NORFOLK -- Town Administrator Justin Casanova-Davis wishes to provide the following update about the June 4 community forum to discuss the temporary emergency shelter at the Bay State Correctional Center, which is slated to open in mid-June.

The first forum will be held tomorrow at King Philip Middle School at 7 p.m. and will focus exclusively on site plans and public safety. During the community forum, residents will hear from a variety of panelists and will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Community forum panelists will include the Select Board and representatives from the Governor's Incident Command team, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. Representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Massachusetts Department of Correction will no longer be in attendance.

The Norfolk Public Schools, King Philip Superintendent, and district staff are continuing to work closely with the state to get more information to craft an educational plan in preparation for the opening of the temporary emergency shelter. 

A second community forum will be held specifically to discuss the potential impacts on schools and the plan being worked on and will include state officials and staff from both the Norfolk Public Schools and King Philip Regional School District. The date for the second community forum will be announced once it is finalized.

The June 4 community forum will be recorded on video by NCTV and posted on YouTube but will not be livestreamed through Zoom or other platforms.

The Town has created a Temporary Emergency Shelter Dashboard on the Town's website where further resources and information concerning the site are posted. To stay informed throughout this process, residents are encouraged to sign up for the Town's E-Notify system by clicking the following link. 

The Select Board and Town staff are committed to transparency and regular updates to the community as we work through this transition. Please reach out to Town Administrator Justin Casanova-Davis at [email protected], or the Select Board if you have questions.