New Jobs, Higher Wages at the new Classic Center Arena
By Shweta Krishnan
Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz speaks to University of Georgia students and faculty on Dec. 1 in the Fine Arts Building Balcony Theater about the amenities in The Classic Center Arena. The arena is scheduled to open in 2024. (Photo/Shweta Krishnan)
The Classic Center Arena is expected to generate 600 jobs that will give Athens workers the opportunity to work at a higher wage per hour and provide overall economic growth to the city. This new facility, located in downtown Athens, holds up to 8,500 people, and it aims to draw people to Athens for sporting events, banquets and concerts. It will also be the home of the UGA Ice Dawgs, as well as a minor league team in the ECHL.
Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz discussed information regarding the economic prosperity the new venue will bring to Athens at a news conference on Friday held in the University of Georgia’s Fine Arts Building Balcony Theater.
He said, “We want to do everything we can to set a high bar and by paying classes that are employed themselves at $15.85 an hour.”
Mayor Girtz said that the service sector is not going away and ensures that the employees will be paid higher than the minimum wage in Georgia. The Athens-Clarke County government wants to push the floor to conform to the living wage calculator that Massachusetts Institute of Technology publishes every year, which is $16.29 in Athens-Clarke County.
Kelley Cantrell, an employee at DressUp, a women’s clothing store in Athens, said that she thinks the new arena will help their business in bringing more customers.
“I definitely think the new venue would help. It would be really nice to have more people come in,” said Cantrell.
Not only will there be personal benefits for individuals that work at the new venue, but The Classic Center Arena is projected to bring in approximately $30 million in revenue.
Mayor Girtz attributes this future financial success to the venue’s strategic location, providing opportunities for pre- and post-show activities, including dining, drinking and entertainment.
Additionally, he said that the arena’s appeal will extend beyond Athens, drawing people from nearby cities like Atlanta, Greenville, Charlotte, Hartwell and Elberton.
Tourism will also be generated through the Georgia Music Hall of Fame collection, providing education on Georgia’s local music history through an interactive experience. Planners expect that it will attract approximately 400,000 annual visitors from Georgia and surrounding states leading to more tourism and overall revenue.
The mayor said these projects, often discussed in isolation, have effects throughout different sectors of the community, ensuring sustained benefits for years to come.
Topics: The Classic Center Arena, higher wage, revenue
Why I Wrote the Story:
This was one of the first stories I wrote as a journalism student in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. I wrote this story to cover the new Classic Center Arena that is currently being constructed in Athens. At the time, there were not many stories written to cover this arena because of the lack of news outlets in Athens. I chose to write this story from the angle on the positive impact it will bring to the community with the increase in the number of jobs and the amount of total revenue.