Wednesday, August 20, 2008

School Starts, Construction Underway

Classes began at UGA this week, and we had our first on-site construction meeting. The project team, including JM Wilkerson, Surber Barber Choate & Hertlein Architects, and Rialto Property Partners, as well as key project stakeholders, gathered in a double-wide trailer to discuss the construction schedule. Site grading and underground storm water systems are currently underway, which you can see from our walking tour of the site (visit album First On-Site Construction Meeting). August 11, 2009 is our target date for completion.

This week we saw a pronounced difference in the pulse of downtown Athens. The streets have come to life with the arrival of UGA students. This observation reminded us of the value of bringing student perspective into our project. We just hired an Interior Design student from UGA who has the talent to make a unique contribution to our hotel. In addition to helping us with space planning, Sarah Brown will be helping us make inroads with the university's art departments. Design and art are a big part of our vision for the hotel, and we are looking for opportunities to bring in new ideas via student competitions.

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