26 JUN 08: CUT 'EM UP AND MOVE 'EM OUT
You may not know this, but a sneaky little secret is scattered throughout the Columbus Historic District. Not all the homes have been on those spots more than 100 years. Plenty of sunny 95-degree summer days simply have worn them down, to look that way.
An old house from the 1850's was moved into the Historic District Wednesday. Well, half of it was - because I found only part of it sitting on a lot in the 600 block of Broadway Wednesday night. Maybe the other half was used by a contestant in the Miss Georgia pageant, for a dramatic reading.
A woman with the Historic Columbus Foundation told WLTZ the house had to be cut in two, because it was too wide to move in one piece. And you thought obesity was only a modern-day problem....
The news report didn't explain how the old house was cut in two. Did some experts have to make an evaluation, as gem experts do with a diamond? Or was this home used as practice for this weekend's Aflac Summer Games?
The roof of the house needed to be removed as well, so it could pass under traffic lights on its way to Broadway. You know, solar panels could be put on this home to make it energy-efficient - but the Historic Columbus Foundation has a lot more clout around here than the Sierra Club.
This large old house was moved to 625 Broadway from 1055 Brown Avenue. It sat vacant for the last five years -- mainly because the Habitat for Humanity houses nearby were much more affordable.
It happens that the house's new location on Broadway also has been vacant for years. We noted here four years ago that an apartment building on that lot was bulldozed, only weeks before Riverfest [26 Feb 04]. And I've never seen any Columbus State University art students use it for touch football games.
Apparently Aflac was involved in the movement of this house from Brown Avenue to Broadway. I'm not sure why it's involved - especially when Elena Amos's old home atop the parking garage remains more noticeable.
The TV report noted this makes about 30 old houses in the Historic District which have been moved there, thanks to the Historic Columbus Foundation. Yet something seems missing in all this. Couldn't one of the shut-down Krystal restaurants be brought in, so residents have a place to eat dinner?
The Historic Columbus Foundation hopes to find a buyer for the new/old house on Broadway. Of course, that will have to take place after the two parts are put back together - or is this a new approach to the concept of a down payment?
(And how do you put a "house divided" like this back together? Will there be an open-air or glass-covered courtyard between the sections? Or does Home Depot some kind of industrial-strength Krazy Glue for a project like this?)
Whomever buys this house in the 600 block of Broadway should have no problem finalizing the details of it. The lot happens to be located between two law offices.... [true!]
Wednesday was a different sort of moving day for some people in Phenix City. They moved from the old brick Frederick Douglass Apartments to new housing - apartments with modern-looking siding and cable TV hookups. Hopefully residents are being told which channel shows reruns of "The Jeffersons," since they feel like they're "movin' on up, on the east side."
BLOG UPDATE: Someone's plea in the comments section of our current Big Blog Question was answered Wednesday. A challenger filed for Gary Allen's Columbus Council seat. There's no word yet on whether the challenger is a disgruntled firefighter....
Clint Perkins entered the race for Gary Allen's District 6 Columbus Council seat. The phone book shows someone with that name at a Midland address - but when we dialed it Wednesday night, we heard a "disconnected" message. Being disconnected with the voters never works at election time.
With two days left in qualifying week, several big names apparently have yet to file their papers. Sheriff Ralph Johnson hasn't. Councilor Glenn Davis hasn't. And independent state House candidate Zephaniah Baker may be waiting for a shuttle bus, to take him to the state Capitol in Atlanta.
Now let's see what else caught our eye Wednesday....
+ Which member of the WRBL news team lined up in the left-turn lane at Ninth and Veterans Parkway - then went straight ahead when the light turned green, instead of turning? You were "on my side," and then you cut me off.
+ Gas prices continued a slow decline in Columbus, with two stations near the Civic Center falling to $3.89 a gallon for regular unleaded. To the guerrilla groups in Nigeria, I beg you - quit destroying those oil pipelines, and go back to sending e-mail scams.
+ Muscogee County Assistant Superintendent Robin Pennock gave a farewell interview to WRBL. She said the school district reflects the community, because it has "high standards." There, you see - the new administration building HAS to cost as much as it does.
+ Uh-oh - my choice for Miss Georgia failed to win on the opening night of preliminaries. One winner was Miss Cobb County, who has a health condition called scoliosis. And even more impressively, she's probably one of the few contestants who can spell that word.
+ WWCG TV-11 spent a second day showing nothing but infomercials, instead of its usual classic movies and old cartoons. And here's the most curious thing -- Jessica Simpson's Proactiv Solutions ad still looks like it's about ten years old.
+ Macon radio station WMAC suspended morning host Shayne McBride, after he was arrested for possessing marijuana. The audio knobs on a radio console are called "pots," but I don't think he needed to be reminded of that after hours.
+ The University of Georgia announced its "Research Foundation" will buy a commercial TV station in Toccoa. I can remember when that station had prayer times on Saturday evenings. Now that may be replaced by Georgia fans praying for sports victories.
+ Fresno State stunned Georgia 6-1, to win baseball's College World Series. Oh well - at least Georgia won national titles this spring in men's tennis and women's gymnastics. Maybe next spring, the local sportscasts actually will give them as much attention.
+ Instant Message to the crew building the Riverchase Drive exit off U.S. 80 in Phenix City: Wow - you're getting finished six months early?! Can you head down to Broad Street, and show those workers how it's done?
COMING SOON: How I spent my stimulus check in one fell swoop.... and one of the strangest greeting cards we've ever received....
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