It was a day that was less than a year in the making. But in that year, the city of Fairburn approved and built the first phase of a college campus and Georgia Military College (GMC) signed a 10-year lease as the first institution of higher learning to be located there.

The grand opening of the new campus was held Tuesday, with more than 400 attending.

The new GMC’s Fairburn campus was meant from the beginning to be regional in nature. About 25 percent of its students will be Fayette County residents.

“This is historic. There were a lot of skeptics at first, but we’re here eight months and nine days later. This is the single most important event in Fairburn in a long time,” Fairburn Mayor Betty Hannah said as she welcomed the mass of local and state elected officials, faculty, students, college representatives and area residents.

Among those attending were Sen. Ronnie Chance and Atlanta Technical College President and Fayette County resident Dr. Alveta Thomas.

The four-acre campus is located on the site of the old Dodson Lawn & Farm Equipment business on U.S. Highway 29 a few blocks east of the immediate downtown area.

Now complete, the first phase consists of two 18,200-square-foot brick classroom buildings and two 2,000-square-foot retail buildings situated at the front of the property and a three-story 11,400-square-foot, colonial style administrative building centered in the rear of the site.

The education center will also accommodate parking space for 150 vehicles and has significant room for expansion.

Current GMC enrollment is 548 students, with more applications coming in all the time, said GMC Fairburn Director Debbie Condon, adding that approximately 25 percent of current students reside in Fayette County.

Condon said the GMC currently employs 80 full- and part-time teachers and staff. She said the enrollment outlook for the future is even better, adding that continued increases in enrollment carries the hope that GMC in Fairburn will double in size within the next three years and necessitate the expansion into a second classroom building.

Speaking at the grand opening, Atlanta Tech’s Thomas said the new campus was a shining example of a successful partnership between Fairburn and GMC.

“Today we’re celebrating the power of education,” Thomas said, adding that Atlanta Tech is hoping to change its status as a single-site campus in the near future.

Also at the podium Tuesday was Sen. Ronnie Chance. “I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for (GMC President) Gen. Boylan. He has been a good friend. None of this would have been possible for GMC without him,” Chance said. “I see here the future of Fairburn and the future of Georgia.”

GMC President Maj. Gen. Peter J. Boylan agreed. Serving as GMC president since 1992, Boylan did not miss the significance of a city, any city, taking the step to finance the construction of its own education campus.

“It took courage for Fairburn to undertake this for the benefit of its citizens,” Gen. Boylan said in Tuesday morning’s cold breeze. “At Georgia Military College, we have a stake in our students, your children.”

Approval for the $10 million project was made by the Fairburn Council Sept. 24, 2007.

Fairburn City Manager Williams at the meeting told council members discussions with GMC led to an agreement that the school would be interested in a 10-year lease on one of the classroom buildings.

Peachtree City-based Group VI was subsequently hired to design and build the Phase 1 portion of the education complex. Ground was broken for the project in early 2008.

The council originally considered using city reserves for the construction. That idea was ruled out in November once Williams announced that a restricted bond issue was available through Georgia Municipal Association at 3.5-4.0 percent interest.

Rather than the end, the official opening of the campus is only the beginning. Discussions with Georgia State University and Atlanta Tech are also underway as potential institutions that might lease the second classroom building in Phase 1.

The interior of that building will be ready for occupancy by the beginning of 2009. The second, but not the final, phase of the college campus project will include construction of two additional, 18,200-square-foot classroom buildings situated on either side of the administration building.

The city opted to finance the project since it receives 5 percent interest on money in its $12 million reserve account.

“The city’s money is generating 5 percent,” Williams said in a 2008 council meeting. “It would be foolish to take money from our reserves when we can get a loan for less money.”

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