If the race for the George W. Bush Presidential Library was the Tour de France, SMU would be Lance Armstrong during the final stage – not past the finish line yet, but cruising towards it sipping champagne.
The committee in charge of selecting a site for the library said Thursday it is entering into exclusive negotiations with SMU.
SMU President R. Gerald Turner spoke at an afternoon press conference, where he came as close to saying the school had gotten the library without actually saying so.
“We’re not announcing that it’s coming to SMU. But, this is as good of an announcement as we could give you on this occasion,” Turner said. “I can’t say we have got it until (Search Committee Chair) Don Evans says we’ve got it, and he has not.”
Representatives from Baylor University and the University of Dallas were told privately Thursday that their respective schools have been eliminated from contention. The only way the two could be back in the race is if SMU and the committee failed to reach an agreement.
The negotiation process involves the library committee evaluating the different plans submitted by SMU in Nov. 2005. The two sides must come to an agreement on what the library complex will look like, where it will be and what programs will be a part of it.
The likely site involves the land currently occupied by the University Gardens condominium complex and Binkley Apartments. Other available land includes the former Mrs. Baird’s Factory and the Park Cities Plaza shopping center.
The Daily Campus was the first to report in August that local businessman and Board of Trustee member Ray Hunt gave SMU $35 million to buy the shopping center in Nov. 2005.
Also at stake is the funding of the project. SMU could be expected to raise as much as $200 million for the complex. The committee needs to be sure the school could raise such an amount in a certain timeframe. Turner said that fundraising for the library would be nationwide, not solely focused on the deep-pocketed Park Cities neighborhoods.
There is no set timeline on the length of the negotiations, according to Turner, who said the school would be “diligent in working with the site selection committee.”
Negotiations are set to begin shortly after the new-year.
SMU has been considered the front runner in the library sweepstakes thanks to a multitude of links with the current administration. The most notable is First Lady Laura Bush, who is a member of the Board of Trustees and a graduate of the school.
Presidential libraries are operated by the federal government, but are built with private monies. In addition to holding tens of thousands of papers to be used for research, libraries are also part tourist attraction.
Turner said between 300 and 1,500 people a day could be expected to visit the Bush library. When asked how the school could handle the additional influx of traffic Turner replied people would have to wait and see.
SMU would join two other Texas schools that already have presidential libraries: the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library at the University of Texas at Austin and the George H.W. Bush Library at Texas A&M University.
The announcement Thursday came less than 24 hours after two University Gardens condo owners had an appeal rejected by a federal court judge. The ruling allows SMU to begin knocking down the complex within weeks.
“The recent decision clarifying that we do have clear title to University Gardens certainly helps to remove a cloud from that particular area,” Turner said.
However, condo owner Gary Vodicka said he plans to file a second appeal today with the federal court. The first appeal, a motion for a stay, was rejected Wednesday but was filed by co-litigant Robert Talfel. Vodicka, who said the water in his condo was turned off Thursday, will file a motion for rehearing and to vacate the summary judgment.
