It will be at least the summer of 2016 before Georgia would utilize its new indoor practice facility.
That was a rough estimate provided by UGA president Jere Morehead, who was asked about the timeline for the proposed $30 million construction project shortly before he was scheduled to speak to alumni and fans at the UGA Days event here at the Rome Forum and Civic Center Thursday evening.
“The soonest construction could begin is January,” Morehead said. “You don’t want to interfere with the preparation of the football team. But it’s hard for me to tell you a firm date until our construction engineer evaluates everything and gives us a plan. I would expect we’ll have more to say about it at the athletic board meeting in May.”
The UGA athletic administration and board of directors prefer a site on which the Hoke Smith Annex building currently resides on Smith Street between Stegeman Coliseum and the existing practice fields. But the acquisition of that site, relocation of offices and demolition of the current structure all require University System Board of Regents approval.
The AJC’s requests for communications between the university and the regents on the matter have been declined citing federal privacy statutes regarding real estate transactions.
The construction project is expected to take several months to complete. It’s possible that the football team could be displaced or at least inconvenienced if during spring practices and possibly preseason camp.
In any case, Morehead remains confident that the indoor practice facility will be reality soon enough.
“I think everyone knows we’re committed to building it,” he said. “Now it’s just about making sure we have designs approved and the approval of the Board of Regents.”
