GSW secures $3.4 million in Georgia state budget for building renovations

AMERICUS — Georgia Southwestern State University has announced the inclusion of $3.4 million in House Bill 684, Georgia’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget, to fund the renovation of the Academic Center for Excellence, GSW’s primary advisement building.

The budget was officially signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Nathan Deal. The FY19 budget totals $26.2 billion.

The legislative delegation from the General Assembly representing the region where GSW resides — Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, District 12; Sen. Greg Kirk, District 13; Rep. Bill McGowan, District 138; and Rep. Ed Rynders, District 152 — worked to make sure the project was included in the final version of the FY19 budget.

“I, along with the entire GSW community, are so very grateful to our legislative delegation,” GSW President Neal Weaver said. “Their advocacy and the support from Chancellor Steve Wrigley and Governor Deal sends a clear message that the state is behind GSW, and they believe in the direction we are headed.”

“More than 50 percent of GSW students are first generation college students. The renovation of the ACE Building, which includes accessibility improvements, will vastly enhance our ability to help students succeed academically. It also communicates to our students that we care about their future.”

The scope of the ACE Building project will include modernizing the HVAC system, remodeling the interior to meet the current needs of students and construction of two elevator shafts – one for the ACE building and one for the adjacent English building.

The ACE and English buildings are currently the only two structures in use on campus that do not have upper-floor handicap access.

A date for groundbreaking has not yet been set.