and completes with another zip-line back to Georgia. It has become a hub for whitewater kayakers, with outstanding standing waves year-round. In mid-winter it is referred to as the "Wintering Grounds" for big wave surfing athletes and enthusiasts. Law and government Elected officials Mayor B. H. "Skip" Henderson III City Council The city council of Columbus, known as the Columbus Council, is composed of ten elected council members, eight of whom serve individual districts and two of whom serve the city at large. Education Primary and secondary education The Muscogee County School District holds preschool to grade 12, and consists of 35 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, and nine high schools. The district has over 2,000 full-time teachers and over 31,899 students. Libraries Columbus is served by four branches of the Chattahoochee Valley Libraries: Columbus Public Library Mildred L. Terry Public Library North Columbus Public Library South Columbus Public Library Higher education Public Columbus State University Columbus Technical College Georgia Military College – main campus in Milledgeville, Georgia Private, for profit Christian Life School of Theology Miller-Motte Technical College – main campus in Wilmington, North Carolina Rivertown School of Beauty Southeastern Beauty School Strayer University – main campus in Baltimore, Maryland Private, nonprofit Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Fort Benning – main campus in Daytona Beach, FL Mercer University School of Medicine - main campus in Macon, Georgia Media and communications Infrastructure Transportation Airport The Columbus Airport is the metro area's primary airport and the fourth-busiest airport in Georgia. It is located just off I-185, exit 8. It is served by Endeavor Air’s Delta Connection service, offering several daily flights to Atlanta. Highways Interstate 185 U.S. Routes U.S. Route 27 U.S. Route 27 Alternate U.S. Route 80 U.S. Route 280 Georgia state routes S.R. 1 S.R. 22 State Route 22 Connector State Route 22 Spur S.R. 85 S.R. 219 S.R. 411 (unsigned designation for I-185) S.R. 520 S.R. 540 (Fall Line Freeway) Public transit METRA Transit System is the primary provider of mass transportation in Muscogee County, currently operating 10 routes in Columbus. The current public transportation services are operated as a function of the Columbus Consolidated Government under METRA. Greyhound Lines provides intercity bus service with the Columbus station located on Veterans Parkway, Downtown Columbus. Through the 1960s, passenger trains of the Central of Georgia Railway made stops at Columbus Union Station, including the north-south Chicago-Florida trains, the Illinois Central Railroad's