy.
ATP, founded by retired Pittsburgh Steeler Jon Kolb, provides purposeful physical training for veterans, active duty military, and first responders to improve their quality of life.
Kolb, who spoke during the the hearing, said of Gunny’s Ridge, “What these gentlemen are wanting to do is get people up so they can resume their purpose and an active life.”
Gunny’s Ridge is named for Motte’s friend, Gunnery Sgt. John Wilson, who served in Desert Storm and Desert Shield, and served two tours in Iraq. On the second tour, Wilson’s vehicle ran over a roadside bomb, killing two U.S. Marines and leaving Wilson with a traumatic brain injury.
Wilson battled PTSD and participated in outdoor activities to alleviate stress. When he was killed in a motorcycle accident in May, Motte and a group of friends decided to start an organization to help others who had PTSD-related issues.
Residents also took issue that Gunny’s Ridge didn’t provide plans for the project until the day of the hearing, and maintained the plans did not include many details.
Michelle Fiola, whose property also is adjacent to a portion of the proposed Gunny’s Ridge, said she worries that approving the conditional use will open the area to growth.
“How do you draw the line?” she asked. “It’s a wonderful idea. I just don’t think it’s a wonderful idea for this area and the character of our community … what happened to codes to keep our community rural?”
Motte said he wanted to be a good neighbor and wanted to emphasize the good the center might do.
The programs at Gunny Ridge, he said, “are going to make healthier people, healthier first responders, and that’s going to help everybody.”
Supervisors have 45 days to approve or deny the conditional use request. The decision will likely be announced at a January meeting.