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Laurel residents, school board press council to oppose state forensic mental health facility and demand records
Summary
Dozens of residents and the school board urged the Laurel City Council to oppose a proposed 32-bed state forensic mental health facility near West Elementary, raising safety, transparency, property-value, and infrastructure concerns; council approved routine resolutions and said it would wait for any formal annexation request before taking action.
Dozens of residents packed Laurel's council chamber on Feb. 10 to urge the City Council to oppose a proposed state-run 32-bed forensic mental health facility that the state says would sit on roughly 114 acres just outside city limits.
Speakers ranged from long-time homeowners, business owners and school officials to veterans and civic volunteers. Many cited the site's proximity to West Elementary School (public comments repeatedly referenced about 400—00 yards depending on where buildings would be placed), the potential strain on volunteer emergency response and ambulance service, and a lack of transparency from city leadership in early communications with state officials and the Board of Investments (BOI).
"I oppose the forensic mental health prison," said Juanita Bear, a Laurel resident, asking the council to "build trust with the community members that you serve." Julie Jones, who said she had served on town and county…
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