An interested FrontBurnervian passes along this story from the Star-Telegram about Dallas cities vying for the future library. This FrontBurnervian also sent a press release and provided his own insights:
I am also attaching a press release issued today by the University of Dallas, noting much of the same information. I think it additionally makes a good point about the availability of infrastructure at the UD site (DART line and station on-site by 2011, major highways adjacent to site that will receive major improvements over the next few years, and an ability to handle hundreds of thousands of annual visitors easily, not to mention an ability to handle large, one-time events just as the nearby Texas Stadium has done repeatedly).
I gotta admit I’m kinda rooting for U of D, if for no other reason than I like rooting for underdogs. Full release after the jump.
(IRVING, Texas–September 16, 2005) The University of Dallas has submitted its formal proposal to host the George W. Bush Presidential Library. The proposal was delivered to the Washington offices of the Committee appointed by the President to select the location for the Library, which is expected to open no sooner than 2013, five years after the President leaves office.
Dr. Francis M. Lazarus, President of the University of Dallas, remarked: “The challenge of creating a vision and developing a plan for hosting the George W. Bush Presidential Library has captured our imaginations and enriched our thinking about the congruence between our academic mission, the preservation of history and the advancement of scholarship. We are grateful to the Selection Committee for inviting us to submit a proposal, and we appreciate the support we have received from all of our partners who assisted us in this effort.”
The University’s comprehensive proposal calls for the construction of a Library building that contains both an archive for the conservation, preservation and storage of the Presidential papers, and a museum dedicated to documenting the material history of President Bush’s eight years in office.
In addition, the University proposes the construction of a second building to house the George W. Bush Institute for Democratic Citizenship, a research and educational center dedicated to scholarship and graduate study in the areas of history, political philosophy and policy studies. The setting for these facilities will be a large tract of land, to be named Freedom Park, which the University currently owns on the northwest corner of its campus.
The University’s proposal has received strong endorsement and support from its public partners: the City of Irving, Dallas County, and Dallas Mayor Laura Miller and Dallas City Councilman Steve Salazar. In addition, the site the University has selected for the Library enjoys an excellent location for public access and superb infrastructure, which will be enhanced even more by the highway improvements and Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail line that are planned and financed for construction and completion before the proposed Library is built.
The University’s proposal comes in response to an invitation it received from the Site Selection Committee that was received on July 15.
