Coweta to help fund UWG satellite campus

Plans by the University of West Georgia to establish a satellite campus in Newnan at the old Newnan Hospital moved a step closer to reality Feb. 5 when the Coweta County Commission signed an intergovernmental agreement to have the county contribute $535,000 to the project.

Commissioners acted on a staff recommendation to execute the intergovernmental agreement between Coweta County, the City of Newnan and the Coweta County Development Authority for redevelopment of the former Newnan Hospital property located at 80 Jackson Street for the use as a satellite campus by the University of West Georgia.

The county will contribute $535,000 over a 10-year period while CCDA will contribute a total of $539,000 over the same period.

The total redevelopment cost for the project that includes renovations and additions is estimated at $15 million.

County staff said Newnan has taken the lead on a project that would bring the UWG campus to the former Newnan Hospital site. The project will involve the donation of the facility and remodeling and renovation for development of classroom space for the University.

Once completed, the new UWG facility is expected to include classroom, laboratory, office space and support space, according to UWG.

The Jackson Street hospital closed in 2012 when the new Piedmont Newnan Hospital opened on Poplar Road near Interstate-85.