Green Briar Adult Home still raising questions and concerns

MILLBROOK — Green Briar Adult Home continues to be a hot topic among residents of Millbrook and town of Washington (TOW). It was the main focus of a Thursday, March 14, Town Board meeting. 

Green Briar is not a new business. It started out as a retirement home for roughly four senior citizens some 40 years ago. Yet there seems to be some mystery as to how this once-private home, opened to allow upstairs rentals to four elderly people, has grown into a 53-bed facility for a population few in the community seem to know very  much about.

In September of 2019,  Louis Cortalano, 57, a convicted felon, was arrested after he was  reportedly caught entering and stealing from the Blue Barn B&B. Cortalano is still in jail. His accomplice, who allegedly waited outside the home, was not charged because he hadn’t done anything illegal. The accomplice was said to suffer from diminished mental capacity. Both were residents of Green Briar.

It was also learned at that time that on March 21, 2018, an employee of Green Briar, Curtis J. Schultz, 59, had been arrested by the New York State Police on a charge of first degree criminal assault. He is accused of having committed a sexual assault on a non-consenting adult at the home.

Joan LaCasse, owner of the Blue Barn B&B, addressed the board at last week’s meeting. She mentioned an article in The Millerton News concerning a fight that reportedly took place at Green Briar on Jan. 18, that resulted in one of the home’s residents being removed for psychiatric evaluation.

She went on to note that on  Tuesday, March 5, at approximately 5 p.m. she saw an ambulance and five police cars outside Green Briar. According to LaCasse, a resident was said to have felt neglected by a visiting psychologist and punched a wall; 911 was called.

LaCasse said she is concerned about the safety of residents and their property, and notes that she is not only a resident, but her B&B is a viable and respected addition to the business community. 

With a full house at the March 14 meeting, many residents said they were there to support LaCasse and her concerns.

It was also mentioned that the fire department and rescue squad are often called to take care of incidents at Green Briar that don’t truly require those resources to be summoned.

Early in January, TOW Supervisor Gary Ciferri, along with Councilman Michael Murphy and Town Clerk Mary Alex, met with Green Briar owner Eileen Berenyi, and her lawyer, Allan Rappleyea. They reportedly discussed many of the concerns town residents have had. Berenyi agreed to look carefully into the complaints, but a meeting with the public that had been promised at one point never happened.

With the latest events and renewed fears, the town addressed Berenyi and Rappleyea in a letter. Some of the items addressed in that letter include: Are Green Briar residents evaluated for mental health issues and are those with diminished mental capacity admitted?

Berenyi responded that all residents are screened both physically and mentally and that certifies them to live in a New York State licensed facility. Each resident is also evaluated every year by a psychiatrist hired by the state.

When asked about the incident on March 5 that drew an ambulance and police cars, the Green Briar owner replied that a resident had become upset, punched a wall, and was then calmed down without incident and remained at Green Briar. According to the New York State Police, that’s not true. Police report that the resident was taken to Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

As far as reports of local crime, restricting the movements of Green Briar residents found wandering in the neighborhood is not possible, the town was told.  State law prohibits Green Briar from restricting their movements and many of them are involved in off-site day programs.

Coming at the issue from a different point of view, Howard Schuman, who like LaCasse lives in the immediate vicinity, said the home is in violation of the zoning code 633 — homes for the aged. Schuman said Green Briar is a business, and not in keeping with the residential zone where it is located. The U.S. Government Census Bureau and Medicare define aged or elderly as 65 years of age and older; many Green Briar residents are much younger.

Schuman said he also feels that many of the residents seem to be referred by other agencies seeking to place people under the jurisdiction of Green Briar, who are not “elderly” and therefore don’t belong there.

“The town has the authority to force them to comply with the use they are supposed to be under, according to the assessor-designated use category,” said Schuman. “Green Briar cannot undertake other uses just because it is profitable or expedient for them to do so.”

A public meeting will be arranged in the near future to address these issues with the owner, Berenyi, and her lawyer.