COLUMBUS, Ga. - The city of Columbus will rename the Boxwood Recreation Center in honor of the late Councilor Jerry "Pops" Barnes at a ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday, Nov. 13. The event will be held at the center, 1068 Enoch Drive, and the Columbus Consolidated Government has invited residents and members of the media, according to a WTVM report published Nov. 4. After the change, the building will be known as the Jerry "Pops" Barnes Recreation Center.

The renaming honors Barnes for his public service to Columbus, including his years representing District 1 on Columbus Council, according to WTVM. The city's website also posted a notice about the ceremony on Nov. 4. Neither source says how or when the renaming was approved, and neither gives a council vote date, so this report does not describe the approval process.

The ceremony at a glance

The announcements do not list a program, speakers or parking instructions. Anyone planning to attend may want to call the contact above before heading out. The city has also said most of its services will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 11, for Veterans Day, so the ceremony falls two days after that holiday.

Who Jerry "Pops" Barnes was

Barnes died April 14, 2024, at age 80 after an unspecified illness, according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, which reported on his memorial service on April 26, 2024. He represented District 1 on Columbus Council for 17 years. U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop told mourners that Barnes first won the seat in a 2006 runoff against incumbent Nathan Suber after knocking on every door in the district.

Before politics, Barnes spent 20 years in the U.S. Army and retired in 1996 as a master sergeant, the Ledger-Enquirer reported. At age 57 he earned a nursing degree from Columbus State University and went on to work as a registered nurse. Tributes at his celebration of life, held at Revelation Missionary Baptist Church, also credited him with hosting a television show called "Focus on Health" and launching a youth vocational training program.

Speakers at the service pointed to his work on the city's neighborhoods. According to the Ledger-Enquirer, tributes said he helped bring about parks and recreation centers, more police hiring and a new police precinct. Bishop called Barnes "a good man, a great servant," and former state Rep. Calvin Smyre closed his remarks with "Job well done, faithful servant."

A parade he brought back

The Ledger-Enquirer's account also says Barnes restarted a local Veterans Day parade and formed a group to help seniors keep their benefits. Smyre recalled that Barnes once gave up a parade date so the Veterans Day event could go forward. That detail is a reminder that the renaming arrives in the same week as the city's veterans events.

The city's Parks and Recreation website lists the 2026 Veterans Day Parade for Saturday, Nov. 14, at 10 a.m., running from Dillingham Street to 9th Street. The page does not list a price or a registration deadline in the text available. Readers who want to take part should use the registration link on the city's parks website.

What the Boxwood center offers

Boxwood is one of the recreation centers operated by Columbus Parks and Recreation. The city's website lists the center's hours as Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and says it is closed Saturdays and Sundays. The phone number is 706-225-3725.

According to the city, the center has:

• A game room
• A multi-purpose activity room
• A large playing field
• Basketball courts
• A playground
• Technology resources
• Tutorial services
• Cultural programs for all ages

The Parks and Recreation website does not yet reflect the new name, and it lists the center at the same Enoch Drive address. Whether signs, forms or the city's web listings will change after Nov. 13 has not been announced. The city has said nothing about any change in hours or programs tied to the renaming.

What to know before you go

For neighbors of the center, the practical effect of the ceremony is likely to be a new name on the building and in city listings, not a change in what is offered inside. For the family and friends of Barnes, who died more than two years ago, it is a public way to mark his service at a place built for young people. The city has not said whether other family members, council members or state officials will speak.

Questions about the event should go to Parks and Recreation at the contact above rather than to Columbus Council, which has not announced anything further. The Columbus Times will update this report if the city releases a program or changes the time. Readers can also check the city's website for any notice before driving to the center.