Partlow closing postponed by Alabama Department of Mental Health

TUSCALOOSA, Al.
The planned Nov. 30 closure of the W.D. Partlow Developmental Center in Tuscaloosa has been postponed by the Alabama Department of Mental Health.

Department spokesperson John Ziegler said that 36 residents are currently at the center who must be moved to community homes.

Gov. Robert Bentley set the Nov. 30 deadline for closing the facility in June after an original deadline was set for Sept. 30.

Montgomery County Circuit Judge Gene Reese dismissed on Oct. 31 a lawsuit by Louise McRae, the mother of a Partlow resident, which had sought to keep the center open.

Ziegler said that it may take two or three months to complete the process of closing of the center.