State officials “delayed” the opening of an overflow shelter at a former prison site in Norfolk until the end of June, town officials said in a statement.
It was not immediately clear what caused officials to push back the opening date of the shelter at the former Bay State Correctional Center and a town official did not reply to a Herald inquiry.
“The town was informed this week that the opening of the temporary emergency shelter at the Bay State Correctional Center has been delayed and is now scheduled to open during the last week of June,” a statement from Norfolk said. “Initially, the town was told by state officials that the shelter would be opening in mid-June.”
A spokesman for the state’s housing department said the shelter is still expected to open this month.
“A firm date had and has not been decided for opening,” the spokesman told the Herald.
The former prison site was last used in 2015 and at least one elected official previously described the property as “definitely a bit in disrepair.” State officials are in the process of updating the prison but the exact nature of the projects occurring at the site were unclear Friday.
The overflow shelter slated to open has sparked controversy in the town, with residents facing off earlier this month against officials from the Healey administration.
