News Conference

Economic Impact in Every Direction: Mayor Girtz’s Insight on The Classic City Arena

Mayor Kelly Girtz of Athens, Georgia speaks to press and Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication students on Friday, Dec. 1 in the University of Georgia Fine Arts Building. He discusses the city’s plan of construction, as well as their future outlook, for The Classic Center Arena. (Photo/James Bowling)

MAYOR GIRTZ NEWS CONFERENCE – The city of Athens will receive a new event venue, The Classic Center Arena, in 2024. The construction is scheduled for completion in early August, coupled with plans of economic advancement for the Classic City. Mayor Kelly Girtz discussed these benefits in his Dec. 1 news conference. 469 words, photo.

By James Bowling

Mayor Girtz confirmed The Classic Center Arena will create approximately 600 new jobs and impact the local economy by $33 million per year at a press conference on Friday. He detailed how the anticipated economic benefits will be generated through both direct and indirect revenue throughout Athens.

The expected revenue will come from not only the introduction of larger concerts and conventions, but also through ancillary factors that coincide with the venue, such as parking, food and drink sales, ride-share services, etc. 

“It’s going to be an arena that’s surrounded by a rich array of opportunity, places to live, new hotels, new drinking and dining,” explained Girtz. “Certainly we’re going to have to accommodate a lot of vehicles, and that parking deck is going to have not only some ground floor retail, but it’s going to have a rooftop Plaza, where people will be able to gaze up and down the north county river and enjoy being right in the heart of Athens.”

The mayor emphasized the impact for small and local Athens businesses as well. The construction of the arena expects to assist in adding 90,000 local hotel room nights across the city, as well as in encouraging outside vendors to come to the area. 

According to Danny Bryant, a general manager for the arena, The Classic Center already generates on average $50 million per year. “This number comes from a study done by CSL, who are one of the renowned consultants when considering developing new civic buildings,” said Bryant. “Their calculation is based on the attendee demographics, overnight hotel room nights, average daily spend based on event type and total attendance.”

Additionally, hundreds of jobs will be created for students and Athens locals alike through the establishment of the arena. Girtz mentioned to the press that all Classic Center jobs, as well as any positions in private developments, will rise to M.I.T.’s living wage, which calculates to over $16.00 per hour for Athens-Clarke County.

The mayor described how lower-income communities of Athens, even those not in close proximity to the arena, could yield financing for development, including public infrastructure, utilities, and project planning costs.

The site of The Classic Center Arena is located in a tax allocation district, which is a redevelopment tool that utilizes increased property taxes from new developments to finance city improvements. Girtz highlighted the dormant properties up-river where spin-off benefits could also expect to be seen. 

“The river has been an underutilized resource, and we’re going to be able to use spin-off revenue from The Classic Center to revitalize the river,” said Mayor Girtz. “So it’s not just going to be an arena and it’s not just going to be the concourse that immediately surrounds it, but really, it’s going to be in every direction.”

https://wakelet.com/wake/ij77Bnnzffb_s77RdCKIh

Why I Wrote the Story:

The Classic Center Arena is a venue that will generate a wide array of impacts on the city of Athens, from an economic, political, and social standpoint. With Mayor Kelly Girtz speaking at the news conference, this was the perfect event to report on for the local government beat and evaluate how the city’s development efforts will effect the Athens community at large. Themes such as direct and indirect revenue, job opportunities, living wages, and tax allocation are prevalent themes of what the mayor discussed with the press.

Beat Q&A

Q & A with Hon. Lawton E. Stephens

Photo courtesy of Judge Stephen’s judicial assistant – Diane Russell

By James Bowling

Comments trimmed for length and clarity

Hon. Lawton E. Stephens has served in Athens as the presiding judge of the Western Judicial Circuit Superior Court since 1991, overseeing the communities of both Athens-Clarke County and Oconee County.

Q: What originally sparked your interest to receive a law degree, and to enter the legal field as a whole?

A: My father was a lawyer, and I was interested in politics, and I felt like law was a good training for a political career, that was my primary motivation. And then I ran for the legislature, got elected to the legislature. Being a lawyer is a great asset if you are in the legislature because people come to you and ask you questions, how to explain bills, what’s the effect it will have on the everyday practice of law or even people’s everyday lives. 

Q: And so that being paired with you stepping out on the political scene, as well as the representative for the 16th district, what did those kinds of two experiences teach you regarding the importance of representing and serving Georgians, and then specifically in Athens Clarke-County as well?

A: I got a vision of a real education on how laws are made and how laws are passed. And I was able to give some advice on the practical effect that a certain bill might have on people because I’d seen it at work. I was always interested in elective office, and so Superior Court Judge is an elected position every four years, it’s a nonpartisan. It kind of combined both of my interests: my interest in the law, my interest in politics.

Q: What do you feel allows you to have the greatest impact on the local government of Athens, and just the Athens community in general?

A: So I’ve always tried to be involved in the community, serving on different boards, and trying to, you know, to serve different charitable organizations and things like that, and that’s been important: to get involved in the community and to be out among the community. And hear what, you know, people don’t tell judges the stuff that they need to hear, right? They want to tell you what they think you want to hear, especially if they’re trying a case in front of you. “Oh Judge, my goodness! I read about your wonderful ruling in this case.” You’re like, just get on with it. So, you’re out in the community and you’re involved in different things, you know, I’m involved in a lot of different things, you hear what’s going on and you’ve got your ear to the ground. That helps politically, but it also helps you understand what the dynamic is that’s going on and where you might need to pay attention to certain legal things and make sure justice is getting done.

Why I Wrote the Story:

Leading up to my interview with Judge Stephens, I could not have been more nervous. When his assistant got back to me so promptly to schedule a time for the Judge and I to meet, I was honestly shocked – I really was not expecting for him to be available. However, the conversation that I had with Judge Stephens was one of the most unique and impactful experiences that I’ve had during my academic career at UGA thus far. Now that I have shot for one of the highest stars – interviewing a highly ranked government official in Athens – I have much more confidence in my ability to interview other figures of authority in the future. My skills in making an interview more conversational have also improved after completing this assignment, as I was able to shake off the nerves and see what it feels like to engage in a natural discussion in this setting.