NASHVILLE – Amid rising questions from critics, the Haslam administration abruptly postponed today’s deadline for private companies interested in running Fall Creek Falls State Park to submit proposals.
State Department of Environment and Conservation spokesman Eric Ward on Wednesday said the request for proposals to privatize hospitality services was delayed “to incorporate amended process language which will be made available soon.”
Asked why that became necessary at such a late stage, Ward said that because “this is a competitive procurement process,” officials under state law “can’t share the contents of the amendment until it has been made public.”
The administration’s process has been under fire from the Tennessee State Employees Association, several lawmakers and, most recently, Tennessee- based architects and engineers, all of whom question the effort to privatize hospitality services at the park, which straddles Van Buren and Bledsoe counties in a remote area of the Upper Cumberland Plateau.
Haslam is expected to push for privatization at other state parks offering amenities like a park inn, restaurant, golf course, cabins and boating. The governor says it’s worth looking at if the parks can be run better and ultimately save taxpayers money.