Columbus State University to revamp campus with demolition of Woodall Hall, renovations at two other buildings. Valdosta awarded $36.2M to widen city road for improved mobility and infrastructure, with completion expected in fall 2028.
Photo courtesy of Columbus State University
Woodall Hall, to the clock tower's right, at 3 o'clock; Davidson Student Center, top, 12 o’clock, foreground; and Synovus Center top floors, top, 12 o’clock, background, and all scheduled to be upgraded.
As students work to finish the fall semester, other work begins on a bevy of construction projects that will transform the look and function of Columbus State University's (CSU) main campus, located in Columbus, Ga.
Three major buildings at the school will be impacted: Woodall Hall, the Synovus Center for Commerce and Technology and the Davidson Student Center, CSU noted in a Nov. 11 news release.
The most immediate and noticeable transformation will be the demolition of Woodall Hall, near the university's iconic Whitley Clock Tower and the Simon Schwob Memorial Library on the CSU quadrangle.
Built in 1963, Woodall Hall is one of the school's inaugural buildings. Over the years, it has housed a wide variety of administrative offices and academic departments — from Information Technology to the Department of English — before finally being vacated in August 2019.
Razing Woodall Hall is a key element of the university's years-long plans to open the campus core and create a true quad between the recently renovated library, the Richards Hall main administration building, and the soon-to-be-renovated Davidson Student Center.
W.T. Miller Demolition & Construction Services, in Catula, Ga., has already been working on the interior demo of Woodall Hall this fall, according to school officials, at a cost of $320,000. On its outside, crews also have started installing construction fencing around the building to allow them to begin dismantling some of the exterior walls and sorting materials.
CSU noted that major demolition is scheduled to begin during the Thanksgiving break and extend through Dec. 20, with concessions to minimize campus disruptions around semester finals and fall commencement. By early January, the building should be gone completely and replaced by greenspace.
As fencing goes up around Woodall Hall, another crew will soon begin installing barriers around the Synovus Center for Commerce & Technology, where a state-funded $8 million renovation is set to begin. That project will replace much of the building's brick exterior and improve the entire complex's weatherproofing.
The construction manager at that job site is Sheridan Construction, with operations in both Macon and LaGrange, Ga.
When the work at the Synovus Center is finished, the building will look much the same, according to CSU, but be much more comfortable for its occupants and efficient for the university to maintain and operate. Upgrades to the structure will extend into late 2025.
The last of the three major projects at CSU is an upgrade of the Davidson Student Center, supported by a $4.8 million state appropriation in 2023. The contractor for that work is Columbus-based Freeman & Associates; the architect, 2WR+Partners, also in Columbus, is surveying CSU students in November to gather input on what the renovation should include and look like.
"We are very appreciative of our local legislative delegation and the Georgia General Assembly for their support of these projects to upgrade our campus and improve the student experience at Columbus State University," said Stuart Rayfield, president of the 66-year-old college in west-central Georgia.
"This work will be a significant facelift for the areas where our students gather and socialize," he added. "They will … improve the look and functionality of our Main Campus in much the same way private supporters did downtown for our RiverPark Campus."
Valdosta Awarded Road Widening Contract by GDOT
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) recently notified Valdosta leaders that it is to receive a $36.2 million contract to widen Jerry Jones Drive in the southern Peach State city.
The project award was announced at a key meeting with Valdosta officials at the Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority offices, which served as a platform to discuss the road widening project and other upcoming GDOT initiatives, as well as to review ongoing storm recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene.
The widening effort is designed to improve mobility by constructing a two-way left turn lane to the existing two-lane Jerry Jones Drive/Eager Road connection on the city's northwest edge, and include the construction of new sidewalks, the city said in a Nov. 5 news release issued after the meeting.
In addition, relocations and adjustments of overhead and underground utilities, including city water and sewer facilities, Georgia Power electrical lines, AT&T cables and Southern Company Gas facilities, will be made.
"The Jerry Jones … widening project represents our commitment to ensuring safe and accessible transportation for our community," Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson noted in the news release. "We are grateful to Georgia DOT for their dedication to this initiative, which will improve infrastructure, reduce congestion, and introduce pedestrian traffic to this corridor."
Russell R. McMurry, GDOT's commissioner, echoed Matheson's when he said, "I hope this announcement provides good news to both Valdosta and Lowndes County because you've been through so much with hurricane recovery. This project has been a priority for a long time and I'm proud that we are now close to getting under way. We ask for everyone to use caution once construction begins."
The Jerry Jones Drive widening project is anticipated to be completed in fall 2028, according to the state transportation agency.
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