By Diana McFarland

Managing editor

WINDSOR — The Windsor Town Council plans to resubmit a letter it wrote to the Isle of Wight Economic Development Authority last year expressing opposition to the proposed youth correctional center south of town. 

The Council also plans to draft a resolution, to be considered at its March meeting, to oppose the project.

Both documents are directed at the Isle of Wight Board of Supervisors, which is poised to make a decision by its March meeting whether or not to deed county-owned property to the state to build a 60-bed residential youth correctional center. {mprestriction ids=”1,2,3,4,5,6″}

The two moves are an about-face from a year ago, when former Mayor Rita Richardson signed a letter to Del. Emily Brewer stating that the town supported the project. 

Richardson’s letter, dated last April, was sent to Brewer because the project needed to be switched from Chesapeake to Isle of Wight in the state’s biennial budget. 

By September, however, the Council had changed its mind and wrote its letter to the EDA opposing the project. 

The Windsor Town Council has since gained four new members and the decision to resubmit the EDA letter, as well as penning a new resolution, was made at its February meeting. 

The EDA was involved because the county had deeded the property, about 20 acres, to the appointed body years ago as a way to more easily facilitate bringing new business in Isle of Wight. The original plan was for the EDA to directly deed the property to the state for the correctional center, but after much public opposition, it sent it back to Isle of Wight, triggering the need for a public hearing.   {/mprestriction}