As we all know, the northern portion of Interstate-285 is one of the most heavily-traveled and congested highways in the country. Georgia Department of Transportation staff seeks to improve traffic flow and safety with the Major Mobility Investment Program.
You are invited to GDOT public information open house meetings Jan. 23-30 to discuss the I-285 Top End Express LanesandI-285 Advanced Improvement Projects. The open houses in Cobb will be held noon-2 p.m. and 4:30-7:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 30, at the Gallery at Cobb Galleria. These are important projects in our area and residents should attend to provide their input.
The open houses will discuss proposed improvements for the northern I-285 corridor including: the I-285 Top End Express Lanes and three of the six I-285 Advanced Improvement Projects: I-285 Westbound Auxiliary Lane Extension, the I-285 Westbound Collector-Distributor Lanes and the I-285/Peachtree Industrial Boulevard Interchange Improvements.
Meeting information:
Thursday, Jan. 23 Noon – 2 p.m. 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. City Springs, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs
Tuesday, Jan. 28 Noon – 2 p.m. 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church, 1978 Mt. Vernon Road, Dunwoody
Thursday, Jan. 30 Noon – 2 p.m. 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. The Gallery at Cobb Galleria, 1 Galleria Parkway Southeast, Atlanta
Georgia DOT also released today the following visualization of what the project may look like when it’s complete:
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The Cobb District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday it’s been able to close three cold case rape files dating from 1999 using advanced genetic genealogy testing.
But the man identified by Cobb investigators as the suspect died in December, shortly after they took DNA samples from him in Arkansas, where he lived.
Lorinzo Novoa Williams, who was 48, went missing after Cobb investigators, with help from Arkansas law enforcement, executed a search warrant to collect his DNA samples, according to Cobb DA’s office public information officer Kim Isaza.
She said that after they returned home, Cobb investigators were told by their Arkansas counterparts that Williams was later found dead.
Isaza said the rapes took place within a three-mile radius in southeast Cobb between June and October 1999. In each case, the attacks took place during pre-dawn hours, with each woman waking up to find an unknown man standing over her.
She said each victim reported her attack to police, which took a rape kit, and that the DNA profile in all three cases was identical, meaning they were assaulted by the same man.
But the profile didn’t match an offender in the CODIS combined DNA index system at the time, according to Isaza.
Cobb Senior Assistant DA Theresa Schiefer began looking at the cases again in 2018 at the request of a cold case unit, and secured a $10,000 grant from the federal Bureau of Justice Assistance to retest the rape kits with advanced technology, Isaza said.
Early last year, the profile was submitted to a private lab that constructed a genetic tree of the suspect, she said.
From there, the Cobb DA’s office sexual assault investigating unit and its cold case unit discovered the suspect lived in metro Atlanta at the time of the 1999 rapes. He had been arrested on peeping tom, indecent exposure and burglary charges in Cobb and Gwinnett, also during that time.
Isaza said that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Forensic Biology Section determined that the DNA collected from Williams matched the profile of the 1999 rape kits.
Isaza said Schiefer spoke to each of the rape victims after the match was confirmed.
“I feel very fortunate that we could provide some answers to these women after all this time. We want anyone who has experienced sexual assault to know that we will continue to work their cases in hopes that their turn will come, too,” Schiefer said.
According to his obituary, Williams worked for a construction company in Hampton, Ark., and was married with four children. He and his wife became Jehovah’s Witnesses in Macon in 2003.
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A 16-year-old girl who was seriously injured in a two-car crash that took the life of a Kell High School student last week is recovering, and her friends are raising money for her hospital bills.
The Zaxby’s restaurant at 2756 Sandy Plains Road will donate 10 percent of its receipts from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday for a girl named Emily.
According to a Go Fund Me account set up by Peyton Miller, nearly $19,000 has been raised for Emily (in photo above), who’s a student at Lassiter High School.
The girl was not identified by Cobb Police since she is a juvenile. Kayleigh Neste, 17, a senior at Kell, was killed in the crash, which took place January 12 on Jamerson Road near the Kell campus.
Police said Neste’s Nissan lost control heading westbound on Jamerson and crashed into a Kia driven by the 16-year-old that was heading eastbound.
Both girls were taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, where Neste was pronounced dead.
The Zaxby’s fundraiser was announced in Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell’s weekly newsletter on Friday (flyer at right).
According to a message posted by Miller on the Go Fund Me page for Emily, “Major surgeries have been completed for now and she is looking 100 times better.”
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A second Clean Juice location in East Cobb will be opening in late March.
The smoothie and juice bar chain announced in late December it would be expanding to the new Sandy Plains MarketPlace retail center. Last week it received a business license from the Cobb Community Development Department.
Clean Juice, based in Charlotte, has more than 60 locations in 18 states. A location at Woodlawn Square opened in July.
Jim ‘N Nick’s BBQ was the first business to open at Sandy Plains MarketPlace, which will be anchored by a Publix GreenWise store that’s under construction.
Approved to pour
Updating some anticipated restaurant openings in the Johnson Ferry corridor: McCray’s Tavern, which is moving into the former Loyal Q/Loyal Tavern space at Parkaire Landing, got a pouring license last week from the county.
So did Mellow Mushroom, which announced last summer it was coming to Woodlawn Square. But the opening has been delayed for months, after an initial pouring license was granted in September.
No specific opening dates or timetables have been announced.
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For the first time since 2014, the Pope wrestling team has won a state championship.
The Greyhounds went down to the wire in Saturday’s Georgia High School Association Class 6A finals in Macon, and edged Richmond Hill of Augusta 30-24.
Pope went into the final match of the day nursing a 26-24 lead, after Richmond Hill closed the gap by winning the 182-pound class to gain three critical points.
In the 195-pound class, Pope’s Dylan Moss solidified the title with an 11-3 win over Caleb Gonser, good for four points.
On Friday, Pope barely advanced to the finals as Moss also won the last match of the semifinals in downing Creekview.
In duals wrestling, teams face one another head-to-head as in other team sports, while the traditional format has them competing at the same time.
The state championship was the sixth overall and the fourth in duals for Pope, which also won duals titles in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The Greyhounds won traditional state titles in 2011 and 2012.
The finals against Richmond Hill was close the entire way. The Greyhounds lost the first two matches on falls and fell behind 12-0. But Pope’s Aidan Karpinski picked up six big points for his team in the 106-pound class by recording a fall.
Joey Robinson (120) and Max Druholt (126) won back-to-back. Alex Hearn won by an 11-0 score at 138 for four more points, and was followed by Patrick Haskins (145) and Connor Weeks (152).
Richmond Hill won two of the next three matches to set up the finale, but picked up only six points.
The traditional post-season begins at the end of January and into mid-February, when the state finals also will be contested in Macon. Pope was runner-up in 2019.
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The Cobb County Census Committee is searching for volunteer, resident models to feature in upcoming Census 2020 outreach advertisements. Come help us receive an accurate count in the 2020 Census! Casting is open to Cobb County residents of all ages and backgrounds.
The committee will be at SewellMill Library and Cultural Center in the Studio Gallery Green Room, 2051 Lower Roswell, Rd., Marietta on Tuesday, Jan. 21 from 5-7 p.m. Stop by and bring the family!
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Cobb District Attorney Joyette Holmes was the featured guest speaker at the 47th Annual Meeting of the Senior Citizen Council of Cobb County (SCC).The SCC is a non-profit group that engages Cobb seniors in numerous programs and projects and advocates for better public policy for older citizens. DA Holmes, who previously was Cobb’s Chief Magistrate Judge, made history in July, 2019 when she became both the first female and the first African-American to serve as the District Attorney for Cobb County.
DA Holmes said her goal is “not just conviction but also justice. We prosecute cases but we also want to keep the community whole.” She said that one of her main concerns is to address the number of scams that target the elderly population. She noted that Cobb has an Elder Abuse Task Force which is multidisciplinary and that works not only to find crimes, but also to provide services when needed. Ms. Holmes told the group that any elder abuse complaints can be reported anonymously.
District Attorney Holmes stressed that “if we are not treating the whole person, we’re not going to have a whole county.” She says her office is involved in a “360 degree process” which sees their purpose as beyond prosecution and conviction of criminal activity. To this end, she spoke of her pride in the Accountability Courts in Cobb which provide effective alternatives to sentencing for nonviolent offenders. She gave examples of countywide projects such as Marietta Police Chief Dan Flynn’s meetings with groups of pastors to discuss scams and other issues and an upcoming job fair that will help certain classes of past offenders find employment. She says all these efforts are to serve the goal that “we do not want to be in a narrow box or perspective of what we do.”
In the question and answer period, several in the audience inquired about what the county was doing to improve transportation options for seniors. DA Holmes said this was not an area that would be in the purview of the attorney’s office. Cobb Commissioner Lisa Cupid and Mr. William Tanks, Cobb Public Service Agency director, who were both in attendance spoke up that some of these concerns could be addressed by contacting Cobb Senior Services which offers many community resources and links to assistance. Ms. Holmes pointed out that this is what she is talking about, that “it is teamwork and partnership that gets everything done.”
In photo, L-R: June Van Sickle, president of the Senior Citizen Citizen Council, and Cobb District Attorney Joyette Holmes.
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At the end of the Cobb Board of Education meeting Thursday, superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the Cobb County School District will be opening two Pre-K centers over the next two years.
The first will open in August on the grounds of the current Harmony Leland Elementary School, which is moving to a new campus in Mableton.
The second Pre-K center will be located at the now-closed Brown Elementary School in Smyrna in August 2021.
“I am so excited that we will be able to support early learning for even more Cobb students,” Ragsdale said. “Research shows that students who enroll in high-quality early education programs are more likely to read on grade level by third grade and are better equipped for future success.”
The first Pre-K center will serve 250-300 students with four general education classrooms and 10 special education classrooms that are currently at neighborhood schools.
The Pre-K center is being built in partnership with DECAL (the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning), the Atlanta Speech School, WellStar, and Learn4Life.
The Cobb Pre-K centers must be approved by DECAL.
Cobb school board member Charisse Davis, who represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters and is an advocate for Pre-K expansion, said after the announcement that “I appreciate district leadership for entertaining my thoughts on the issue and bringing more early learning options to the Cobb County community.”
Also on Thursday, the school board approved a bid from Morgan Stanley to borrow $100 million in short-term loans to continue construction projects in the Cobb Ed-V SPLOST program.
The loans will be repaid at the end of the year with an interest rate of 0.9 percent, according to Cobb finance director Brad Johnson.
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ECMS got a 100 score in a measurement related to closing performance gaps.
According to the Cobb County School District, “the recognized schools also maintain the performance of their economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, and English learners.”
ECMS is one of 11 schools in the Cobb district to be granted Reward School status and the only one in the East Cobb area. The others are in the South Cobb area.
The CCRPI results were issued last October, and East Cobb schools are listed here.
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Data.census.gov is the U.S. Census Bureau’s new platform for access to data and digital content. Leaders of non-profits, businesses, government, faith communities and educators are invited to the Guide to Census Data for Grant Writers and Community Analysis presentation by Anh “Luke” Nguyen, Data Dissemination Specialist of the Census Bureau, on Tuesday, January 28th at two Cobb County Public Libraries.
The Census Data programs are scheduled for:
10 am at the North Cobb Regional Library, 3535 Old 41 Highway NW, Kennesaw 30144. 770-801-5320
2:30 pm at East Cobb Library, 4880 Lower Roswell Rd., Marietta 30068. 770-509-2730
The January 28th programs are free and open to the public.
Census data impacts funding for education, healthcare, transportation, emergency services and social services. The Census results are used to shape the boundaries for federal, state and local government elected representation. Census data is “big data” for decisions about philanthropy and small business growth.
The U.S. Census Bureau “Shape Your Future. Start here” education and outreach campaign’s goal is for the 2020 Census to count everyone who lives in the U.S. Census Day is April 1. Beginning in mid-March, households can respond online, by phone or by mail. For more information, visit www.census.gov.
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On Tuesday the Cobb Board of Commissioners issued a proclamation to retired U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, who stepped down on Dec. 31 due to health reasons.
The East Cobb resident is the only Georgian to serve in both the state house and senate and U.S. house and senate. Isakson also served as chairman of the Georgia Board of Education during a 45-year career in public office.
“It’s been a pleasure representing this county for a long time,” Isakson said upon receiving the proclamation.
“I appreciate all you’ve done for me and all the nice things you’ve said about me.”
Isakson also commended outgoing Cobb County Manager Rob Hosack (at far right in photo), who is retiring in April.
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The following East Cobb food scores from Jan. 13-17 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing to view details of the inspection:
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Marietta artist Rita Pelot will be featured in a solo show titled “The Goodness of God” at The Gallery at Johnson Ferry. The exhibit will open on Fri., Jan. 17 and run through Sun., Feb. 16, 2020. There will be an opportunity to Meet the Artist in the Gallery on Sunday, Jan., 26 from 9:30 to 11:15 a.m.
“God has been so good to me in giving me the talent, creativity and passion to paint. My desire is that I will do my art for God’s glory,” said Pelot. “I am thankful for Johnson Ferry because the church values the visual arts as a means to speak to our hearts in a unique way. As I gathered the paintings for the exhibit, I was reminded of the blessing that a painting can bring to someone. My desire is that this exhibit will be a blessing to you as well.”
Pelot has loved to draw for as long as she can remember. While attending the University of Georgia, the art classes she took for an elementary education degree were her favorite classes. Though she laid her art aside while marrying and raising two daughters, her passion for art was again renewed when her daughters went to college. She has taken many workshops and classes from well-known artists such as Marc Chatov, Greta Schelke, Jim Schelle, Mel Stabin and Tony Van Hasselt, and Kris Meadows. She is a juried member of the Portrait Society of Atlanta and a member of the Portrait Society of America. Her work appears in many private collections.
About The Gallery at Johnson Ferry
The Johnson Ferry Gallery is located at 955 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta, GA 30068, in the third floor Atrium of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church. It is a part of the Johnson Ferry Creative Arts Ministry, focused on giving artists a voice in the church and opportunities to use their gifts for the glory of God. and puts on 6-7 art exhibits a year, with one of these exhibits dedicated to a solo show each year. It is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., and on Sundays during regular worship hours. You can view artwork from previous exhibits at https://www.johnsonferrygallery.com/.
About Rita Pelot
Rita Pelot is a member of the Portrait Society of Atlanta and the Portrait Society of America. Pelot’s paintings have been selected for juried shows at the Abernathy Arts Center, the Atlanta Artists Center in Buckhead, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art, Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church, the Portrait Society of Atlanta, the Roswell Visual Arts Center, and many private collections. She and her husband Bill live in Marietta, GA with their Boston terrier, Lovey.
For more information about Pelot and her work, visit www.ritapelot.com.
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Information submitted by the Cobb County School District:
Did you know that the Center for Puppetry Arts has Sensory-Friendly Sundays or the Children’s Museum of Atlanta opens early on designated Sensory-Friendly Saturdays?
Did you know the Georgia Ballet offers a class for special needs students?
Did you know McKenna Farms has a special needs equestrian team or the Studio Movie Grill offers special needs screenings where children are free to move around, talk, or even dance in the aisles during the movie?
Those are just a few of the examples of what Cobb parents will learn about if they attend the fourth annual Community Connections Resource Fair for students with disabilities on Monday, January 27. To accommodate more community organizations and parents, this year the fair will welcome parents inside the Wheeler High School’s gymnasium from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
More than 50 representatives from Atlanta and Cobb county attractions, organizations, and businesses will be on hand to share information about their accessibility and sensory-friendly offerings for families of students with disabilities.
Parents, like Beth Foy, praised what they learned at the annual fair.
“I knew that there were sports organizations out there but didn’t know that a variety of sports were offered throughout the year. [My daughter] participated in a bowling program and had a great time with the buddies provided by the organization which gave her opportunities for interaction with typically developing peers,” Foy explained.
Other parents were just as quick to highlight how the event opened the door to new activities for their children.
“I learned about opportunities for [my son] to participate in, like a summer camp he could attend with his significant level of disability. He had the opportunity to go to sleepover camp and spend time with other people and do traditional camp activities,” shared parent Emily Riggs.
She is already planning for her son Jackson to attend the camp again this summer.
Most of the parents, who have attended in the past, were completely unaware of all the resources in the community available to students with disabilities.
“I signed my son up for a weeklong horse camp, where he was paired up with a teen buddy,” said parent Susan Hand. “[My son Ben] just loved it. He was really proud of what he learned and had the opportunity to share it with others during the show on the last day.”
Hand will be one of the parents at this year’s fair shopping for new opportunities for her son.
Make plans to join Hand and the other parents by signing up to attend the free event today: www.signup.com/go/kBNgGbH.
Browse the list of some of the groups planning to attend:
Aerie Experiences
Cobb County Therapeutic Recreation
McKenna Farms
Alliance Theatre
Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame
NCG Cinemas
Alternative Baseball
Elm Street Cultural Arts Village
Parent-to-Parent
Aqua-Tots
Engineering For Kids of Metro Atlanta
Pinnacle Climbing Team
ARC of Georgia (Wings 4 All)
Erin’s Hope for Friends/E’s Club
ReClif
Art Station – Big Shanty
Fernbank Museum
Safe Kids Cobb County
Atlanta Braves Exceptional Fans
Focus + Fragile Kids
Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse
Autism Improvised
Georgia Aquarium
SHINE Sports @Johnson Ferry
Beyond Limits
Georgia Ballet
Six Flags Over Georgia
Bounce U
Georgia Symphony Orchestra
Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History
BSD Tae Kwon Do
Girl Scouts
State Farm Arena
Camp Dream
GOALSoccer
Special Olympics
Camp Twin Lakes
Hand, Hoof & Heart
Special Pops Tennis
Center for Puppetry Arts
House of Artists Foundation
Studio Movie Grill
Children’s Museum of Atlanta
Inneractions Therapy Services
Tellus Science Museum
CK Danceworks
Kennesaw Parks & Recreation
Therabeat Inc.
Cobb Aquatics
Children & Family Programs at KSU
Zoo Atlanta
Cobb County Library
Lekotek of Georgia
Cobb Energy Centre
Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta
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In addition to Cobb commemorations of the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday on Monday (see the bottom of the post), East Cobb’s Holy Trinity Lutheran Church will be holding a special MLK worship service.
It’s Sunday at 3 p.m. at the church (2922 Sandy Plains Road), and the public is invited to attend. Here’s what Holy Trinity is sharing with the community about the service:
You are invited to this special once a year event as we share the love of Christ and live out thereality of being family of God together in worship. Come be part of this Lutheran service withmulticultural expression. We will have organ and choir, drums and liturgical dancers, singing,praying, and gathering together at the table. We are also blessed to have Bishop KevinStrickland share God’s Word with us in the message. This year’s theme is “A Foretaste,” whichreminds us both of God’s overarching purpose and blessing for us, as well as what we strive fortogether in response to God’s amazing grace.
Come early for a seat and to experience inspirational pre-service music and dance. In the spiritof the foretaste, all are welcome and invited to a reception immediately following the service.This year is the first year our annual service has come to East Cobb. Come, let us celebrate andworship together as the one body of Christ! For more information please contact the church atchurchoffice@holytrinitymarietta.org or call 770-971-4600.
Cobb County government offices will be closed Monday.
The county’s official MLK observance takes place Monday at 10 a.m. at the Cobb Civic Center’s Jennie T. Anderson Theatre (548 S. Marietta Parkway).WSB-TV anchor Fred Blankenship will serve as emcee.
The event will also feature the annual presentation of the “Living the Dream” award by the Cobb branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. This honor is given to community members who demonstrate leadership and commitment to making our county more diverse and inclusive.
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Updating last week’s post about precinct changes in Cobb, including a few in East Cobb: Those measures got final approval on Monday by the Cobb Board of Elections.
But the head of the Cobb County Democratic Committee and a Democratic candidate for a State House seat in East Cobb objected, saying they were made with little time to spare before the March presidential primary and the general primary in May.
They spoke during the public comment portion of the Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday. The precinct changes will affect 43,000 registered voters in Cobb.
The changes come as Cobb and other counties in Georgia will be installing new voting machines for the 2020 elections, and with turnout expected to be high in a presidential election year.
Cobb voters will go to the polls in the presidential primary March 24, with early voting from March 2-20.
Jackie Bettadapur of East Cobb, the county Democratic chairwoman, said she and the party’s appointed member of the elections board attend those meetings regularly, but “none of us were aware that these changes were planned.”
Making such changes on a “short notice, just under the wire” basis “has the makings of a perfect storm.”
Nine precinct changes were made, as the Cobb elections office is gradually moving away from schools for security reasons. Three of those changes are in East Cobb:
The Dickerson precinct will now be at the Lutheran Church of the Incarnation (1200 Indian Hills Parkway);
The Dodgen precinct will relocate to the Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (1795 Johnson Ferry Road);
The Marietta 6A precinct at Lockheed Elementary School is moving to the Redeemed Christian Church of God-Heaven’s Gate Church (816 Pickens Industrial Drive).
In addition, the Bells Ferry 3 precinct was divided, with a new Bells Ferry 4 precinct being created. Around 3,500 voters will be voting in the new precinct, located at Shiloh Hills Baptist Church (75 Hawkins Store Road). Bells Ferry 3 voters will remain at Noonday Baptist Church (4120 Canton Road).
“I just think it’s too close to the election,” said Caroline Holko, a Democrat who’s running for the State House District 45 seat in Northeast Cobb, and who ran for Cobb commission District 3 in 2018. “I haven’t seen a real plan to notify voters of the changes and why.”
Janine Eveler, the Cobb elections supervisor, told commissioners that voters whose precinct locations have changed, or who have been moved into new precincts, will get new precinct cards in the mail.
In addition, she said they will get a first-class letter delivered to their home address, and that signs will be posted at old precinct locations.
South Cobb commissioner Lisa Cupid, the only Democrat on the five-member board, voted against all three agenda items to split precincts, saying she wanted to see “some actual data to show that there’s a true problem . . . at this point in time.”
East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott said the board “doesn’t need to get into the minutiae” of elections board business, and Cupid snapped back.
“If it was to be a rubber stamp it wouldn’t come here,” she said. “This is a proper forum to have these discussions.”
With the approved precinct relocations, Eveler said roughly half of the 60 precincts at schools have moved.
She said there won’t be any more precinct changes this year, but that the process will continue in 2021.
Other recent precinct changes and new locations in East Cobb include:
Addison 1, Legacy Church (1040 Blackwell Road);
Bells Ferry 2, Christ Worship Center (3393 Canton Road);
Blackwell 1, Northeast Cobb Community Center (3100 Jaycee Drive);
Davis 1, Mountain View UMC (2300 Jamerson Road);
Elizabeth 2, Covenant Presbyterian Church (2881 Canton Road);
Garrison Mill, Unity North Church (4255 Sandy Plains Road);
Hightower 1, Woodstock Church Shallowford (3662 Shallowford Road);
Lassiter 1, Pilgrimage Church of Christ (3755 Sandy Plains Road);
Mabry 1, Hope Presbyterian Church (4101 Sandy Plains Road);
McCleskey 1, Shallowford Free Will Baptist Church (1686 Shallowford Road);
Nicholson 1, East Cobb Baptist Church (1940 Shallowford Road);
Pope 1, East Cobb Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road);
Shallowford Falls 1, Harmony Grove Baptist Church (4207 Shallowford Road);
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Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott announced Tuesday he would be retiring at the end of the year. Last night, he distributed the text of his prepared statement that he made during the commission business meeting:
It’s hard to believe this is the 12th year I have had the honor and privilege to serve the people of District Two. As I reflect on those years during the holidays, I am so thankful for all of the people who help me every day. None of this would be possible without the support of my best friend; my wife Judy. She along with Katie and Chris continue to accept the late nights and weekend phone calls that come with this job. I also need to recognize all the volunteers and appointees who have accepted appointments to the numerous commissions and boards. Without them, Kim and I wouldn’t be able to serve the citizens of District Two. Many of them are now the chairs of their respective groups. Together, we were able to accomplish so much for our citizens. The challenges started early, and the group showed it was ready and willing to jump right in. In 2009, we had the great flood. Less than nine months after starting as the commissioner, the county experienced what the experts say was a 750-year flood event. Parts of the district were under over 20-feet of water. The Chattahoochee River crested at 29-feet above flood stage. The citizens of the district, especially those along Columns Drive and in Vinings needed help. County staff literally came to their rescue. There couldn’t have been a worse time, as the county was feeling the effect of the Great Recession. Budget numbers went south, the county instituted furloughs, much to my disappointment. To many county employees it was a wake-up call that even Cobb County wasn’t immune to the devastating impact of the recession. But out of all the down times, we got the commissioners to agree to the creation of a Citizens’ Oversight Committee. They were tasked to look at all aspects of the county operations and recommend where things could be done a better way. Thank you to all the members of that committee. Although it took some time for all the proposals to work their way into the system, eventually, the county started to pull out of the recession. Along with the recovery, there was a new SPLOST proposal, that for the first time was not the usual six years of questionable spending. With the help of Commissioner Powell, we cut the SPLOST to a four-year list of projects saving over $200 million. The Braves will begin their fourth season at the new ballpark, soon to be renamed, Truist. As the new season begins, ThyssenKrupp’s new tower is beginning to rise, and the final phase of The Battery is nearing completion. These successes will bring more opportunity to the district. I look forward to what the future will bring to the county and the district. So, today, I am officially announcing that I will not be running for re-election in November and will be retiring from the commission at the end of the year. I want to thank all of the citizens of District Two for allowing me the honor and the privilege of serving as your commissioner.
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Bob Ott, the longest-serving member of the Cobb Board of Commissioners, won’t be seeking a fourth term. (ECN file)
Cobb commissioner Bob Ott, who has represented part of East Cobb since 2009, announced Tuesday he won’t be seeking re-election to a fourth term.
Ott, a Republican who is the longest-serving member of the commission, made his announcement at the end of the board’s business meeting on Tuesday.
He rattled off a long list of developments and accomplishments in District 2—which includes part of East Cobb and the Cumberland-Vinings area—during his tenure, reading from prepared remarks.
His announcement appeared to have caught his colleagues by surprise.
“Wow,” said commissioner JoAnn Birrell, who represents Northeast Cobb.
Chairman Mike Boyce said “I for one will miss you, and I say that with all genuineness. . . . I’m sure there will be time for accolades later,” but Boyce said he looked forward to working with Ott through the end of the year.
Speaking later to East Cobb News, Ott said he decided a couple months ago he wouldn’t be running again.
“It just seemed like the right time,” said Ott, a Delta Air Lines pilot who turns 63 this year and must retire by the age of 65.
Ott, who travels on long haul routes to San Juan, Hawaii and Rome, said he wanted to enjoy the rest of his flying days as much as anything.
Ott said he told outgoing County Manager Rob Hosack and a few other people of his decision, but not his commission colleagues before Tuesday’s announcement.
Ott got involved in civic affairs in East Cobb through the East Cobb Civic Association, which he served as president, was a member of the Cobb Board of Zoning Appeals and was appointed to the Cobb Planning Commission by former commissioner Joe Lee Thompson.
Ott challenged Thompson in the 2008 Republican primary and defeated the incumbent. He didn’t have any opposition in seeking a second term in 2012. In 2016, Ott was opposed by attorney Jonathan Page, but prevailed in the Republican primary and did not have a Democratic foe.
Ott said his main reason for seeking a third term was to “see through” the opening of the new Atlanta Braves stadium in 2017.
This fall, Ott declined to indicate his future plans, saying he would make an announcement after the first of the year.
He’s occasionally been regarded as a possible candidate for chairman, including for the upcoming 2020 election, and sparred regularly with Boyce and previous chairman Tim Lee.
He said he thought “a little bit” about running for chairman this year but decided against it. Boyce and South Cobb Commissioner Lisa Cupid have announced they’re running for chairman.
Larry Savage, an East Cobb resident who ran for chairman as a Republican in 2012 and 2016, is running for chairman for a third time.
Ott said he understands why some have thought he’s harbored larger political ambitions, but cited a quote from Ronald Reagan, about what can be accomplished without caring who gets the credit.
“This has never been about me,” Ott said. “It’s been about serving the people of this district.”
“I’m not surprised that he’s looking for some downtime after three pretty intense terms as commissioner,” said Linda Carver, outgoing chairwoman of the East Cobb Civic Association. “We appreciate the positive things he’s done for District 2 and the county.”
In recent months, Ott also has deflected speculation that he might be interested in running for mayor in a possible City of East Cobb (in what’s now a stalled cityhood effort).
Former 6th District U.S. Rep. Karen Handel, who’s close to Ott, called him “one of the finest public servants I have ever known. He leads with integrity and great care, always putting the interests of the people he serves first.”
During his remarks, Ott recalled entering office just as major flooding hit Cobb County, along with the recession that forced budget cuts and prompted staffing furloughs he says he opposed.
He pointed to the creation of the Cobb Citizens Oversight Committee to recommend budgeting and spending priorities in the wake of the recession, and touted the creation of the first citizen-led master plans in the county, including the Powers Ferry, Johnson Ferry and Shallowford-Johnson Ferry corridors.
Addressing growth and revitalization in those and other areas and improving communications with constituents are among what Ott said are his most satisfying accomplishments.
He’s held many town hall meetings, launched a newsletter and has hosted a TV show on Cobb’s public government access channel and a podcast on the county website.
Ott said he doesn’t have any future civic activities lined up for now, but that “you don’t just walk away. I don’t plan on moving.”
Ott said another reason for stepping aside now is that he feels that “you want to leave with things better than when you got it. Some things are a lot better than when we got them.”
Among the lingering challenges for the commission is grappling with public safety staffing shortages and county employee pension obligations.
Declared candidates for the District 2 seat include Democrat Jerica Richardson, who announced in July and who has not run for office before, and Lloyd “Shane” Deyo of East Cobb, who did not indicate a party affiliation.
An Ott appointee said Tuesday he’ll be seeking to replace him.
Republican Andy Smith of East Cobb, named to the Cobb Planning Commission in 2018, has not formally declared his candidacy.
The owner of a commercial interior construction company in East Cobb, Smith said he’s previously told Ott—with whom he attended high school in New Jersey—of his desire to run for commissioner at some point.
Smith, who’s been involved in community service work through Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church, said he doesn’t have a specific set of priorities for his campaign for now.
“I have the desire, and I think I have the time,” Smith said. “I see this as an opportunity to give back to the community.”
Smith also has served on the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission.
Candidates for office in Cobb must qualify in early March, and Smith would have to resign from the planning board upon filing his paperwork.
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The flash flood watch area is in green; flash flood warnings are noted in red. (NWS map)
Monday’s heavy rains are just the beginning of some more wet weather to greet Cobb at the start of the week.
The National Weather Service in Atlanta has issued a flash flood watch through 7 a.m. Wednesday that covers Cobb and north Georgia.
The NWS said one to three inches of rain have already fallen in the east metro Atlanta area, and between and inch and two inches is forecast for the rest of Monday and into Tuesday in the north metro area.
When a flash flood watch is issued, it means that conditions are favorable for possible flooding, including standing water and saturated ground.
The chance of rain is 90 percent today in Cobb and 80 percent overnight, with highs in the high 60s and lows in the low 60s.
For Tuesday, the chance of rain will be 80 percent during the day and 60 percent Tuesday night, with temperatures ranging between the low 60s and and around 70.
Wednesday’s forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of rain, with precipitation tapering off to 20 percent by Thursday.
Temperatures also will be warmer, with highs also expected to reach into the high 60s and low 70s.
We may not see any sun until Sunday, with highs expected around 50.
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A teenage girl was killed and another suffered serious injuries Sunday night in a two-car crash on Jamerson Road, according to Cobb Police.
Officer Sydney Melton, a police spokeswoman, said Kayleigh S. Neste, 17, of Kennesaw, was pronounced dead after being taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital.
Neste was a student at Kell High School.
A 16-year-old girl, who was not identified, also was taken to Kennestone, with serious injuries that were not specified, Melton said.
Police said the crash happened at 7:14 p.m. Sunday on Jamerson Road at Navilly Way, near Kell High School. A westbound-traveling white 2008 Nissan 350Z driven by Neste lost control and collided with a white 2012 Kia Forte, heading east and driven by the 16-year old.
Neste’s car caught fire after the crash, and Melton said bystanders helped her out of the car and also pulled the Kia away from the Nissan before it could catch fire.
The 16-year-old girl was trapped inside the Kia until fire and rescue crews could free her, Melton said.
Melton said the crash remains under investigation and anyone with information should call Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.
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