Country Crossing Set to Open Tues.
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Updated: 6:17 PM Nov 27, 2009
Country Crossing Set to Open Tues.
Country Crossing is set to open Tuesday, but not without its potential setbacks.
Posted: 6:17 PM Nov 27, 2009
Reporter: Vanessa Araiza
Email Address: vanessa@wtvy.com
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Nine months behind and four days until opening, country crossing is set to open Tuesday even with its continuous controversy.

It's an ongoing process according to Ronnie Gilley. Phase one of country crossing is almost complete as phase two and three is right around the corner. Gilley says the progress keeps growing.

"We're inundated with e-mail requests, phone calls from retailers. We have a multitude of retailers looking at coming in here now and join at the hip with our project," he said.

As expressed through the entire project, not everyone is happy with what comes with the complex. Throughout construction words have been thrown back and forth about electronic bingo. With that come questions about where the profit from the machines is going.

Gilley says it's all in the hands of Houston Economic Development Association, or HEDA.

Gilley said, "They will make the decisions on which charities inside Houston County, Alabama will receive those monies."

Gilley says he has no control over which charities are chosen. That's a decision made by the volunteers of HEDA. When asked if the process and strain has been worth it, his reply is easy.

Gilley said, "If you could have been at my house yesterday and received all the phone calls from grown teary eyed men telling me how thankful they were that they were able to put a turkey on their table for Thanksgiving."

Regardless of jobs provided or what some are calling Alabama's own stimulus plan, the debate continues on the complex. News 4 spoke with Todd Stacey, Gov. Riley's press secretary. He says just as Gov. Riley has expressed before, if the machines are legal, great, everybody wins, but if they're not they're not going to bend the laws for anyone.

Ronnie Gilley says the charities chosen to receive the profit of the bingo machines will be public documents. Anyone wanting to see where that money is going can contact HEDA.


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