State’s shelter proposal for Waterbury armory draws 200 to select board meeting
February 2, 2024 | By Lisa ScagliottiORCA Media recorded the Jan. 29 Waterbury Select Board meeting. Watch that video online here.
Town Manager Tom Leitz today shared a follow-up message to the community regarding the shelter proposal. Read that in Opinion here.
Some 200 people turned out Monday night to hear firsthand a fresh proposal from state government to convert the former Vermont National Guard armory in Waterbury to be used as a temporary homeless shelter starting on April 1.
Chris Winters, commissioner of the Vermont Department for Children and Families, (standing right) speaks to a packed meeting of the Waterbury Select Board (at the tables) at the Main Street fire station on Monday. Photo by Gordon Miller
Many shared their opinions that included empathy for and a desire to help those in need of safe housing mixed with worry for how a shelter will fit into the community, particularly on such short notice.
“To come in and rush this process into a community without careful thought not only to us but to the people you plan to be taking care of – there are no services here. We have no emergency medical anywhere near us. We have barely any behavioral or mental health services in this community,” said Tamatha Thomas-Haase, who lives in the armory neighborhood. “If you say you’re trying to do better than the hotel program, then locating in a community other than ours is going to be a better bet.”
Cary Friberg, however, urged those in the room to work through the myriad of issues the proposal poses. “This is an opportunity for Waterbury to really step up and shine,” she said. “As long as we do see people as our brothers and sisters I think we can do this well. I would be so proud if we did say yes and we do our very best to make it work well.”
Resident Cary Friberg (standing at podium) speaks during public comments. Photo by Gordon Miller
The exchanges came at the Waterbury Select Board’s regular meeting that was moved to the Main Street Fire Station to accommodate the expected larger-than-usual crowd. Approximately 100 people filed in taking seats and standing around the perimeter of the room with another 100 logged in online, maxing out the meeting’s Zoom platform that disconnected multiple times during the discussion.
Chris Winters, commissioner of the Vermont Agency of Human Services Department for Children and Families, attended and for about 90 minutes took questions and offered many qualified answers from board members and the public. “What I'm talking about today is very fast-moving. I want to apologize for not being able to come to the community sooner,” he began.
“We have a housing crisis first of all,” Winters said, noting that the high rents and low vacancy rates are key factors leaving an estimated 2,300-2,400 people in homelessness currently. Winters said state government is moving to promote policies to create more affordable housing, but that will take time and shelters are needed immediately. The state is looking to eventually end its reliance on a program that’s paying hotels and motels around the state to fill in as emergency housing for many individuals and families, he said.
“These are folks who are a heck of a lot like us,” Winters said. “They have jobs. They have families. They have children. They have hopes and dreams just like you do. They don’t want to be in the hotels. It’s really difficult living in those hotels from what I've seen. So if we can connect them to services in a shelter model like this, we’ll be doing a lot better by them.”
The goal now is to expand the conventional shelter system with five more facilities around the state that can provide safe accommodations and connect those they serve with a variety of services such as health care including mental health care, substance abuse counseling, job connections and more, Winters said.
Tapping Waterbury as a host community
Where Waterbury fits into the picture was first revealed last Thursday, Jan. 25, when Winters appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee along with Vermont National Guard officials.
Part of the state’s plan to “stand up” five new emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness includes repurposing the armory in Waterbury that the National Guard decommissioned in December 2022. Since then, the property was to be sold on the open market but guard officials said they were asked to hold off first last summer after flooding, when the armory was used as a FEMA Disaster Assistance Center, and later in the fall when the current proposed transfer was being considered.
The now decommissioned Waterbury Vermont National Guard armory. Photo by Gordon Miller
The plan would involve the state of Vermont transferring ownership of the facility which sits on about 2.5 acres at the end of a residential neighborhood on Armory Drive in downtown Waterbury. The southbound lanes of Interstate 89 are along one side of the property and Stowe Street where Brookside Primary School is located is close by on the opposite side of the site. The transaction would give the Military Department $890,000 to put towards a land purchase in Franklin County where the Vermont National Guard would like to construct a new armory. That project is looking to get fast-tracked in the federal budget with the help of Vermont’s Congressional delegation as they aim for a mid-April date to confirm they have funding secured to buy a 40-acre site, guard officials told lawmakers last week.
Waterbury Select Board Chair Roger Clapp. The “owl” recording device sits on the table to capture audio and video. Photo by Gordon Miller
Select Board Chair Roger Clapp in introducing Winters shared that town officials only learned of this scenario last week. On Monday, Jan. 22, the select board at the end of its regular meeting held an executive session where Municipal Manager Tom Leitz relayed the state’s shelter plan to the board. Leitz said town officials were asked to not make the proposal public until Winters brought it to lawmakers.
“We had little more advance warning than the public,” Leitz explained.
Before the packed room on Monday, Clapp began by reminding the audience of Waterbury’s long history of “welcoming people with mental challenges from all over the state.” The reference was to the more than a century prior to 2011 that Waterbury was the home of the Vermont State Hospital that cared for hundreds of individuals with mental illness and disabilities.
“To this day I think we still carry a lot of compassion for those that are in unfortunate circumstances,” Clapp stated. “At the same time, I'm hearing a lot of concerns about whether this new host facility is going to be able to care for the served population adequately.”
Clapp asked for a show of hands from the audience whether they shared that concern and the majority of attendees put up a hand. The tandem concern, he noted, is for the “vitality of the Waterbury community” as a host.
The audience responds to show support for comments during the meeting. Photo by Gordon Miller
How temporary is ‘temporary’?
Winters led off stressing his ties to Central Vermont having grown up in Williamstown and his connection to Waterbury where his wife was raised. He said he appreciates “the role that Waterbury has played in being a part of our state human services solutions” over the years.
Sizing up the audience that was larger than a typical Waterbury Town Meeting Day turnout, Winters remarked that it was probably more people than had attended all of the meetings he took part in as a school board member for five years in Berlin.
Winters then described the proposal to outfit the armory to accommodate 40 shelter beds in a congregate-style setting to house adults from April 1 through June 30. Winters multiple times emphasized that Gov. Phil Scott’s fiscal year 2025 budget which goes into effect July 1 does not have funding to continue running a shelter in Waterbury.
That notion was met with skepticism from both local officials and community members.
A WCAX-TV photographer films as DCF Commissioner Chris Winters (right) addresses the meeting. Waterbury officials at the table include (l to r) Select Board member Alyssa Johnson, Municipal Manager Tom Leitz, and Select Board Chair Roger Clapp. Photo by Gordon Miller
“Is temporary really not months but years?” asked Leitz.
“I know better than to say temporary means temporary,” Winters replied. “I don’t know exactly what the timelines are going to be.” He reiterated that funding is only in place for three months, ending in June. “That’s all we’re planning for. There’s not money in the budget beyond that.”
Select Board Vice Chair Dani Kehlmann inquired about the state’s plans for the armory beyond this fiscal year. “Is there a plan for the building after June 30?” she asked.
“I think the state will have plans for it. Obviously, I don't think they would be making the investment if there wasn't. But I don't know what those future plans are,” Winters replied.
Those answers didn’t allay concerns in the crowd.
Waterbury resident Elaine Holt comments. Photo by Gordon Miller
“This doesn't work for me. It doesn't sound like there’s a real plan yet. I’d like to see a clear plan. I'd like to see people vetted and services in that building for them that are solid and there's a beginning and end time,” said resident Elaine Holt. “First you said it’s April until July. Now you’re saying, well, it might be it not be. That’s too wishy-washy for me. As a taxpayer I don't like it.”
Winters said he couldn’t be more definite given how quickly things are moving in state government on multiple levels. “What I’m being asked is to stand up these five shelters in anticipation of something happening on April 1 that I don’t know if it’s going to happen or not,” he said. “And we can't wait to start making the plans, or they are not going to be ready on April 1.”
More than an hour of questions & comments
Resident Scott Mackey (at podium) comments on the capacity proposed for the shelter. Photo by Gordon Miller
Many of the questions posed by community members dealt with operational details such as schedules and policies that those staying at the shelter would need to follow. Winters suggested that he return at a later date with staff from his department who are better versed in shelter operations than he is. He also explained that an operator has not yet been chosen to run this new shelter. The state is most likely to contract with an out-of-state company because Vermont agencies running shelters currently are unable to take on a new site, he said.
Some details Winters was able to provide were that the armory shelter would likely be open 24/7 and those staying there would arrive via referrals – it would not be a drop-in shelter. Those housed there would have space to store belongings as well as food service. Work has already begun to outfit the building with a sprinkler system, partitions, electricity for individual bunk spaces, and additional bathrooms, he said.
Although Winters several times in the discussion referenced families who are homeless currently, he stressed that the armory would not be suitable for children. “Congregate shelters of this sort are not best practice in general and are not ideal for families,” he said. “We want to give people privacy and dignity and hopefully a locked door….but we will not be looking at housing families there as our first choice.”
On Friday, Municipal Manager Leitz said he had heard from Winters via email since Monday’s meeting regarding the cohort of individuals a Waterbury shelter would serve. “In an email to me he noted that, once families are ruled out, that increases the likelihood the shelter would be utilized for elderly and disabled persons,” Leitz said.
During Monday’s public discussion, many raised questions of security, Waterbury’s lack of a local police department, and issues of substance abuse and mental illness that individuals in the facility’s population may be dealing with. Waterbury contracts with the Vermont State Police for two full-time troopers to provide police services.
“Just to be clear about what we intend … It’s a temporary shelter, April 1 to July 1 with 40 beds staffed by shelter professionals. We’ve started contact with law enforcement to understand some of the impact on law enforcement and make sure we have that relationship there,” Winters explained. “We will make plans with local service providers to bring services to the shelter and also transportation arrangements to bring people to the services that they need.”
Waterbury resident Lisa Walton, left, asks a question during the public comment period. Photo by Gordon Miller
Waterbury resident Lisa Walton asked if the operator screening residents for the shelter will get background information about shelter residents. “Are they Vermonters? Have they been brought in from other states? Are they coming in over the borders, the southern or northern border?” she asked.
Winters said most would likely be from Washington County or from hotels and motels elsewhere in Vermont but with a connection to Waterbury or Central Vermont. Winters called it a misconception that many in Vermont who are without homes are from out of state, but that’s not specific data being collected. “I don’t know that we ask, are you a native Vermonter? or, how long have you been here?” he said.
Waterbury Public Library Director Rachel Muse offered insight on the library’s role in the community and asked Winters to be kept informed of the shelter plans along with potential training needs for library staff if a shelter is opened.
“I think a lot of folks here know that public libraries are on the front lines of the housing crisis we offer a safe haven of heat and air conditioning, public restrooms, computers and internet, a space where people can spend a lot of time without spending a lot of money,” she said. “My staff has also been trained in mental first aid. We have access to Narcan. We provide basic hygiene supplies. We’re definitely not social workers or counselors, but we do the best we can without judgment. Public libraries frequently end up filling the gaps where shelters like this aren’t necessarily meeting people’s needs.”
Winters responded that the shelter plans include having power, internet and computer access for shelter residents on site which might help prevent an increased demand on the library.
Eric Gross, who lives on Union Street near Armory Drive where his home was flooded twice in 2023, asked about the safety of the armory to be used as an overnight shelter. A key reason National Guard officials gave for pursuing plans to build a new armory in Franklin County is PCB contamination in the existing St. Albans armory. “Doesn’t this one also [have PCBs], so that’s ok for homeless people but not for the National Guard?” he asked.
Winters replied that he needed to confirm but he believed that the state Buildings and General Services Department has already tested the facility, “And I think it’s clear.”
Scott Mackey questioned the capacity planned for the shelter noting that 40 beds is on par with or exceeds shelters in Burlington and Barre, much larger communities. Em Lamson asked about the end of the shelter’s proposed 90-day span. “What happens July one when the shelter shuts down? Do we have tent cities at Dac Rowe [Park], Rusty Parker Park and the park in Waterbury Center?”
Winters said the goal would before shelter residents to be placed in permanent housing or other temporary shelters when the Waterbury armory is to close.
Former town manager and current town Health Officer Bill Shepeluk spoke about recent trends in the tight real estate market where multi-unit properties change hands and landlords increase rents leaving longtime tenants unable to afford their homes. He was critical of the state for pursuing an investment in the armory when a request from the town to purchase 2.5 acres at the State Office Complex — the former site of Stanley and Wasson halls —is taking years to complete to develop more affordable housing. He said encourages a shelter operation to be temporary and more effort put to moving forward to build permanent housing. “That’s the solution that we need,” Shepeluk commented.
DCF Commissioner Chris Winters addressed local officials and close to 100 people in the fire station meeting room with another 100 people on the Zoom video call projected behind him. Photo by Gordon Miller
State Rep. Theresa Wood, D-Waterbury, was in attendance at the meeting and the Select Board asked her to speak at the end of the discussion. “I have a lot of the same concerns people have raised tonight,” Wood told the audience. “The state doesn't have a real good track record when they say something is temporary…I think those concerns are valid and warranted. I think we need to hold the state’s feet to the fire on this.”
Wood pointed out that Winters has been in his position for less than a year, but noted that lawmakers and Gov. Phil Scott’s administration have been at odds over the growing homelessness issue in the state for the past four years.
“What they’re bringing forward is a plan to house people for 90 days. That’s not a plan from my perspective,” Wood said.
Despite many concerns and skepticism. Many speakers from the public expressed a desire for Waterbury to help with the homelessness crisis in the state. “If the state and the town can overcome the barriers that we’ve spoken about, we shouldn’t let our fear and scarcity get in the way of providing support to other Vermonters who are experiencing something that is incredibly difficult,” resident Rachel Sooter told the room. “Generosity and compassion are the Vermont values that I want to put forward and say we should do what we can for people who need help.”
Next steps
On Tuesday, Municipal Manager Tom Leitz said he was not certain what the exact next steps are. He said he hoped to hear from state officials with more details to address the issues raised at Monday’s meeting. He also credited Winters for attending and taking part in the lengthy exchange. “It’s clear he’s bound by the administration, but I thought he had a general interest in the public input and in working with the town to address all of the concerns,” Leitz said.
Town officials noted that the state is exempt from many local zoning rules although it likely will need a change of use permit for the armory building to be used as an overnight shelter. That would go before the Development Review Board, Leitz said, and the board’s review would involve a public process that includes potential appeals of decisions by adjacent landowners. As of Friday, Feb. 2, the town had not received an application from the state, according to Zoning Administrator Mike Bishop.
Leitz also said he is interested to hear more from the potential operator that the state chooses to run a Waterbury shelter. And if it becomes clear that this project is to extend beyond a temporary arrangement, “the community needs to ask the state to invest” to address various impacts. “I have high hopes that we can work together on this matter,” he said.
Also this week on Tuesday, Winters spent several hours testifying about his department’s proposed budget for next year in the House Human Services Committee chaired by Wood. Towards the end of the hearing, Wood briefly addressed the Waterbury armory shelter proposal with the committee. She thanked Winters for visiting Waterbury and attending the public meeting to talk with community members directly. But she shared her skepticism for the proposal.
“It seems illogical to spend $890,000 on a building and potentially another $1 million retrofitting for that purpose for three months,” Wood said. “That’s way, way more than what we’re spending on people to stay in the hotels.… It doesn’t pass the straight-face test.”
Select Board’s next meetings
The Waterbury Select Board meets next on Monday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m., but it does not have the shelter proposal on its agenda for that night. Members of the public may comment during the public comment period at the start of the meeting. The shelter project will be on the board’s Feb. 19 meeting agenda when the town manager said he hopes there will be more details to share with the board and public.
On Friday, Leitz shared an update with Waterbury Roundabout with follow-up information since Monday’s meeting. He said he intends to draft a formal letter to the state to outline questions and concerns from the community and from the Select Board. He noted that the letter will be a public document that will be posted on the town website.
“The intent of the letter is to take an official position on the matter, and to specifically outline some of the safeguards we would like to see in place for the community, and for the individuals residing in the shelter,” Leitz said.
Town officials also have spent time talking with counterparts in other Vermont communities that host shelters, Leitz added. “Our research to date indicates that homeless shelters that are well run appear to have a minimal impact on the communities in which they are located. In Barre, for example, the Chief of Police and City Manager noted their experience with the shelter operated by Good Samaritan has been positive,” he writes. “In short, we have learned we need to have a seat at the table to ensure the state enters into a contract with a competent and capable shelter operator.”
The Waterbury Select Board meeting on Monday, Jan. 29, takes place upstairs at the Main Street firestation to accommodate a large public audience. Photo by Gordon Miller
We invite your thoughts and comments
To our readers: We would like to hear from community members here or in letters to the editor regarding the state’s proposal for the Waterbury armory. Please comment below and sign with your full first and last name. Email addresses are not published, they are collected as contact information should there be a question.
If you prefer to submit a letter, email to waterburyroundabout@gmail.com. Thank you for reading.