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Tarrant County College District Buys Radio Shack's Fort Worth Complex

By Bill Zeeble

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-724419.mp3

Dallas, TX – The college district now has no downtown facilities but was building them. Doctor Leonardo de la Garza, the Chancellor, says costs of the planned Trinity river campus had been rising, but now this purchase stabilizes costs, and the school's downtown plans.

Doctor De La Garza: We're purchasing a facility that's already built. It's better. It's state of the art in terms of technology , architecture and infrastructure. It's a virtual perfect fit with room left to spare. De La Garza says the purchase also includes 200 thousand more square feet than planned. Radio Shack will stay in 2 of the 4 buildings until 2013.

More than 3 thousand students are eventually expected to use the facility. The first downtown classes are planned for the fall of 2009. The Tarrant County College district board will decide what to do with prime land it owns, but now won't develop.

Bill Zeeble KERA news