More Than 100 Rocky Hill Residents Protest Nursing Home At State Capitol Rally

The message was simple.

More than 100 Rocky Hill residents took to the steps of the Connecticut State Capitol to let Gov. Dannel P. Malloy they are vehemently opposed to the state putting prisoners into a nursing home at 60 West St. in Rocky Hill.

Following a few speakers, the residents led by Rep. Tony Guerrera, D-Rocky Hill, walked in with a petition opposing the project signed by more than 4,000 resident's signatures to the office of Malloy.

"I was doing exercises at the Town Hall classes and someone told us they were proposing putting these prisoners into the nursing home on West Street," said Rocky Hill resident Karen Plaza, who was one of the speakers at the rally. "We were shocked because we thought for sure the Planning & Zoning Commission would be able to prevent it. We found out that the state was trying to get this in like a thief in the night. If this was on the up and up, they would have mentioned it. From what I know a newspaper called the Town Manager Barbara Gilbert to ask her about it but she said she had no idea what the reporter was talking about because it never hit her desk."

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Plaza signed up on the website www.protectct.com, a site that is aimed at keeping the neighbors of 60 West St. up to date on what is going on at the property.

The town P&Z has an ordinance that does not allow prisons within close proximity to residential areas. If this proposal were to go through P&Z, officials believe it would be voted down. The state and  will be a nursing home and not a prison.

That is the crux of the lawsuit the town filed but a ruling in the case was delayed last week and is still pending.

Guerrera, Mayor Anthony LaRosa and Senator Paul Doyle, D-Wethersfield, have both shown their opposition to the proposal but according to some, the facility, which would be managed by iCare, is already hiring employees to work at the facility.

"We feel like we are fighting an uphill battle but it's a battle we have to win," Plaza said. "We have a lawsuit pending and we may have three more coming. Why can't the judge rule on this first one and why can't the governor wait until everything is decided? If this is on the up and up then why can't they wait? Our elected officials had no idea this was coming and other towns better watch out. If this goes through we are only 95 beds. The spokesman for the governor's office said they need to find 500 beds for these prisoners. If it can happen in Rocky Hill it can happen anywhere."

Three state agencies are planning on opening the specialized nursing home for severely disabled prisoners and mental patients in Rocky Hill. The proposed movin-in date is reported to be March 1.

"They say these people are not a threat but I don't think you can take that for granted," Plaza said. "They are opposed to be disabled or have mental problems but the facility isn't prepared to house those people. There are no fences. There are no bars on the windows. There will not be a guard there.

"And those are the prisoners they are going to put in there the first six months, well what about 12 months from now? They says these prisoners are near end of life but how can you guarantee that nothing will happen in a residential area.

"Since when can the state come in and not go through the proper channels in a town? We think this is a test case for Malloy. We think if he can get this through here it will set a precedence and then allow him to do it in any town."