Project moves forward with completion of land transfer
August 10 , 2007 -
The University of West Georgia and the City of Carrollton have strengthened the bonds of partnership with the completion of the historic transfer of 246 acres of land located off Lovvorn Road from the City to the university. Carrollton Mayor Wayne Garner worked tirelessly to finalize the grant originally pledged in 2003 by then-Mayor Gerald Pilgrim and the City Council.
“On
behalf of the city, we’re happy to get this consummated,” Garner
said. “We understand the value of the university to our community
and it is a privilege to be able to enhance that value. We’ll
be there to support the university 100 years down the road.”
Dr. Thomas J. Hynes, UWG acting president, praised the city’s leadership for their vision.
“This is another example of a partnership between the university and the community that makes our relationship the envy of so many,” Hynes said. “It reflects an enlightened and forward thinking perspective so characteristic of this community, and often so rare elsewhere.
The support of the mayor, the city council, and so many others who view this transfer as an investment in the future of the community, as well as the future of the university, is a model of forward thinking and exemplary community leadership.”
Hynes noted that it took the determined efforts of Garner, city officials and their legal affairs office to work effectively with multiple state agencies to turn the transfer into a reality “that will benefit both the university and the community in ways we can not yet imagine.”
The gift of the land will facilitate expansion on the north side of campus and will play a vital role in the ability of UWG to sustain quality growth within the University System of Georgia (USG). The USG predicts a growth of 100,000 additional students by 2020 and there will be significant need to balance enrollments throughout the state’s public higher educational institutions to campuses that are not land-locked.
The first project slated for the acreage is an intercollegiate athletics complex featuring a football stadium. A 12-member Stadium Development Committee (SDC) has been planning the engineering and construction with plans to break ground in the spring of 2008 and playing football in the fall of 2009 in the official UWG home of the Wolves.
“On behalf of the SDC, I would like to thank the Mayor and his staff who have worked tremendously hard to make this possible,” said Ray Fulford, SDC member. “With his vision, we are not only the recipients of this gift of land for the stadium, but it opens the door for future land gifts for the university. We have spent endless hours in this and without his dedication and influence we wouldn’t be the beneficiaries of this gift today.”
The athletics complex will eventually include a soccer facility, a woman’s varsity softball field and additional soccer and football practice fields. Parking for the complex will be fully utilized throughout the week for commuter students.
The UWG Master Facilities Plan will guide the development of the land and facilities over a period of years as funding becomes available in phases. Capital grant requests will continue to be made through the USG Board of Regents and the Georgia General Assembly for infrastructure improvements. The first such improvement is the need for a road and bridge that will directly connect the land to the campus.
The City of Carrollton will also benefit with improved vehicular access from the north side of campus and reduced traffic on Maple Street.
