Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue breathed new life into the 100-year-old front of the Abraham Baldwin College campus Wednesday when he signed the 2008-2009 state budget which contains $6 million in funding toward the rehabilitation of the college’s three original buildings.

“The governor’s signature marks the culmination of a lot of hard work and persistence by our local delegation of Representative Austin Scott, Representative Jay Roberts, and Senator Joseph Carter,” ABAC President David Bridges said. “Their influence, support and willingness have been outstanding in an effort to help this college during the 100th birthday year.”

Bridges also thanks Gov. Perdue, the Board of Regents, the ABAC administration, and all the ABAC alumni and friends of the college in the legislature. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate honored ABAC with the 100th birthday resolutions on Feb. 14.

Tift, Lewis and Herring halls were the three original buildings on the campus when it opened as the Second District A&M School on Feb. 20, 1908. Tift was the administration and classroom building and Lewis and Herring were dormitories.

Tift Hall became the last of the three to close last summer when Bridges moved the ABAC President’s Office out of the building for the first time in 99 years because of the structural repairs needed on the facility.

“The rehabilitation of our historic front campus will be a multi-year, multi-phase project that will require public and private support,” Bridges said. “I can tell you that we have already done a lot of homework.

“This funding makes it possible for us to complete the design phase and begin construction. We still have lots to do but I am excited about the possibilities.”

Bridges said a feasibility study, an engineering study and a design charette of the front of the ABAC campus have already been conducted.

The University of Georgia College of Environment and Design sent a team of urban planners, landscape architects, historic preservationists and designers to ABAC in March. In a public forum, team leader Pratt Cassity presented a variety of ideas to a very interested audience of faculty, staff, students, alumni and members of the community on March 30.