Mayor Kelly Girtz hopes the new arena will be a “foundation of higher wages” for Athens residents
Lucy Grey Shields
Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz speaks to University of Georgia students on Dec. 1, 2023 in the Fine Arts Building Balcony Theatre about The Classic Center Arena. The Classic Center Arena is set to open in August 2024. (Photo/Lucy Grey Shields)
Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz is confident that The Classic Center Arena in downtown Athens will have many benefits for the local economy. The arena, which is set to open in August 2024, will bring with it 600 new jobs with starting salaries of $15.85 an hour.
The mayor hosted a press conference with students from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication regarding the construction of The Classic Center Arena and the economic benefits the arena will bring with it.
Of those benefits, the mayor emphasized how the arena will benefit the Athens economy, through jobs for Athens residents and starting salaries that reflect the MIT Living Wage Calculator. The MIT Living Wage Calculator is a tool created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to determine a livable minimum wage for specific areas based on the cost of living in a community
Girtz discussed the low-wage employment class in Athens, which can in part be attributed to the popularity of service sector jobs in the area. He hopes that the new jobs and high base pay for employees will boost the Athens economy and support
“For over 200 years there’s been, sadly, a permanent low-wage employment class in Athens. And we want to push the floor up. So, The Classic Center has agreed that they’re going to conform to the living wage calculator that MIT publishes every year,” said Girtz.
Girtz hopes that by requiring the jobs related to the arena to pay employees $15.85 an hour, other businesses will follow suit.
“We wanted to see the arena be a foundation for higher wages for people in the service sector in Athens,” said Girtz.
Girtz also noted that the arena would bring entertainment to Athens. The Classic Center Arena will act as a venue for concerts, events such as Disney on Ice and the home for a new hockey team in Athens.
Third-year marketing student Carlie Tellone is excited about the new arena, specifically to see the new hockey team.
“I know that there’s gonna be like the hockey team, which it’s really gonna be fun to support an Athens sports team other than just UGA football,” said Tellone.
Social media posts from throughout the press conference.
Why I Wrote the Story:
I attended the news conference with Mayor Kelly Girtz on Dec. 3, 2023. At the news conference, Girtz discussed The Classic Center Arena, a new event space coming to Athens. Because I have been writing on the business beat all semester, I was immediately interested in the way that this arena would impact jobs in Athens. When Girtz informed us that the arena would add 600 jobs with a starting salary of $15.85/hour, I knew that this was the most newsworthy element of his presentation. I asked a question at the news conference, which gave me the skill of preparing a question and asking it with confidence.