Lynn church backing sex rehab idea

LYNN – A church in the city’s exclusive Diamond District is behind a plan to establish a halfway house for Level III sex offenders in Lynn.City Councilors on Tuesday learned the rudimentary details, which include a request by the controversial LifePoint Church to the Police Department for information on the feasibility of and local restrictions related to siting such a facility.The matter was brought before the Ordinance Committee after Council President Timothy Phelan submitted three proposed ordinances aimed at halting the sex offender rehabilitation initiative.Ward 3 Councilor Darren Cyr, the committee chairman, described the idea of bringing Level III sex offenders to Lynn for rehabilitation as appalling. “There’s an uproar in the community,” he said. “I find it offensive that anybody would even suggest we open such a facility.”Level III sex offenders are those convicted of the most serious sex crimes and most likely to offend again upon release from prison, based on definitions contained in Massachusetts law.Cyr said Lynn is home to schools, churches, daycare centers and Little League teams, all of which would be threatened by the presence of sex offenders.According to council records, Robert Eggerman, representing the LifePoint Church near the corner of Atlantic Terrace and Ocean Street, made the request for information, prompting Phelan to pen a letter in opposition to any such plan.A public hearing on the three ordinances proposed by Phelan was scheduled for June 9, which allows time for the Planning Board to separately discuss one of the ordinances that requires a zoning change.Phelan has proposed that it be made unlawful for any adult criminal Level III sex offender to establish residency or any other living accommodation within 1,500 feet of property on which any school, licensed daycare facility, or public or private school is located. The 1,500-foot buffer would also apply to all city and state public parks and playgrounds or recreational facilities. Measurements would begin at the property line, not at the school or other building.Registered sex offenders who reside on a temporary or permanent basis within 1,500 feet of any school, park, daycare or playground following passage of the proposed ordinance would be considered in violation. As a result, the sex offender would be required within 30 days of receiving written notice of non-compliance to move from those living quarters to a new location – but not within the 1,500-foot buffer zone.The first day following the 30-day notification period would be considered a violation if the sex offender has not moved and be subject to a $300 non-criminal fine. A subsequent offense would bring another $300 fine and the sex offender’s parole or probation officer would be contacted, as would the state’s Sex Offender Registry Board.The proposed ordinance requiring a zoning change would increase the minimum parking requirements for group homes, sober houses, halfway houses and similar institutions.The third proposed ordinance would simply prohibit sex offender halfway houses from operating within the city.Life Point Church has made headlines since arriving in the city, stemming from neighborhood complaints about trash, loss of green space, parking and the absence of a permit to operate its Lynn City Mission food pantry.The Daily Item was unable to reach Eggerman for comment Tuesday evening.