The UT System will not host the George W. Bush Presidential Library, the selection committee said Wednesday.
"Our team did their best," said System Chairman James R. Huffines. "They worked diligently to produce a first quality proposal in a very short time, and we are delighted with their efforts."
The UT System refused to comment on how much money it spent on the bid proposal.
The proposal offered three locations for the library: a 21-acre site along Town Lake known as the Brackenridge Tract, a site to be affiliated with UT-Dallas and a second Dallas site downtown near the Southwestern Medical Center. A secondary conference center site at UT-San Antonio was also proposed to serve as a high-security housing and telecommunication facility for visiting international dignitaries.
Arlington's bid, which included the UT-Arlington campus, never had any association with the UT System. Their bid would have been more centered around the city, unlike the System's, which was school-based.
Bob Wright, UT-Arlington spokesman, expressed disappointment at the loss.
"You can't really be surprised at anything, because you don't know what their criteria is," Wright said. "You never know what they're looking for."
Left in the running are Southern Methodist University, a West Texas coalition led by Texas Tech, the University of Dallas and Baylor University.
SMU is widely regarded as front-runner in the competition because of its ties to the Bushes - first lady Laura Bush is an SMU alumnae and Vice President Dick Cheney was an SMU trustee.
However, the 10-city West Texas coalition also touts the Bushes' ties to the region, since both George W. and Laura Bush grew up in Midland, and the first lady's father and grandfather are Lubbock natives. The coalition's bid includes a Laura Bush Center for Early Literacy in her hometown of Midland.
Baylor University purchased more than 100 acres on the banks of the Brazos River for its proposed site.
"Ultimately the beneficiary of that hard work will be the president and first lady, not simply whoever is selected for the library and museum," Huffines said.
The final decision for the $200 to $300 million project will be made by the president and his wife next year after on-site visits, at which point the architectural design phase will begin.
Members of the selection committee could not be reached for comment.
Additional reporting by Robert Kleeman
Be the first to comment on this article!