Narconon's Trash Service Halted - 6 March 93

Narconon's ® Trash Service Halted - 6 March 93
By Michael McNutt, Enid Bureau
Oklahoman & Times
Saturday, March 6, 1993

NEWKIRK -- An official of a sanitation company said Friday the firm has stopped trash and garbage pickup service for a drug and alcohol abuse center because it failed to pay its bill.

Gary Davis, owner of Davis Sanitation of Tonkawa, said Narconon Chilocco New Life Center has not paid its trash service bill in more than four months.

"We just felt like we couldn't let them get behind any more than they were," Davis said.

Davis said his company earlier this week removed its four trash dumpsters that Narconon Chilocco had been using for its trash and garbage. "I don't know what they've got going on up there but we've had an awful time," he said.

"We've always had to call them and just plead with them to pay their bill and they say that they're waiting for somebody to donate some money." Narconon Chilocco owes about $1,800, Davis said.

Gary Smith, president of Narconon Chilocco, said he was unaware there was a problem with paying the facility's trash bill.

"I don't handle that end of it," Smith said.

"All I know is we've got dumpsters out here. I don't know what exactly happened. It's the estate manager's job. We're fine on the trash." Smith said he did not know whose trash dumpsters were on the grounds of his center.

"It's a little out of my area," he said.

Davis said his company is the primary trash service in rural Kay County areas.

Trash service would resume to Narconon Chilocco, located on the campus of the old Chilocco Indian school about six miles north of Newkirk, if and when the facility pays its outstanding bill, Davis said.

"We're not coming back until they pay us up," he said.

A suit in Kay County District Court in order to get payment, Davis said. Delinquent payment of bills during 1991 was one concern state officials had when they considered a request from Narconon Chilocco to be licensed. Concerns about Narconon Chilocco's financial stability was one reason the center's application was denied by the state Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

Narconon Chilocco eventually obtained a state license last year after it received accreditation from a private nonprofit group.

Last week, Narconon Chilocco paid $3,438 in overdue unemployment compensation taxes and penalties to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.

Narconon Chilocco settled its delinquent tax two days after the state commission filed a claim seeking payment.

Smith said that failure to pay the tax was an oversight.

The unemployment security commission filed the warrant against Narconon Chilocco because the facility failed to pay $2,999 in unemployment compensation taxes for the second and third quarters of 1992.

Narconon Chilocco also was hit with a $364 penalty and was charged $74 in interest on the overdue tax.