Pressure Washing in Statesboro, GA

The name of a major sporting goods chain, Academy Sports, appears on a Statesboro city permit associated with the ongoing renovations at 600 Northside Drive East, the long-vacant former Publix supermarket location in University Commons.

That's the commercial center, behind a Wendy's, that contains the Red Claw, an El Sombrero and the Lucky Garden restaurant and a vape and smoke shop.

Contractor fences, a roll-off bin and work trucks have been obvious signs of interior demolition and some type of renovation in the old grocery store portion of the property since December. A few trailers carrying shiny metal equipment have arrived, and at times contractor employees can be seen on top of the building.

The Herald recently requested and obtained an electronic copy of a Statesboro city permit dated 22 December 2025 whose specifications box indicates it is for "New Electrical Service, Academy Sports, 600 Northside Drive East." It further names Clifford Lusk, PE, electrical engineer, as submitting the plans with his seal, and identifies Hull Property Group, the apparent direct or indirect owner of the building.

The Bulloch County Board of Tax Assessors database lists the shopping center with the address 581 Northside Drive East and the owner as Statesboro University Village LLC. But "600" was previously over one of the doors there, and as noted when the Herald first reported on this activity at the end of December, the LLC has the same Augusta address as the Hull Group.

No announcement had been made as of Monday, and city officials have been reluctant to comment on what may go in the building. In December, Statesboro's city Planning and Development Director Justin Williams confirmed only that the property owner was planning to put "some type of retail" there.

Monday, the Statesboro Herald asked if he had any comment on the prospective business in light of the electrical permit or any further knowledge of the plans.

"I would hesitate to speculate on this until a build-out permit has been issued," Williams said in a reply email. "At this time, that has not happened."

Early Monday afternoon, the reporter filed a media information request through the "contact us" page of the Academy Sports+Outdoors Inc. website. In the late afternoon, he also sent an email to a Hull Group communications address. No replies had been received as of online story posting time Monday.

Big company

As of the third quarter of 2025, Academy Sports+Outdoors Inc. – based at Katy, Texas, a suburb of Houston – operated 317 stores in 21 states across the South, Southeast and Midwest, according to information on its website. One of the company's three distribution centers is located in Jeffersonville, Georgia. The others are in Cookeville, Tennessee and Katy, Texas.

As of a December report for investors, the corporation's 2025 net sales were forecast at $6 billion to $6.2 billion. A publicly traded company since late 2020, it is listed on Nasdaq with the symbol ASO.

A store locator page on the website listed 22 Georgia stores, with some of the nearest being one each in Brunswick, in Evans near Augusta, and in Macon.

Bulloch County is under a Winter Storm Watch from 7 a.m. Saturday morning to 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon and an Extreme Cold Watch from 7 p.m. Saturday through noon Sunday, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.

The forecast calls for a mixture of rain and snow to begin falling in the area early Saturday morning, switching to mostly snow by early afternoon. The accumulation of snow will be increasingly greater the farther north locations are of Interstate 16, the NWS model is predicting. Most of Bulloch will see between one and four inches of snow.

Also, temperatures are expected to drop during the day Saturday and through the night into Sunday, reaching a dangerous low of 15 degrees, with a wind chill near zero. Sunday night into Monday will see a similar temperature drop.

Trinity Episcopal Church is working with Bulloch County VOAD and will open a warming center for Bulloch residents in need beginning at 8 p.m. Friday and will stay open through Monday morning.

The church is located at 441 Country Club Road, off the Bypass, in Statesboro. All people coming to the church are advised by the Bulloch County Emergency Management Agency to “bring all personal belongings, including bedding and any items they need for the night, with them when they arrive, as storage and return access may be limited.”

Bulloch County Public Safety officials are advising all residents to limit their travel Saturday, as road conditions will become progressively more dangerous as the winter weather moves through. Statesboro Mayor Jonathan McCollar issued a local state of emergency in anticipation of the effects of this weekend's winter storm on the city.

Bulloch County Schools announced that all games/activities this weekend are cancelled. If school operations change for Monday, the district announced it will inform families by 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Despite a winter weather system moving through the state, Statesboro and Bulloch County are anticipated to see limited impacts. However, residents are urged to prepare for a cold snap following the storm.

While a winter weather system is expected to impact parts of Georgia this weekend, the risk of freezing rain in Statesboro and Bulloch County remains low, according to the latest regional forecast guidance.

As of Thursday afternoon, January 22, 2026, the probability of freezing rain for Statesboro is estimated at just 7 percent, placing the area on the southern edge of the system’s primary impact zone. Forecast data continues to show that the more significant winter weather threats are expected to remain well north of the local area.

Across southeast Georgia and southeast South Carolina, widespread precipitation is still anticipated this weekend, with freezing rain identified as the primary concern for inland locations farther north. However, probabilities for ice accumulation decrease steadily moving southward, including along the Interstate 16 corridor.

Impacts expected north of the I-16 corridor

The highest chances for freezing rain remain focused across inland portions of the region, particularly from northern South Carolina into portions of north and central Georgia. In those areas, minor to moderate travel disruptions are possible, especially on bridges and elevated roadways.

For Bulloch County and surrounding areas precipitation is expected to fall mainly as rain, with freezing rain considered unlikely. Any winter impacts locally would be limited and isolated if they occur at all.

Statewide emergency declared as precaution

Out of an abundance of caution, Governor Brian Kemp has issued a statewide state of emergency for Georgia ahead of the weekend system. The declaration allows state agencies to mobilize resources quickly if conditions worsen, particularly in areas expected to see ice or snow accumulation.

At this time, forecast trends indicate that the more severe winter weather is likely to remain north of Atlanta, where colder temperatures increase the potential for freezing rain and hazardous travel conditions.

Cold snap follows the weekend system

Regardless of precipitation type, very cold temperatures are expected to follow early next week. Overnight lows Monday night into Tuesday morning are forecast to fall into the upper teens inland, with wind chill values dropping into the mid to upper teens across much of southeast Georgia.

These cold conditions could allow any winter precipitation farther north to linger into early next week, though impacts in Statesboro are expected to be minimal.

Residents are encouraged to stay informed as forecasts are refined, use caution when traveling during periods of rain and cold temperatures, and take steps now to prepare for the coldest conditions of the season early next week.