A proposal for a drug rehabilitation facility on site of a former nursing home on Fifth Street will be presented to Highland town officials, though those same officials are hesitant to embrace it.

Building Commissioner Ken Mika said last week that he’ll be meeting Tuesday with a representative who’s going to present plans for an inpatient drug rehabilitation facility at the Highland Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 9630 Fifth St. The plan wasn’t a secret, a spokesman for the nursing home’s parent company, Chosen Healthcare out of Fishers, Indiana, said; rather, they weren’t ready to present anything to the town.

“The Town will be meeting with representatives from Chosen Healthcare as well as Hickory House, a well-regarded operator of rehabilitation programs with whom Chosen Healthcare will be partnering on this project, “ the spokesman said Wednesday.

“For the last several weeks, our top priority has been our residents and ensuring the transition process (of moving patients out of the Highland facility) was approached with compassion, sensitivity, professionalism,” the spokesman said in an email. “To date, we have taken no official steps towards opening an in-patient rehabilitation facility, and therefore, we did not believe any official communication was appropriate.

“Of course we plan to work closely with the town once we begin that process and in fact have reached out to begin what we hope will be a productive discussion.”

The nursing home closed recently, and its 27 residents have been moved to new residences, the spokesman said.

The property on which the building resides is currently zoned residential, Mika said, but the nursing home had been grandfathered in. Business owners aren’t obligated to tell the town they’re shutting down or selling their property, but the new entities do need to go through the building department first, then the Board of Zoning Appeals and eventually the Town Council, to petition for any special use variances, Mika said.

Whether the BZA would approve a special use variance for Chosen to install a drug rehabilitation facility remains to be seen. Members of the Town Council, however, expressed reservations about it after a Council study session Monday night.

“Should a rehab be a block away from a school? I know I don’t feel OK about that,” Councilman Dan Vassar, D-3rd, said, referring to the building’s proximity to Mildred Merkley Elementary and Highland’s Middle School and High School.

Council President Steve Wagner, D-4, added that he wonders if there’s another location in town that would be better suited for the facility.

But as of now, Chosen’s set on a drug rehab.

“We believe that this facility can provide high-quality medical care, help meet a pressing health need and respect any concerns of the community. We will consider other options when and if that becomes necessary,” Chosen’s spokesman said.

Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.