Citizens of Bay Minette nearly packed the city council chambers Monday to air complaints against a Bay Minette Police Department proposal to operate a “safe haven” at the vacant Douglasville High School.

In addition, more than 100 Bay Minette residents signed a petition asking the city not to go through with the re-entry of former prisoners into society and the establishment of a police precinct, which is under the nationwide grants Project Safe Neighborhood and Anti-Gang Initiative.

Many members of the crowd voiced their concerns over the formerly incarcerated.

“We would love to have a safe haven and somewhere people can go and be safe,” Barbara Brown told council. “But I don’t want any of my three children in a facility with someone who committed a crime.”

Police Chief Michael Rowland spoke to a crowd of anxious faces about the benefits of a program for those who just got out of prison.

“Look inside your hearts. If you had family or friends who just got out, wouldn’t you want a place where they can go and not fall back into committing crimes,” Rowland said.

Delores Bert told the council she was concerned the project will “bring more criminals to the area.”

Although Rowland explained that neither violent nor sexual offenders will be allowed on the premises and those who will are by appointment only, the momentum of the crowd refused to give way.

“These ex-criminals are already living there in the community. We just want to give them all the services everyone else will get at the safe haven,” Rowland said.

But Delores Bert, another resident of Bay Minette, told the council she was concerned the project will “bring more criminals to the area.”

Rowland also addressed concerns that the placement of the safe haven was unfairly picked.

“We picked that spot because of the facilities not because of the neighborhood,” he said, as the quiet crowd listened. “But if we don’t get it there we’re doing it somewhere else.”

Recently, the city has been working out a deal with the Baldwin County Board of Education to use Douglasville High.

Toward the end of the meeting, remarks erupted from the crowd indicating distrust as Mayor Sonny Dobbins concluded.

“The idea is to make the neighborhood better,” Dobbins said. “Nothing has been decided yet. The school board still has to approve the lease. Then we have to approve it.”

Citizens left the debate with the city council open ended and all were encouraged to attend the following open forums: June 7 at 10:30 a.m. in the city council chambers and June 19 at 6 p.m. in the church at the corner of Moran Road and Old Daphne Road. Citizens also were encouraged to participate more in city council meetings every other Monday.

The school board will be meeting June 7 in Loxley and June 21 in Bay Minette. A spokesperson from Mayor Dobbins office said they hope the board will decide to lease the vacant school by July 1.

Councilman Melvin Bradley, representative of the area in question, said he is convinced the Bay Minette city council will not pass an issue this contested.

“They shouldn’t try to force it on them,” he said. “As long as the people are not satisfied we’re not going through with it.”

When asked, Bradley agreed that if the police were to create two community centers, one for children and one for the formerly incarcerated, there wouldn’t be as much concern in the neighborhood.

However, the fact that the police precinct will be there is the only part of the plan set in stone, according to Rowland. He looks forward to the scheduled meetings in order to work out what the community wants.

But just because the community is edgy about the re-entry program doesn’t mean Rowland is ready to give up on it yet.

“We’re still going to have a re-entry program whether it’s at the safe haven or not,” he said. “And the fact that some people don’t want a police precinct there makes me think they have something to hide.”