Evening star., 1955-02-02
Virginia Unveils
Training School
Expansion Plan
Improvements Set
At $50 Million
In State Project
By Mary Lou Werner
Stur Stoff Correspondent

R1Ct1MOND, va, FeD. IA
$3.9-million expansion program
for Virginia's juvenile training
facilities was unveiled by the
State Department Of Welfare
and Institutions today.
The plans to expand State
training schools have been sub
mitted by Col. Richard Cope
land, State Director of Welfare
and Institutions. to the State
Commission on Capital Outlays
and Means of Financing. This
commission is to make a rec
ommendation on capital ex-
penditures to the next session
of the General Assembly. Mem
bers of the commission today
began a tour of State schools.
Col. Copeland said the pro-
gram was designed to cover the
States needs for the next six
years, but added that most of
the expanded facilities were be-
ing requested for the 1868
biennium.
Study Center Planned.
Largest single item in the pro-
gram is $1.1 million for a study
center adjoining the Bel Air
Training School for Girls out
side Richmond.
This would be a completely
new facility. All committed
youngsters would be sent first
to the study center, where they
could be observed to determine
whether they should be placed
in State training schools, private
institutions, the feeble minded
colony, or foster homes.
The State now tries to do this
by keeping new commitments
separated at the various training
schools until it is decided
whether they should attend
training schools or be cared for
otherwise.
Only 6ne separate study center
the Chesterfield Study Center
for boys-now exists.
New Facilities.
The other expenditures set up
in the six-year program would
add new facilities to all four of
the States juvenile training
schools - Bon Air School for
white girls, Beaumont School for
white boys, Hanover School for
colored boys, and the jamie Por-
ter Barrett School for colored
girls.
Most of these schools have
been seriously overcrowded dur
ing the past year. Lack Of ade-
quate space at Bon Air brought
about the publicized incident of
q s16-year-old Loudoun County
girl who remained SO days in a
Fairfax County police lookup
because there was no room for
her at the training school.
Besides adding more space. the
building plans provide for gym
nasiums, auditoriums and other
facilities. Here is a summary Of
expenditures and new facilities
proposed:
(D Bon Air-$781 900 to build
three new residence cottages for
20 girls each, a gymnasium, SUI
perintendent's residence, remodel
existing administration buildings
for the staff, remodel the quon-
set hut dormitory for storage,
cannery equipment, auditorium,
chapel, and administration build
ing.
(2) Beaumont-$613,100 for
two new large cottages and sew
eral smaller cottages, a new live
stock slaughter house, barn, au-
ditorium, irrigation ponds. ath-
letic field and other farm inn
provements.
90 Hanover - 81 ,020,800 for
two new large cottages. five staff
cottages, vocational shops and
equipment, gymnasium, livestock
slaughter house, auditorium,
chapel, cattle barn and other
farm improvements.
"a jamie Porter Barrett
$469, 500 for a new dormitory and
additions to existing dormitories.
a chapel, poultry houses, other
farm additions. and remodeling.