Haslam: Too soon to tell future of shuttered Greene Valley
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Gov. Bill Haslam says it’s too soon to tell what the site of the Greene Valley Developmental Center will be used for after the facility closes next year.
The Republican governor told The Greeneville Sun (http://bit.ly/1hEOrfd ) that closing the 450-acre campus in northeastern Tennessee was a “really hard decision,” but that it was ultimately necessary because of high costs. Haslam acknowledged that the loss of nearly 600 jobs will have a large economic impact on the area.
Haslam said he’s committed to try to find ways to bring jobs back to the site. He said either state agencies will locate on the campus, or the site would be marketed to private investors.
The settlement of a federal lawsuit earlier this year calls for Green Valley to close by June.
