Westborough loses out on health facility

A state commission has voted to pass over the Westborough State Hospital campus as the location of a new mental health facility in favor of a more urban setting in Worcester, much to the displeasure of Westborough officials.

The state Facility Feasibility Commission voted 9 to 4 to recommend building a regional facility for the state Department of Mental Health on the grounds of Worcester State Hospital, said Patricia Mackin, DMH chief of staff.

That recommendation must be submitted by April to the Legislature, which would have to approve the roughly $200 million project.

It would take at least five years to construct the 320-bed locked unit, which would serve adults and adolescents receiving long-term care for mental disorders including schizophrenia. That plan also calls for closing and demolishing buildings currently on both campuses.

''I'm disappointed obviously, but not surprised. We got outmuscled by a very strong legislative caucus from Worcester," said Westborough Selectman George Barrette, who hoped the state would construct its updated facility on the Westborough State Hospital campus.

''It's obvious from the report that Westborough is a better site, but politics wins over common sense," he said.

The Worcester site won out because of its proximity to public transportation, UMass Memorial Medical Center, and related facilities, said Mackin, who attended Monday's meeting before the straw vote took place.

''Worcester was the first mental health hospital in the country, which is why people are so committed to that campus," Mackin said. The hospital opened in 1833.

But commission member Pam Resor, a state senator and Acton Democrat, said Westborough had more going for it because the hospital is in a pleasant setting awash in sunlight next to Chauncy Lake and accessible by Interstate 495 and Route 9. Resor's district includes Westborough.

What happens to the site at Westborough State Hospital, which opened in 1889, is still unclear, Mackin said. Plans won't even be considered for at least three more years.