The drivers of two vehicles that collided in a Powers Ferry Road accident on Sunday were killed, Cobb Police said.
Ryan Michalski, 31, and Miraylla Sousa, 23, both of East Cobb-area addresses, died after being taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, Cobb Police Officer Sarah O’Hara said.
O’Hara said the crash took place at 4:10 p.m. Sunday on Powers Ferry Road, at Meadowbrook Lane, when a black 2006 Ford Fusion driven by Michalski collided with a white 2013 Kia Optima driven by Sousa.
The intersection is just south of Powers Ferry and the South Marietta Parkway, and just north of Powers Ferry Elementary School.
Police said the Ford was traveling northbound on Powers Ferry when it veered into the southbound lane and into the path of the Kia. O’Hara said witnesses told police the Ford had been speeding and passed other vehicles in the center turn lane before the crash.
The Ford caught fire and was heavily damaged in the collision and landed on a shoulder, while the Kia came to a stop in the intersection, O’Hara said.
She said the accident remains under investigation and that anyone with information should call the Cobb County Police Department’s STEP Unit at 770-499-3987.
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It’s back to school (but only for a few more weeks!) and work, but not after a glorious weekend with spring-like weather that will continue as April turns into May in East Cobb this week:
Advance voting begins Monday in Cobb, with the East Cobb Government Service Center holding advance voting the week of May 14-18. As we posted over the weekend, Cobb Elections is looking for poll workers for the May 22 primaries. You’ll be paid for the days you work at the precincts, as well as required training;
This is the final week for the “In Her Father’s Eyes” exhibit at East Cobb Library, a tribute to a Holocaust victim by her surviving father. The panels are located just inside the entrance to the library branch, and can be viewed during regular opening hours;
District 3 Cobb Commission candidates have been invited to a forum at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the commissioners meeting room in downtown Marietta that’s being organized by the Cobb County Civic Coalition. Here’s more about the candidates with links to their websites;
Also on Tuesday, take your questions about local law enforcement from 6-8 p.m. to the Chick-fil-A Eastlake. It’s the latest Cobb Police Coffee with a Cop session, which is becoming a regular event in East Cobb and around the county;
Knitters, crocheters, quilters and others who enjoy needlework can bring their projects to the Mountain View Regional Library from 1-3 Thursday. I’d Rather Be Stitching is a weekly drop-in event for those who enjoy visiting with other crafters while they work. It’s free and no registration is required.
Check out the rest of our calendar listings, for this week and beyond, and send us calendar items you’d like to share with the public. E-mail us at: calendar@eastcobbnews.com.
The weather is going to be magificent all week, with sunshine and temperatures in the mid-70s to low-80s, and cloudy skies moving in Thursday through the weekend.
Whatever you’re doing this week, make it a great one!
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This week may be your only occasion to hear all Cobb commission candidates in one place, in both parties, before the May 22 primaries.
There’s a forum sponsored by the Cobb County Civic Coalition Tuesday, and Democratic and Republican candidates for District 3 in Northeast Cobb and District 1 in North Cobb have been invited to attend.
The forum lasts from 7-9 p.m. and will be held on the second floor of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
That’s the meeting room for the Cobb Board of Commissioners, and if you can’t attend the forum it will be shown on the Cobb government access channel, TV 23 for Comcast subscribers.
The District 3 seat is being contested in both parties. Republican incumbent JoAnn Birrell is seeking her third term.
She is being opposed by Tom Cheek, a civic activist who filed ethics complaints against former Cobb commission chairman Tim Lee for his handling of the Atlanta Braves stadium deal. A software account manager, Cheek is a first-time candidate for public office.
On the Democratic side, two first-time candidates are running as well: retired Cobb water system employee James Smith, and Caroline Holko, a stay-at-home mother.
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Major Canton Road transportation improvements are coming, and the public is invited to learn more about them and ask questions of Cobb DOT staff at an open house on Tuesday.
The open house is from 5-7 p.m. at Blackwell Elementary School (3470 Canton Road), which is about the midway point along a route on Canton Road for the biggest project in this corridor.
The project, numbered X2602 (details here) includes the addition of turn lanes and sidewalks from the Cherokee County line to Kurtz Road, and also involves changes at the Canton Road-Piedmont Road intersection. It’s estimated to begin early next year, with a completion date in mid-2020 at a cost of $2.6 million.
Another project, X2304 (details here), will add a northbound right turn lane onto Canton Road at the intersection of Highland Terrace, just south of Shallowford Road. Construction is expected to begin late next year and the cost estimate is $696,000.
Tuesday’s open house will not have a formal presentation.
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Marietta Police say a 19-year-old man was shot at a gas station and convenience store at 1750 Bells Ferry Road and Williams Drive Friday, and later died. (Marietta Police photo)
Marietta Police say a Bells Ferry Road shooting on Friday night has left a 19-year-old man dead, and that they’re searching for a vehicle that left the scene.
Tyon Demeko Gorman, 19, died after being transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, police said.
Police said that a white vehicle with a rear spoiler was seen leaving the area and was heading north on Bells Ferry Road.
Police said officers were called to a small strip shopping center at 1750 Bells Ferry Road, just north of Interstate 75, at 6:22 p.m., and found that a black male had suffered at least one gunshot wound.
He was lying on the ground in front of the businesses when police, Marietta Fire and Metro Ambulance units responded, Marietta Police said.
Marietta Police said they had no other details available, but that anyone with information is asked to call contact Detective Mark Erion at 770-794-6990.
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An unidentified person has been taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital Friday evening after a Bells Ferry Road shooting, according to Marietta Police.
Police said officers were called to 1750 Bells Ferry Road, just north of Interstate 75, at 6:22 p.m., and that someone had been rushed to the hospital with a gunshot wound.
Police have not released information about that individual’s condition or more details about the shooting.
A number of apartment complexes and small business are located around the scene of the shooting, and it’s also near the intersection of Bells Ferry Road and Williams Drive.
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Less than a month remains before local, federal and state primary elections, and Cobb Elections is looking for individuals to work at the polls for the May primaries and beyond.
Advance voting begins on Monday at the Cobb Elections office in Marietta. The East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road) will have advance voting the week of May 14-18.
According to Cobb Elections supervisor Janine Eveler, there are 144 precincts that will be in operation on May 22, the formal primary election day. Any runoffs will take place on July 24, and the general elections are Nov. 6.
Here’s more from her about how to apply to be a poll worker and how much you’ll be paid, including required training.
If you want to vote before May 22 or before the East Cobb advance voting week, you’ll have to go the Cobb Elections office (West Park Government Center, 736 Whitlock Ave.) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday-Friday between April 30 and May 18.
In addition, there will be Saturday advance voting on May 12 at the same location, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information, call Cobb Elections at 770-528-2581.
In case you missed it, here’s the Cobb consolidated ballot for the primaries, as well as customizable ballots for your precinct.
And here are the primary and general election candidates who’ve qualified in East Cobb races, from U.S. Congress, Georgia governor and other statewide positions to legislative, county commissioner, school board and county judgeships.
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After an outcry by some respondents to high-density choices in a questionnaire that’s part of a new Johnson Ferry-Shallowford master plan, county officials overseeing the project will send out a revised survey next week.
(Here’s our post from earlier this week about the pushback).
An “image preference survey” designed to get public feedback about possible residential and commercial buildings will be reworked to include more “suburban-style” options (as seen above), especially for housing, according to Jason Gaines.
Gaines, the planning director for the Cobb Community Development Agency, told members of the East Cobb Civic Association on Wednesday that he’s prepared a new survey that’s in draft form.
Many of the buildings shown in the survey were several stories high, alarming some residents who felt that their choices may be limited to structures that are better suited for urban areas.
“The goal was to learn whether people like or don’t like” the styles of buildings, Gaines said. “We’ve got to a little bit more to do but that’s okay.”
Gaines, who is spearheading a series of public meetings about the master plan (called “JOSH” to indicate the main street name in the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford corridor), said around 200 people have responded to the survey online, and the feedback has been wide-ranging.
The image preference survey has been a similar component of other master plan updates. Cobb commissioner Bob Ott, whose District 2 now includes the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford area, asked for a new survey to be drawn.
He told East Cobb News that the original survey was approved by a 20-person stakeholders committee that includes citizens and business owners in the JOSH area.
Ott said there are no outside consultants influencing the survey options, and that the work preparing the materials is all being done by county staff.
This is the fourth master plan project he has requested for his district, including Vinings, Powers Ferry and Johnson Ferry (whose design guidelines were adopted this week).
“We’ve done this three other times, and every time the community has been supportive,” Ott said. “It’s not about what we or the staff thinks. It’s what the community thinks.”
He admitted that sometimes the staff selections for a survey are “a shot in the dark,” but they’re done as much to learn what a community doesn’t want as much as what it prefers.
The final JOSH public input meeting was supposed to have been May 9 but Gaines said there will be another meeting, on May 23, to give citizens time to respond to the new survey.
In addition, Gaines said two stakeholders meetings will take place in June to analyze all of the public response before any formal action is taken to update the master plan.
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The former location (and only briefly) of a Pollo Tropical restaurant on Johnson Ferry Road is being eyed by Regions Bank, and the banking company is seeking two variances that will be considered in May.
Regions Bank has applied for a waiver to the landscaping enhancement strip next to a public street from the required minimum of eight feet to two feet, and also wants to increase the maximum allowable impervious surfacing from 70 percent to 86 percent.
The freestanding building at 680 Johnson Ferry Road, located next to Moe’s Southwest Grill and in front of Parkaire Landing Shopping Center, has been empty since October 2016.
The Regions Bank variance request (agenda item packet) goes before the Cobb Board of Zoning Appeals on May 9. The land is zoned for general commercial use and doesn’t require rezoning.
Just around the corner from the planned Regions Bank you may have noticed the McDonald’s location on Lower Roswell Road is closed, with lots of work crews on hand.
That fast food store is one of the businesses on the north side of Lower Roswell that will be impacted by planned transportation improvements between Davidson Road and across Johnson Ferry to Woodlawn Drive.
The improvements will include a frontage road between the McDonald’s and Davidson Road to provide access to businesses on the northern side of Lower Roswell, including several medical offices.
Now open
The following new businesses in East Cobb have received their licenses since March:
Aegis Group Practice (4401 Shallowford Road), physical therapy
Apex Imaging (1070 Woodlawn Drive), medical clinic
Court America (3115 Roswell Road), legal services
Enwhite Bridal (3660 Canton Road), bridal shop
Erin Westmoreland (255 Village Parkway), family and individual counseling
Everything Burger (3372 Canton Road), restaurant
Fareba Stylist (2145 Roswell Road), beautician
Fletcher Law Firm (2993 Sandy Plains Road), lawyer
Graham & Kapp (3650 Canton Road), CPA
Japan City (4400 Roswell Road), restaurant
Judah the Salon (2000 Powers Ferry Road), beauty shop
L & Y Massage (2520 East Piedmont Road), health club
Mondosa Motors (2501 Piedmont Road), auto dealer
Natures Heaven (4750 Alabama Road), restaurant
Northside Urgent Care (4800 Olde Towne Parkway), medical
Pedis and Potions (4101 Roswell Road), beauty shop
PBM Records (2481 Canton Road), recording studio
Pur Skin Bar (4101 Roswell Road), beauty shop
Renewed You (2993 Sandy Plains Road), psychotherapist
Sandalwood Yoga (2440 Sandy Plains Road), health services
Souvonyx Salon (4101 Roswell Road), beauty salon
Spoken Images (3778 Canton Road), theater
Stockyard Burgers (4475 Roswell Road), restaurant
Taqueria Tsunami (1275 Johnson Ferry Road), restaurant
Works Auto Group (2501 Piedmont Road), auto dealer
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Students at the ‘Winglets of Aviation’ project get a release of pressurized air in their faces. (East Cobb News photos and slideshow by Wendy Parker)
For the first time in its six-year history, the Wheeler STEAM Symposium invited elementary school students to take part in its wide-ranging collection of class and laboratory projects.
Students from many Wheeler feeder schools toured the Wildcat Arena Wednesday morning to learn from their high school counterparts, who were more than happy to explain how they’ve blending high-level science and engineering knowledge with concepts from the creative arts.
For the last three years, the STEAM concept has been on display at the symposium, and earlier this school year Wheeler became the first high school in the state to receive official STEAM certification from the Georgia Department of Education.
Wheeler junior Ryan Davis was literally wearing his project, a lit multi-colored strap he calls Reactive LED Hoodie. He can change the colors and “make it a rainbow,” said Davis, who also has set the project to music streaming through a nearby laptop.
“I enjoy doing electronics for fun and am interested in wearable technology,” he said, as the device changed from yellow to green to blue to red and other colors.
Another Wheeler junior, Abigail Ochal, said her engineering class semester project, 3D Printing Plastic Filament Extruder, is designed to extract recyclable plastics from 3D printing materials. She couldn’t turn on the device with a big crowd around, however, since temperatures flare up in excess of 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead, Ochal demonstrated on her laptop how the plastic pellets stream out.
More familiar robotics contraptions were also tooling around on the gym floor, and Wheeler’s F1 in Schools students drew a big crowd with their speed demonstrations down a 16-meter aluminum track.
Wheeler junior Poojan Mehta, who’s part of the AeroFlow Racing team, said recent test runs have averaged around 1.1 seconds. But while we watched, we saw what he said was the best time they’ve seen thus far, 0.996 seconds. He said the cars are designed with computer technology, and the runs are examined there as well for insights as to how to make them run even faster.
In previous years, the Wheeler STEAM Symposium was held at night, and initially it featured the work of students within the Wheeler Magnet School.
Now, says assistant principal Cheryl Crooks, head of the magnet school and Wheeler STEAM Symposium, the event has expanded to the entire school body, with outreach to students and lower school levels.
“Let’s make it inclusive, and let’s invite everybody from the school,” she said. STEAM, Crooks added, can be for “every student, every teacher and at every level.”
Elementary students also were recognized for their projects, another first for the symposium.
“Our students looked like they enjoyed it more” seeing their visitors react to their projects, Crooks said. “It really validates what they’re doing.”
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One resident quipped in reference to the question and photo above included in an image survey about future development in the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford community: “Did Cobb lose a war to Romania?”
When Cobb community development officials recently asked Johnson Ferry-Shallowford residents to respond to an “image preference survey” of potential future development in the area, the blowback was swift, angry and occasionally sarcastic.
Suggested photos contained in the lengthy survey (see examples below) included plenty of high-rise residential and commercial buildings that are typical in urban areas, sunny resorts and even other countries.
Residential high-rise building.
What they didn’t look like to a good number of those responders was anything like what’s in the suburban Johnson Ferry-Shallowford area now, or what they want to see in the future.
That’s just one of the many subject areas that community development staff is surveying. A final public input session is scheduled for May 9 at the Chestnut Ridge Christian Church (2663 Johnson Ferry Road).
To be sure, the image preference survey did include some photos of single-family dwellings and low-rise office and retail space that looks fairly typical for what’s in the East Cobb area that’s the subject of an ongoing evaluation by county officials.
Residential development.
But many posts over the weekend at the East Cobbers Against High Density Development Facebook group (which has around 1,000 members) tore into much of what the survey was serving up, fearing that there weren’t going to be many other choices besides the high-density options they were asked to comment on.
A few examples of the sharp replies:
“Basically they’re saying we don’t have a choice in the sense of no traditional housing on normal sized, decent lots. They are steering us in their direction, none of which is desirable to the vast majority of us who prefer no high density and more neighborhood like.”
“Even the single family options were right on top of each other.”
“I don’t know why there is a question about what people want. We want what we had when we chose to move here. Single family homes, large lots with room for kids to play, good schools and low crime, libraries that were open etc., and that is slowly disappearing.”
“I tried to make sure they knew they were reaching: ‘Did Cobb lose a war to Romania?’ “
Office/retail/commercial building.
Cobb commissioner Bob Ott, whose District 2 now includes the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford community, weighed in on the Facebook group page, saying he had nothing to do with the survey selections and that what was being suggested was only to solicit feedback.
“This is not some consulting firm telling you what you have to accept. Let’s give staff some credit for taking this to the public for their thoughts,” he said.
To which a resident replied: “Then please give us choices that reflect homes on one acre lots. Nothing remotely resembling that was offered in the pictures presented.”
Similar image preference surveys have been done in previous corridor studies in Ott’s district, including the Powers Ferry Road area and Johnson Ferry Road.
We posted yesterday about the Johnson Ferry design guidelines that are coming up for commission adoption tonight, five years after they were presented. Those guidelines incorporate community feedback, and some of the generic photos in that presentation were included in the JOSH image preference survey.
Public space.
Some of the image survey responders simply asked that future development conform to the current and future land use plans in the area.
Ott said he would have the image survey redone. The original still exists, for now, and includes suggestions on sidewalks, cycling paths, greenspace, public space, stormwater retention ponds and more.
He also reminded citizens who thought their feedback was being sought for political reasons with primaries next month that he’s not up for election this year.
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It’s been nearly five years since the Johnson Ferry Design Guidelines were unveiled and revised following numerous public hearings.
As part of the Johnson Ferry Urban Design project from 2009-11, the guidelines were to meant to foster greater aesthetic unity along one of East Cobb’s busiest commercial corridors, ranging from standards for streetlights and sidewalks to landscaping, park benches and other public amenities.
However, those guidelines have never been acted upon by the Cobb Board of Commissioners. That may change at Tuesday’s commission meeting, which includes an agenda item to adopt the guidelines. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the second floor meeting room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
UPDATED: The guidelines, which were part of the consent agenda, were passed by a 5-0 vote Tuesday night.
Here’s a brief description of why this is coming up now:
“Recently, discussions between the District Commissioner, staff, and members of the community have occurred to bring the Design Guidelines forward for formal consideration by the Board of Commissioners. If approved by the Board of Commissioners, staff will use the guidelines as recommendations to work with property owners when zoning applications, variance applications, and site plans are submitted for review and/or consideration.”
As was the case when the guidelines were made public in 2013, they would apply to commercial property owners who go through the rezoning process and variance applications, as noted above. The design evolution could take many years.
The corridor area is along Johnson Ferry between Roswell Road and the Chattahoochee River (see below streetscape map from the final urban design guidelines).
What’s on Tuesday’s agenda doesn’t look substantially different from where the issue was left in 2013. According to the introduction, the guidelines are “intended to assist architects, engineers, planners, developers and community members to make more informed design decisions based on community preference.”
They also had the support of the East Cobb Civic Association. The design study was prompted by East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott, who also commissioned corridor studies for the Powers Ferry area and, currently, in the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford communitythat is now part of his District 2.
Ott said after the vote that the guidelines were held up because “some folks had issues” back in 2013 but said he wanted to get them adopted with upcoming rezonings and variances to consider.
The guidelines will be incorporated into the design plan’s developmental standards.
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After a beautiful start to the weekend, Earth Day in East Cobb has been a soggy one, and the start of the week will be wetter still, with high winds to boot.
The National Weather Service in Atlanta has issued a hazardous weather outlook starting Sunday night and continuing into Tuesday.
East Cobb and the metro Atlanta area, as well as much of north Georgia, could get 2-4 inches of rainfall during that period. That also means the possibility of flooding in the usually suspect areas, although for now the NWS has issued a flood watch along the I-85 corridor through Monday afternoon.
A wind advisory will be in effect from 8 p.m. Sunday to 7 a.m. Monday and Cobb is included in this area. East winds between 15-25 mph are expected, with gusts of 34-40 mph possible and even higher in higher elevations.
The chance of thunderstorms Sunday night is highest after 11 p.m. and into the overnight hours of Monday.
Showers and a possible thunderstorm are most likely on Monday before 3 p.m., as the Monday morning as well as afternoon commute figures to be soggy.
Highs on Monday are expected to be in the upper 60s and lows in the mid 50s. There’s a 50 percent chance of rain Monday night.
For Tuesday, the rain will be tapering off to around a 40 percent chance, and thunderstorms possible after 2 p.m. Highs are forecast for the high 60s and lows in the mid 50s.
There’s a reduced chance of rain for most of the rest of the week in the East Cobb area, with partly sunny skies possible on Wednesday. The sun is expected to be out in full force on Friday.
High temperatures all week are expected in the mid 60s to low 70s and lows in the low-to-mid 50s and possibly the high 40s later in the week.
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East Cobb News photos and slideshow by Wendy Parker
The Cobb Master Gardeners Garden Fair and Plant Sale came to East Cobb this year, and the quad at East Cobb Park was filled on Friday and Saturday with vendors selling plants, fresh herbs, garden supplies, equipment and furnishings, arts and crafts, food and more.
The volunteer organization was also soliciting support from attendees to sign a petition to preserve county funding for the UGA Cobb Extension Office, which oversees the Master Gardener program and county 4-H services.
Proposed budget cuts would eliminate the office entirely. The extension office has posted information on its Facebook page about upcoming budget town hall meetings in Cobb.
The Master Gardeners volunteer time to grow and cultivate community gardens in the county, including the CrossRoads Community Garden at Chestnut Ridge Christian Church in East Cobb. The garden grows food that’s donated to pantries and teaches children about gardening, and it recently expanded plant beds.
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The Cobb Master Gardeners will return to the East Cobb area on May 12 for their spring Garden Tour, which features a new community garden at Hyde Farm, and gardens at Murdock Elementary School.
More information here about hours, admission charges and an event map. Proceeds will be used to continue Cobb Master Gardener projects, including the community gardens.
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Construction will begin soon on the final phase of the Walton HS rebuild, after the Cobb Board of Eduction approved a $31.7 million contract Thursday.
The school board went with the recommended low bidder, Evergreen Construction of Cobb, which will build more than 151,000 square feet of gymnasium and performing arts space on the site of the original classroom building.
Included in the final phase are main and auxiliary gymnasiums, a wrestling room, a weight room, locker rooms, a main theater, a black box theater and band, orchestra and choral suites.
Completion is expected late next year.
The school board also approved phasing out the auxiliary gym at Lassiter High School, which is getting a replacement competition gym.
The first new principal appointment for an East Cobb school for the next academic year also was approved by the school board Thursday.
Jonathan Tanner, who has been the principal at Campbell High School for the last three years, will be the new principal at Mabry Middle School. He succeeds Merrilee Heflin, who is retiring, and will start on June 1.
Tanner is returning to the East Cobb area. He is a former teacher at Lassiter and assistant principal at Simpson Middle School, and also served in an administrative role at J.J. Daniell Middle School.
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After the end of state education austerity cuts, a new Cobb schools budget proposal for fiscal year 2019 includes across-the-board employee pay raises that were not part of the initial plan.
The Cobb County School District will get $10.2 million in state revenue under the Quality Basic Education Act after Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal announced in March that he was ending years-long austerity cuts for public schools.
Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said at a Cobb Board of Education work session Thursday afternoon that he is proposing spending the “lion’s share” of that money on 1.1 percent raises for all county employees. The rest would be used to increase the instructional reserve allotment from six to 19 positions, teaching slots that are added when schools surpass enrollment projections.
He’s still recommending a 1.1 percent bonus for “238-day” employees, who include teachers, police officers and high school secretaries. So-called “non-238-day” employees, who work year-round, would get additional days off in the summer.
Those bonuses would be paid with $7.8 million in reserve funding. The raises for nearly 15,000 district employees would cost around $9 million. Step increases for teachers based on experience would come to another $12 million.
The new budget proposal of nearly $1.2 billion, like the original, does not include a tax millage rate increase.
“This is no small change,” Cobb schools chief financial officer Brad Johnson said about the extra $10.2 million. He estimated that the district, which is the second-largest in Georgia with more than 112,000 students, has lost more than $600 million in state education austerity cuts since 2003.
Still, the revised budget, which the school board tentatively approved Thursday night, is a tight one. Formal approval comes next month.
Johnson called it a “middle ground” budget with moderate risk, with around a month’s worth of fund balance.
He is factoring in a net Cobb tax digest growth of 6 percent, following a recent estimate by the Cobb Tax Assessors office of 7.5 percent gross growth.
Another major budget challenge that keeps growing is the exemption from school taxes for homeowners 62 and over. Johnson estimates that this year, the cost of that exemption will come to $90 million. Last year, the figure was $78 million, and he thinks the number will exceed $100 million next year.
Before the budget presentation, Connie Jackson of the Cobb County Association of Educators pleaded for a 2.5 percent raise for employees, and suggested raising the millage rate from the current 18.9 that has not changed in 10 years to the maximum 20 mills.
The $10.2 million in new revenue, she said, “is not enough. . . We need a raise. It’s time, the money is there and frankly many people out there support it.”
School board member David Morgan of South Cobb agreed, saying even with the recommended raises Cobb is 9th out of 12 public school districts in metro Atlanta in terms of starting pay scale.
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Cobb Police Precinct 4 has lost its criminal investigations leader but his successor has local ties.
Lt. Nathan McCreary is the new commander of the East Cobb precinct’s criminal investigations unit. He’s a Walton High School graduate and also attended Dickerson Middle School.
He succeeds Brian Kitchens, who been promoted from lieutenant to captain and is now the assistant commander in Precinct 2 in South Cobb.
McCreary, an Air Force veteran and graduate of Kennesaw State University, will mark his 20th year as a member of Cobb Police next month.
He has served in a number of capacities with Cobb Police, and for the last two years he has served as the Precinct 4 morning watch commander.
McCreary also spent five years in media relations and is a crisis negotiator.
In the most recent statistics, a total of 340 break-ins have been reported in the county since March 1, 29 of them in Precinct 4.
Here’s what police are saying about all this, and what break-in thieves are looking for:
“There are two main areas where these entering autos occur. Most occurrences happen at the victim’s residence as the vehicle is parked in a driveway. These cases are usually crimes of opportunity committed by ‘door flippers.’ Basically, a group of criminals enter a subdivision overnight and walk through the neighborhood flipping door handles to see if a vehicle is unlocked. If it is locked, they move on. Of course, if the vehicle is unlocked, the criminals ransack the interior and collect any items of value. These thieves are looking for cash, electronics, credit cards, and guns.
“The other location these entering autos are occurring is fitness centers. Criminals are often savvy and know most people don’t like bringing valuables into a gym for fear of having their valuables lost or stolen. Therefore, many leave their valuables in the cab of their vehicles. This is a prime location for thieves to target. A quick smashed window and the criminals have access to purses, wallets, laptops, etc.”
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A panoramic view of Highland Lake, the centerpiece of the Loch Highland neighborhood. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
When the Cobb Community Development Agency scheduled a series of public open houses in the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford area for this spring, residents of the East Cobb community of Loch Highland knew they had a good opportunity to be heard about a long-standing issue they claim hasn’t been adequately addressed by the county.
On Monday, at the second of three “JOSH” sessions to gain input on a range of community development issues, several Loch Highland residents turned out to provide feedback, and make their case for dealing with stormwater problems.
Located between Mabry Road and Wesley Chapel Road, and near the top of the “JOSH” study area (see map inset below, and full-size map here), Loch Highland provides one of the more scenic community environments in East Cobb. Opened in the 1970s and featuring wood-framed homes to blend in with natural surroundings, Loch Highland was designed to feel like a resort while being convenient for commuting and everyday suburban life.
For years Loch Highland homeowners have taken it upon themselves, and at their own expense, to clean out the two scenic lakes that often get filled with silt and other sediments from rain and storms.
Even with a slender dam and spillway that connects both lakes under Loch Highland Pass, the main road in the neighborhood, the lakes often flood during heavy rains. There were lengthy negotiations during the 1980s between Cobb and Loch Highland residents over how to pay for damage to the dam caused during a period of heavy development.
The Loch Highland neighborhood and lakes are circled in red, and are located at the north end of the “JOSH” study area.
“We probably have the largest catchment area in this part of the county,” said Dave Taylor, a long-time Loch Highland resident.
What he and some of his neighbors have been suggesting for years is what they emphasized at Monday’s meeting at Chestnut Ridge Christian Church: The establishment of a stormwater utility fee that would be earmarked for keeping the lakes clean.
“Half of our [homeowners association] dues go to the maintenance of the lakes,” Taylor said. He added that while the lake is healthy, upstream development threatens that health.
More than that, homeowners in Loch Highland, which number around 400, wonder how much more it will cost them, with no financial relief in sight.
Jim Wallace, who’s lived in Loch Highland for more than 40 years, estimates that neighbors have spent nearly $1 million on lake cleanup since the year 2000.
He’s upset that water that runs downstream from public roads and lands have become the sole burden of private property owners.
“If you see an unmowed median in a road, [county] commissioners will hear about it,” Wallace said. “But not when it’s a lake.” Even on private property, “it serves a public purpose.”
That public purpose in Loch Highland, with the dam and spillway bolstering one of the largest retention ponds in Cobb County, is to prevent further stormwater runoff from affecting other communities.
The Loch Highland community website has an information page about the stormwater issues, including an explanation of how a stormwater utility fee would work. That fee would be included in water bills and would cost around $3.50 a month for a home of around 2,800 square feet. The actual rate would be calculated on the amount of impervious surfaces for each home.
When asked if that’s just a complicated way of proposing a tax, Taylor denied that, pointing out that the collected fee revenue would go only to stormwater maintenance functions.
Cobb has 130 dams and more than 15,000 retention ponds, and more than 20 percent of its land is located in a flood plain.
While the JOSH meetings cover many topics, from land use and transportation to parks and other amenities, stormwater management was bound to be a subject of interest. The study area is bordered on the east by Willeo Creek and includes a number of other lakes and ponds.
Cobb Planning Commissioner Thea Powell, a former Cobb commissioner and East Cobb Civic Association leader who lives in nearby Chimney Lake, said another factor that has frustrated citizens about stormwater concerns is that “everything that affects us is outside the study area.”
She noted that the “JOSH” open houses are a rare occasion in which feedback on stormwater issues has been encouraged.
David Breaden, at left, of the Cobb Stormwater Management office, looks over a county topographical map with a citizen at Monday’s “JOSH” open house.
“The fact that the county is looking at this is good,” Powell said.
Jason Gaines, planning division director for the Cobb Community Development Agency, acknowledged that stormwater issues were one of the main areas of input his office is seeking in the JOSH process, which was established at the behest of District 2 Cobb commissioner Bob Ott.
Gaines said a more formal presentation summarizing the first two meetings will take place at the final meeting on May 8, also at the Chestnut Ridge Christian Church (2663 Johnson Ferry Road), from 7-9 p.m.
The master plan concept that is developed from the JOSH meetings will be incorporated into the Cobb 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
Citizens can offer feedback online, and view documents, maps and other information related to the study area, by visiting the JOSH website.
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We just got a message from Dr. James Davis at the Montrose Animal Hospital about an unfortunate situation involving one of his clients, after the family dog killed a wild raccoon that wandered into the backyard and began acting aggressively around the pet and children.
The Cobb Department of Animal Services claimed the dead raccoon and determined it had rabies. The dog, sadly, was not current on rabies vaccinations and was euthanized.
Davis said all this happened less than a mile from his clinic on Woodlawn Drive, making the circumstances even more heartbreaking. Here’s part of a note he sent out to his clients, especially urging them to take precautions with spring and summer weather approaching and more outdoor activities commencing:
Even if your pet has adequate immunity from the Rabies virus, Animal Control treats cases differently based the currency of vaccine given. In other words, if the rabies vaccine is past due and a bite or other incident occurs, stricter rules will apply.
The rabid raccoon represents a population of animals in the area with the virus. We don’t need to be afraid to leave our houses, but we all need to be aware of the possibilities.
Feeding wildlife or stray animals invites more interaction with animals that potentially carry infectious diseases.
If you are concerned about wildlife or strays, please, call Cobb County Animal Control at 770-499-4136 or Fulton County Animal Control at 404-613-0358.
Here’s more on wildlife issues, including how to handle wild animals that come into your presence, and how to protect your pets from them, from Cobb Animal Services.
The county says it doesn’t respond to individual wildlife calls, but will respond if an animal is injured or becomes a public safety threat.
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The developer of a proposed Wildwood Plaza townhome community got rezoning approval on Tuesday after reducing the number of units and making other changes at the request of county officials and citizens groups.
But a major topic of discussion at a Cobb Board of Commissioners zoning hearing was how to replace aging pear trees that are part of the conceptual design for the office and residential complex off Powers Ferry Road.
The 5.6 acres of wooded area at the northeast intersection of Windy Hill Road and Wildwood Parkway, right across from the Towers at Wildwood Plaza, will soon feature the Ashton Woods townhomes. The land had been zoned for office-industrial use.
The applicant, Ashton Atlanta, received multi-family zoning (RM-12) and will build 60 three-story townhomes instead of 67, ranging in size from 2,100 to 3,500 square feet and featuring attached two-car garages. The developer also will stretch the width of units facing Windy Hill Road from 18 to 24 feet.
Those are some of the conditions approved by commissioners in their 5-0 vote, and after they had just received a revised site plan submitted on Monday. Another stipulation relating to the preservation of pear trees will be determined after District 2 commissioner Bob Ott confers with the county arborist.
Ashton Atlanta rendering of townhome project next to the Towers at Wildwood Plaza.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Patty Rice, president of the Powers Ferry Corridor Alliance and a resident of the nearby Riverwalk at Wildwood community, asked commissioners “to do something to maintain the trees” within the landscaping plan that is part of the Wildwood Plaza project.
Those 15-story twin towers, built by Atlanta developer Tom Cousins in 1991, were designed by famed architect I.M. Pei, who wanted to preserve as much of the surrounding natural setting as possible.
Residential communities behind the towers maintain lush trees and landscaping amenities that blend in with the nearby Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.
Some residents were concerned that Pei’s name wasn’t included in the Monday stipulation letter about tree preservation. Roughly two-thirds of the trees that line the triangular area around the plaza, including some on the newly rezoned land, are pear trees part of Pei’s original design.
Ott said that “the trees have reached [the end of] their useful life” and understands the desire by residents to replace as many of them as possible.
“I’m very familiar with what you’re trying to preserve,” said Ott, who has lived in the nearby Terrell Mill Road area for more than 20 years. More recent community activism, including the formation of the PFCA, he added, is the “reason we’re getting all the great things that we are.”
Other conditions of the rezoning approval, in addition to the trees, include Ott’s approving the final site plan, as well as fencing and wall designs and interior materials and elevations.
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