HEROES AMONG US
Flournoy, a vice president with Flournoy Development Co., which is developing the site. “Tis is a long-term project that will have a meaningful impact on south Columbus and will be a job generator.” Te property is unique, he says, in its exposure to I-185, which means it will be ideal for businesses that need to be close to the installation. Te project got a big shot in the arm
with the passage of the T-SPLOST (Trans- portation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax). Assistant City Manager David Arrington says an intersection at Custer Road, which will provide access to the proposed park, is included in the list of projects to be funded by the tax. City Planning Director Rick Jones says that since the intersection is in the first band of projects, some negotiation with Fort Benning and environmental studies are in progress. He expects some construction on the $20 million project will be under- way by 2016. According to Arrington, the TSPLOST
projects are “pay as you go.” Money col- lected since January 1 is being kept by
“This is a long-term project that will have a meaningful impact on south Columbus and will be a job generator.”
the Georgia Finance Authority, and when enough revenue is generated, a project will get underway. “Access is the key to defining the proj-
ect,” says Flournoy, “and has been a piv- otal issue for us.” Right now the property can only be
accessed through Custer Road, but the planned interchange will open up the area. It will then be only a 10-minute drive to the Infantry School on main post and the Armor School located at Har- mony Church. Te project is a private/public partner-
ship between the Columbus Development Authority, Te Flournoy Companies and Columbus State University. Te property, initially owned by CSU,
was transferred to Foundation Proper- ties Inc., which was established to over- see the private funds in the development of
several university buildings. Since
—Jake Flournoy
then, the acreage has been transferred to the Columbus Development Authority. Chamber Executive Vice President Becca Hardin points out that the authority can qualify for some grants, and in conjunc- tion with the chamber, can market to the defense industry. Te planned regional technology park
is expected to include many acres of green space, offices, perhaps some retail and residential and some educational space, according to Flournoy. Tom Helton, CSU’s vice president for
business and finance, says that the univer- sity sees a great potential for jobs and ulti- mately wants to have a presence on site to further its relationship with Fort Benning and the military. Recently he says CSU has received some grants to develop lead- ership training online, which is similar to gaming scenarios for decision making. Te university has done some projects in
24
Columbus and the Valley
AUGUST 2013
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