Repurposing the vacant buildings at the Montana Developmental Center was the topic of an October 31 meeting at Boulder City Hall.
Chaired by Tom Harrington of JLDC and initiated by Jefferson County Commissioner Leonard Wortman, the group of about 20 Boulder community leaders and representatives from the state agencies of OPI, DPHHS and Labor discussed the feasibility of providing veterans’ services at the MDC campus.
The meeting began with Harrington’s overview of the four years since the passage of SB 411, the bill requiring closure of MDC. Harrington noted that the bill includes language about the repurposing of MDC but that nothing concrete has happened to date. Rebecca de Camara, Administrator, Developmental Services Division of DPHHS, said that the last MDC resident was recently moved to the Intensive Behavior Center (IBC) located on the MDC campus, and that the cottage is being boarded up. She stated that most of the former MDC clients are in community placements and are “doing quite well.”
Harrington reviewed the list of potential repurposing ideas, many involving providing veterans’ services. Wortman said that the state does not have a good track record of repurposing vacant state buildings, and stated that his goal is to have the MDC campus given to Jefferson County and the City of Boulder. De Camara said that a group of state employees were meeting on Friday, November 1, to begin reviewing deed restrictions on the campus.
During discussions on veterans’ services, Jefferson High School Superintendent Tim Norbeck talked about the high school potentially partnering with the state to provide educational services to veterans. Kenneth Gemlich, Director of Veteran Education at the Office of Public Instruction, said that a partnership between the university system, the high school and new veterans’ services would help with certification of educational courses for veterans such as welding and apprenticeship programs.
De Camara pointed out that there is no longer an economy of scale with only 12 clients at the IBC, and said a partnership to share costs of food service, maintenance and recreational facilities would be helpful when the next legislature develops the state budget. Drew Dawson, chair of Boulder Transition Advisory Council (BTAC), recommended that the group become a BTAC committee to allow better public involvement. The committee is scheduled to meet again Wednesday, November 28 at 10 a.m. at the Boulder City Hall.
