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NEWS
| OCTOBER 14, 2005
Arlington
Arlington loses Bush library bid
The library could still be placed
at two North Texas universities.
By Elaine
Marsilio
The Shorthorn staff
Arlington will not host the estimated $200 million George W. Bush
Presidential Library, but it may still be located in the Metroplex.
Four finalists were named in the library selection process Thursday,
according to an Arlington Star-Telegram article. The University
of Dallas and Southern Methodist University, both located in North
Texas, remain in the final four.
Other contenders are Baylor University in Waco and the West Texas
Coalition, where the library would be placed on Texas Tech University
in Lubbock. Seven library bid proposals were submitted.
The UT System and Texas A&M University bids were also scrapped
in the selection process.
A committee composed of Don Evans, former commerce secretary and
long-time Bush family friend; Bush’s brother Marvin Bush;
and Bush’s cousin’s husband Craig Stapleton selected
the finalists.
The library and museum will commemorate and house Bush administration
documents.
Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck, who formed a team of area leaders
to submit the city’s proposal, said he wasn’t expecting
finalists to be named for two to three months.
The team also worked with President James Spaniolo on the proposal.
“I feel very secure with what we did as a team,” Cluck
said. “Now, it’s time to support whatever university
that’s chosen.”
Spaniolo was in China on Thursday and was unavailable for comment.
With the library’s planned educational institute, Cluck said
UTA would have benefited from the number of scholars and world leaders
that would be attracted to the facility.
Public Affairs Director Bob Wright said he was disappointed that
the city won’t be chosen but supports the remaining North
Texas bids.
“I’m really happy that two of the remaining finalists
are really fine universities in the North Texas area,” he
said. “Since I worked at SMU for six years, I know what a
great university SMU is.”
Cluck said the Arlington proposal suggested several city locations
for the library but would not release any additional information.
According to the Star-Telegram, finalists will make oral presentations
in Washington on Nov. 16 and 17. The winning bid will be chosen
in 2006 after another round of finalist presentations, and the selection
committee may visit potential cities.
System administrators were pleased to have been a part of the process,
said James Huffines, UT System Board of Regents chair, in a statement.
“The bottom line for the State of Texas is that whichever
institution is selected, we will all benefit from having another
outstanding presidential library in our state,” he said.
CORRECTION
This story should have stated that four finalists
were named in the library selection process Oct. 12, according to
an Arlington Star-Telegram article.
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