Town Center CID replaces fleet in Bikeshare program

Town Center Bikeshare fleet replacement

The Town Center Community Improvement District announced this week that it is replacing its 45-bike fleet in its Bikeshare program.

The changes include a new design to increase durability and accessibility for all kinds of riders, including those of daily commuters, exercise routines, summer activities and more.

today announced the replacement of the bike fleet for its bikeshare program. Upgraded with a new design to increase the bikes’ longevity and accessibility for all types of riders, the bicycles are optimized to aid residents’ and visitors’ daily commutes, exercise routines, summer activities, and more.

“We are thrilled to enhance this amenity, which is proving to be a fun option for recreation, exercise, and mobility within our district,” Jennifer Hogan, director of community for the Town Center CID, said in a release. “Our bikeshare program is an investment in the health and well-being of our community.”

The bikeshare program offers 24/7 rental access to 45 bikes across six stations in the Town Center area including Founders Park, Aviation Park, Town Center at Cobb Mall, Avonlea Creekside Apartments, Bells Ferry Trailhead, and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.

Rentals are free for the first hour with every 30 minutes following priced at $1.50. During that time, bikers are permitted to lock and unlock their chosen bike as many times as needed.

Town Center Community is Georgia’s first CID-sponsored bikeshare program. Tandem Mobility provides the operation, equipment, and maintenance for the bikes, while the rentals are managed by the Movatic smartphone app.

For more information about the bikeshare program, visit https://www.towncentercid.com/bikeshare-program.

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Sewell Park pool opens for daily summer hours through July 31

Sewell Park Pool

From Cobb PARKS:

Have a splashing good time at Cobb PARKS’ two outdoor pools. Sewell Park Pool and Seven Springs Water Park make for great summer days for the entire family.

Sewell Park Pool, 2051 Lower Roswell Road in Marietta, will be open seven days a week from 1 – 6 p.m. through July 31, except holidays when it is open from 1 – 5 p.m. From Aug.1 – Sept. 4, when most schools start, the pool will be open from 1 – 6 p.m. on weekends only. Holiday hours are in effect for Juneteenth, Independence Day and Labor Day. Fees are $3.50 for youth, $4.50 for adults and $3 for seniors (age 55 and older). More information on Sewell Pool can be found on our website here.

Seven Springs Water Park will offer two separate sessions, noon – 3 p.m. and 4 – 7 p.m., seven days a week through Aug. 1, then weekends through Labor Day. Fees are $6 for adults, $4 for children and $3 for seniors (age 55 and older). Passes are available. Please see our website for more details.

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Friends for the East Cobb Park group to organize garden club

East Cobb Park garden club

The Friends for the East Cobb Park, an all-volunteer organization that supports activities at Cobb PARKS facility (3322 Roswell Road), is organizing a garden club.

An organizational meeting has been scheduled for next Saturday, June 3, at 10 a.m. at the gazebo overlooking the park, next to the maintenance shed, and accessible at the back of the upper parking lot.

They’re looking for volunteers to get the effort started with an eye toward a number of a variety of projects, including creating garden areas, pollinator gardens, trail beautification, community gardens, removing invasive plant species and other related activities.

The Friends for the East Cobb Park sponsors concerts, the Holiday Lights at East Cobb Park celebration and  purchases playground equipment. The group also held a cleanup day at the park recently along the banks of Sewell Mill Creek.

“We need people,” Friends president Kurt von Borries said in reference to the garden club. “The goal is to beautify the park even more than it already is.”

For more information and to sign up for the garden club, e-mail: info@eastcobbpark.org  or visit its website.

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Funding approved for design contract for Ebenezer Downs Park

Ebenezer Road park, Cobb parks master plan

Cobb commissioners on Tuesday approved a design contract for Ebenezer Downs Park.

By a 5-0 vote, they approved spending $238,450 for Pond & Company, an architectural and engineering firm in Peachtree Corners, to do the work.

“Long time coming, we’re all excited,” commissioner JoAnn Birrell said in making the motion to approve the contract. “Let’s get started.”

Pond & Company recreational projects include the Mableton Town Square, the West End BeltLine Trail in Atlanta and Atlanta BeltLine Corridor design.

Ebenezer Downs Park sits on 18 acres on Ebenezer Road near Canton Road and includes a lake, which has been used for recreational fishing, including Cobb PARKS fishing rodeos.

The park’s master plan for a passive park also include a lakeside pavilion, walking trails, a playground and a 30-space parking lot. One of the former homes on the site would be used for small events, including wedding receptions and private parties, and public restroom facilities would be built.

Included in the design contract are cost estimating, bidding assistance and construction administration services.

The county purchased the property in 2018 with proceeds from the 2008 Cobb Parks Bond referendum.

Funding for the design and construction comes from the 2022 Cobb SPLOST (Special Local-Option Sales Tax), with a cap of $3 million.

A construction timeline hasn’t been announced; a contract for construction will require separate approval by commissioners.

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Mt. Bethel Christian Academy to begin Athletics Hall Fame

Mt. Bethel Christian Academy will hold its inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony next Friday, May 12.Roger Kaiser, Mt. Bethel Christian Academy Athletics Hall of Fame

The first inductee is Roger Kaiser, who helped establish the school’s athletics program in 2003 and served as its first boys basketball coach.

The event takes place at 7:45 p.m. on Friday, May 12, following MBCA’s Baccalaureate ceremony in the library of the Lower and Middle Schools campus (4385 Lower Roswell Road).

The creation of the Athletics Hall of Fame comes as Mt. Bethel Christian marks its 25th anniversary.

Kaiser served in his dual roles at Mt. Bethel until his retirement in 2018.

Mt. Bethel Christian began its sports programs with the middle school grades, then expanded when the academy began high school classes in 2014.

The Upper Campus is located at 2509 Post Oak Tritt Road, where a new athletics complex is being built. After competing in a private Christian athletic association, Mt. Bethel’s varsity high school teams now participate in the Georgia High School Association.

Football teams were added at Mt. Bethel two years ago for fifth and sixth grade students, and in the current year two teams were formed with fourth-through-eighth grade students.

Kaiser is a former basketball star at Georgia Tech who also served as athletics director at Life University.

He is a member of the Georgia Tech, Life and West Georgia sports halls of fame and the Georgia and Indiana basketball halls of fame.

Those interested in attending the hall of fame ceremony are asked to RSVP@mtbethelchristian.org.

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Terrell Mill Tennis Center to hold free clinics in May

Terrell Mill Tennis Center

The Terrell Mill Tennis Center, located at Terrell Mill Park (480 Terrell Mill Road), is taking part in National Tennis Month events in May.

Cobb PARKS has scheduled a number of special activities across the county, including free clinics at the Terrell Mill Tennis Center.

The first is next Saturday, May 6, and its for kids ages 5-8. Kids Tennis in the Park will be broken into two age groups: ages 4-5 from 9-10 a.m. and ages 6-8 from 10-11 a.m.

There will be court games, raffles and refreshments and no experience is necessary. Registration is required and the deadline to sign up is May 4 by calling the Terrell Mill Tennis Center at 770-644-2771.

On May 18, the Terrell Mill Tennis Center’s Serve Fest takes place from 7—8:30 p.m and is open to all adults. The staff will conduct serving contests and challenges, and participants can enjoy refreshments, music and raffles.

Advance registration is required by calling 770-644-2771 by May 15, and space is limited.

Summer tennis and pickleball lessons at Terrell Mill Tennis Center and other county facilities is continuing, and you can browse through the schedule by clicking here.

To learn more about National Tennis Month, click here.

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Sprayberry HS soccer standout to attend U.S. Naval Academy

Sprayberry senior Kenneth Namango, U.S. Naval Academy

A reader saw our post last week about Lassiter High School senior Luke O’Malley being accepted to the U.S. Naval Academy and alerted us to another East Cobb student who’s going to the same institution.

He’s Kenneth Namango of Sprayberry High School, where he played varsity soccer, served as team captain and was named the Georgia High School Association’s Region 7-6A player of the year.

He was recently named a Senior Elite at Sprayberry (video here), and was involved in many academic and extracurricular activities, including the Computer Science Club, Shop With a Yellow Jacket, PTSA Craft Show and the Black Student Union.

Namango also was selected as Prom King and with having the Best Smile and being part of the Best Couple in the senior class.

His soccer awards also include being named to the Region 7-6A Academic All-Region team. Kenny sent us the above photo and the information below about how he came to be offered a chance to continue his educational and athletic careers at the U.S. Naval Academy:

I had been recruited by the Naval Academy’s Men’s Soccer staff at an ECNL Orlando showcase just before my high school season. They became interested in my leadership and soccer skills that I was able to show as I am the Captain of NASA TopHat’s Boys 2005/2004 ECNL team. The staff and I were able to get in contact and they expressed their interest in me and invited me on a visit. I went to the campus in Annapolis and absolutely loved it. I got to wake up early, go to classes and watch soccer practice almost as if I was a student athlete there. They also gave me a tour around campus and a little walk through Annapolis.

The Naval Academy likes people who can balance being a leader, being involved in their community, and having good academics. At Sprayberry I became captain of the Varsity team since my freshman year, did over 100+ hours of community service within the last two years, worked at Mcdonald’s on Barrett Parkway and Wing City on Windy Hill, and was able to maintain a 4.3 GPA taking all honors and AP classes.

With the combination of my recruitment by the Naval Academy’s Men’s soccer staff and my resume, I received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy. Along with being on the soccer team I seek to study computer science and am interested in choosing to be a Cyber Warfare Engineer as my career following my studies at the academy.

Send Us Your News!

Reader contributions always make East Cobb News better!

Let us know what your organization is doing, or share news about what people are doing in the community—accomplishments, recognitions, milestones, etc.

Pass along your details to: editor@eastcobbnews.com, and please observe the following guidelines to ensure we get everything properly and can post it promptly.

Send the body of your announcement, calendar item or news release IN TEXT FORM ONLY in the text field of your e-mail template. Reformatting text from PDF, JPG and doc files takes us longer to prepare your message for publication.

We accept PDFs as an accompaniment to your item. Images are fine too, but we prefer those to be JPG files (more than jpeg and png). PLEASE DO NOT send photos inside a PDF or text or any other kind of file. Of course, send us links that are relevant to your message so we can direct people to your website.

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Walton baseball team to open state tournament at Marietta HS

The Walton High School baseball team was to have opened the first round of the Georgia High School Association Class 7A state tournament Saturday at its temporary home field at the East Cobb Baseball facility near Kell High School.Walton baseball state tournament venue change

But due to a full schedule of East Cobb Baseball games there this weekend, the Raiders will be playing at Marietta High School instead.

They’ll still be the home team against South Forsyth in a Saturday doubleheader with games at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

A third and decisive game in the series, if necessary, will take place at East Cobb Baseball on Monday at a time to be determined.

Walton, which is 19-11 this season, has been playing the last two years at East Cobb Baseball while a new facility is under construction near campus.

Cobb County School District officials had hoped it would be ready for the 2023 season, but the facility was reconfigured due to neighborhood concerns about noise and lighting.

They also will be constructing a pedestrian path and bridge from the main campus to the new sports complex—which includes courts for the Walton tennis teams—for safety reasons.

The former Walton baseball field on campus was converted for the Walton softball team, which along with the tennis teams played home competitions at Terrell Mill Park when the school’s new classroom building was being built.

Walton HS sports complex pedestrian path

Grading has been completed at the new Walton baseball facility, and foundational construction supplies have been delivered to the site.

Also on Saturday, the Pope High School baseball team will be opening its defense of the Class 6A state championship at home against Apalachee. The doubleheader starts at 2 p.m.

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

 

East Cobb Park ‘Music in the Park’ spring concerts announced

East Cobb Park Music in the Park

The Friends for the East Cobb Park have announced the return of the volunteer group’s Music in the Park free concert series for this spring.

The series is presented by Wellstar Health System.

There will be three concerts in April and another in May, starting off next Sunday, April 2, with The Woodys, a local duo that performs classic rock favorites, including Fleetwood Mac.

On April 16, the performer will be Jeannie Caryn, who’s released an album of her own music and has an extensive cover repertoire.

A longtime East Cobb live music favorite, the LooSe ShoEs Band, returns on April 30, specializing in rock n’ roll and the blues.

On May 21, the Dark Star Brothers will be in concert, with a mix of rock and blues, soul, funk, oldies and country tunes.

The concerts are all at the back pavilion and last from 4-6 p.m. They’re free and open to the public, and you’re invited to bring food, chairs, and a blanket.

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Northeast Cobb citizens speak out on the future of Shaw Park

Future of Shaw Park
Shaw Park pickleball enthusiasts pose with Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell (in red skirt).

A packed community center at Piedmont Church Thursday included legions of girls softball teams and a bevy of feisty pickleball enthusiasts.

Including one dressed in a pickle costume.

For nearly two hours, they and other citizens of Northeast Cobb told Cobb PARKS officials what they wanted to see in the proposed redevelopment of Shaw Park.

At a community input meeting organized by Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, quite a few people got emotional in response to concerns about what might come next.

Initially described by county officials as a “repurposing” of the park, the project was earmarked $4 million in SPLOST (Special Local-Option Sales Tax) revenues.

Future of Shaw Park

That figure is likely to be closer to $2 million, after Cobb commissioners last week voted to redirect $1.2 million to relocate the Northeast Cobb Community Center in Shaw Park and have it become part of new Gritters Library branch.

More than 50 years after its opening, the multi-purpose park located next to the Gritters Library is wearing down. The second park to be built in the Cobb park system in the late 1960s, Shaw Park is heavily utilized, but needs an overhaul, county officials said emphatically to the citizens in attendance.

There are five softball fields, nine pickleball courts, two tennis courts, playgrounds, picnic pavilions and the community center.

Underground infrastructure that hasn’t been replaced in all those years is decaying, according to Cobb PARKS director Michael Brantley, and ball fields, courts and bathroom facilities need to be replaced.

“We’ve had a lot of suggestions for what people want from the community,” Brantley said.

“We don’t have a lot of money left but we want to year your ideas.”

What he, Birrell and other county parks officials heard were pleas to provide new facilities for existing activities, and a few more.

Softball parents have been fearful that removal of the softball fields at Shaw Park were a possibility.

The Sandy Plains Softball organization uses fields at Shaw Park, and they turned out in droves to plead that they not be reduced or taken away.

Future of Shaw Park
Shaw Park softball players urge the county to preserve their fields.

“Our constituents cannot speak for themselves,” said softball parent Darren Ross, referring to the 450 girls who signed up for Sandy Plains Softball this spring.

“We are here to protect those girls who cannot speak for themselves. Words like ‘repurpose’ scare us.”

Brantley and Birrell said several times at the meeting that removing softball fields at Shaw Park “was never on the table.”

A number of softball players did speak, echoing Woods’ comments.

They cited aging restrooms that smell bad and that “don’t work.

“It’s just horrible,” said a Sandy Plains softball player. “It’s really bad when you’re ready to play a game and you have to go to QT to go to the bathroom.”

Safety concerns also came up extensively. In January, Cobb Police arrested a man they said sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl at Shaw Park.

Bret Benson, a pickleball player who grew up playing baseball at Shaw Park and later at Sprayberry High School, said he was at the park when that happened.

He said female players in his league are discouraged from walking by themselves in the evenings.

“The lighting is bad at night,” he said. “We don’t let our ladies walk to that [northern] parking lot. No one wants to show up if they don’t feel safe.”

Benson suggested that new restrooms at Shaw Park be built with safety in mind, and closer to the playing venues. Shaw Park has become one of the more popular venues in metro Atlanta for pickleball, which combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong and is a fast-growing adult recreational sport.

Among his ideas for pickleball courts is to have some of them covered in the event of inclement weather.

“We’re not looking for anybody else’s space,” Benson said, in reference to the concerns of softball parents.

Future of Shaw Park
Pickleball player Bret Benson said safety has become a major issue at Shaw Park.

Longtime community leader Frank Wigington was a softball umpire when Shaw Park opened. The park initially had baseball fields, later converted for softball, and said repurposing is a part of the history of the park,

He’s advocating now for a special needs playground at Shaw Park.

“I hope you still have a love for this park when you reach my age,” Wigington said.

Birrell said the county will “go back to the drawing board” with the suggestions made Thursday, and future public meetings are likely when a proposal is developed.

Commissioners would have to approve a master plan before construction would begin.

“It’s just a matter of where everything is going to go and the funding we’re going to have,” she said.

Brantley said discussions have begun to explore having an all-volunteer group to work with Cobb PARKS–similar to groups at Mabry Park and East Cobb Park—and help run events.

“This is not going to be a quick process,” Brantley said of the redevelopment project, regardless of what the future plans will come to.

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Wheeler, Kell basketball teams celebrate state championships

Wheeler Kell basketball teams win state championships
Wheeler star Isaiah Collier is overcome by emotion embracing coach Larry Thompson after the Wildcats won the state basketball championship Saturday. (Georgia Public Broadcasting)

Ranked No. 1 in Georgia for most of the season, the Wheeler Wildcats didn’t disappoint Saturday with a state championship on the line.

The Wildcats blew open a close game against Cherokee in the third quarter and roared to their third Georgia High School Association title in four years by a 78-58 score.

Wheeler was heavily favored to win the Class 7A crown, boasting Naismith national high school player of the year Isaiah Collier.

In his high school finale, Collier, a 6-foot-3 point guard who will play at the University of Southern California next season, scored 22 points, and was given the honor of running out the last seconds of the game dribbling the ball.

When the horn sounded at the Macon Coliseum, he fell to the floor, overcome with emotion. After his teammates piled on in jubilation, Collier was still in tears, embraced by coaches.

As he hugged head coach Larry Thompson, they were locked together for a good while.

Thompson said later in an interview on Georgia Public Broadcasting that memories of Khalil Hardison–a former Wheeler player who was the coach’s son and Collier’s cousin—were on their minds.

Hardison drowned last August in the Chattahoochee River at the age of 21, and Wheeler dedicated the season in his memory. He was best friends with Collier, who said his death motivated him in his final season.

“It’s been the hardest season of my life,” Collier told GPB. “Winning this championship, it feels so good.”

He was asked what he would say to Hardison if he could have had a conversation with him.

“I’d tell him I love him,” Collier said, fighting back tears.

“It’s unreal the amount of emotion and the toll that it’s taken, not just for Isaiah and me but for the whole team,” Thompson said.

“You know how many people are in your corner. The love from so many people has been amazing. I want people to know we greatly appreciate it. . . I know [Hardison] is smiling down on us today.”

Wheeler went 26-6 in winning a ninth state championship in school history. The Wildcats had to defeat Cherokee, their region rivals, four times along the way, and routed the Warriors 94-41 in the region title game.

Wheeler was ranked No. 22 in an ESPN poll of high school basketball teams nationally, the only one in Georgia, and its only losses were to out-of-state teams.

Collier, the latest star to come from Wheeler, is the school’s first national high school player of the year and is third in ESPN‘s individual rankings. His Wheeler teammate, forward Arrinten Page, will be going to USC with him.

On Thursday, Kell High School accomplished a rare feat when both the boys and girls teams won the Class 5A championships, also in Macon.

Senior Crystal Henderson scored 29 points in her last high school game as the Lady Longhorns rolled over Warner Robins 57-36.

Kell reached the finals in her freshman season, but Buford pulled out a late victory.

After that game, the boys team defeated Eagles Landing 61-53.

They were the first basketball state titles for Kell, which was reassigned to Class 5A this season after being in Class 6A for the last year years.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Chattahoochee River NRA draws a record 3.5M visitors in 2022

Chattahoochee River trails management plan
The Paper Mill Road bridge over Sope Creek is at the edge of the East Cobb portion of the Chattahoochee River NRA.

The National Park Service said this week that a record 3.5 million visitors used the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, which includes several area trails and facilities in East Cobb.

Those figures were right behind the Cape Cod National Seashore in Massaschusetts and Yosemite National Park in California and in 21st place overall nationally.

The 3.5 million figure is nine percent higher than in 2021, according to park officials, who said that the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Marietta reported 1.5 million visitors last year.

The Chattahoochee River NRA, which was created in 1978, stretches for 48 miles between Forsyth, Gwinnett, Fulton and Cobb counties.

In East Cobb, there are the Gold Branch and Johnson Ferry units above Johnson Ferry Road, and the Sope Creek Unit trails located off Paper Mill Road.

The NPS figures didn’t break down park visits by those units. But in a social media posting Friday the Chattahoochee NRA staf said that “this many visitors each year mean parts of the park are always very crowded.

“If you crave solitude in nature, #PlanLikeAParkRanger and explore some of the northern units of the park, like Bowmans Island or the Jones Bridge.”

The All Trails website rates the Sope Creek Loop from Paper Mill Road as the second-best trail in the Chattahoochee River NRA.

It’s a 2.9-mile route that takes about an hour to complete for moderate walkers/hikers, and also includes mountain bikers.

The Gold Branch trail is ranked fourth, and the Chattahoochee River trail from Columns Drive is rated seventh.

The Sope Creek Loop from Cochran Shoals and the Sibley Pond Loop also are in the top 10 of those rankings.

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Shaw Park redevelopment subject of community input meeting

Shaw Park redevelopment town hall meeting
An aerial view of softball fields at Shaw Park, which opened in 1970. Photo: Cobb County government.

Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell will hold a community input meeting in March to generate public feedback for proposals to redevelop Shaw Park.

The town hall has been scheduled for Thursday, March 16, from 6-8 p.m. at Piedmont Church (570 Piedmont Road) and will include Cobb PARKS staff.

A total of $4 million in the current 2022 Cobb SPLOST (Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax) has been budgeted for the project, but the specific redevelopment plans were left open-ended.

Shaw Park (990 Shaw Park Drive) opened in 1970 and features softball and baseball fields, batting cages, tennis and pickleball courts, playgrounds and the Northeast Cobb Community Center.

It’s the home base for the Sandy Plains Softball Association and is located adjacent to Gritters Library, which is slated for a rebuilding project to include the community center that’s on hold due to rising construction costs.

According to the 2022 SPLOST notebook, repurposing is necessary “to better meet the recreational needs and desires of the surrounding community.”

“Park design and amenities are now outdated, and the park no longer meets the recreational needs of the community.”

The 2022 SPLOST also calls for $3 million to be collected to develop Ebenezer Downs, a new passive park in the Northeast Cobb area, located on Ebenezer Road. Cobb commissioners approved a master plan in 2019.

For more information about the Shaw Park town hall e-mail jordan.wood@cobbcounty.org.

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Walton announcer misses cut for Braves job: ‘It was a fun experience’

East Cobb resident Atlanta Braves PA announcer

Following up our recent story on Mark Aston, an East Cobb resident who auditioned for the Atlanta Braves’ public address job:

He wasn’t among the final three candidates whom the Braves announced at the end of last week, but tells East Cobb News “it was a fun experience. It was more than I expected.”

The Walton High School public address announcer was one of 12 who had a formal tryout to be the in-game voice at Truist Park, and said the last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind.

Everywhere he went—restaurants, shopping, etc.—people in the community were excited for him and wishing him well.

He was at Costco on Sunday, and a woman there told him she had seen a segment involving him on a local television newscast.

“I saw you on Channel 2. You’re famous now, aren’t you?”

For as familiar a figure as Aston is in the Walton sports community, he said he’s still taken aback by the attention.

“It was unreal to go through something for such a highly publicized position,” Aston said. “I appreciate the opportunity. The Braves now know my voice.”

While he waited to hear whether he’d be advancing, Aston looked at his packed schedule—voice-over work for Auburn University athletics and other clients as well as volunteering PA work for Walton sports teams and his regular job in medical sales.

He noticed that if he got the Braves job, with 81 home games to call, he’d have a conflict with just one Raiders football game.

“I thought the audition went fine,” he said. “But you don’t know what they’re looking for.”

For the time being, there’s plenty on the Walton sports docket to tend to. On Tuesday, he’ll be behind the mic as the Walton girls basketball team plays at home in the first round of the state tournament.

And the Walton lacrosse season starts soon, and his son Andrew is a member of the boys varsity team.

Even though he says he’s one of many parent volunteers who helps with Walton sports, Aston doesn’t take his Braves experience for granted.

He was thinking of other parents who’ve expressed their appreciation for what he does, and are especially grateful for such seemingly simple things as pronouncing their child’s name correctly.

“The people out there cheering for you—that makes you feel good,” he said.

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

East Cobb Park volunteer group seeks new members, energy

East Cobb Park group seeks new members
A soccer kickabout on the front quad is a frequent activity at East Cobb Park.

East Cobb Park was formally dedicated in June 2003 as the first public-private partnership for a park in Cobb County.

The all-volunteer, non-profit group that worked with Cobb County Parks, the Friends for the East Cobb Park, was founded four years before that, from an initiative of the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.

The interest, excitement and support of that start-up period is reflected on plaques on a kiosk at the entrance to the park. East Cobb Park group seeks new members

The “Charter Leaf” members represent notable East Cobb individuals, businesses and other organizations. A cluster of special stones on the ground around it also contain the names of financial contributors, as do names emblazoned on park benches.

By almost every measure, East Cobb Park has been a spectacular success and increasingly popular, as citizens and groups frequent its 13 acres as the area’s first passive park.

But as the park is set to mark its 20th anniversary this summer, the volunteers organization that stages concerts and other special events is looking for a few more volunteer hands to help out.

The Friends for the East Cobb Park is seeking new members, not just to donate time and money, but also to help take a more active role in plotting out the future of the park.

“Our mission is to enhance the community experience,” Friends president Kurt von Borries said in a recent interview with East Cobb News. “It’s the best cultural asset we have in East Cobb.”

He said the Friends group currently has around 60 members, and there’s no specific target for growth, just to add “as many as we can.”

The group, which relies 100 percent on donations, spent $20,000 last year to replace the front playground fencing.

East Cobb Park group seeks new membersCobb PARKs provides most of the maintenance, including recent repairs along the Sewell Mill Creek streambank extending to Fullers Park, and citizens wishing to book a pavilion also go through the county.

The Friends group handles special events and what he generally calls cultural programming.

There are limits on what it can do, von Borries said, because of parking and restroom facilities.

When planning for a concert, he said, the estimated cap is around 150 people, although that figure is often exceeded.

“There’s nowhere to expand,” he said. 

Attracting vendors also is a challenge because any money they make above costs goes to the Friends group.

Raising funds through individual sponsorships poses other issues. All 47 park benches, Borries said, have been dedicated, and they’re not adding any more for the time being due to supply chain issues.

“We’re out of room” for additional revenue opportunities in that regard.

The Friends group also sells sponsorships for newly planted as well as existing trees in the park.

The organization is seeking out additional corporate sponsors, in addition to Wellstar Health Systems, which makes a donation for Music in the Park, a series of spring and fall concerts, and the Holiday Lights celebration in December.

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, a long association with the East Cobb Civitan Association, which raised funds for the park through its Wine and Vine event, has come to an end.East Cobb Park group seeks new members

That’s diminished what’s available in the Friends’ banking account, which von Borries said is generally healthy and that “we can do some things.”

The desire to do more things has spurred some new creative approaches as the group shores up its financial resources, including borrowing from its foundation to help fund the playground fence.

Von Borries, who’s also a member of the Rotary Club of East Cobb, said plans are in the works with that organization to stage two family-friendly movies—one in spring and the other in the fall—on a big screen at the concert shell.

“We’re excited about that,” he said.

Streamlining the process for membership renewal is another task the Friends group is undertaking. Getting automatic notices online that can be paid electronically is a top priority.

Members can renew or join at various levels, starting with the $25 “garden leaf supporter” category to $1,000 as a “diamond leaf” sponsor, either at a monthly or annual rate.

East Cobb Park group seeks new membersThey also can donate at custom levels and in honor or memory of someone. All contributions are tax deductible, since the Friends group is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Volunteer opportunities are across the board, from events and marketing to fundraising and creek clean-up activities.

Von Borries said a clean-up has been tentatively scheduled for May 6, and the Friends group also wants to hold a member appreciation event in the near future.

“It’s my wish that it will be stylish to say that you’re a supportive member of East Cobb Park,” he said. “How we can get there, we haven’t yet figured that out.”

East Cobb Park Events in 2023

 
  • Music in the Park: April 2, April 16, April 30 and May 21, Sept. 17, Oct. 1, Oct. 15, and Oct. 29; all 4-6 p.m., free
  • Holiday Lights: Dec. 3 6pm-till, free,

Related stories

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

 

Cobb DOT to hold Noonday Creek Trail extension open house

Noonday Creek Trail Head

Submitted information:

Join Cobb County Department of Transportation on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 for a drop-in community open house to learn more about the Noonday Creek Trail Extension study. Stop by any time between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to learn about the project background and existing conditions within the study area. You will also have an opportunity to review and provide feedback on potential trail options that may be considered, as well as potential trail amenities and features.

When: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Where: Bells Ferry Elementary School | 2600 Bells Ferry Road NE, Marietta, GA 30066

For more information click here.

Related stories

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

East Cobb resident vying to be Atlanta Braves PA announcer

East Cobb resident Braves PA announcer
Mark Aston is the public-address voice at Walton High School basketball, football and lacrosse home games. (Andrew Pollock, apPhotoMarietta, LLC)

An all-around sports dad some Walton High School athletes call “VOMA” is in contention for the big leagues.

Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves, to be specific.

East Cobb resident Mark Aston has done sports-related and other professional voice over-work for more than 30 years, including for his alma mater, Auburn University.

In recent years, he’s been the public address announcer for Walton football and lacrosse games, and this season added basketball duties to his already-busy schedule.

Aston does voice acting projects for Auburn athletics and other business clients from his home studio, in addition to his full-time work in medical sales.

“I’m a parent volunteer,” Aston said. “I just happen to be the parent volunteer they hear at the games.”

Come April 6, Aston could be sitting behind the mic at Truist Park as the public address announcer as the Braves play their home opener for the 2023 season.

After more than 130 people sent audition videos and several hundred more did auditions at the Braves’ FanFest last month, he’s been named one of 12 finalists for the job.

They’re in the running to succeed Casey Motter, the Braves’ PA man since 2006, and who died last June.

Aston said East Cobb resident Larry Haber, who’s also involved in youth sports in the Walton area, mentioned the opening to him.

A Braves spokeswoman told East Cobb News that the top three finalists will be announced between Feb. 17-20, and that fans will be invited to vote for their favorite.

Aston said he hasn’t been told anything since the audition. It’s a part-time job, like the rest of his voice-over work, and would consist of informing and entertaining fans at 81 home games and any post-season events at Truist Park.

East Cobb resident Atlanta Braves PA announcer
Mark Aston at his Atlanta Braves audition on Feb. 3. A snippet is shown on the video below, around the 10-minute mark.

“I used to pretend I was a Braves announcer,” Aston said, referencing Marshall Mann, who was the Braves’ PA announcer fro 1967 to 1996.

“I’ll go as big as the Braves want me to go. You’re there to enhance the Braves’ experience. It’s not about you.”

A native of Columbus, Ga., Aston finished second in the state high school shot put competition to a future University of Georgia football star named Herschel Walker.

He then attended Auburn on a football scholarship in the early 1980s, and was a teammate of another Heisman Trophy winning running back, Bo Jackson.

Aston said he played enough to keep his scholarship and earned a degree in business administration and finance.

He started his public address work right out of college, with World Championship Wrestling and the National Wrestling Association, and moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s as a voice-over actor for the William Morris Agency and the Solid Talent Agency.

He also was a venue announcer at the Rose Bowl and UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion basketball arena.

His work with Auburn commenced in 2016, after he moved his family to East Cobb. He does podcast and highlight program intros and narrates videos and other productions for a number of college clients, including Georgia Southern University athletics.

But he said some of his proudest moments in sports involve his sons. Andrew is a Walton junior and the football team’s long snapper and also plays lacrosse.

Taylor Aston, now a student at Auburn, played on Walton’s state championship lacrosse team in 2019, and his father got to call the home games in the state tournament.

The finals were played on a neutral field, at Kennesaw State University. “VOMA,” which the kids meant as “The Voice of Mark Aston,” was a very happy onlooker.

His son scored two goals and an assist as Walton won 8-7 in sudden-death overtime against Lambert on a goal from Tate Harran.

“I was literally crying,” he said. “What a moment. When he scored that goal, that was so special.”

Aston said his enthusiasm for sports is about more than winning and losing. The lessons he learned from his Auburn coach, Pat Dye, and others, are about developing character, sportsmanship and team work.

The best things that adults can do for their children through sports, Aston said, “is to model the kind of behavior they want their kids to follow.”

East Cobb resident Atlanta Braves PA announcer
Mark Aston after his audition at Truist Park, where the Braves play their 2023 home opener on April 6. From his Voice of Mark Aston Instagram page.

Related:

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Registration underway for Noonday Shanty 5K/10K road race

The second annual Noonday Shanty 5K and 10K road race takes place March 25, and will be the first USA Track and Field-certified race to take place at the Noonday Creek Trail.Noonday Shanty 5K registration underway

Registration is underway for the event, which is sponsored by the Town Center Community, including the Town Center CID and its nonprofit partner, the Town Center Community Alliance.

There’s an updated course for 2023, driven by runner feedback from the first race last year, and is designed to offer “a great way to enjoy the outdoors while supporting future greenspace and trail projects in the Town Center area,” according to Town Center Community officials.

The 10- to 12-foot-wide paved Noonday Creek Trail was completed in 2014 and spans seven miles, connecting the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park’s visitors center to the Bells Ferry Trailhead through the heart of Town Center.

“After last year’s huge success and remarkable turnout, we’re excited to bring this event back to the community and create an opportunity for people to experience Town Center in a different way,” Jennifer Hogan, director of community for the Town Center Community, said in a release. “Town Center is more than retail and commercial properties with more than eight miles of walking trails, multiple public art installations, and several parks and greenspaces throughout the district.”

Participants will experience scenic views, wetlands, bird habitats and public art along the Noonday Creek Trail as well as other Town Center attractions like Aviation Park, Cobb International Airport, and Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

The 10K race starts at 7:45 a.m., followed by the 5K at 8 a.m. Awards will be presented to overall and age-group winners of both sexes, from 10 and under to 70 and over.

The registration fee is $30 through March 21, and $25 for virtual and ghost runners, and $35 for all runners after March 22.

For more information and to register, click here.

Sponsorships are still available by contacting jennifer@towncentercid.com.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

East Cobb youth sports programs to hold registration events

Sewell Park baseball improvements

The spring youth sports season is just around the corner, and several East Cobb organizations have scheduled special events to encourage sign-ups.

You can find all the details on our Events Calendar, and they begin this Saturday with the Walton Girls Youth Lacrosse Clinic, 2:30-4 p.m. at the Walton HS stadium (1590 Bill Murdock Road).

Next Saturday, Jan. 28, the East Marietta Little League will holds its Baseball Bash from 2-4 p.m. at Sewell Park (2085 Lower Roswell Road).

And the Saturday after that, Feb. 4, is the Sandy Plains Softball Fun Day from 1-4 p.m. at Shaw Park (900 Shaw Park Road).

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

 

Flooding update: East Cobb Park reopens; Noonday Park closed

Flooded Noonday Park closed
Noonday Park. Photo Cobb PARKS

Cobb PARKS said Wednesday that heavy rains Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning had flooded some county parks, prompting their closures.

Noonday Park remains closed, and East Cobb Park reopened at 1 p.m. Wednesday, according to the department’s social media postings.

Also closed is Fullers Park off Robinson Road.

The sun came out on Wednesday afternoon, as the rainy weather that greeted the new year began to taper off.

A flood warning had been in effect until noon Wednesday, as several inches of rain fell in the Cobb area and metro Atlanta.

Some roads were closed in parts of North Fulton, but there were no specific reported closures in Cobb.

Cobb government said in a social media message Wednesday morning that “Cobb DOT is not reporting any significant travel issues at this hour.”

A flood warning was issued in Cobb along the Chattahoochee River at Georgia Highway 280.

Motorists should turn around and drive away from flooded roads instead of trying to pass through them.

The weather system included thunderstorms and flash flooding, and a tornado reported south of Atlanta.

Today’s highs are expected to reach around 70, with lows in the low 50s, and the temperatures will be getting cooler.

Highs will drop to the high 50s and around 60 over the next few days, with lows falling into the 40s and 30s over the next several nights, according to the National Weather Service.

But we will have sunny skies through Saturday, with a 40 percent chance of rain on Sunday.

Rain also is in the forecast for early next week.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!