Southbury Officials Exploring Potential Uses for Training School Site

Southbury officials aren’t waiting around to see if the General Assembly and Gov. Malloy signs a bill that will lead to the closing of the Southbury Training School.

First Selectman Edward Edelson told the Republican-American that town officials are already working on plans to see what could be done to the site.

Southbury Training School, as well as five regional centers for residents with intellectual disabilities, could close because of a bill passed by the Senate Wednesday, the Hartford Courant reported last week. The plan for closing affects a total of 300 people at the Southbury location.

The 2,000-acre campus in Southbury includes more than 100 buildings, the Rep-Am reports. If the facility is ordered closed, the residents would move to group homes over the next five years.

Of the 2,000 acres about 900 is forever preserved as open space. Edelson told the Rep-Am that some testing for contamination on the site is ongoing and he views the site as a big part of the town’s long-term economic future.

Read the full Rep-Am story here.

For a story that covers the complete history of the Southbury Training School please click here.