ASU officials expect to make a final decision about constructing a campus in the town of Payson — about 90 miles northeast of Phoenix —before next year.
In collaboration with Payson officials, ASU is in the midst of conducting a feasibility study, which will examine enrollment projections, financial structure and capital funding of the prospective campus.
“Any decision to proceed with a project in Payson will depend on the outcome of the current study,” University Planner Richard Stanley said in an email. “We expect to make a decision before the end of 2011.”
The new campus could attract new businesses to the Payson area, Stanley said, noting the positive economic impact students and staff could have on the town.
“Tens of millions of dollars would pour into the community,” said Payson Mayor Kenny Evans, adding that a town group working to spread awareness and support for the campus project has done analyses on comparable communities. “It is truly a game-changer.”
Evans said he expects the feasibility study to be complete in the next couple weeks and is enthusiastic that a project nearly 10 years in the making is coming to fruition.
“I know there are those who are incredibly frustrated that it has taken this long,” Evans said, adding that it is roughly a $550 million project and has massive implications for a rural community.
Laura Bartlett-Armstrong, a member of a volunteer committee working to inform the Payson community about the upcoming campus, said residents had an “overwhelmingly positive response” of the campus during a series of summer forums.
She credited the community’s excitement to the possible economic growth and enhanced cultural experience the campus would create as well as the chance for their children to receive a greater level of education locally.
Private investors are funding the land purchase and construction next to Gila County Community College, Bartlett-Armstrong said.
The creation of a Payson campus encountered setbacks in May when Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed Senate Bill 1497 which would have created a separate legal entity.
A SLE would shield the University and Arizona Board of Regents from liability if the campus were to come across financial difficulties.
Payson and Star Valley later created an SLE that allowed progress for the campus, which will be made up of smaller buildings powered by solar technology.
Reach the reporter at lghuffer@asu.edu
