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| Vt. to Make $3 Million Prison Payment to Springfield |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 01/02/2003 |
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A state official is to visit with the Select Board on Monday to deliver $3 million the payment that got the town to agree to accept a new prison. Select Board Chairman John Follett said that Thomas Torti, the commissioner of the state Department of Buildings and General Services, would attend the regular meeting of the select board to bring the money. Torti negotiated the agreement for the 350-bed prison on behalf of the state. Follett said he would be happy for the town to receive the money, which has remained in state hands even though the town approved the use of the money earlier this year. ''I think it was just good business to do it now. It's good to have all the players present,'' Follett said. ''We're just glad to get it done and we'll move on.'' Earlier this year, the town approved a plan to use the money to back a regional recreation center in the former Foundry building along Clinton Street, which has been vacant for 30 years. The Southern Vermont Recreation Center Foundation plans to create an endowment fund with the $3 million. The interest from the fund would offset operational expenses at the proposed facility. The construction project is estimated at $4.9 million but the total project cost is expected to be offset by donated materials and services. The group has raised about $2.35 million toward the project and fundraising efforts continue. Former state Sen. Edgar May, a leader with the Foundation, said receiving the $3 million from the state was an important piece of the group's continued efforts. The money will help to further legitimize the group's efforts, he said. ''It makes a huge difference. It proves to a potential major donor that this project is real because it has a $3 million endowment, which means that you can have an affordable operating budget,'' May said. |
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