Georgia State has an on-campus project they’ve been working on for quite some time.
Not too far from the University Commons, there is a sign on the fenced-in area by the intersection of Irwin St., Fort St. and John Wesley Dobbs Ave. marking the construction site.
The sign donned the university’s colors, the school logo on the far right and silhouettes of people playing various sports. It reads “Coming Soon!” under the university logo and at the bottom reads “Georgia State Recreation Fields.”
Georgia State’s recreational department spent more than $3 million on land its left abandoned.
However, it has been “coming soon” for quite some time now.
Scott Levin, Director of Recreational Services at Georgia State, said the University purchased an “L-shaped” parcel of the rectangle that is bordered by Fort, Irwin, Hilliard and Old Wheat Streets in the second quarter of 2012.
Georgia State paid almost $3.6 million, according to Databank Inc., and the fields were expected to open for the 2012-13 academic year, per Atlanta Business Chronicle, yet the land is just sitting there nearly untouched.
Levin said Georgia State continues to be in negotiations with Wheat Street Baptist Church, the owner of the land, regarding additional property for the project.
Wheat Street Baptist Church could not be reached for comment.
Recreational Services is still trying to buy land from Wheat Street Baptist Church before developing.
Meanwhile, the new project’s purpose is not to replace Panthersville or move outdoor intramural sports closer to campus, as once speculated.
“The purpose of Recreational Services acquiring the property is not to replace Panthersville and all the intramurals, sport clubs and student organization events scheduled there, but to compliment what we have with an on-campus, walkable green space,” Levin said.
Panthersville is the home of Georgia State baseball, softball and men’s and women’s soccer and is located roughly nine miles away from the downtown campus. The Georgia Board of Regents owns Panthersville.
Levin said he’s not aware of a definite timetable for development and that the university will continue to use Panthersville for tournaments and large events.
“We would also hope that other student groups and organizations could use Wheat Street for outdoor events (non-competitive fun games, team-building events, frisbee, and other drop-in kinds of activities),” Levin said.
