The boy was born drug-addicted, and the grandparents nursed the newborn through withdrawal. The grandmother — who did not want to be identified to protect the child’s privacy — said he is intelligent but struggles daily with compulsive and impulsive behavior, including kleptomania. Schooling has failed, and so have home therapy and two shorter inpatient programs. She said Cottonwood had been the best and final option.

“I just see so much potential with him if we can just keep him on the right track. If we can’t keep on top of it, he’s going to wind up in jail.”

In June, after the vetoes, Nixon put a stop to more than $1 billion in budgeted expenditures, arguing that the state could not sustain spending levels because of declining state revenue and the future impact of the proposed tax breaks.

Included in those cuts was the plan to close Cottonwood by year’s end, which was projected to save $2.4 million annually. The closure was part of more than $34 million in cuts to the Department of Mental Health.

At the time of the closure announcement, Mental Health Department Director Keith Schafer said the move was strictly financial. He gave no indication the facility could be spared.