Georgia university set to take over Navy base

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Georgia university set to take over Navy base




The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jun 1, 2007 5:58:01 EDT

ATHENS, Ga. — The University of Georgia could soon take over a Navy Supply Corps facility, one of four Georgia military bases slated to close under the federal base closure and realignment process.
On Tuesday, the university reached an agreement with the Navy Supply Corps School Local Redevelopment Authority to take control of the Athens base when it closes in 2011. As part of the deal, UGA will pay $7.9 million for another facility that will be used to help the homeless — a requirement of the base-closings law.
The university plans to turn the facility into a medical campus, teaming up with the clinical staff at the Medical College of Georgia, but MCG was not involved in the latest deal, a spokeswoman said.
The local redevelopment authority is expected to vote on the agreement Monday. A public hearing to unveil a consultant’s site plan for the campus is scheduled July 17.
For the deal to succeed, the Legislature must fund it within the next three years. The deal also includes a contingency plan to split the base between UGA and a private developer if the state does not fund the campus by 2010.
The plan must also be approved by the Defense Department, and the homeless facility must be approved by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. By November 2008, the Department of Education would have to approve a request by UGA to get the land for free.
UGA predicts the medical campus would bring 315 jobs, $17 million in wages and more than $1 million in taxes annually.



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