McCrory says he still wants Dix park to work
Gov. Pat McCrory says he's aiming to reach a renegotiated agreement by early December with Raleigh over the city's effort to turn the campus of now-closed Dorothea Dix mental hospital into a regional park.
Posted — Updated"I want this Dix Park to work, but I also have to protect the interest of the state," he said. "Especially, I have to think about the long-term goal of needing facilities for health and human services."
McCrory made the comments before big-city mayors dined with him Wednesday at the Executive Mansion. Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane stood beside McCrory and other mayors as he took questions.
Then-Gov. Beverly Perdue agreed late last year to lease the Dix property to Raleigh, but Republican lawmakers didn't like the terms. Legislators couldn't agree what to do next, so McCrory and Raleigh officials delayed the lease until next June to allow for new negotiations.
That's a goal McFarlane said could happen.
"We both understand this is something that we want to see happen," she said. "We did have a press conference a few months ago to talk about the agreement, and we're working hard to make sure this will happen."
McFarlane wrote an open letter to McCrory, which she posted on her website Nov. 17, asking him to address the "pattern of delay" in moving forward with the Dix property.
State employees still work on the campus.
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