Week in Review
Toolbox
Published: November 15, 2008
Our thoughts on the news of the week:
Lawmakers should carefully review plans by the state to sign a contract with a for-profit prison in Alabama and relocate more Vermont inmates out of state. The appeal of such a plan is obvious: It's cheaper to house inmates in out-of-state facilities, and Vermont's prisons are filled to capacity. But as Sen. Richard Sears, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, noted, sometimes Vermont's inmates return from those far-off prisons more dangerous than when they entered. And that costs taxpayers more in the long run. It's possible the new contract with LCS Corrections Services, Inc., makes good policy and financial sense for Vermont. The state can move forward with the contract without legislative approval, but the Legislature should study this proposal carefully and act in a public oversight capacity to ensure these decisions are in taxpayers' and inmates' best interest.
Many thanks to all the Vermonters who stepped up to the plate and ensured that the kids at Spectrum Youth and Family Services will be able to snowboard this winter. Spectrum director Mark Redmond appropriately declined the charitable program sponsored by Burton after the snowboard company began carrying a line of boards that feature graphic images of self-mutilation (why the company continues to stand behind those designs remains a mystery). Redmond was prepared to explain to the kids how sometimes doing the right thing comes at a price, in this case the loss of snowboarding for the coming winter season. Instead, so many people – and Bolton Valley Ski Resort — donated money, equipment, lessons and services that a record number of needy kids will be on the slopes this winter. Proof that while doing the right thing is always right, sometimes it pays.
Anyone who thinks central Vermont is somehow immune from the serious drug problems often associated with urban areas can think again. Three more arrests came this week of people charged with distributing large amounts of cocaine and heroin in the Barre-Montpelier area. Those follow last week's arrests of others for allegedly selling heroin in our area, and more arrests are expected. Police believe the drugs come from New York City and Massachusetts, but they are bought here in Vermont. There is no drug crisis in central Vermont, but there is a drug problem. As legislators consider budget cuts and communities wrangle over police funding, we would do well to remember that substance abuse prevention programs and tight law enforcement are vital in preventing a problem from growing into a crisis.
Good news this week that the Community College of Vermont will purchase the Woodbury College campus on Elm Street and move more than 30 administrative jobs back to Montpelier. It was disconcerting to learn of Woodbury's plans to merge with Champlain College and essentially move to Burlington, not only because of worries the building would sit empty, but also because of the loss of an important higher education component of Montpelier's economy and student opportunity. Moving CCV's administration and eventually its classes into the Elm Street campus guarantees a good use of the Woodbury facility that will benefit the central Vermont region. This is a return home for CCV, which had been headquartered in Montpelier until moving to Waterbury in 1985. Welcome back.
Congratulations to the Spaulding Tide boys' football team for winning the Division II championship trophy for the second year running in one of the more exciting games of the season. The Tide win came on the heels of the Division II soccer championship win one week earlier by the U-32 High School boys. All the teams played well, and the boys and girls who participated in the fall sports season have our respect for their commitment to practice and doing their part for the team. And lest we forget, nice work also to those who contributed work to school art shows, participated in school plays and added their talents to off-the-field programs this fall that enrich education in central Vermont. Bravo! Now bring on the winter season.
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