Klamath Falls, Ore. – Construction on a ‘Sobering Center’ in Klamath Falls could get started within the next few months.
Stan Gilbert of Klamath Basin Behavioral Health says the sobering station would have 8 beds. He called the center, “A safe, secure place for folks who are under the influence, can sleep off their inebriation.”
Fire Chief John Spradley says the facility provides a needed option for dealing with a person under the influence. “Who doesn’t meet the criteria for transport to the hospital, the person who doesn’t meet the criteria to be placed into custody.”
Tom Hottman of Sky Lakes Medical Center says the facility could also play a role in helping those with drug or alcohol problems. “There is the potential of having follow-on treatment, that can help the individual in a longer-lasting way.”
The sobering station will be constructed on the ‘Klamath Works’ campus, which is being developed near the South Sixth Street overpass.
Construction costs are estimated at about $750,000.
Nearly half a million dollars in funding for the sobering center has been made by the Oregon Health Authority, Sky Lakes Medical Center, and Klamath County.
KOTI-TV NBC2 reporter Lyle Ahrens moved from Nebraska to Klamath Falls in the late 1970’s. He instantly fell in love with the mountains, the trees and the rivers, and never once regretted the move.Lyle’s job history is quite colorful.
He’s managed a pizza parlor; he’s been a bartender, and a “kiwifruit grader” at an organic orchard in New Zealand. A Klamath Falls radio station hired Lyle in the mid 90’s as a news writer and commercial producer. In 2004, Lyle joined the KOTI/KOBI news operation.Lyle notes with pride that he has a big responsibility presenting the Klamath Basin to a wide and varied audience.
“The on-going water crisis has underscored the fact that the people and the issues in the Klamath Basin are every bit as diverse as the terrain. Winning and keeping the trust of the viewers, as well as the newsmakers, is something I strive for with each story”.
When he’s not busy reporting the news, Lyle enjoys astronomy, playing guitar, fixing old radios and listening to anything by Sheryl Crow.
