By MATT LINDSEY
North Country This Week

More than 20 St. Lawrence NYSARC clients will be impacted by bottle redemption closures in Potsdam and Massena. However, no NYSARC staff will be out of a job due to the closing.

Both locations will close due to changes in funding requirements tied to location and the number of clients working.

Michelle Quinell-Gayle, assistant executive director of executive operations, confirmed that the last of operations at both facilities is Nov. 2.

“Of course we are sad to lose these businesses,” she said, “but individuals will still be able to do meaningful activities and no staff will be losing their jobs.”

The Massena redemption center, located at 50 Trade Dr. in the Massena Industrial Park, is closing because of its location.

Quinell-Gayle said the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) is requiring that facilities be located near the center of downtown, which is not the case in Massena. “They want an integrated setting,” she said.

The location in Potsdam, 22 Depot St. in the Market Square Mall, will close for a different reason.

Potsdam will close next month because of the ratio of people working being low. That location has four workers.

NYSARC is now tasked with finding other options for its clients. These could include working at restaurants and stores.

For now, individuals can work on crafts, sewing projects, volunteer work and other tasks to fill their time. Some will work with job coaches one-on-one until they are deemed capable of working independently.

“There are plenty of options,” Quinell-Gayle said.

An Ogdensburg location will remain open having met the requirements of OPWDD.