BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — Eric Mills, founder of the Thrive Community Coalition, announced Tuesday that he will not proceed with leasing the former library facility in Inez. This decision follows a recent audit revealing financial difficulties within the Martin County Library Taxing District.

Although the library board of trustees approved the lease during a special meeting on July 31, Mills has not signed the agreement.

“I will not be signing it,” Mills stated. “I don’t want to put the library in a difficult position. The audit’s findings and the library’s financial issues surfaced just as the lease discussions began. It’s a situation I prefer to avoid.”

Thrive Community Coalition had planned to transform the former library on Main Street into an addiction recovery after-care facility. The proposed center would offer transitional resources, including peer mentoring, life skills development, and access to housing, transportation, education, and health services.

The initiative was to be funded by an Appalachian Regional Commission grant of $500,000 and a $376,000 award from the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission.

“This building has been vacant for several years, which isn’t ideal,” Mills said. “I believed it would be a great place to help people. That’s why I initially approached the library. However, Thrive does not want to impose any burden on them.”

Mills indicated that Thrive is considering alternative locations.

“Until the library is secure in its financial situation, it would be irresponsible for me to limit their options,” he explained. “They need the flexibility to make necessary decisions. If they later find themselves in a stable financial position and determine they don’t need that building, we can revisit the discussion. But I’m not going to get in the middle of that situation.”