Senate drops plan for juvenile facility at former Windsor prison
MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) - Vermont lawmakers have rejected a $3 million proposal to convert the former Windsor prison into a juvenile detention center after the idea was opposed by local officials.
The state closed the Woodside Juvenile Detention facility in Essex Junction last year. A proposed replacement facility in Newbury is currently in the courts after local officials rejected the state plan. Now, a backup plan to rehab the former Southeast State Correctional Facility has been dropped by a Senate committee after it was rejected by town officials.
“They’ve had their share of 50 or 100 years of prisons and they want to get away from it. They’ve done their part over the years. I think, of sharing the state prison. To me, it’s a no-brainer,” said Sen. Dick Mazza, D-Grand Isle County.
It’s unclear when the Environmental Court will rule on the Scott administration’s appeal of the Newbury facility.
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