Becca White, one of Windsor County’s three state senators, told the Senate Committee on Institutions on May 2 that an amendment to the capital bill would require the commissioner of Buildings and General Services to deliver an "actionable plan" for the underused Southeast State Correctional Facility in Windsor and, if conditions are met, transfer portions of the property to the town.

White said the facility has been ‘‘relatively underutilized’’ since 2017 and that residents and local officials are frustrated by what she described as a lack of state decision-making. She told the committee, "we don't want another report. We want an actionable plan," and said the amendment would seek removal of unsafe buildings and a $2,000,000 payment to Windsor to support redevelopment.

The committee spent substantial time reviewing the amendment’s background, including earlier studies cited by presenters (reports from 2018 and 2021 and a more recent March report on partial transfers). Committee members and guests discussed site visits and whether transfer or state retention would better protect the adjacent wildlife management area.

Representative John Bartholomew of Windsor 1 urged care for the wildlife area, saying the deliberations should examine "whether it's the state or the town" that should hold the property and how any change might affect the wildlife management area.

Senate Committee on Institutions Chair Harrison said the amendment had not gone through the committee’s full process and warned it was premature for a formal committee endorsement at the hearing. Harrison said the committee wants stakeholders in the room for this discussion and noted the House committee on institutions had recently taken testimony on the property.

Senator Alison Clarkson (spoken in the hearing as "Lisonbee Clarkson") pressed for continued attention to the issue and described the stalled property as "a drag on the economy of Windsor," urging that it be considered in the committee of conference if appropriate.

After discussion, committee members took a straw poll and indicated by voice a 3–1 recommendation that the Senate not approve the amendment at this time. Committee members framed that recommendation as based on process and a desire for more information and stakeholder testimony, not on opposition to resolving the Windsor property’s future.

What the amendment would do and next steps

According to sponsors’ remarks, the amendment as drafted would: require the Buildings and General Services commissioner to submit an actionable plan addressing the site; consider previous reports from 2018, 2021 and March of this year; remove unsafe structures identified in those reports; and transfer specified buildings and land to the town with a proposed $2,000,000 payment to facilitate redevelopment. Sponsors said the state is currently spending approximately $250,000 a year on maintenance for the property.

Committee members and sponsors agreed on the need for more in-person review and additional testimony from Windsor officials and Buildings and General Services before a formal committee endorsement. Sponsors said they plan to present the amendment on the Senate floor; committee members recommended the town and state staff meet with the committee in the coming weeks.

A note on timelines and open questions

The amendment as discussed included deadlines for a plan and for transfer; those dates were mentioned in the hearing but not consistently: sponsors referenced a December 15 deadline for a plan and a Jan. 15, 2026, transfer date, while one speaker later referenced Dec. 15, 2035. Committee members flagged the need to reconcile dates and other text in the amendment through the normal legislative drafting and committee process. Funding sources for demolition, exact parcels to be transferred, and any conditions on transfer were discussed as open items for further testimony and refinement.