Month: April 2020

Some East Cobb businesses, restaurants not reopening for now

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Drift Fish House and Oyster Bar

Even though they’ve been given permission to reopen in the next few days, some businesses and restaurants in East Cobb that have been closed due to shelter-in-place orders will wait to resume their full operations.

Among those staying closed for the time being are Seed Kitchen & Bar, Stem Wine Bar and Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar.

In a message to customers sent out Tuesday afternoon, owner Doug Turbush said that while Gov. Brian Kemp’s order lifting mandatory dining room closures of restaurants “is an encouraging sign, we feel it is not in the best interest of our employees, guests or our community to reopen at this time.”

Turbush completely closed all three of his restaurants on March 17, before Kemp restricted restaurants to takeout, delivery and pickup services only.

In his message, Turbush said the timing of reopening depends on getting safety gear, supplies and guidance “on how we can operate and interact with each other in such close proximity. We want nothing more than to open our dining rooms, provide for the people who work with us and get back to what we do best, but service considerations will take time to develop, implement and train.”

On Monday, Kemp said restaurants that meet a list of safety, hygiene and social-distancing criteria can reopen this coming Monday, April 27. The governor will provide more details for restaurants later this week.

Some restaurants that had prioritized dining room service had to adapt to the new measures. One of them, Brewsters Neighborhood Bar & Grille on Canton Road, also said Tuesday it would not be opening its dining room back up for now.

“We apologize, but we feel that this is the right decision at this time. We miss all of you very much and can’t wait to see everyone again soon!” the restaurant said in a social media message, adding that its curbside to go service would continue through May 1.

Kemp’s new measures will allow nail and hair salons, gyms and other “personal touch” businesses he closed last month to reopen on Friday, also if they meet safety criterial.

The new Spenga gym at Merchant’s Walk won’t be one of them. A message yesterday said that “we will not be opening at this time as we feel it is too soon. Your health and that of the staff is our top priority.”

Spenga, which shut its doors March 16, is also eyeing a May 1 reopen date, but that is tentative. Like many gyms and fitness facilities that have been closed, it has been conducting virtual classes and workouts with its clients.

Some businesses haven’t announced reopening dates as they prepare their staff and juggle schedules and appointments.

Among them is Intrigue Salon, which we profiled last week. After Kemp’s announcement Monday, the Johnson Ferry Road establishment said Monday that it will be opening again soon, but “we need to get the needed safety supplies and products to be up and running. . . . We have many procedures to implement before we start booking to keep everyone safe.”

Nancy’s Salon asked its clients to “please be patient with us as we organize our schedules, get the needed supplies, products and have safety measures to go get us started,” and that it would provide an update on its reopening date.

Tracy Kreiner Barnes, owner of The French Table, a furnishings and home decor store on Lower Roswell Road, said she would reopen “when the local CDC advises that it is safe for all of us,” and she will “personally monitor” what doctors and scientists recommend.

She ended her message to customers with the hashtag #livesbeforeeconomy.

The current Georgia shelter-in-place order expires on April 30, and a statewide public health emergency has been extended to May 13.

As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, the Georgia Department of Public Health has 20,166 confirmed cases of Coronavirus and 818 deaths. There are 1,230 cases in Cobb County and 60 deaths.

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Walton Ambassadors video salutes frontline COVID-19 workers

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Walton Ambassadors video

The Walton Ambassadors Program was created to help make students at East Cobb’s biggest high school feel more welcome on campus.

One of their main objectives is to help freshmen get used to being in high school.

But with the rest of the school year limited to online learning because of the Coronavirus, some current members of the Walton Ambassadors put together a video to salute those working on the frontlines of fighting the virus.

The video, which was posted on Monday, pays tribute to medical workers, first responders and those helping to stock stores with food and other essentials while Georgia is under a shelter-in-place order.

The video starts out with a Zoom message, then individual ambassadors record a personalized thank-you holding signs. The background music is from “Home,” a popular song written and performed Phillip Phillips, an American Idol winner.

The ambassadors also thanked Walton teachers for their efforts to teach classes online.

“For everyone else,” said one ambassador, “please stay at home!”

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Cobb non-profit groups seek $1M from county for food needs

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Cobb Community Foundation response fund

Three non-profits that assist Cobb residents with essential living services are asking the Cobb Board of Commissioners to provide $1 million in funding to help them deliver emergency food supplies to those who need them.

The Cobb Community Foundation, the United Way of Metro Atlanta Northwest Region and the Cobb Collaborative will make the request at the commissioners’ meeting next Tuesday, April 28.

Here’s the message the non-profits have been sharing:

An unprecedented response to the COVID-19 crisis on the part of non-profits and faith-based organizations is focused on the most significant need of those in poverty… food. 

Both of Cobb’s school systems quickly pivoted to ensure thousands of school children who rely on school nutritious meals are still able to access food. Also, Cobb County non-profit and faith-based organizations quickly began collaborating to efficiently deploy resources to the most vulnerable in our community, including children and families. However, the facts are staggering.

An estimated 16,500 families were served at non-profit food distribution sites in March, up from an average of 6,500 in January and February.

In the last 2 weeks of March alone, roughly 460 tons of food were distributed, nearly three times the average for a typical two-week period.

Because of job loss among Cobb’s already most vulnerable populations, it is estimated that the hunger will go on long after COVID-19 is under control.

Despite the heroic efforts, many organizations are overwhelmed by the unrelenting demand and the uncertainty of an end date.

Food has become scarcer, requiring many non-profits to purchase historically donated food in addition to incurring the additional expenses associated with distribution. Some have even incurred debt to provide the food needed.

Funding will provide immediate support for individuals in need.

The commissioners will be holding a work session at 9 a.m. and regular meeting at 1:30 next Tuesday, and it will be held in a virtual setting. No agenda is available yet, but when there is it will be posted here.

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Georgia to allow some businesses, restaurants to reopen

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Seed Kitchen & Bar
Seed Kitchen & Bar closed on March 17, before Gov. Brian Kemp ordered restaurants to discontinue dining room service. (ECN photo0

Gov. Brian Kemp said Monday that some businesses in Georgia that have been ordered closed under his Coronovirus shelter-in-place order can reopen as soon as Friday if they meet certain safety guidelines.

Those businesses include hair salons, barber shops, bowling alleys, nail and body art service providers, massage therapists and gyms.

Starting Monday, theaters can reopen, and restaurants can serve in their dining rooms. Bars, nightclubs, amusement parks and live performance venues will remain closed for now.

Places of worship can hold in-person services, but they must be done “in accordance with strict social distancing protocols.” 

Kemp held a briefing Monday at the Georgia Capitol with Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and House Speaker Dennis Ralston.

He said his decision to relax business closures was “due to favorable data and more testing” but that it will not be “business as usual” for those businesses that do reopen.

Among the factors Kemp referenced were the availability of hospital and intenstive-care beds—including a temporary hospital at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta—as well as increased testing capability in the state.

More than 80,000 Georgians have been been tested thus far. As of noon Monday, Georgia had 18,947 confirmed cases of Coronavirus and 733 deaths. Cobb has 1,174 cases and 54 deaths.

At Jim Miller Park in Cobb County, people no longer have to have a medical referral but they must have an appointment for a drive-up Coronavirus test if they show symptoms.

“Our small business owners are seeing sales plummet, and the company that they built with blood, sweat, and tears disappear right before them,” Kemp said. “These are tough moments in our state and nation. I hear the concerns of those I am honored to serve.”

Kemp said that all businesses that decide to reopen must meet “Minimum Basic Operation” criteria, including screening workers for fever and respiratory illnesses, wearing masks and gloves if appropriate, maintaining social distancing guidelines of six feet between persons and working in staggered shifts.

Restaurants, theaters and private social clubs must also meet the same social distancing and sanitation mandates in order to open on Monday.

“Unlike other businesses, these entities have been unable to manage inventory, deal with payroll, and take care of administrative items while we shelter in place,” the governor said.

Kemp’s shelter-in-place continues through April 30, and those who are sick or medically fragile should stay at home until May 13, when a statewide public health emergency is set to expire.

Some East Cobb “personal touch” businesses—in particular hair salons—have been telling their customers that when they reopen, all staff and customers will be required to wear masks.

Not long after Kemp’s announcement, East Cobb Barber Shop owner Dee Reitz said her store is opening Friday at 9:30 a.m. “with all hands on on deck!!”

She said customers will be given numbers to maintain social distancing edicts, and no more than six customers will be allowed inside at any time.

“PLEASE bear with us as we figure this out!! We are excited to be able to re-open,” she said on her business’ Facebook page.

Frenchie’s Modern Nail Care on Johnson Ferry Road said it also would reopen on Friday “with stringent protocols and only two guests at a time.”

Management at the East Cobb-McCleskey Family YMCA and Northeast Cobb YMCA branches said it was “carefully considering all the health and safety precautions and guidelines” to determine when they may reopen.

“We look forward to being able to open our facilities to our members as soon as we can ensure that it is safe to do so.”

Kemp said local governments cannot enact measures that are any more or less restrictive than what he is allowing to open back up for now.

“The private sector is going to have to convince the public that it’s safe to come back into these businesses,” he said.

As for churches, synagogues and other faith communities, Kemp said he’s urging them to continue to hold virtual worship events, as many have since early March.

In-person services were never prohibited, although they were limited to no more than 10 people following social distancing measures.

On Monday, Kemp said that “I urge faith leaders to continue to help us in this effort and keep their congregations safe by heeding the advice of public health officials. Of course, online, call-in, or drive-in services remain good options for religious institutions.”

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East Cobb boy, 11, killed after bicycle crashes into car

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Blake Mahoney, East Cobb boy killed
Photo: Blake Mahoney Memorial Fund GoFundMe page

An 11-year-old boy riding his bicycle in his East Cobb neighborhood died Sunday afternoon after crashing into a car, according to Cobb Police.

Cobb Police Sgt. Wayne Delk said in a statement Monday morning that the crash happened at 5:06 p.m. on Lucky Drive, off Lower Roswell Road and between Holt Road and Old Sewell Road.

Delk said David Mondecar, 65, a Lucky Drive resident, was driving a red 2005 Volvo XC90 and was approaching a sharp left curve on that street when the boy was making a sharp right curve as he rode from the other direction.

Police said the crash happened when the front of Mondecar’s car collided with the bike.

The boy was pronounced dead at 5:40 p.m. Sunday after being taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, Delk said, adding that Mondecar was not injured.

Police did not identify the victim, but social media postings in the community were mourning Blake Mahoney, whose family lives on Lucky Drive. He played in the East Marietta National Little League and was a student at Eastvalley Elementary School, where his mother is the school nurse.

A fund has been started in the school community to provide food for the family.

A GoFundMe also has been established by Jennifer Swafford, Blake’s 5th grade teacher at Eastvalley. The Blake Mahoney Memorial Fund also will help the family.

Blake was to have begun attending East Cobb Middle School this fall. His older brother Will is a student at Wheeler High School.

Delk said Cobb Police are continuing to investigate the crash and anyone with information should call 770-499-3987.

East Cobb boy killed

 

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Cobb County included in flash flood watch through Monday morning

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Cobb flash flood watch

Today’s weather won’t be as severe as last weekend, but it’s still going to be wet.

Cobb County is included in a flash flood watch that began at 11 a.m. Sunday and continues until 8 a.m. Monday.

We got rain earlier this morning and more will be on the way Sunday afternoon, with around two inches or so expected as the storm system makes its way through Georgia.

In a flash flood watch, conditions exist for flash flooding to occur, and includes the possibility of overflowing waterways and roads.

In this current watch, the National Weather Service in Atlanta is forecasting that any flooding is likely to be localized.

There is a 100 percent chance of rain for the rest of Sunday, with highs in the mid 50s. More rain is in the forecast for Monday, an 80 percent chance in our area, with highs in the high 60s.

Monday night will be clear but colder, with lows in the high 40s.

Sun will return on Tuesday and Wednesday with highs in the low 70s, with more rain expected later in the week.

 

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How an East Cobb Waffle House aims ‘to keep our doors open’

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East Cobb Waffle House

Like restaurants everywhere since the Coronavirus outbreak, the ubiquitous 24/7 Waffle House enterprise has had to scramble to accommodate mandatory dining-room closures and shelter-in-place orders while trying to stay in business.

After the Norcross-based company temporarily closed more than 600 restaurants—an unprecedented action in an unprecedented time—those that have remained open have a much smaller window of operations and staff.

There are nine Waffle Houses in the East Cobb area, and they’re all open for now, albeit with limited hours, typically from early in the morning to mid-afternoon.

The Waffle House on Sandy Plains Road at Post Oak Tritt Road is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and with barely a skeleton crew, consisting of manager Nancy Lynne Newton and three servers.

That’s it.

“I’m the cook, and on my days off, I volunteer to cook,” Newton said.

All of her workers on the second and third shifts—evenings and overnights—are on unemployment, at the very least until restaurants can resume some semblance of dining-room service.

Newton doesn’t know when that might be. Georgia’s shelter-in-place order limiting restaurants to takeout, pickup and delivery only has been extended to April 30, and the state’s public health emergency is due to expire on May 13.

Those orders could be extended again, as the state grapples with a COVID-19 caseload that’s approaching 20,000 and nearing 700 deaths.

At the Sandy Plains Road Waffle House, business “has definitely gone down,” Newton said.

“We are remaining optimistic. We’re doing everything we can to work with the community, and to keep our doors open.”

As an example of the former, she said some customers have donated to an “Adopt-A-Hero” program set up by Waffle House, to pay for the meals of medical workers and first responders.

Recently a police officer was a beneficiary of that generosity, and picked up a free meal—to go, of course.

“We want to do anything we can to help people like that,” Newton said.

Letting the public know her restaurant is open has been a big challenge. The parking lot is practically empty, but makeshift signs in the windows alert the public about its opening hours and the phone number to place an advance order.

Newton said customers can do that, or they can show up and order while in the store. The full menu also is available.

The store also has family-oriented specials—4 All-Star Special breakfasts and hashbrown bowls for $30 is just one. And if five families or more from a neighborhood get together and order at once, someone from Waffle House management will provide delivery.

Newton said to address safety and hygiene concerns, all caterings are individually wrapped. The restaurant is thoroughly cleaned “every hour on the hour” and after customers leave.

She said customers “have been absolutely phenomenal” about observing social distancing guidelines” while they are inside.

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Center for Family Resources gets COVID-19 emergency funding

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Submitted information:Center for Family Resources

The Center for Family Resources (CFR) announced today that it has received funding to provide emergency financial assistance for Cobb County families, including assistance with rent, mortgage and utility payments to ensure housing stability. The CFR is providing access to basic needs for families who currently fall below 200% of the Federal Poverty guidelines. Funding has been provided through grants from Cobb Community Foundation through the Cobb COVID-19 Response Fund, Cobb EMC Foundation, and the Greater Atlanta COVID-19 Recovery and Response Fund.

“Stabilizing families and providing a safety net during challenging times ties directly into our mission,” says Lee Freeman-Smith, Vice President of Operations for the CFR. “This critical funding will immediately impact families in critical need of services throughout Cobb County. With more than 22 million Americans filing for unemployment and lower wage earners disproportionately impacted, the need for financial assistance will be tremendous,” she continued.

Currently, the CFR has over $170,000 in financial assistance available. However, it anticipates the requests for assistance are easily triple that amount. Many of those impacted were already living on a limited income, and any reduction to hours and pay can cause a huge disruption to a family’s budget. The CFR serves over 12,000 people a year and helps more than 700 families with housing and rent assistance. In the past two weeks, they have received over 160 calls for assistance related to COVID-19. Those calls are in addition to the inquiries from individuals who were already in need of services prior to the pandemic.

Melanie Kagan, CEO at the CFR, adds, “Keeping families stably-housed and with access to basic needs is imperative. Our goal is to help families stay as current as possible with rent and mortgage payments. What we don’t want is for these families to be 2-4 months behind in paying these expenses, and have no way of climbing out of that hole. The financial impacts on our community and many others are going to be severe.”

For people seeking assistance, contact the CFR at (770) 428-2601. All inquiries are being taken over the phone, and the agency is not open to walk-ins in an effort to maintain a safe environment for staff and clients. Anyone who would like to donate to the emergency assistance fund at the CFR can make their tax-deductible donation at www.thecfr.org/give. 

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As Cobb Coronavirus cases surpass 1,000, testing accelerates

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Cobb Coronavirus testing
A hopeful sign on Holly Springs Road, near the Davis Road roundabout. (ECN photo)

A total of 1,014 Coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Cobb County, as of 7 p.m. Thursday.

The Georgia Department of Public Health is also reporting that 49 people have died from COVID-19 in the county.

UPDATED for those seeing this in the Sunday newsletter: As of 7 p.m. Saturday the number of cases stands at 1,104 in Cobb County, with 51 deaths.

(The Georgia DPH daily status report is updated at 12 and 7 p.m.)

Those figures are among the highest in the state of Georgia, and according to Dr. Janet Memark, Director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health, Cobb is likely a couple weeks away from reaching its peak.

The reference was to hospital capacity, which she said is escalating but has not yet topped out.

In a videotaped message at Jim Miller Park that was released by the county Thursday afternoon, Memark also said the public can now without needing a doctor’s reference.

That had been the case until earlier this week, when expanded criteria also was contingent on a medical referral.

She said anyone with symptoms for COVID-19—such as a shortness of breath, fever or dry coughing—can call Cobb and Douglas Public Health or go to its website “and you can get an appointment very quickly.”

Jim Miller Park had been designated as one of several drive-up testing centers around the state, but has only been able to do around 50 tests a day.

Memark previously told the Cobb Board of Commissioners that patients with medical referrals, health care workers and first responders had been the first priorities.

Those scheduled to be tested came in during a short window of operations. Memark said testing hours have been expanded at Jim Miller Park and Hunter Park in Douglasville, and soon will have the capability to test 100 people an hour.

(Here’s the detailed criteria to get tested)

Testing will be available Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

In addition, people can call the Cobb and Douglas Public Health call center at 770-514-2300 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday to schedule an appointment.

You can also click here for an appointment.

For a larger view of this map, click here. Source: Cobb County COVID-19 Resource Page.

According to Georgia DPH, more than 16,000 cases have been confirmed in Georgia, with 617 deaths as of Thursday evening.

“Testing is extremely important,” Memark said, especially lieu of a vaccine (not likely to be ready for another 12-18 months).

With more widespread testing, “we can have a better idea how it’s affecting our community.” Those testing results will help public health officials better determine how the virus is spreading, Memark said, “and when we talk about reopening we need this kind of information going forward.”

Georgia’s shelter-in-place order has been extended to April 30, and a public health emergency has been declared through May 13.

Memark said the number of cases in Cobb is rising at lower rates than a few weeks ago, an indication, she said “that social distancing is working, and we’re very happy about that.”

Georgia National Guard troops also have been called to Jim Miller Park as the testing procedures expand.

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New principals appointed at 2 East Cobb elementary schools

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Felicia Angelle
Felicia Angelle

The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday approved the appointment of several principals for the 2020-21 school year, including two at East Cobb elementary schools.

Jessica Appleyard, a longtime teacher and administrator at Mt. Bethel Elementary School, is leaving after seven years as principal to become the new principal at Pitner Elementary School in Acworth.

She will be succeeded by Tucker Smith, who has been the principal at Keheley Elementary School since 2015.

The new principal at Keheley will be former Shallowford Falls Elementary School principal Dr. Felicia Angelle. For the last two years she has been the director of instruction and innovation in the Cobb County School District’s academic division.

In 2016, Angelle was named the Outstanding Elementary School Principal of the Year by the Georgia PTA.

All of those appointments will be effective on July 1.

A longtime former East Cobb educator will be retiring on June 1. Robin Lattizori, a former principal at Mt. Bethel and Dodgen Middle School, among other schools, has been an assistant superintendent since 2013, overseeing elementary schools in west Cobb.

In a brief business meeting conducted via the Zoom teleconferencing platform, the board also approved $4.5 million in SPLOST V funding to be used for roofing projects at four schools in west and south Cobb.

At a work session Thursday morning, also on Zoom, board members heard superintendent Chris Ragsdale provide a briefing on the status of online digital learning through the end of the school year.

(You can watch here.)

Cobb students will be in session through late May, but last week the district cut back the virtual instructional schedule to Monday-Thursday, with Friday designated as a catch-up day.

The district also has facilitated a program to deliver 600 electronic devices to students needing them to complete the school year. Selected students and their families were distributed the computers earlier this week after a fundraising effort by the Cobb Schools Foundation.

In April each year the school board is given a formal presentation of the next fiscal year budget.

That didn’t happen on Thursday, and there’s no word for now on when that might happen. That’s because Cobb, like all other public school districts in Georgia, was awaiting final legislative action on the state budget that includes education funding.

The legislative session has been suspended indefinitely due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

The Cobb school board typically adopts an operating budget in May, after holding three public hearings required by law.

The 2021 fiscal year in Cobb begins on July 1.

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Ga. absentee ballot mailings start April 21; drop boxes OK’d

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The Georgia presidential and general primaries have been pushed back to June 9, but some absentee ballots that have been requested will start to be mailed back to voters next week.

The Georgia Secretary of State’s office has said the mailings will begin on April 21. The state’s estimated 6.9 million active voters were sent forms in the mail to request an absentee ballot.

Voters who wish to vote absentee must return their filled-out ballots by 7 p.m. on the primary date.

The broad absentee ballot access is just for the primaries for now, with a much higher return rate than usual expected due to safety and social distancing concerns over the Coronavirus.

Cobb voters over the age of 60 received two absentee ballot request forms, one from the county elections office and one from the state, due to an inadvertent overlap.

Cobb Elections said it mailed out absentee ballot applications to those older voters in late March, but its print vendor was late in fulfilling the order due to virus-related staffing shortages.

By the time those were sent out, the state mailed applications to all registered voters in Georgia regardless of age.

In a note on its website, Cobb Elections said both applications are valid, and voters 60 and older can fill out and return either of them to request an absentee ballot.

If you have not received an absentee ballot application, you can request one by clicking here and filling out the form.

The Cobb Elections office also said it is processing absentee voting applications in the order in which they are received. The preferred email to send in your application is absentee@cobbcounty.org.

More information can be found here on absentee balloting in Georgia at the Secretary of State’s website.

If you haven’t registered to vote, you now have until May 11 to do so, and can do that here.

On Wednesday the Georgia State Elections Board held an emergency meeting related to the delayed primaries and approved the use of drop boxes by county elections officials to handle returned absentee ballots.

The measure, which also is for the primary only, doesn’t require county elections offices to provide them, but offers some guidelines on how to set them up.

Cobb Elections is asking for a couple of other things while staff responds to so many absentee ballot requests.

One of them is patience. You’re asked not to call or e-mail to find out when your application was processed, and when you may get our absentee ballot. The office is updating its list of processed applications and making it public; a daily file of those forms can be found here.

Staff also is in need of homemade cloth masks. Starting May 4, Cobb Elections will be accepting masks at a donation bin at its main office at 736 Whitlock Ave. in Marietta. They’re seeking 1,400 masks to protect poll workers for the primaries.

If you’d like to help out, you can drop off masks in a plastic bag in the donation bin from 12-1 p.m. Monday-Friday.

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East Cobb’s Meadowgrove Club to hold MUST food drive

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Meadowgrove Club food drive

Thanks to Kirsten “KT” McClellan for the above photo and details about a food drive at the  Meadowgrove Club this weekend to help MUST Ministries feed the needy during the Coronavirus crisis.

The dates are Saturday and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day in the club parking lot at 2850 Meadow Grove Way.

That’s in the Grove Meade neighborhood, located off Terrell Mill Road near East Cobb Middle School and Brumby Elementary School.

Kirsten says they’re accepting dry canned and food donations with social distancing and disinfecting protocols in place.

Here’s the list of items they’re collection to be turned over to MUST Ministries, which is continuing its Food Rapid Response drive that began in March with school and business closings.

Also on the first link is a traffic flow map to follow for a safe and expedient collection process.

Send Us Your News!

If you have Coronavirus-related event changes, business openings or closings to share with the public, e-mail us: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

Contact us at the same e-mail address for news about efforts to assist those in need, health care workers, first responders and others on the frontlines of combatting Coronavirus in East Cobb.

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East Cobb hair salon connects with customers during closure

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East Cobb hair salon closure

When customers pulled into the Intrigue Salon parking lot on Johnson Ferry Road Saturday morning to pick up their supply of hair-care products, they were greeted by staffers wearing masks and bunny ears.

On the day before Easter, the playful gestures meant to encourage a sense of fun blended in with the somber new realities of the post-COVID-19 world.

Staff placed the products in the popped-up trunks of customers, who then drove away, all in the no-contact fashion that’s becoming the new normal for many businesses these days.

“We tell them this is for your temporary fix,” said Bonnie Bonadeo, Intrigue’s marketing director.

Like most “personal touch” businesses in Georgia—hair salons, barber shops, nail salons and spas—Intrigue has been closed to regular business for the better part of the last month.

In that time, owner Jeff South and his staff have held a few Saturday curbside pickup sessions for customers who order in advance.

It’s not just a way for Intrigue to do a spare bit of business for the time being, but for its clients to stay in touch, and do what they can until they’re allowed to come back in for a haircut and other hair treatments.

“We pride ourselves in our license to touch, but we can’t do that at all right now,” Bonadeo said.

She said for the two hours of the curbside pickup service, around 50 to 60 customers have come by.

They order their products—powders, conditioners and foams, for the most part—online. They’re not being sold anything that’s not advisable for them to use at home.

Instead, the daily hair products they take with them are meant to “help people feel better about themselves.”

It’s all part of what Bonadeo said is “making a very simple connection” to a customer base in an intensively customized and personalized industry, and one that’s in a very competitive market in East Cobb.

“For a small business, this is as valid as it can get,” she said.

Future curbside sessions are dictated by having enough customers order online.

Bonadeo also sends out e-mails with a light touch on occasion, another means of maintaining connections.

When a customer sent a note wondering how long the shutdown might last, Bonadeo sent out another e-mail with a giraffe and indicated “this long.”

A statewide shelter-in-place that ordered non-essential businesses closed has been extended by Gov. Brian Kemp at least through April 30.

Some other personal care businesses in East Cobb have tentatively announced reopening dates of May 1. Others are saying for now they may reopen on May 13, when a statewide public health emergency is set to expire.

When does Intrigue open again, Bonadeo said more patience will be necessary for customers. Social distancing guidelines are likely to limit staffing levels and how many customers can be accommodated at any given time.

“The priority is that we have to ensure that people feel safe coming back,” she said. “We all want to believe this is a temporary situation.”

How are you coping?

We’re writing a series of stories about how people in East Cobb are faring during the Coronavirus crisis—business owners, parents homeschooling their kids, personal caregivers, worshipping via Zoom, etc.

Let us know how your daily routine has changed, and what you’re doing during this uncertain time. E-mail us: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

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Cobb expands Coronavirus drive-up testing at Jim Miller Park

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Cobb Commissioners Coronavirus meeting

Cobb and Douglas Public Health is allowing more people to get tested for Coronavirus at its drive-up location at Jim Miller Park, but it remains closed to the general public.

Previously, those able to get a test there were those who showed symptoms for the virus and had a medical referral or were health care workers or first responders.

Expanded criteria include the following people, per a release issued late Monday:

  • Hospitalized patients 
  • The following people with symptoms:
    • Healthcare workers, first responders, and other critical infrastructure workers
    • Persons residing in long-term care facilities or other group residential settings
    • Persons 65 years of age and older
    • Patients with underlying medical conditions
    • Household members or caregivers of any of the groups above 
    • Persons with close contact with a known COVID-19 case
  • The following people without symptoms will also be tested as capacity allows: 
    • Healthcare workers, first responders, and other critical infrastructure workers that have been exposed to COVID-19
    • Residents of a long-term care facility or group residential setting experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19

Cobb and Douglas Public Health says the testing is free and the results are faster, but didn’t elaborate.

The agency is asking those who think they may qualify for the test to call their health care provider or the Cobb & Douglas Public Health Call Center at 770-514-2300.

From there, a decision will be made if a test is needed, and if so, testing will be scheduled by appointment only.

As of noon Tuesday, Cobb has 874 confirmed cases of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, and 39 deaths.

The latter is the third-highest figure in Georgia, which has 501 deaths and 14,223 confirmed cases.

The Georgia Department of Public Health also updates the numbers at 7 p.m. at this link.

DPH is gradually adding more data to its reports, including race and ethnicity, and as seen in the map below, rates of confirmed cases per 100,000.

While Cobb is among the highest in Georgia in overall numbers, it’s in the lower tier of counties in the latter category.

Southwest Georgia remains the biggest part of the state for the outbreak, with a state-high 78 deaths in Dougherty County (Albany), and in 15 in nearby Lee County. There also have been 15 deaths in Mitchell County, and 11 each in Terrell County and Sumter County (Americus).

In metro Atlanta, Fulton County has 57 deaths, there are 26 in Gwinnett County, 15 in DeKalb County, and 12 in Clayton County. Bartow County has 17 deaths, while Clarke County has 12.

 

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J. Christopher’s temporarily closes at Pavilions at East Lake; updated Open for Business listings

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J. Christopher's East Lake

J. Christopher’s management announced Monday that it’s temporarily closed its restaurant at the Pavilions at East Lake (Roswell at Robinson Road west).

Its other locations in East Cobb remain open, including Woodlawn Square (1205 Johnson Ferry Road) and Powers Ferry Plaza (1275 Powers Ferry Road) remain open for takeout, pickup and delivery service only from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. seven days a week.

The Atlanta-based breakfast, lunch and brunch chain has closed eights restaurants thus far, with 16 remaining open.

Some other businesses keeping their doors open have been added to our East Cobb Open for Business Directory, which is mostly restaurants/food operations but other locally owned businesses as well.

The new listings include G’Angelo’s Pizza on Canton Road and Heywoods Provision Company at East Lake Shopping Center.

Also since our last update, the Cazadores Mexican Restaurant location on Sandy Plains Road has reopened, joining its Johnson Ferry restaurant for delivery, takeout and curbside service.

Send Us Your News!

If your business closed and is reopening, please e-mail us: editor@eastcobbnews.com and we will place it in our East Cobb Open for Business Directory. We want to help local businesses get back on their feet with this free listing!

Contact us at the same e-mail address for news about efforts to assist those in need, health care workers, first responders and others on the frontlines of combatting Coronavirus in East Cobb.

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Weather Update: Worst of deadly storms bypass Cobb County

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We got very heavy rains overnight but the early indications are that the severe thunderstorms and tornadoes that roared through Georgia overnight spared Cobb County.

Several people were killed in Murray County in northwest Georgia, and a man in Cartersville died when a tree fell on his house, according to WSB-TV.

Tornadoes also reportedly touched down in Upson County, in central Georgia. Thus far the National Weather Service has not confirmed when and where tornadoes may have touched down.

But Cobb County and most of Georgia got heavy rains overnight, and high winds brought down trees.

On Monday morning, Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency due to the storms.

In our area, the heaviest period of rainfall occurred around 2:30 a.m., after a severe thunderstorm watch, then warning were issued.

A tornado watch in Cobb expired at 7 a.m. Monday.

Cobb government said around 10 a.m. Monday that there are reports of trees down in the county, with work crews repairing electricity poles due to downed trees in the Kennesaw are.

For the moment there are no reports of flooding or impassable roads in the county, and there were few power outages.

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency is asking anyone with property damage from the storms to take a photo and fill out and submit a form at this link.

Areas of southeast Georgia remain under a tornado watch Monday morning.

 

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Cobb Chamber holding business recovery webinar series

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Cobb Chamber of Commerce

Submitted information:

The Cobb Chamber is addressing the difficulties in navigating a post-pandemic business climate through a “Business Recovery from COVID-19: Navigating Human Resources Changes & Challenges” webinar Tuesday, April 14, at 10:30 a.m.

Part three of the “How To” webinar series on business recovery will feature experts sharing methods for managing the many human resources changes and complexities, as well as how to motivate your team during this challenging time. This webinar is for business owners, managers, executives and human resources professionals. Attendees will also have a chance to ask questions.

Speakers for the “Business Recovery from COVID-19” webinar include, the following:

  • Mark Butler, Georgia Department of Labor Commissioner
  • Dave Cole, Partner at Freeman Mathis & Gary
  • Tammy Cohen, Founder & Chief Visionary Officer of InfoMart
  • Secret Holland, VP of Human Resources & Community Affairs at Gas South
  • John Loud, 2020 Cobb Chamber Chairman & President of LOUD Security Systems
  • Sharon Mason, President & CEO of the Cobb Chamber

To register for this virtual event, visit cobbchamber.org/events. There is no cost, and Chamber members and non-members are welcome to attend on a first, come first served basis, up to 500 attendees.

For recordings of the first two webinars from the “How To” series, visit the Cobb Chamber’s COVID-19 Resources page at cobbchamber.org.

For more information, contact Mandy Burton, Vice President of Member Development at mburton@cobbchamber.org.

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Cobb in high-risk area for severe weather, tornadoes

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UPDATED, MONDAY a.m: We dodged the worst of the storms, which have killed at least six people in Georgia.

The National Weather Service in Atlanta is urging citizens across much of Georgia to prepare for extremely severe storms Sunday night and into Monday morning.

Shortly before 5 p.m Sunday, the NWS elevated most of western and central Georgia, including Cobb County, into its highest-risk category for tornadoes.

The NWS is saying that a storm system coming into the state after 8 p.m. Sunday includes the potential for tornadoes, some of which could be especially strong (EF2+, with possible winds of around 70 mph).

That same portion of Georgia also is at high risk for damaging high winds. The rest of Georgia is at an elevated risk for high winds, according to the NWS forecast.

The Level 4 risk (on a scale of 1 to 5) that includes Cobb also includes the possibility of flash flooding and hail.

The chance of rain—up to an inch in some places—in the Cobb area Sunday night is 100 percent, with severe thunderstorms and winds gusting as high as 30 mph.

The low overnight Sunday into Monday morning will be around 60.

Citizens are encouraged to prepare for more severe conditions, and to move to safety in interior rooms or hallways if need be. They should also take other emergency precautions, including flashlights and getting around should electrical power is knocked out or their homes are damaged.

They’re also asked to turn off do not disturb settings on phones and other devices in order to receive weather alerts.

On Monday, there’s a 30 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms before 8 a.m. Sun is expected with a high will be around 70, winds will remain high, with gusts possibly up to 30 mph.

Monday night will be colder, with lows in the mid 40s. Tuesday also will be sunny, with highs around 70. A 40 percent chance of rain is expected Tuesday night.

 

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Celebrating Easter in the East Cobb community of Somerset

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East Cobb Easter celebrations

Thanks to reader Lynn Hamilton for passing along the photos from her Somerset community on this Easter Sunday!

She said her neighbors, Audra and Harry Thompson, made the crosses, affixed chicken wire and invited neighbors to bring flowers. “It was the perfect Easter gesture of community,” Lynn wrote.

“They were missing the beautifully decorated floral Easter cross as many of us were missing Mt. Bethel’s cross which is part of our community.

“This week has been a week for grieving losses for many of the people I know—lost relationships with school out, lost 8th grade graduation, lost Easter hugs from grandkids, lost Spring Break experiences.”

If you’d like to share your Easter thoughts, photos, etc., please pass them along and we will post them. E-mail us: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Coming to terms with a new extraordinary time

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Late Friday afternoon, I turned into The Avenue East Cobb and couldn’t believe my eyes.

A practically empty parking lot, save for a handful of cars.

And two pedestrians taking advantage of the surroundings to enjoy a late afternoon walk on a glorious spring day.

On a typical day, the place would be packed, and the roads leading to it would be groaning with vehicles at one of East Cobb’s busiest bottlenecks.

Instead, like many busy places in the community, The Avenue East Cobb felt like Sunday morning, before church traffic and those seeking a late breakfast or brunch started hitting the roads.

Just a few stores remained open at that retail center, and it wasn’t alone in looking abandoned.

My drive through East Cobb on Friday felt the same way: From the Lower Roswell-Johnson Ferry interchange, and along Sewell Mill Road, Roswell Road, Robinson Road.

Bereft of cars, and lined by more individual human beings walking than I can ever recall seeing.

One of them was a young father, pushing his twin infants in a double-stroller along Johnson Ferry Road near Mt. Zion United Methodist Church.

Many others were making their way up and down the rolling hills of Shadowlawn Drive.

Those who were getting out for something other than exercise were having to take the precautionary measures that have become iconic for our new extraordinary time.

A dozen or so shoppers were lined up outside Trader Joe’s, standing six feet apart, waiting for their cue to move ahead by an employee who was sternly enforcing foot traffic at the door.

The supply of Two Buck Chuck I had in mind for the weekend will have to wait, I thought as I drove by.

I am not comfortable with this. Nor with the sight of masks, which are becoming more commonplace as the days go by.

Or the eerie, dystopian phrases that are now part of our everyday language. To hear, or write, “social distancing” gives me the chills.

Human beings were not designed to do the things we are now having to undertake to combat a deadly virus that has taken the world by storm, and claimed many thousands of lives.

Sometimes I think I’m in a state of denial, although for the past month I’ve written about little but COVID-19 and our community’s response to it.

For weeks now, the days have bled into the nights. At times I forget what day of the week it is. With a few moments to spare, I’ve broken down to consider the monstrous losses that have piled up thus far, and that are sure to continue.

The number of people getting sick and dying.

The businesses closing and workers losing their jobs.

The school kids having their academic work cut short and high school graduations nixed.

The civic and social groups that can only meet virtually.

What all of this is going to do to us in the long run.

It is a scourge seemingly without end.

But nothing hit me like driving Friday to the entrance at East Cobb Park, locked up with barriers and yellow tape.

The parks were closed along with everything else, and have been for a few weeks.

I was stunned, and sat there for a few minutes. Total silence, and stillness, at one of the hubs of our community, on a day in which there would have been a bevy of activity.

I consider myself blessed, however. There is a walking trail near where I live, and I’m an old pro at working remotely. Getting community updates to you in the way I’d like hasn’t been hampered by technology as much as a matter of time.

There’s a staggering amount of news to provide when the basics of daily life have been so disrupted.

I miss getting out and covering stories in public, and connecting with citizens in person.

I miss the human connections that make doing community news so rewarding and valuable. While it’s true that we have tremendous ways to connect—e-mail, social media, text messages and video streaming—nothing truly replaces the real thing.

We’re doing the best we can with what we have. I’m buoyed by the spirit of cooperation from many in East Cobb to observe public health guidelines, and to help those in need and on the frontlines of battling the virus.

I admire the resilience of small business owners who are fighting to survive, and parents and teachers providing educational instruction in a very different classroom environment.

Most of all, I miss the tactile greetings of Sunday mornings. Not long ago, an older woman at the church I’ve been attending gave me a lovely scarf as a friendly gesture. I’m not a member, but have been worshipping there regularly.

I sit near her and some other elderly parishioners, and I wonder about them constantly now. Will we ever be able to say the peace together anytime soon?

It’s been wonderful to say hello and follow the liturgy on Facebook Live for these last few weeks.

But more than anything, I just want to hug someone the way we used to do, before our world was turned completely upside down a month ago.

I want to sit in a restaurant and dine in. I want to take a nap under the trees at East Cobb Park. I want to shop without seeing lines of demarcation taped to the floor, spots not to cross.

I have faith those things will happen, but we’re in for a very long haul for the time being. The statewide shelter-in-place will continue at least through the end of April, and it will be months before any sliver of normalcy will return to our lives.

On this Easter and Passover weekend, I wish all of you a peaceful and restive interlude, and pray we’ll find the strength and courage to navigate this anxiety and uncertainty.

Thanks for your readership, stay safe and be in touch.

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