When the Department of Children and Families and Becket Family Services proposed to relocate Vermont’s only juvenile detention facility to the Town of Newbury, in a CD10 District (Conservation District), my initial reaction was to laugh. I wasn’t laughing to be flippant, but rather I thought it was absurd that anyone could justify how a juvenile detention facility met the zoning requirements for a CD10 District whose main purpose is to allow limited, low-density development that is primarily agricultural, forestry and residential in nature — the goal being to protect forestland and wildlife habitats.

I also recognized that this was a narrow fight limited to the Town of Newbury and its community members. In my mind, I perceived this proposal as a local problem, which would ideally be solved through local controls, including zoning laws.

I had also convinced myself, naively I must add, that this would be an open/shut case based on the nature of the proposal and current use versus amended use. At least three informational meetings were held between the Department of Children and Families, Becket Family of Services and concerned community members. In addition to those informational meetings, the Newbury Development Review Board (DRB) held two separate meetings at Newbury Elementary School and reviewed testimony presented by the Department of Children and Families, Becket Family of Services and the townspeople.

The DRB, after collecting and hearing all the testimony, was charged with determining whether to grant or deny, in part, the request for a site plan/conditional use. On Nov. 12, 2021, the DRB released its Findings of Facts, Conclusions of Law and Decisions, in which the members voted UNANIMOUSLY to deny the application submitted by the Department of Children and Families and Becket Family of Services, citing numerous issues.

But the story doesn’t end there as one might expect. Instead, the State of Vermont is and has been incurring legal fees on behalf of Becket Family of Services, which is a private company that intends on running the replacement juvenile detention facility. This case is currently under litigation in the Environmental Court.

Let that sink in for a minute. The proposal submitted by the Department of Children and Families, including all legal fees incurred on behalf of the Becket Family of Services, has been paid by YOUR tax dollars!

I’ve now come to realize this political facade that has been unfolding right in front of my eyes is and never has been limited to the concerns of only the Town of Newbury and its community members. Instead, this is an attack on all Vermonters. What is happening is affecting each and every productive, law-abiding resident in this state. What is happening in our small town of 2,293 people is a desecration of existing laws and local control. If it can happen to us, it can happen to you!

This should not be Vermont’s dirty little secret. This needs to be exposed for what it really is. It is documented that the State of Vermont exists to “protect, preserve and enhance the exceptional quality of life here in Vermont.” Who is protecting those of us who live in Newbury? Part of that protection needs to be honesty, transparency and abiding by laws put in place to protect residents, regardless of who the entity is that is trying to violate them — even if that designated agency is a state agency.

Tina Heywood is a resident of Newbury, Vt.