The Fort Collins Mennonite Fellowship’s building in Old Town has been deemed unsafe by the city of Fort Collins due to a possible methamphetamine contamination.
Red signs stating the property is unsafe were placed on the doors of the building at 300 E. Oak St., across from the Old Town Library, on Dec. 9.
Assistant city manager Rupa Venkatesh told the Coloradoan in an email that “appropriate staff has determined that the conditions on the property are unsafe due to methamphetamine contamination” and the property may not be used until the city and county deem it is safe. “Appropriate staff” included staff from the city’s building department, code department, the city attorney’s office and Fort Collins Police Services, Venkatesh said.
Fort Collins Police Services “has increasingly observed problematic drug-related behavior in and at the Mennonite Fellowship,” Venkatesh said.
“No testing of levels have been completed yet but based on a totality of evidence to include previous calls for service and incidences on the property, there was enough to warrant this action,” Venkatesh said in an email.
Fort Collins Mennonite Fellowship Pastor Steve Ramer said the city informed him and others at the church Dec. 9 that there was “probable cause” to believe the building was unsafe due to methamphetamine contamination.
Ramer said he is unsure if the building is actually contaminated and the church had an inspector come the morning of Dec. 11 to do testing in and around the building. Ramer said they were told to expect results in about five days and are waiting to see what their options are until then.
“They feel like they have the evidence, and we need to do this (testing) to make sure” the building is safe, Ramer said.
If it is contaminated, Ramer said he wants to remedy it as soon as possible to reopen the building and ensure the people sheltering there are not living under dangerous conditions.
About a dozen people who had been staying at the church have now been displaced, Ramer said. Other programming at the church, including Narcotics Anonymous meetings, weekly meals and worship service, have been canceled until they are allowed to access the building again.
“This is putting a lot of people who are already vulnerable under a great deal of stress,” Ramer said.
Ramer said “to my knowledge, no,” people were not using drugs inside the church, but the church does allow anyone in need of shelter to stay in the building, including people who use illegal substances. Ramer said they sheltered more people than they typically do earlier this month due to the extreme cold temperatures.
“We try to make it as clear as possible that drugs are not allowed and use of drugs will get you thrown out of the building and off the property,” Ramer said, but when it comes to whether people sheltering at the church are using drugs, “we don’t know, we don’t ask.”
Ramer said they do watch for drug use on the property, and if they see it, they address it.
Ramer said several people who were recently living at the Mennonite Fellowship were recovering from addiction issues and other health issues and were doing well in the church.
“I feel for them,” Ramer said. “They’re the ones who are suffering.”
In 2023, the Mennonite Fellowship was labeled a “chronic nuisance property” by the city of Fort Collins due to frequent police responses to the property for a variety of reasons.
Venkatesh said in a Dec. 11 email that the Mennonite Fellowship had entered into formal abatement agreements on two separate occasions to address ongoing nuisance issues at the property.
The most recent abatement agreement expired Oct. 31, Venkatesh said, “and the city was working on determining what additional measures were appropriate,” but addressing the potential methamphetamine contamination is the city’s current priority.
This story has been updated with additional information.
