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GUYS MILLS — With phase one renovations to the dormitory almost complete, the new Vision Quest facility near Blooming Valley is preparing for the first contingent of 17- to 19-year-old youths from Franklin to arrive in September. 

“Our goal here is to begin small,” said Kenn Capper, state director for Pennsylvania residential programs at Vision Quest. “We will grow the culture here by starting out with 16 of our best kids.” 

According to Capper, those who are admitted into Vision Quest come as a “last stop in the juvenile system.”

“Of the 190 kids in Franklin, the majority of the offenses boil down to drugs, theft and minor assault — they have no felonies,” he said. “There are always exceptions, but most of these youths totally get that this is their last chance before getting put into the adult system.”

Next-door neighbor Nancy Smith, owner of Smith’s Country Gardens, was an outspoken opponent of the facility. She now has a lot of mixed emotions.

“I recognize that probably for every one ‘bad’ kid that there are probably six that are not,” she said. “But I still have reservations.”

In addition to fears that her property will lose value because of Vision Quest, she said that she has “heard stories from former employees of the Franklin facility.” As a result of the stories, and other factors, she is “considering precautions.”

“Kenn has been really trying hard and going out of his way,” she said. “We know his heart is in the right place and that the program is not a total loss. But we continue to have reservations.”

Capper, a retired sergeant major of the U.S. Marine Corps, has been with the 25-year-old organization for almost 10 years. Nationally it has more than 1,000 youths in Arizona, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Florida and Oklahoma.

Capper is headquartered in the nearest Vision Quest facility in Franklin. He plans to visit the Guys Mills facility weekly, but will leave the day-to-day operations to a chief administrator.

In addition to the newly remodeled dormitory, Vision Quest is simultaneously making improvements and upgrades to the former Sto Rox Booster Club house, which is on the site. It was once a pre-season training location for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The two-story building will feature a dining hall, recreational room, computer lab and classrooms.