FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2001


FHSAA to break ground on new office building

GAINESVILLE – The Florida High School Activities Association will hold a ceremonial groundbreaking for its new office building at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 25 at the future construction site at 1801 NW 80th Boulevard.

FHSAA President Jim M. Kirton, principal of Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, and FHSAA Commissioner Robert W. Hughes will conduct the ceremony. Also participating will be members of the FHSAA Board of Directors and representatives of Charles Perry Construction Inc., the design-builder, and Jackson-Reeger Inc., the architect. Charles Perry Construction Inc. is sponsoring the ceremony.

Actual construction on the new $1.5 million facility is not expected to begin until mid to late April, after the Association's existing office building in downtown Gainesville is sold. Construction is estimated to take 12 months. It will be the sixth home of the Association's business office since the FHSAA was founded in 1920.

"It's exciting to be a part of this historic occasion," Hughes said. "This new state-of-the-art building most likely will be the home of the Association for the next 50 years. What is most exciting about this project is that it will be realized without any expense to the member schools and without any taking on any debt. The entire project will be funded with the proceeds from the sale of our existing building."

Hughes continued: "The location of the new building in proximity to I-75 will be much more convenient to the hundreds of people from all over the state who visit our office each year for meetings, hearings and other functions."

The FHSAA's new office building will be located in the newly developed Fort Clarke Boulevard Business Center in northwest Gainesville. The Association's building will be clearly visible from Interstate 75, which will bring added exposure and recognition.

The Florida High School Activities Association is the governing body for interscholastic athletic competition in Florida. It has a membership of more than 600 middle, junior and senior high schools.

Contact:
Jack Watford
Director of Communications, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 170
jwatford@fhsaa.org