The roof is off, and soon the walls will be gone from the old Cy Grant Gymnasium. The building is being demolished to make way for a new 25,000-square-foot facility on the North Georgia Technical College campus in Clarkesville.
“We are excited to finally see some movement around the building as the start of the new semester begins this week!” says NGTC’s Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Marketing Amy Hulsey.
Once a security fence is installed on the property, the demolition will begin.
“We are told that the entire building should be completely down by the end of September if everything goes according to the plan,” Hulsey tells Now Habersham.
A living memorial
The college is still waiting on final drawings and plans for the new building, which will be named the Dr. Mark A. Ivester Center for Living and Learning in memory of the college’s late president.
Dr. Ivester worked at the college for over twenty years, serving his last four years there as president. He passed away from COVID-19 on September 12, 2020.
The building will also honor the legacy of Cy Grant, a UGA football legend and Clarkesville native who served 28 years as the dean of students at what was then known as North Georgia Technical School.
Gymnasium and classrooms
The new building will be approximately the same size and will be built on the same site as the current structure. It will be positioned a few yards back from the main highway to allow for more pedestrian sidewalk traffic.
The building will include a regulation-size basketball court named in honor of Grant to keep with the college’s historical traditions. Hulsey says the multipurpose gymnasium could convert into classroom space and a fitness area for students, faculty, staff, and community members.
In addition, the building will include classroom space for potential credit programs such as diet and nutrition, criminal justice, and sports medicine. The college also intends to use the center for community continuing education classes, business and industry contract training, and events.
The Technical College System of Georgia has allocated $10.9 million for the project. The NGTC Foundation is currently working to raise another $1 million to add to that funding due to increased construction and building supply costs.
Hulsey says construction on the Ivester Center for Living and Learning should start in early 2024. It’s expected to be completed around fall semester 2025.
