"As we move closer to ABAC's 100th birthday in 2008, we will continue to ensure that ABAC has the best facilities for student learning for the next 100 years," ABAC President Mike Vollmer said.
Environmental Horticulture Building: Construction of this new building is complete, and classes are being held there this semester. The building, which replaces the old Agricultural Engineering Technology (AET) Building, is located between the Chambliss Building and the Carlton Center.
The new 18,050 square foot building, which cost $3.2 million, houses the Environmental Horticulture program at ABAC. The building contains three classrooms, two specialized labs for plant and pest identification, an on-site teaching and demonstration greenhouse, a CAD (Computer Aided Design) lab for landscape design, golf course design, and ag engineering, an equipment shop for small engine repair and troubleshooting, reel grinding, and basic maintenance of grounds equipment, a ceramics lab, offices for Environmental Horticulture faculty and staff, a conference room, and a student learning room to accommodate teaching and learning for a small group of students.
Ag Sciences Building: This building, which will be approximately 39,000 square feet at a cost of $7.1 million, will include seven classrooms, including a distance learning classroom, five general labs, and two computer labs. One of the labs will be an outdoor animal science lab where students will actually work with and study live animals. In addition, the building will include a multi-purpose classroom, which will be used for conferences, the ABAC evening program, and the Public Service and Business Outreach Center. There will also be a student study area that opens to the outdoors.
The building will be located next to the Yow Forestry/Wildlife Building just off Perimeter Road. A proposed Pedestrian Mall will lead from the center of the building entrance to the south side of the campus to the day parking lot. The expected completion date is Spring 2003, pending funding by the Georgia Legislature.
Athletic Complex: The ABAC Athletic Complex. . . A Campaign for Athletic Excellence, is an $835,000 project sponsored by the ABAC Foundation. All funding for the project will consist of private donations through the ABAC Foundation. The complex will provide first-class facilities in support of ABAC's intercollegiate baseball, tennis, and softball teams.
The project will include an ultra-modern field house called the Red Hill Athletic Center, in honor of ABAC's national championship tennis coach. The field house plans include dressing rooms with lockers and showers for ABAC's intercollegiate athletes and umpires as well as weight and strength training rooms, offices for the coaching staff, and equipment storage areas. The air-conditioned lobby will contain displays of two men's tennis national championship trophies, as well as those from 33 consecutive trips to the national tennis tournament, baseball state championships dating back to World War II, and three national softball titles.
Other phases of the ABAC Athletic Complex campaign include a 400-seat grandstand, lighting, a concession area, restrooms, a press box for Stallion Field, an 84-space paved and landscaped parking lot, and an indoor practice area. The expected completion date of the Red Hill Athletic Center phase of the project is Spring 2002.
Baseball Field Lighting: College baseball at night is coming to Tifton. This project will provide state-of-the-art lighting for Stallion Field, which currently has no lights. The construction of the lighting is scheduled to occur simultaneously with that of the Red Hill Athletic Center, and it is hoped the lights will be installed by spring of 2002. Funding in the amount of $50,000 came from the Governor's Discretionary Fund.
Paving Projects: The one-half mile walking track by the Intramural Field is currently being paved at a cost of $16, 646. The parking lot behind the Donaldson Dining Hall is also scheduled to be paved at a cost of $75,000.
Howard Auditorium: The renovation of Howard Auditorium is a three-phase project, which will cost approximately $900,000. Currently, the project is in Phase I (construction).
According to Jim Folds, ABAC's Director of Plant Operations, the completed project will include a new stage, a new proscenium, and new dressing rooms. It will also have an orchestra pit as well as a new sound system, new stage lighting, a new heating and cooling system, and new seats. These seats will be roomier and much more comfortable than the old seats. The auditorium will seat approximately 350 - 400 people.
Since Howard Auditorium is an historical building, the exterior appearance will be maintained. The interior will be completely renovated to provide up-to-date acoustics and accommodations.
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