Norfolk residents packed an emotional pre-Town Meeting addressing state plans to use a shuttered prison as the next migrant shelter with a nearly universal outrage at the Healey administration over blindsiding the community.

“No one in Norfolk has been too happy in the last week, I can guarantee that,” Ronald Ober said at the Wednesday evening session, noting he’s lived in Norfolk for 60 years and was a local teacher for 25.

Hundreds showed up to testify in front of selectmen who held the forum at the King Philip Middle School cafeteria in town just before the night’s regular Town Meeting.

Under the state’s plan, the former Bay State Correctional Facility would be used as a temporary overflow shelter for up to 140 families — a max capacity of 450 people — on the waitlist for the emergency shelter system, as the Herald reported this weekend.

Selectmen said the state had only notified them of the plan days before. Board member James Lehan said they were planning a “comprehensive” list of demands to mitigate the issue and give it to the state.

Bids for contracts related to the project, speakers noted, appeared to be already up, suggesting the planning was happening long before anyone in the town was made aware.

No state officials identified themselves at the meeting.

Residents at the meeting expressed a wide range of concerns related to the town’s limited capacity, including extended wait times for EMS and other emergency services and strain on the school system and special education services. Several expressed concerns that the change would be felt in tax increases.

“I, myself, am incredibly angry,” said local school committee member Lauren Vives. “I am in no way angry at the people who need shelter. I am angry at the state government who have made this decision in total disregard of consulting our town or leaders. … Don’t lie to us. Don’t treat us like we’re stupid.”

She argued it was “preposterous” to think it’d be simple to increase an 11,000-person town by 4% “overnight.” She called the schools “maxed out on capacity” and unable to take on another 100 kids while providing adequate services.

“The bottom line is we don’t have the space, and I know the government loves to simply throw money at the problem with the expectation that it will be fixed, but that won’t work,” Vives said, cut off by a booming standing ovation, yells from the crowd and one call to “run for governor.”

Others brought in other concerns regarding “crime” and whether the shelter residents were vaccinated. The board assured residents the state said they run background checks on all shelter occupants, including vaccination history.

The testimony got progressively more heated as the meeting wore on.

“I care about my town,” yelled John Semas, wearing a “Save Norfolk” shirt, protesting the shelter and calling on the board to “get angry.”

Semas added: “I don’t want it here, and that doesn’t make me a bad person.”

Following Semas at the microphone, Jennifer Hauf said she’s “never felt as unsettled to be here as I have in the last few days.” The “vitriolic” commentary she’s seen on Facebook was not as strongly reflected in the crowd present, she said, but she called on town members to “remain civil” and let everyone “feel safe.”

“Based on the comments I’ve seen on our community page — the racist comments, the comments about educating the students and sending all the Spanish-speaking students off to another district — my concern is that there will be students who are ostracized, especially if parents are speaking like this in front of their kids,” said Taiese Hickman. “I don’t want these children to be targets. So has a plan or a discussion been had around how we can actually welcome these students into our school district?”

Board members said they would discuss the subject in “future conversations.” They invited residents to call them directly through the process.

During an unrelated, less contentious presentation on moving a pole, a Verizon representative commented that it was the “most well-attended public meeting I’ve ever been to.”

Health regulators found multiple violations at Norfolk prison turned shelter during inspection in 2015

It was a packed meeting over Norfolk next in line for a migrant shelter. (Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
A sign holder greeted residents at a special meeting to answer questions about migrants that will be housed at Norfolk Detention center on May 15. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Residents listen at a special meeting to answer questions about migrants that will be housed at Norfolk Detention center on May 15. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)