ACC wants to move from East Point and expand offerings

The volunteer task force hoping to lure Atlanta Christian College to locate in Peachtree City is finalizing its sales pitch.

ACC representatives will be hosted in the city Monday, Sept. 15 for about four hours as the task force attempts to convince them to build a new campus off the new extension of MacDuff Parkway in the city’s northwest quadrant.

College officials have previously said Peachtree City and Newnan were among its top two locations, and both cities’ plans are different from the ground floor. Peachtree City is offering the chance to build a brand-new campus, while Newnan is pitching a redevelopment of existing buildings.

Because it will take a while to build the campus, Peachtree City is preparing an alternate location to hold classes and also making arrangements with local apartment complexes to house students and provide transportation to campus until the dormitory is complete, said Peachtree City Mark Hollums, a friend of ACC.

Part of the presentation includes a well-produced video about the city, and ACC officials will also take a bus tour around the city, Hollums said.

ACC has no fraternities, and no alcohol is allowed on campus by ACC officials, as Hollums joked: “The strongest thing you can have is Dr. Pepper.”

The school’s estimated economic impact on the community dating back to 2004-05 at its East Point location was tabbed at $16 million according to a study of all private colleges in Georgia, Hollums said. If the school grows as planned in the future, that figure could jump to $40 million, he added.

Luring ACC would have a number of advantages, including the college’s requirement that students spend about 15-16 hours a semester in community service or volunteer work. The school also has an early childhood education program that could provide interns and employees for paraprofessionals to the public school system, Hollums said.

Hollums said he hopes ACC locating here will also draw more businesses to the industrial park who rely on well-educated employees.

Hollums said he has been very pleased with the work numerous people have put into the project, specifically the local architectural firm of Historical Concepts, which spent more than three weeks preparing a conceptual design of what the campus could look like; that was done for free, Hollums said.

“I think they did an outstanding job,” Hollums said.

Hollums also gushed about the work performed by Peachtree City staff on the project, including planners David Rast and Tony Bernard along with acting city clerk Betsy Tyler and systems administrator Matt Robinson.

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