GREENSBORO -- Undeterred by the tough economy, the University of Georgia Athletic Association board of directors on Thursday approved spending $40 million to expand and renovate the football facilities at the school's Butts-Mehre athletics headquarters building.
The project — on the drawing board for more than a year — will add new strength-and-conditioning and training areas, new coaches offices and a large multi-purpose space.
UGA President Michael Adams acknowledged the project comes amid trying economic times for the university as a whole, but said he agreed to support it because about 50 percent of the needed funds have been pledged by private donors.
Adams called the project "a very strong statement in support of our No. 1 revenue program." He said UGA "will get more for our money by bidding this now" rather than in a more robust construction environment.
The project was approved at the board's spring meeting at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge on Lake Oconee.
UGA said more than 80 percent of the construction documents have been completed, and the project will be opened for bidding to eight pre-qualified general contractors next week. Construction will begin in July, athletics director Damon Evans said, and take 18 to 24 months to complete.
Evans said the "guesstimated" cost is $39.5 million and won't be allowed to exceed $40 million. He said $19.2 million has been pledged by donors, and the rest will be borrowed, probably via 20-year bonds.
The plan is to use Athletic Association reserve funds to start the project, with those funds to be reimbursed as the pledged donations come in. UGA wouldn't name the donors.
The project will involve 53,000 square feet of new construction and the renovation of 23,000 square feet of existing space in the 22-year-old Butts-Mehre building.
Although the addition will include a large multi-purpose space that can be used for light football drills such as walk-throughs, as well as for receptions and other functions, the project does not include a long-discussed indoor football-practice facility.
"A lot of things [for other sports] now move ahead of that," Adams said.
Evans said he is "mindful" that the project comes as the nation and the campus are in belt-tightening mode.
"We've got to still move forward as an entity [and] position ourselves to have success in the future," Evans said. "I want people to know we have been fiscally prudent over the last 10-11 years, and it has gotten us in a position where we can move forward right now."
Also at Thursday's meeting:
» The board approved a fiscal 2010 athletics budget of $84 million, up 11 percent from this year.
» The board was told the association will post a $3.2 million profit for fiscal 2009, which ends June 30, and maintain roughly $40 million in general reserves. "All in all, a very good posture," UGA senior vice president for finance and administration Tim Burgess said. "If only the university was in this good a shape, we'd be fine."
» Evans told the board UGA will decide soon on its football radio broadcast team.
» Adams said UGA has had preliminary conversations with Jacksonville about where the Georgia-Florida game will be played after the current contract ends in 2010. "We are going to listen to folks on both sides of the equation," Adams said. "There is no predisposition."
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