COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- After months of renovation, the base library building, now called the BLAZE Commons, recently opened for a few of its planned services.
The Commons is now home to not only the library, but also several other 14th Force Support Squadron functions.
“The BLAZE Commons’ purpose is to consolidate some of our 14th FSS activities,” said Master Sgt. Shannon Goodwin, 14th FSS BLAZE Commons Project Manager. “To name a few examples, Outdoor Recreation Tickets and Tours and the Career Advisor...”
The Columbus AFB Career Advisor’s office is located there as well as the classroom for the First Term Airman’s Course.
Upcoming additions to the BLAZE Commons include an order desk for Outdoor Recreation tours, Arts and Crafts section, Framing Shop, and a coffee bar with drive-thru service. The coffee shop is expected to be open on April 27, 2017.
“The Air Force is trying to bring a lot of our functions closer together, so they offered the funding to renovate our building,” Goodwin said. “This will allow us to get more of a customer base in to fully utilize our functions that FSS provides.”
The building is still undergoing changes. In addition to the library and computer lab, the BLAZE Commons is now home to military education testing.
“Getting the facility fully up and functional and seeing Airmen and their families actually using this building is a great feeling,” Goodwin said. “Even with our currently unfinished state, there are a lot of people benefiting from the renovations.”
The library section is currently open 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday – Friday. While the BLAZE Commons was being built, the library was temporarily located in the education center.
“We encourage everyone to come by and at least take a tour of the building and see what it has to offer,” Goodwin said. “When we reach full capacity, I truly want to see a lot of people in here taking advantage of what we have to offer.”
Box: BLAZE Commons Services
Now open:
Library
Computer Lab
Career Assistance Advisor
FTAC
Military Education Testing
Upcoming:
Outdoor Recreation Tickets and Tours order desk
Arts and Crafts order desk
Framing Shop order desk
Coffee bar with drive-thru service