ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's university system is donating a closed campus in southwest Georgia to a local school board to use as a middle or high school.
The Board of Regents voted Wednesday to convey the former Blakely campus of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College to the 1,700-student Early County school district. The property is valued at $7.8 million.
The main property includes 24 acres (10 hectares) of land and two one-story brick buildings. The land was given by Early County to the state, which built what was originally a campus of Albany Technical College. The complex eventually became a campus of Abraham Baldwin, which offered classes there until the end of 2020.
University System of Georgia officials said giving the property to Early County would relieve Abraham Baldwin of the costs of maintaining the vacant buildings.
The move would also save Early County taxpayers the cost of building a new school. System officials said the land’s location on U.S. 27, need for few changes and room for expansion make it well-suited for the Early County district.
The complex includes a separate building leased to a child care center. That building was also transferred to the local school board, with the lease to the child care center continuing.
The Board of Regents reserved the right to reclaim the property for the next 10 years if it stops being used for educational purposes.
