MACHIAS – The Washington Hancock Community Agency, whose state contract for services to Washington County victims of domestic violence was terminated suddenly, plans to appeal that decision.

Members of the advisory council for the Peaceful Choices program met Wednesday to hear WHCA’s reaction to Tuesday’s decision by the state Department of Human Services.

“I don’t know what the path to appealing it is, but we’re going to do it,” Tim King, WHCA’s executive director, told the group that gathered at the Bluebird Ranch Family Restaurant.

WHCA has until May 31 to make sure a transition of program services takes place with The Next Step, an Ellsworth agency with the state’s contract for Hancock County. WHCA is also eligible to bid for the next annual contract, after The Next Step of Ellsworth completes this one.

DHS faxed its decision to change service providers at 5:13 p.m. Tuesday, after WHCA had closed for the day. Wednesday morning, WHCA received numerous calls from clients and others who had learned of the contract termination by reading about it in the paper.

WHCA had handled the contract for five years. There have been four program directors in the past four years, and that was one of the reasons DHS made the switch.

DHS also was concerned about “a high level of staff turnover” in the program.

In the past two years, two people associated with Peaceful Choices have died, and one more left for the Peace Corps.

“Life happens and people change,” WHCA’s Fran Johnson said at the Wednesday lunch meeting. Johnson supervises the Peaceful Choices program.

David Stauffer, acting director of the Community Services Center within DHS, spelled out his reasons for changing providers in his fax to King.

“We have decided that the needs of domestic violence victims require us to seek out another way of providing services in Washington County,” Stauffer wrote.

The Next Step will finish out the remaining four months of the annual contract, which runs through Sept. 30.

The Next Step Director Laurie Fogelman said Wednesday she received a call shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday saying her agency was being asked to step in and take over Washington County services.

“We had had some theoretical discussions [with DHS] about this possibility,” Fogelman said. “But often things that are said in theory never come to pass.

“I have too little information right now to say much more. I want to meet and talk with the people of WHCA and Peaceful Choices. All the staff I have met already have all been really good people.

“We are hoping to keep the services in place to help the people of Washington County,” she said.

Johnson said DHS had not previously indicated its depth of concern about the services delivered by WHCA.

King, who just moved to WHCA in August, had traveled to Augusta a few months ago to meet with Stauffer and others as a face-to-face introduction. But at no point in that conversation did DHS indicate the contract was in trouble.

“They said they would help us and be supportive,” Johnson told the group.

King and Johnson believe that DHS listened to some negative complaints in making its decision. Yet DHS officials did not make a trip Down East to see the program firsthand, they said, aside from one time in 2000.

That didn’t sit well with George Fallon, a Lubec supporter of Peaceful Choices.

“We are dealing with Washington County,” Fallon said. “And the people of Washington County do not give positive feedback. But if they’ve got something against somebody, you’ll hear about that.”