Mountains Center parking deck disappearing

GAINESVILLE - Demolition is in full swing downtown and the Georgia Mountains Center Parking deck is coming down.

Large backhoes are crushing the old 225-space deck to make way for construction of the new deck, which will have just over 400 spaces; completion is expected in six months according to contractors.

Mountains Center Director Carol Moore said visitors must now use the theater entrance to the Center off Spring Street; the old main entrance is closed due to construction.

"It's going to be unusual for everybody because we're so accustomed to coming in through the main entrance off Main Street," Moore said. "I'm hoping to get additional signage up to direct people to the right location.

Moore said the Center's events would continue; with arena and theatre events in the evening still scheduled because work on the deck stops at dark.

Some daytime civic and government meetings will temporarily move to the Civic Center until the noise of demolishing the old deck is over by February 20th.

"We did relocate our meeting room events over to the Civic Center during the demolition period," Moore said.â