VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) — A former bank in Valdosta is about to be transformed into a place where families can spend their time learning.
A woman is leading a team to bring more access to the arts in the “Azaela City.” The corners of Webster and North Ashley Streets in Valdosta are about to change in a big way.
“This whole block will be transformed, and this community will be transformed,” explained Sementha Mathews. She is executive director for the nearby Turner Center for the Arts. “I love this community,” she added. “I’ve been here a little more than a while. It’s been 20 or 25 years.”
It’s a community she is working to attract more people to. “Research has shown that arts and culture play a significant role in the building and sustaining of community,” Mathews added.
Now, she is working to take the bank near the Turner Center’s campus and create a whole new space for children and their families. It is the future home of theMeta Shaw Coleman Children’s Imagination Station. “The children’s imagination station will explore all different types of careers but a lot of technical aspects of the careers that are not really taught in school or maybe not taught at an early enough age,” Mathews said. It will feature spaces focused on “STEAM” careers or science, technology, engineering, arts and math.
That mission is already moving forward with a recent addition of glass blowing just across the parking lot. James Downey teaches the glass class that started here about a year ago. He said he is glad to see more opportunities for families to get creative in the community.
“I think arts are, unfortunately, undervalued at times,” Downey said. “I think it’s important, especially at a young age, to include arts.”
Across the street, Lowndes County is working on the former Griner property. The plan is to revitalize it into this green space. Renderings from the county show the concept in the works. It’s an idea David DiSalvo with Visit Valdosta says could attract more visitors from out of town.
“Tourism is part of our livelihood,” DiSalvo said. “From Explore Georgia, which gives us the economic impact of everything we do in the state, over 5,000 jobs or 7.4 percent were all directly sustained because of visitor spending.”
It’s that spending that Mathews said could make the $6 million dollar investment going on at the former bank worth it in the years to come.
Mathews also said they plan to break ground this summer and hope to open by the beginning of 2025. The county’s project is expected to wrap up this June.
