By Marissa Dechant – Staff writer
A former sports pub in Franklin is getting an unlikely makeover.
On June 30, Chris and Rindy Taylor closed Taylors’ Pub, at 701 Grant St., with plans of turning the business into a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for men. The center will be called Oil Region Recovery.
The mother-and-son duo have owned the pub since 2012, and it has undergone several changes in ownership since opening in the 1960s.
“It’s going to be a complete 180,” Rindy Taylor said. “We’re here to help people, and hopefully we can get people off drugs and back into their lives.”
Chris Taylor stands in the front room of what had been Taylors’ Pub in Franklin. He said some of the pub’s features will stay, including the kitchen and walk-in freezer, for the Oil Region Recovery drug and alchohol rehabilitation center for men. His wife, Jill, is in the background. (By Richard Sayer)
The Taylors have experience in the field and have already received support from city officials.
Prior to the pub business, Chris Taylor received degrees in criminal justice and sociology and worked in state parole for five years.
Rindy Taylor retired from Polk Center in 2010, after working for 40 years in positions that included residential unit manager and director of program services.
When the pair began taking the necessary steps last summer to get certified through the city and state, Chris Taylor said help came from all directions.
“The city has been behind it, and it’s really nice. The zoning officer and county commissioners have been here step by step,” he said.
Marie Plumer, director of the Venango County Substance Abuse Program, has also been in contact with the Taylor family.
“Marie has been great and brought in people from health networks,” Chris Taylor said.
Along with a complete interior renovation, the Taylors will have to wait three to six months to get certified through the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.
“It used to be six to 18 months to get certified, but now it’s shorter due to such a big need,” Chris Taylor said.
Once certified, Oil Region Recovery will be able to serve men within a 12-county network radius.
The center will provide in-patient care anywhere from 14 to 28 days, and the Taylors hope to serve up to 15 men.
“It’s going to be extensive,” she said, adding that there is room for expansion if they want to serve more people, including women.
The hiring of between 10 and 12 staff members has been budgeted for and will include counselors and clerical workers, Chris Taylor said.
“That’ll help out the area, and they’ll be good jobs,” he said.
The Taylors have already scheduled courses and seminars for administrative staff in Harrisburg, too.
“We have a lot to learn,” Rindy Taylor said.
Chris Taylor said he hopes for an opening date early next year.
