The Columbus Museum located at 1251 Wynnton Road in Columbus is the regional home to various art displays and exhibits that highlight the regional history of Columbus and the Chattahoochee Valley among other treasures that extend beyond our region in the museums various exhibits. The museum recently undertook a massive $25 million renovation project that has transformed one of the gems of the Chattahoochee Valley. The Museum reopened in early summer after the 18-month long transformation.

The Columbus Museum has been nominated for USA Today's10 Best Readers' Choice Award in the category of the Best New Museum. The nomination places the Columbus Museum among 20 top new museums nationwide. Those museums on the list were selected by a panel of experts from USA Today and 10Best.com.

The Columbus Museum is not new to the community, but finds its history dating back to 1953. The recent reimagining is the first major renovation at the museum in since 1989 when the museum expanded from 32,000 square feet to more than 86,000 square feet. The museum is one of the largest in the State of Georgia. USA Today highlights not just the museums connection to art and history, but also highlights areas of the museum to include new features such as; expansive views, abundant natural lighting, links to the Bradley Olmstead Garden, an interactive children's galley and garden, and much more.

Since reopening earlier this year the museum has welcomed tens of thousands of guests, with its engaging exhibitions, interactive programs, and spaces that inspire learning and connection.

"This nomination is a testament to the dedication of our community and the Museum's mission to connect people with art and history in meaningful ways," said Marianne Richter, Director of the Columbus Museum in a November press release. "We're honored to be recognized and invite everyone to vote daily to help us secure this incredible distinction."

HOW TO VOTE

Those looking to vote can do so daily by visiting 10.best.usatoday.com. Once on the link find the Columbus Museum under the best new museum category and cast your vote.

Readers can vote once per day until the polling closes on December 23, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. The winner will be announced on the Friday that follows the close of voting.

The Booker T. Washington Apartments sat in an area between Veterans Parkway and 6th Street. The property was demolished in 2015 with plans for revitalization to the area located across from the Columbus Civic Center and South Commons. The first phase of the redevelopment consisted of the Columbus Commons Apartment, located at 500 5th Avenue. The property consists of 106 units with a unique Victorian and Italian-inspired design. The property opened in 2017.

Further South on the property the area has sat vacant since the demolition of the Booker T. Washington Apartments. Plans are now moving forward with the next phase of the project as the BTW South Senior Development is set to be built. The new apartments will be located at 450 5th Avenue in Columbus in an area between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue.

Plans for the building include the construction of a new three story building that will feature 90 housing units. The housing units will be designated as housing for seniors of specified ages and incomes. The new building will feature a combination of unit types by bedroom size and floor plan variations.

A new three story senior apartment building is heading to the 400 block of 5th Avenue near Downtown Columbus.

The Housing Authority of Columbus Georgia owned the property of the previous Booker T. Washington Housing community. The Housing Authority determined that the need of low-income families and the broader community could be met by demolishing the former BTW apartments and creating a new, mixed-income community which led to the the efforts that began more than a decade ago to revitalize the Booker T. Washington Apartments and continues to see development today.

The new Booker T. Washington Senior Development is expected to take around 16 months to complete construction. The property will feature several resident amenities to include a leasing office, wellness center, theater, community room, courtyard, outdoor grill stations and pavilions.

The project is just the latest in a number of projects taking place in the area. The new Synovus Park baseball stadium is currently under construction across the street in the South Commons area and is seen as a gateway to open the door for revitalization in the area.

Ground broke in late spring on a once wooded lot in the 3600 block of US Highway 280/431 North in Phenix City. The area has now seen the framework for several new retailers to include; Outback Steakhouse, Starbucks, Chipotle, Valvoline Oil Change, Peachtree Immediate Care, Jersey Mikes, and AT&T.

The addition of the new retailers is a big boost for Phenix City, Russell County, and Southern Lee County. Many of the retailers that are coming to the development do not have a presence in Phenix City at this time. This will save motorist time and money from having to commute or order from locations in nearby Columbus or Opelika/Auburn.

The development is coming at a price tag of $13.5 million and is being spearheaded by Lindstrom & Company. The Tucker, Georgia based real estate development firm chose the area in Phenix City for the development site, carefully due to its accessibility and visibility, promises to become a vibrant destination. In addition the areas high traffic counts, which ALDOT data shows sees vehicle counts on average of 38,000 vehicles daily in the area.

Peachtree Immediate Care is just one of three named retailers that will take up a small strip shopping center on US 280/431.

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The frames of the building are up and one of the most noticeable is a small strip shopping center located near the Waffle House. The center will feature four tenants. The first is Peachtree Immediate Care, which will take up 3,825 square feet of the development. That will be followed by new neighbor Jersey Mikes that will take up around 1,500 square feet with the companies first Phenix City location. AT&T has signed off to take over 1,350 square feet of the development. There is one open space left open at the shopping strip that includes 1,291 square feet. No tenant has yet been announced to fill that void.

The center will also feature free standing businesses that include; Chipotle, Outback Steakhouse, Starbucks and Valvoline. None of the new retailers have announced opening dates. The new businesses are just the latest in a string of new developments that have come to the city in recent months.

Old Town Marketplace makes up 67,448 square feet of retail space located on Veterans Parkway near Northside High School in Columbus. The center is anchored by a Publix grocery store that takes up 48,000 square feet according to Columbia Properties, that company that developed the shopping center near the Old Town development a planned community located across Veterans Parkway from the Old Town Marketplace development.

Work is underway on a new outparcel strip shopping center at Old Town Marketplace that will include a new buffet style restaurant called Red Bowl.

In recent months the anchor Publix has been joined by other retailers that include Starbucks, Guthries, Great Clips, and others. In recent weeks the development has seen the opening of a new south of the border style restaurant called Monarca Mexican Restaurant. The center also saw the opening of a new UPS Store location.

More retailers are on the way to the center. A new Little Caesars pizza location will open in the center on December 15, 2024. Work is ongoing on a new outparcel restaurant called Red Bowl which will feature a Mongolian style buffet.

Additional retail is expected in the area but no officials names have been released at this time for the new upcoming tenants.

A new Little Ceasars location will open its doors in the Old Town Marketplace later this month. A nearby UPS Store recently opened its doors at the same shopping plaza.

The 10-2 Central High School Red Devils will host the 9-2 Hoover Buccaneers at 8 p.m. Both teams have shown strong offensive and defensive might on the field this season as the Red Devils come into the game fresh off of a 41-21 victory of Vestavia Hills last week. Likewise Hoover will come into the game after a 32-29 victory last Friday over Opelika.

The lines are clear as Central's dominating offense will have to show up and show out for this Friday's game. Central has recorded five games this season where the Red Devils have racked up victories of more than 20 points over opponents, including last Friday's victory over Vestavia Hills.

Hoover is coming into the game with hopes of keeping their win streak alive. The Buccaneers have faced off against the Red Devils in three meetings since 2016, all of which Hoover outlasted the Red Devils. Central is hoping to put an end to that streak on Friday and advance to the state championship game.

The winner of the Hoover and Central match-up will face off against the winner of the Thompson and Enterprise game also being held on Friday. Thompson defeated Auburn last Friday with a final score of 34 to 21. Enterprise emerged victorious over Baker with a final score of 30-14.

The game will be held on Friday, November 22, 2024, at 8 p.m. at Garrett-Harrison Memorial Stadium in Phenix City.

On Wednesday morning, the Clingstones announced the teams mascot will be named Fuzzy. The name was one of four finalist names that fans and supporters were asked to vote on for the team mascot. The four final name choices were: Fuzzy, Pit, Stoney, and Cobbler.

Fuzzy will make his appearance at the Clingstones home opener on April 15, 2025. The Clingstones began the process to determine the name of the team mascot earlier this month as fans from across the community were able to suggest a name of their own, in which the Clingstones' received 675 fan suggestions. Those suggestions were narrowed down with Fuzzy winning out and becoming the teams new mascot.

“It was great to see so much enthusiasm from the community for the mascot name and we’re looking forward to this energy carrying into our upcoming season,” said General Manager Pete Laven. “Announcing Fuzzy’s official name is just the beginning of the fun, family-friendly baseball experience the Clingstones will bring to Columbus.”

Fuzzy is outfitted with a Clingstones jersey, friendly smile and vibrant peach color, the new cheerful mascot is the embodiment of the Clingstones team pride with a fitting new name for its playful personality. Fuzzy is ready to energize fans and bring even more excitement to the Clingstones community.

A new HomeGoods store will open at 5550 Whittlesey Blvd Suite 700 at the end of this month. The HomeGoods location becomes the first location for the retailer in the city of Columbus and the second in the Chattahoochee Valley. HomeGoods opened a store in Auburn in 2022 in the Flint Crossing Shopping Center on Opelika Road across from Auburn Mall.

The new HomeGoods store will fill a 25,000 square foot void left in the massive Columbus Park Crossing shopping center after Bed Bath and Beyond closed their doors last year. Plans for the store began in late winter and work has been on going at the store over the spring and summer months.

According to HomeGoods the new Columbus store will open on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. A grand opening will be held between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. Details surrounding the grand opening celebration have not yet been released.

While HomeGoods is new to the Columbus market the parent company TJX has a strong showing across the Columbus market and currently operates two TJ Maxx stores in Columbus and one Marshalls store.

HomeGoods will open this new store on Whittlesey Blvd in Columbus in late October.

The Columbus Park Crossing Shopping Center has seen an influx of new retailers in recent months. This includes the opening of a new Floors & Decor store, which was also a new addition to the Columbus market. That retailer opened their doors in late June. The location became the 13th location in Georgia for the Atlanta based company. A 14th location is currently under construction in Austell, Georgia in southern Cobb County. The center also saw the addition of a second Columbus Spencer's location and Nothing Bundt Cakes opened their doors last year. A number of new businesses are in the works for areas around Columbus Park Crossing currently.

HomeGoods is a welcome addition to the Columbus market as local consumers have been pushing for new retailers to enter that market that are not presently in operation in the city. HomeGoods will welcome its Columbus area shoppers on October 30, 2024.