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Monday, Oct. 13, 2008

New building, renovation projects progressing in Macon

Officials say steady progress is being made on some of Macon's more visible downtown projects, including construction of the new convention center hotel and restoration of Terminal Station.

Atlanta-based developer Noble Investment Group expects to "top off" the convention center hotel - completing the 9th floor and enclosing the building - in December, said Muarion Zimmerman, director of development.

"We're on schedule and under budget," he said of the more than $37 million project, which is slated to open late next fall as the Macon Marriott City Center Hotel. "Everything is going well."

Elsewhere, the uncertain economy has affected some hotel developments. In Atlanta, there are luxury hotels facing delays as they deal with fallout from the credit collapse, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported at the end of last month.

But Zimmerman said Macon's project will be fine. Both Noble and the city gathered their respective shares of the financing in advance, putting in escrow the funds that will be needed to build the hotel. That has sheltered the project from Wall Street turbulence, Zimmerman said.

"We're not looking at this as, 'Let's wait and see what's happening tomorrow guys.' This building is gonna get done," he said. "We use all of our financial resources. ... We take this kind of stuff into consideration three years before it happens."

Noble officials were in town Oct. 6 to tour the site and meet with Mayor Robert Reichert's administration as well as Centreplex employees, who will become Noble employees once the hotel opens.

Much of the discussion centered on how the transition will be handled, Zimmerman said. Details on the way things such as pensions and benefits will work for privatized employees have yet to be finalized.

"They were getting a little anxious, and rightly so," Zimmerman said.

Regina McDuffie, manager of the Centreplex and the city's point person in dealing with Noble, said aside from salary and benefit issues, employees are primarily concerned with their job security, and how the hotel will be operated and managed. Some of those matters will be determined by the city, she said, while others will be up to Noble.

But the Q&A session employees had with the developer was well-received, she said.

TERMINAL STATION

GETTING ON TRACK

In May, the city decided to turn over management of the Terminal Station to NewTown Macon, the quasi-public organization of downtown boosters. Through UDC Realty, its wholly-owned subsidiary, NewTown will oversee millions of dollars in federal grant money for the station as well as renovations, marketing and leasing of station space.

Earlier this month, after interviewing three Middle Georgia companies, UDC picked Chris R. Sheridan & Co. General Contractors to manage construction at the historic station.

Once a contract is finalized Sheridan will work with architect Brittain, Thompson, Bray, Brown Inc. to develop detailed drawings so that bids can be solicited from companies that will perform the actual work.

Jeff Jones, chairman of a NewTown/UDC committee in charge of station activity, said those renovations are expected to start in the spring. As work gets under way, leasing activity ought to start to pick up in the months that follow, Jones said.

Meanwhile, NewTown is performing routine landscaping and maintenance and making cosmetic tweaks until the heavy work begins, officials said.

Railings, handrails and elevators are being painted. The building is being pressure-washed. UDC has sought an energy audit of the space from Georgia Power and an appraisal to provide market comparisons of various rate structures for office, food service and retail space that can be leased.

The largest construction job initially will be the installation of a new transfer station for the Macon Transit Authority. The authority already has moved its administrative offices to the station and its Riverside Drive maintenance operations have been shifted to space at the city's vehicle maintenance department.

Macon officials plan to raze the transit authority's old buildings to make way for a new riverfront residential development.

Last week, the city approved the reallocation of unspent revenue from bonds issued in 2002 to pay for various downtown projects. Among the more than $1.5 million that was reappropriated, $85,000 has been set aside for demolition of the old MTA buildings.

To contact writer Matt Barnwell, call 744-4251.