By Mia Fishman
Mayor Kelly Girtz of Athens-Clarke County discussed the ongoing development of the Classic Center Arena during a news conference early Friday morning, touching on economic interests, event programming and amenities.
The Classic Center Arena construction, which broke ground in January 2022 in partnership with JE Dunn Construction, has experienced a series of delays due to budget issues. However, despite frustration, Girtz is “reasonably confident” that the facility will open in August 2024.
“And I’ll say, for anyone in the public or private sector, just building things is really challenging right now,” Girtz said. “Costs are high. Labor is high. Materials are high. Interest rates are high.”
The arena is projected to provide over 600 new jobs and generate approximately $33 million per year, paying itself off in less than three years. Funding for the project stemmed from $110 million in bond financing, $34 million in Special Purpose Local Options Sales Tax revenue and $5.7 through private fundraising. The final cost of the build will fall between $145-150 million, Girtz predicts.
New event programming through the arena is estimated to cater to Athens’ developing tourism industry. The arena will have the ability to provide for up to 8,500 people for concerts, sporting events and banquets, ultimately boosting the capacities of downtown hotels and restaurants.
“When you gracefully move to greater density, you actually benefit everybody,” Girtz said.
A professional hockey team, whose name has not been released yet, has been signed and will join the University of Georgia’s Ice Dawgs in calling the Classic Center Arena a place of their own.
“Initially, I was excited, because it gives the hockey team a place to call home,” said Chase Malley, a fourth-year sports management major and merchandising intern for Georgia’s club hockey team. “There’s nowhere really that they can call theirs except for the Classic Center.”
The Classic Center Arena plans to accommodate patrons with a parking deck with 1,200 new vehicle spaces alongside a seven trailer load-in dock available for event planning crews.
“If we can accommodate 94,000 people at Sanford Stadium, we can definitely accommodate 8,000,” Girtz said.
Progress has been consistently updated by JE Dunn Construction through the Classic Center’s website. The latest status of the build details the installation of staircases as well as the completion of the frames surrounding interior and exterior walls.
Why I Wrote the Story:
This story was an opportunity for me to take a stab at experiencing news conferences and government topics. It is something I tend to not usually cover, so it was important that I used this event to build my knowledge on reporting.