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Residential addiction rehab facility could open south of Steamboat

Teresa Ristow

— A substance abuse treatment center called The Foundry could open as early as May on Colorado Highway 131 southeast of Steamboat.

The proposed center would initially have the capacity for 12 clients, who would typically stay for a 12-week residential treatment program, beginning with 30 days of intensive all-day counseling and rehabilitation.

The center would have a strong focus on outdoor activities and physical fitness and welcome patients from across the country and internationally once it’s established.



The Foundry manager Scott Borden filed an application with the Routt County Planning Department in December for the facility, which would be located on a 50-acre property owned by an LLC registered to Borden, approximately 10 miles southeast of Steamboat Springs.

“I’ve always felt that we’ve had an array of health experts in this area — and I see this as an opportunity to pool a lot of those resources,” Borden said.



Borden said The Foundry already has a list of interested experts who would either serve as full-time staff at the facility or provide supplemental services based on a holistic approach of nurturing a person’s mind, body and spirit.

The Foundry’s application for a special use permit will be discussed by the Planning Commission at 6 p.m. March 5 and then by the Board of County Commissioners at 1:30 p.m. March 24.

According to its application, The Foundry aims to be a substance abuse treatment center “dedicated not only to saving lives, but also providing clients with the direction and tools to craft a new life free from substance abuse.”

The center would initially remodel and utilize an existing 4,200-square-foot residential structure to accommodate six client/patient bedrooms for up to 12 clients. An existing metal barn would be remodeled for year-round use, and a similar barn or other outbuilding structure would be built for workshop and office space.

During an envisioned second phase of the project, a second dwelling would be constructed with six additional bedrooms, giving The Foundry the ability to accommodate up to 24 clients.

The name “foundry” comes from Borden’s time spent working in a gray iron casting facility, where scrap parts were melted down, mixed with additives, molded, cooled and polished into useful auto parts — a process not unlike recovering from addiction and rebuilding yourself as a person, he said.

Once clients complete their initial 30 days of treatment at The Foundry, they will have opportunities to work in an on-site garden or shop, horseback ride, mountain bike, cross country ski, snowshoe and engage in a variety of other activities.

Borden, who said he has personal experience with substance abuse, said integrating physical activities into a natural setting helps counselors break down the barriers faced by recovering addicts.

“You come here, and you’re really going to work to remake yourself,” Borden said. “What we’d like to offer is a real journey, where you’re challenged each step of the way, with new habits and a new way of life.”

To reach Teresa Ristow, call 970-871-4206, email tristow@SteamboatToday.com or follow her on Twitter @TeresaRistow


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