ESSEX, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) - The Essex Planning Commission met Thursday night to discuss a zoning change that would allow for further study of two potential sites for a women's correctional facility. The meeting abruptly ended, with the commission voting to adjourn following protests.
Thursday's meeting was not the first at which the zoning change was discussed, nor will it be the last, as commissioners advised from the start that it was a "workshop-style" meeting rather than one where any final decisions would be made.
Essex residents as well as those from elsewhere in Vermont spoke at the meeting, mostly arguing against incarceration in general rather than addressing specific concerns about a potential site in Essex. One man summarized those concerns in saying, "I don't think bringing a