Month: January 2022

Cobb school board to consider SPLOST loans, public comments

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The Cobb Board of Education will be asked to approve taking out $100 million in short-term loans for construction projects on Thursday.Campbell High School lockdown

The board is meeting in public at a 2 p.m. work session and a 7 p.m. business session Thursday at the Cobb County School District Central Office (514 Glover St., Marietta).

There will be public comment periods at the start of both meetings, but speakers must sign up in advance by clicking here.

Each public comment session is limited to 30 minutes, and individual speakers have a maximum of two minutes.

The agendas for both meetings can be found here; the work session technically begins at 1 p.m., but members will convene, go into an executive session and return for a public work session at 2 p.m.

The meetings also will be live-streamed on the district’s BoxCast channel and on CobbEdTV, Comcast Channel 24.

Another executive session will take place between the public meetings.

In recent years, the Cobb County School District has taken out short-term loans to get a head start on construction projects funded by its Special Local-Option Sales Tax, and to save money.

Among the major construction projects on tap for this year is the reconstruction of Eastvalley Elementary School on the former campus of East Cobb Middle School. 

If the board approves, the $100 million loan would be repaid at the end of the calendar year with SPLOST revenues.

The board will be asked to accept a “best bid” for the purchase of the loans that will be presented at the work session. The final vote would come in the evening session.

The board also will be asked to consider changing the policy for signing up for public comment periods. 

Last year the board approved an online registration process but a proposal to be presented Thursday would revert to the previous in-person sign-up process.

The board also will be asked to spend $3 million to purchase 25 air conditioned buses that hold 72 passengers each.  

What’s not listed specifically on the agenda is any mention of the Cobb school district’s changing COVID protocols that were announced in December by Superintendent Chris Ragsdale.

He said that per a new state public health order, Cobb will eliminate most contact-tracing and will be changing staff quarantine policy for employees who are identified as close contacts.

Since the spring semester began earlier this month, the district has not been revealing any COVID case data.

A district spokeswoman told East Cobb News last week that the policy for counting cases is “under review” and that “once determined, we will provide an update on our COVID-19 webpage about what process we will use going forward.”

There could be information provided by Ragsdale under agenda items at both meetings regarding superintendent’s remarks.

The only items listed under board business at the work session are for annual board member compliance reports and appointments to the district’s facilities and technology committee, which conducts SPLOST oversight.

Thursday’s meetings will be the first with board member David Chastain of East Cobb presiding as chairman.

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Cobb schools 2022 graduations return to KSU, campus sites

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Lassiter graduation, Cobb schools 2020 graduation schedule
Most Cobb County School District graduations will return to KSU after a two-year absence. 

After two years of socially-distanced graduations at a single venue, the Cobb County School District is returning 2022 commencement exercises to familiar locations.

Most of the district’s 16 traditional high schools will have their graduations at the Kennesaw State University Convocation Center, the primary venue before the COVID-19 pandemic.

That’s where all six East Cobb high school Class of 2022 seniors will be getting their diplomas.

McEachern High School, which was the site for all Cobb graduations the last two years, will be having its commencement at Cantrell Stadium on campus, and Allatoona High School will hold graduation at its Allatoona Stadium.

Wheeler High School had been having its graduations at Wildcat Arena on campus but this year will be at KSU.

  • Monday, May 23: Kell High School, 7:30 p.m., KSU
  • Wednesday, May 25: Lassiter High School, 3:30 p.m., KSU
  • Wednesday, May 25: Wheeler High School, 7:30 p.m., KSU
  • Thursday, May 26: Walton High School, 10 a.m., KSU
  • Thursday, May 26: Sprayberry High School, 7 p.m., KSU
  • Friday, May 27: Pope High School, 2:30 p.m., KSU

More graduation will be forthcoming in the following weeks; click here for the full graduation schedule.

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Keep Cobb Beautiful closes drop off recycling locations

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Last week Keep Cobb Beautiful announced it was closing its designated recycling dropoff locations in the county—including Cobb Fire Station No. 14 near the Mountain View Regional Library and the East Cobb Government Service Center on Lower Roswell Road.Keep Cobb Beautiful spring recycling

The reasons were for a lack of garbage service providers in the county as well as a significant increase in the improper utilization of the recycling drop spots.

KCB, which is an agency of Cobb County government, indicated that the closure is “for now,” and that “we will continue to work on a solution that is best for all parties and will notify the community as soon as we are able to implement a suitable solution.”

Suggested alternatives sites for those looking to drop off recycled items include the following:

  • Main County drop off located at 1775 County Services Pkwy, Marietta, 30008
  • City of Smyrna Recycling Center located at 3475 Lake Dr.SE, Smyrna, 30082
  • Ask your garbage provider to provide curbside recycling with your service.

You also can call 770-528-1135 for more information and to find other places that take recycling materials.

Some community organizations hold single-event recycling opportunities, including the Pope High School Band.

It will be having a recycling fundraiser on Saturday, Jan. 29 at the Northeast Cobb YMCA (3010 Johnson Ferry Road) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

You can bring metal, electronics, appliances, paint and paper documents for shredding. The cost is $10 per car plus additional disposal fees for electronics, large items and other materials.

More details can be found by at www.popeband.com/recycle and for questions and pickup reservations, contact popebandrecycling@gmail.com.

 

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Cobb legislators to hold school board redistricting town hall

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Cobb school board redistricting town hall
State Rep. Erick Allen’s draft map of Cobb school board posts. For a larger view, click here.

Democratic members of the Cobb legislative delegation will be holding a virtual town hall meeting Tuesday to go over proposed redistricting maps for the Cobb Board of Education.

The event, which is organized by State Rep. Erick Allen, the delegation chairman, begins at 6:30 p.m. and can be accessed by clicking here.

The other lawmakers involved are State Rep. Teri Anulewicz and State Rep. David Wilkerson.

Democrats hold a one-member majority in the Cobb delegation, which will redraw lines for the school board as well as the Cobb Board of Commissioners.

(PLEASE NOTE: This process has nothing to do with school attendance zones, which are drawn by school district administrative staff and are done mainly to balance out school capacity or when new schools open.)

Redistricting for elected offices is done every 10 years by legislators after the Census is updated. In November, Georgia lawmakers redrew Congressional and legislative lines.

County legislators are responsible for redrawing the lines of districts for county commissioners and city council members and school board posts.

In December, the Cobb school board voted along party lines, with its Republican majority in favor, of a recommended map designed to keep that razor-thin majority.

The map would reduce the number of school board members representing the East Cobb area from three to two.

Cobb school board redistricting town hall
Cobb school board Republicans are recommending a map that shifts Post 6 out of East Cobb. For a larger view click here.

The current Post 6, represented by Democrat Charisse Davis, currently includes most of the Walton and Wheeler clusters.

But the Cobb GOP school board map would shift that post into the Cumberland-Smyrna-Vinings area completely, drawing current Post 2 board member Jaha Howard into the same area.

Allen’s map retains most of Post 6 as it looks now.

Like Davis, Howard is a first-term Democrat who’s openly challenged the Republicans on a number of issues, including race, equity and diversity, school discipline and COVID response.

They also prompted a special review of the Cobb school district by its accrediting agency last year.

At a Jan. 6 school board organizational meeting, the GOP majority elected East Cobb Republicans David Chastain and David Banks to serve as chair and vice chair, respectively, for 2022.

It was the latest in a series of contentious public meetings along sharp partisan lines that have roiled the school board over the last three years.

Chastain, who represents the Kell and Sprayberry clusters, has announced his intention to seek re-election this year.

Davis also is up for re-election but hasn’t announced her plans. Amy Henry, a Republican who has four children in the Walton High School cluster, has declared her intent to run for that seat, and has said that “Post 6 should remain largely as-is.”

Howard has declared his intent to run for Georgia school superintendent.

Qualifying starts in March, with a May primary.

The Cobb school board will meet at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday and and include time for public comment.

Agendas for the meetings will be posted at this link on Tuesday.

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Cobb schools not updating COVID cases to start spring semester

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After a week and a half of classes in the spring semester, the Cobb County School District has not updated its COVID-19 case data.CCSD logo, Cobb 2018-19 school calendar

Each Friday during the 2020-21 school year and in the fall semester of 2021, the district revised those figures each Friday, with breakdowns according to each school.

But for the last two Fridays, those numbers have not been provided on the district’s COVID Case Notification page.

Instead, the page shows it was last updated on Dec. 17, 2021, the last day of the fall semester, with a figure of 6,709 cumulative cases reported among students and staff since July 1, 2021.

In December, Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the district was changing some of its COVID protocols, including eliminating much of its contact-tracing and revising procedures for staff quarantine if they’re identified as close contacts.

At a Cobb school board meeting, Ragsdale didn’t reference how the district may be counting and publicly reporting COVID cases.

On Friday, East Cobb News asked the district about the status of keeping those figures current.

A spokeswoman responded by saying only that “recent changes to our public health protocols, and their impact on accurate COVID-19 case counts, are under review. Once determined, we will provide an update on our COVID-19 webpage about what process we will use going forward.”

That’s the same answer she has given to other news outlets.

Nearly two years into the pandemic, and the highly infectious Omicron variant is yielding record transmission levels in Cobb, Georgia and elsewhere.

As of Friday, the 14-day average of cases per 100,000 people in Cobb County was around 2,500, far higher than the “high” transmission rate of 100/100K.

Cobb government leaders said at the end of last week they will likely extend an emergency declaration through most of February, for another 30-day period.

That doesn’t affect the schools.

The Georgia Department of Public Health issues a weekly School Aged Surveillance Data report, and notes the numbers in Cobb are decreasing slightly.

As of Jan. 13, the 14-day case count in Cobb County between the ages of 5-17 has been 2,169, with a 14-day case rate of 1,642 per 100,000.

Those figures are not broken down by public school district or private schools.

The single-day high recently reported in Cobb was 252 on Dec. 30; on Jan. 12, the number was 171, part of a downward trend that’s generally dipping below 200.

The spring semester resumes on Tuesday. The COVID protocol changes may be discussed Thursday at Cobb school board meetings, which are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and include time for public comment.

Agendas for the meetings will be posted at this link on Tuesday.

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Light snow arrives in East Cobb as icy road hazards continue

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East Cobb snow icy road hazards
There’s a flashing light at the traffic signal at Johnson Ferry and Lassiter roads, indicating a power outage. Photo: Georgia 511

Some light accumulated snow began to fall in East Cobb late Sunday morning and into the afternoon, and as slushy roads were in the process of freezing.

A winter storm sweeping through the South has left several inches of snow in the mountains of North Georgia, but in metro Atlanta the conditions vary.

While roads are passable for now and there are no major issues on the roads, Cobb officials are urging the public to avoid travel if possible today.

Temperatures are hovering just above freezing, but are expected to drop into the high 20s Sunday night and into Monday morning.

As the winter storm approached, high winds were knocking down trees and power lines in parts of the county, Cobb spokesman Ross Cavitt said in a social media posting.

He was standing at the intersection of Johnson Ferry Road and Lassiter Road, one of three intersections in the county where the traffic signal is out.

Cavitt said there’s a power outage in the area, prompting the traffic signal to be flashing in all directions.

That’s one of 21 traffic signals in the county that are flashing or are out.

Sprucebough Drive, located off Johnson Ferry Road, is closed due to trees falling on power lines, a Cobb government message said right before noon.

Cobb EMC is reporting that there are more than 1,000 customers without electricity in the Sandy Plains-Shallowford area, with service restoration estimated for later Sunday afternoon.

(Here’s the Cobb EMC outage tracker.)

The Georgia Power outage map isn’t showing any service issues in the East Cobb area for the time being.

A winter weather advisory remains in place for Cobb until midnight Monday, but a high wind warning continues until 2 p.m. today.

Winds today have been in the 10-15 mph range, according to the National Weather Service, but the wind could reach gusts up to 30 mph in some places.

A wind advisory is in effect until 7 p.m. Monday.

According to the National Weather Service, there’s an 80 percent chance of rain, sleet and snow Sunday. Tonight the precipitation will fall to 30 percent, with lows dropping into the high 20s.

Monday will be partly sunny with highs in the high 30s and lows in the mid 20s.

 

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East Cobb Cityhood group presses for ‘right’ to referendum

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East Cobb Cityhood referendum
Members of the Committee for East Cobb Cityhood with State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (third from left) at the Georgia Capitol this week.

After a bill to call for a referendum about creating a City of East Cobb passed a Georgia House Committee this week, the group pushing for the legislation created a petition to build public support.

The Committee for East Cobb Cityhood on Saturday sent out an e-mail with a link to an online petition.

“The residents of East Cobb deserve the right to vote in a referendum to decide whether we should become the City of East Cobb,” states the petition, which is addressed to East Cobb-area legislators, including the bill’s sponsors.

“The decision is best left in the hands of the voters in the next election. We should not be denied our right to vote on the question of local, representative government for our community.”

HB 841, which got the approval of the House Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday, would call for a referendum this year that would let voters within the proposed city limits decide on whether East Cobb should become a city.

If the bill fails to pass in the Georgia General Assembly, there would be no referendum, and the cityhood issue would have to begin again in the next legislative cycle.

In 2019, an East Cobb cityhood bill was abandoned by supporters and never was considered by the legislature.

At a subcommittee hearing Wednesday and the committee meeting Thursday, local officials were asked by a lawmaker if the citizens of East Cobb should be able to vote on whether a city should be created.

Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid wanted more time to examine the bill and a financial feasibility study, saying voters don’t have “clear and accurate information.”

She said she doesn’t oppose cityhood bills in general, but “I’m in opposition to a bill being passed that has not been made clear, with information that is incomplete or is inaccurate so voters can make a wise decision.”

When pressed by State Rep. Barry Fleming about whether she opposed HB 841 (a substitute to the original bill) as it is written now, she said, “at this time, yes.”

On Saturday afternoon, the East Cobb Alliance, a group of citizens opposed to cityhood, issued a response to the cityhood group’s online petition, accusing the latter’s e-mail of largely containing “half-truths” about the issue of a referendum and other topics.

In a lengthy e-mail message, the Alliance, who had a representative at the legislative meetings this week, also said “the actual ballot language is not crystal clear as to what regular voters (not legislators and lawyers, but regular people) can decipher on the ballot. It is as convoluted as the trick-polling in which the Cityhood group has engaged.”

The Alliance message also delves into the addition of police and fire services to the East Cobb financial feasibility study, after proposing a “city lite” set of services without public safety in the bill introduced in 2021.

“Right out of the gate, a City of East Cobb will be operating at a huge loss, and the city will have to take on heavy debt immediately,” the Alliance e-mail concludes.

East Cobb House Republican Matt Dollar was the only co-sponsor in 2019, but this time around got the support of State Rep. Sharon Cooper.

HB 841 also will need a local sponsor in the Senate if it passes in the full House. (A House vote will not take place before Jan. 24, since the legislature will be holding budget meetings all next week.)

In 2019, State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, a Republican from East Cobb, said she couldn’t support the bill because she got a lot of negative feedback from constituents.

She told East Cobb News on Friday that she is more receptive to the bill this time.

“The bill and the map are much different than 2019 and I am getting a lot more positive feedback on it this time,” she said. “I have said all along that if there was sufficient interest from the citizens in voting on this issue, I would support it and that appears to be the case this time. Then the community can vote it up or down.”

Kirkpatrick, however, isn’t a co-sponsor. While she represents the proposed City of East Cobb currently, her District 32 will not include any of that area in the 2022 election, due to redrawn lines during reapportionment.

Instead, the Senate co-sponsor would be John Albers, a Republican from North Fulton, whose District 56 will soon include the proposed East Cobb city area.

Among the signatories to the East Cobb Cityhood group’s petition include Scott Sweeney, a former Cobb Board of Education member who joined the group last year, and current school board member David Banks, who represents the Pope and Lassiter clusters in East Cobb.

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Cobb included in winter weather advisory for Storm Izzy

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Cobb winter weather advisory
For more details about Storm Izzy, click here. Source: National Weather Service Atlanta

What’s being called Winter Storm Izzy was approaching Georgia Saturday morning, and the National Weather Service expanded its winter weather advisory to include most of Cobb County and metro Atlanta.

The advisory begins at 10 p.m. Sunday and continues until midnight Monday as North Georgia braces for snow, sleet, ice and other winter weather.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency for most of North Georgia.

The advisory, which was issued at 11:15 a.m. Saturday, says there’s an expectation of up to 2 inches of accumulated snow and up to two-tenths of an inch of ice accumulation during that time.

High winds also will be a factor, with gusts predicted of up to 40 mph in some areas.

The Cobb area is likely to get precipitation on Sunday morning. As a result, many churches have cancelled in-person services and will be worshipping online.

As noted previously, Cobb DOT will begin pre-treating selected roads, bridges and overpasses in the county starting at 6 p.m. Saturday, and will have around-the-clock shifts through Monday to respond to any serious road issues.

Citizens are advised to be off the roads before 6 p.m. Saturday and to avoid unnecessary travel after that.

The high Saturday is expected to reach into the high 40s, but temperatures will drop near freezing Saturday night.

Sunday’s high is expected to be in the mid 30s, with a 90 percent chance of a wintry mix.

Sunday’s low will dip into the high 20s.

Monday will be clear and sunny, but with highs also in the low 40s and lows in the mid 20s.

 

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CycleBar East Cobb conducting coat drive through Cobb schools

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CycleBar East Cobb coat drive

Starting Monday and continuing through Jan. 28, the CycleBar location in East Cobb (4880 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 450 in the Parkaire Landing Shopping Center) is conducting a winter coat drive.

New and gently used coats of all ages can be dropped off there Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Saturday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

CycleBar will be donating the collected coats through the Cobb County School District.

Those who donate coats will get 3 free rides at CycleBar as a thank-you gift.

More details can be found at the link above or by calling 770-672-0198.

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East Cobb cookie artist donates $5K to Piedmont Healthcare

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East Cobb cookie artist donates Piedmont Healthcare

Submitted information and photo:

Sam Opdenbosch, owner of Sam’s Cookie Company, won the Food Network’s “Christmas Cookie Challenge” on December 23rd, 2021. The competition, which invites five cookie artists from around the country, challenges bakers to create holiday themed desserts for a $10,000 prize.

Opdenbosch, a licensed home baker and owner of Sam’s Cookie Company, has decided to donate all $10,000 to organizations that have been hit hardest by this unprecedented COVID crisis.

The Piedmont Healthcare Staff Support Fund will receive $5,000. Angels Among Us Pet Rescue and Furkids will each receive $2,500.

In Christmas Cookie Challenge, five confident and daring bakers compete to prove their holiday cookie-making skills. Tough-love judges are on hand to crown the holiday cookie master, who will go home with a $10,000 prize! In Season 5, Episode 8 Reindeer Auditions Santa’s recruiting new animals for his team, and it’s up to five of the best cookie makers around to come up with the candidates! After hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson select which reindeer replacements will make the squad, it’s time for fun with a frosty friend as the cookiers craft one-of-a-kind 3-D snowmen. To infuse their cookie snowmen with a chilly flavor, the competitors incorporate frozen fruits like blueberry, strawberry, raspberry and blackberry. With $10,000 on the line, only one can be “Best in Snow.”

Samantha made it to the second round by using strong animals to replace the reindeer. She created a llama and polar bear to help Santa deliver presents. “For the final challenge of the season, the bakers were tasked with crafting one-of-a-kind 3-D snowmen made entirely of cookies. Eddie loved the detail on Samantha’s chocolate espresso blackberry cookie, noting that she did an excellent job on the piping.”

“Being on Food Network’s Christmas Cookie Challenge season 5, episode 8 “Reindeer Auditions” was one of the most amazing experiences I have had! Not only to be on the show but to take home $10,000 is still unbelievable!!!!! Being able to donate the winnings to incredible organizations like these has made this one of the most memorable moments of my life.”

The Piedmont staff support fund provides funding for initiatives that raise employee morale, aid staff in their self-care, or help employees as they care for their loved ones at home. Examples for these initiatives include but are not limited to staff celebrations, daycare expenses, meal support, technology and tutoring needed by children for at home learning, mental and emotional support services and more.

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Cobb COVID-19 emergency likely to be extended into February

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Cobb COVID emergency likely extended
To watch the Cobb COVID-19 virtual town hall on Thursday, click here.

Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said Friday that the COVID-19 state of emergency she declared that’s set to expire next week will likely be extended into February.

During a special-called virtual meeting of the Cobb Board of Commissioners, Cupid said that unless there’s a “marked decrease” of virus transmission in the county, she’ll extend the 30-day emergency declaration she issued on Dec. 22.

That’s due to end next Friday, Jan. 21, but COVID-19 cases have spiraled since then due to the Omicron variant.

As of Friday, Cobb and Douglas Public Health reported that the 14-day average is 2,536 cases per 100,000 people, far above the “high” transmission threshold of 100 cases/100K

Friday’s number is slightly down from earlier in the week, but the transmission rates remain at record levels.

During the virtual meeting Friday, commissioners were briefed by Cobb and Douglas Public Health Director Dr. Janet Memark and WellStar’s Medical Director of Infectious Disease, Dr. Danny Branstetter (see video link at the bottom).

They appeared with Cupid Thursday on a virtual town hall, and continued to urge the public to wear masks and get vaccinated, including boosters, to protect themselves and others from infection and serious illness or worse.

Branstetter said Wellstar Kennestone Hospital is seeing fewer COVID-related hospitalizations this week, but the numbers remain especially high.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, Cobb has 440,378 people “fully vaccinated” against COVID-19, or 59 percent of the eligible population. Another 481,527 people, or 64 percent, have received one dose. A total of 173,931 people, or 23 percent, have received booster shots.

The Cobb emergency declaration enables the county to utilize a response plan. Cupid called for commissioners meetings to go virtual this week.

County Manager Jackie McMorris also has reimposed a mask mandate at indoor county facilities and has placed social-distancing limits in some instances, including the county’s aquatic centers.

That’s put a limit on spectators to watch high school swimming meets, prompting an online petition started by a Walton High School swimmer.

Commissioners were inundated with e-mails, but Cupid continues to defend the decision in the name of public health and safety.

Earlier this week commissioners confirmed an $813,000 Cobb Emergency Management Agency purchase of 60,000 COVID test kits with the last of its federal CARES Act funding.

A distribution event was to have taken place Monday at Jim Miller Park but is being delayed with a winter weather forecast starting Sunday.

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Walton High School to honor inaugural Sports Hall of Fame class

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Walton High School has created a Sports Hall of Fame and its inaugural class includes longtime former football coach Ed Dudley.Walton Sports Hall of Fame

He’s one of seven people who will be honored next Friday, Jan. 21, between the Raiders’ girls and boys varsity basketball games against Harrison.

Dudley coached the Raiders from 1995-2008 and led them to the school’s first five region titles. He also took Walton to the state semifinals twice, and was twice named the Cobb County Coach of the Year.

The Dudley football field house at Raider Valley is named in his honor. He is currently the head coach at Winder-Barrow High School.

The Sports Hall of Fame started a Twitter account last week to reveal all the honorees:

Lee Anne Case (1983-86)—4-time state champion in cross country; 1986 Georgia high school female athlete of the year; 1985-86 national high school All-American; 2-time Georgia state record holder in 1600m, 3200m runs; 4-time letter-winner at Auburn University.

Holden Fender (Soccer 2008-12)—2012 Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year; member of the U.S. U17, U19, U20 United States men’s national teams; Georgia state champion 2011; 3-time state Final Four participant;  Played college at UCLA (2012) and N.C. State and was All-ACC in 2014.

Lee Gower (Head Coach Track & Field and Cross Country 1975-85)—4-time boys state championships; 3-time girls cross country state championships; 9-time cross country region championships; 6-time track and field regional championships; coached 2 girls cross country All-Americans and 19 individual state champions.

Keith Grunewald (1986-90 Baseball): 4-year starter at shortstop; 1990 All-State, All-Region & Tourney MVP; 2-time regional champion; Highest MLB draftee (59th) in Walton HS history at the time; 3-year starter as football quarterback; in 1988 led Cobb in total yards, passing yards and passing TDs; 1989 All-State; 3-year letterman in basketball and 2-year starter, played on Walton’s first region champion in 1989.

Dr. Hugh McLeod (1982-2011): Team Doctor for Walton Athletics for 29 years; founded the Walton Sports Medicine Program; namesake of the Hugh C. McLeod III, MD Sports Medicine Facility at Walton; funded trainer program at Walton.

Alena Palmquist (1980-84 track and field): 9-time Georgia State Champion; held state records in mile and 2-mile run; part of 2-time team state champions in cross country; 3-time Atlanta Track Club Runner of the Year; 5-time All-American.

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Cobb delays COVID test distribution ahead of winter weather

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Cobb winter weather
For more details of this weekend’s winter weather advisory, click here.

With winter weather in the forecast early next week, Cobb County government is delaying a planned COVID test distribution event that had been scheduled for Monday.

The county put out a statement late Thursday afternoon saying that Cobb DOT crews were preparing for a mixture of snow and ice that are in the forecast for Sunday morning.

Temperatures aren’t expected to reach much above freezing Sunday, with a 100 percent chance of precipitation in the forecast that includes the possibility of snow, ice or a combination.

Monday’s forecast is partly sunny with highs only in the high 30s.

That’s the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, and Cobb officials were planning the use the occasion to distribute free COVID tests at Jim Miller Park, followed by the official holiday observance with the Cobb NAACP that has been moved to a virtual setting.

But the county statement Thursday said that the distribution is being postponed to later in the week.

Cobb commissioners will be meeting Monday at 9 a.m. in a special-called virtual meeting to receive a COVID update from Cobb and Douglas Public Health and the Wellstar Health System. That meeting will be live-streamed on the county’s YouTube channel.

Cobb spokesman Ross Cavitt said DOT crews will begin pre-treating some bridges, overpasses and “known trouble spots” around the county starting at 6 p.m. Saturday.

He said crews will maintain shifts “around the clock” into Monday to respond.

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East Cobb Cityhood bill approved by Ga. House committee

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Despite requests from Cobb County government officials for a delay, the Georgia House Governmental Affairs Committee approved the East Cobb Cityhood bill Thursday morning.

After a nearly 90-minute discussion, the committee voted 9-4 to send the bill to the full House.

The bill, if passed by the legislature, would call for a November referendum for voters in the proposed city of 55,000 to decide on incorporation.

It’s the first of four cityhood bills in Cobb County to be considered this year, and drew the attendance of Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid and two of her department heads.

(You can watch a replay of the meeting by clicking here.)

HB 841 has been revised from when it was proposed in March 2021 by East Cobb Republican House members Matt Dollar and Sharon Cooper (substitute bill as approved here).

A substitute bill was made available at Thursday’s meeting but has not yet been posted online; the bill has an additional co-sponsor in Republican Rep. Ed Setzler of West Cobb, who’s the main sponsor of a Lost Mountain cityhood bill.

On Wednesday, a subcommittee heard the East Cobb cityhood proposal, which includes police and fire, planning and zoning and code enforcement services.

Public safety services were added to a feasibility study that concluded in November that a proposed city of East Cobb would be financially viable, with an annual surplus of $3 million.

Those issues prompted remarks by Cupid to the committee that she wanted the community to have an opportunity to better understand “the merits of what’s in the feasibility study.”

She said she wasn’t opposed to cities, but “I’m opposed to persons having to vote and not having clear and accurate information beforehand.”

When pressed by committee member Rep. Barry Fleming if she would campaign against an East Cobb referendum, she said it was her role to represent all Cobb citizens on an issue that would have a financial impact on the county.

“So you’re in opposition to the bill, correct?” Fleming asked her.

“I don’t believe I stated that sir,” Cupid said.

“I’m asking,” he said.

Cupid said that “I’m in opposition to a bill being passed that has not been made clear, with information that is incomplete or is inaccurate so voters can make a wise decision.”

When he pressed her further if she opposed the bill as it is written now, she said, “at this time, yes.”

While cityhood bills in Georgia must have a financial feasibility study, they’re not required to include a study on how a new city would impact its county.

Bill Volckmann, Cobb’s chief financial officer, told the committee he wanted to have more time to examine how the city of East Cobb’s proposed major revenue mechanisms would impact the county.

The other three Cobb cityhood bills—Mableton, Vinings and Lost Mountain—do not include public safety services.

The East Cobb feasibility study includes the proposed transfer of 2.6 mills in the current Cobb fire fund to provide most of the city’s revenues.

Volckman said that would negatively affect the county’s general fund and its 911 fund and while he was not for or against East Cobb cityhood, “that is something we would like to have some time to go through and share those impacts with the citizens so they can make an informed decision.”

Cobb public safety director Randy Crider noted that the Cobb Fire Department—of which he was formerly chief—has a top insurance rating and was “curious to know how [East Cobb] residents would have a better fire department.”

Marietta also has what’s called an ISO 1 rating, and has six fire stations. Smyrna has five fire stations. They’re the only two cities in Cobb with separate fire departments, and Cobb Fire provides support for major fires and in special situations.

Crider said that given that the proposed East Cobb fire department would have only two stations serving a city with 25 square miles, “how much are we going to be relied on to provide support?”

Committee members didn’t question them, but some were concerned about another aspect of the bill, its governing structure.

According to the proposed East Cobb city charter, a six-member city council would be elected, with three members coming from three separate districts and three others elected at-large.

Council members would then choose a mayor among themselves to serve a two-year term.

Dollar said the reasoning behind that structure is that “we’re wary of one person coming in with a vision for East Cobb.

“We wanted this to be a true city council,” he said.

State Rep. Teri Anulewicz, a Democrat who formerly served on the Smyrna City Council, isn’t on the committee, but participated remotely.

She said such a structure could conceivably concentrate power to potentially having four council members from the same neighborhood, down to the level of a cul-de-sac.

“That’s not a city,” Anulewicz said. “That’s an HOA.”

But supporters of the bill from the Committee for East Cobb Cityhood reiterated points they made to the subcommittee Wednesday about the need for local representation closer to the community level.

Setzler questioned whether East Cobb residents now are getting an adequate level of police and fire services.

Craig Chapin, the cityhood group’s president, said he and other supporters don’t feel like their concerns are being heard on a Cobb Board of Commissioners whose four district members each represent nearly 200,000 people.

“This isn’t a criticism of Cobb or its leadership,” he said. “We want the ability to have local control.”

The next step for the cityhood bill will be to be placed on the calendar for the full House to consider.

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East Cobb residents sound off on cityhood bill at hearing

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East Cobb Cityhood bill hearing
State Rep. Matt Dollar, sponsor of the East Cobb Cityhood bill, and Mindy Seger, a leader of the opposition East Cobb Alliance.

A bill that would call for a referendum on creating a City of East Cobb could get a committee vote as early as Thursday after the legislation got its first full hearing Wednesday.

UPDATED: The House Governmental Affairs Committee voted on Thursday to approve the bill, which goes to the full House.

East Cobb residents spoke both in favor and against the cityhood bill before lawmakers on Wednesday (you can watch the hearing by clicking here).

A special panel of the Georgia House Governmental Affairs Committee heard arguments that echoed public debate when East Cobb cityhood first came up in 2019.

The bill is listed on the agenda of the full committee, which meets at 8 a.m. Thursday. You can watch that meeting by clicking here.

Unlike the first campaign for cityhood—which was abandoned by the bill’s supporters after vocal opposition surfaced at town halls—the current effort was conducted last year in virtual format and small gatherings.

At the hearing at the Coverdell Legislative Office Building, proponents of cityhood, including chief sponsor Rep. Matt Dollar, stressed the importance of local government control in Cobb County, whose four district commissioners now serve around 200,000 citizens each.

Opponents made familiar complaints that cityhood would be adding another layer of government and questioned who was behind the campaign, despite newcomers who represented the Committee for East Cobb Cityhood.

“East Cobb, it is a place,” said Dollar, who sponsored the original bill in 2019 and now has the support of Rep. Sharon Cooper, another East Cobb Republican.

“It’s very relative. East Cobb means something different to everyone who’s out there.”

He said cityhood supporters have gathered plenty of feedback from the first campaign to incorporate into their drive to create a city of 55,000 people with public safety, planning and zoning and code enforcement services.

Dollar, who is not seeking re-election this year, said initially he was opposed to the cityhood bill.

“I think it’s a positive thing for a place I’ve called home my entire life,” said Dollar, who added that he’s recently bought a new home in East Cobb.

“It’s our forever home. I’m not leaving.”

What’s changed since 2019?

The political dynamics in Cobb County, for starters.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners now has a Democratic majority after Republicans began dominating in the 1980s.

Pamela Reardon, a realtor who said she opposed the initial cityhood effort, is now on board because of zoning and development issues in Cobb, suggesting that current county elected officials are plotting a high-density future for the Johnson Ferry Road corridor.

“What scares me to death is the direction these commissioners are taking the county,” she said. “They make no bones that their goal is to urbanize our suburbs.”

But other East Cobb residents were just as adamant that they didn’t see a need for a new city.

“What’s in it for me other than more taxes?” said Robert Hanson, a retiree. “Who’s really behind this?”

He suggested Cobb County have a singular government, folding in the six existing cities and “eliminating politicians and bureaucracy.”

Resident Norman Black said “I don’t know of anyone whose opinion was solicited before this bill. It came from out of the blue.”

Mindy Seger, a leader of the East Cobb Alliance, which formed in 2019 to oppose cityhood, reiterated to the subcommittee that creating a city would be creating a new layer of government, and that while there are some new faces on the cityhood committee, “it’s the same song and dance.”

She questioned the late summer 2021 addition of police and fire services to a financial feasibility study, which was released in November and showed an annual revenue surplus of $3 million.

But Seger said the study didn’t include cost estimates for police and fire personnel, equipment and related expenses.

And she questioned the current bill’s governance structure of a weak mayor system—in which city council members would elect one of their own to serve two-year mayoral terms.

That’s a format similar to the Cobb Board of Education, which has been roiled in controversy over the last three years.

“It’s not the best model of governance right now,” she said in response to a question by Rep. Barry Fleming, a Republican from Harlem (near Augusta).

She was countered by State Rep. Ed Setzler, who spoke to the subcommittee in favor of East Cobb Cityhood.

He’s a Republican from West Cobb and is the sponsor of a bill to create a City of Lost Mountain, primarily for zoning and development reasons.

Setzler said that “it’s not more government, it’s representative government.”

He said his constituents in the cities of Acworth and Kennesaw get “40 times the representation” from their city council members as those in his district living in unincorporated Cobb County from a single commissioner.

With a city of East Cobb, he said, citizens would get “20 times the representation that you have now.

“The cityhood movement needs to be seen in the context of quality of life and representative government.”

State Rep. Mary Frances Williams, a Democrat from Marietta who represents part of Northeast Cobb that’s not in the proposed city, asked Setzler about East Cobb’s demographics—which she said were around 75 percent white—in comparison to the rest of the county.

He said he’s supported cityhood across the board, including South Fulton, with a high minority population, and countered that her premise “is wrong to ask. Does this group look the same as a broader group of people?”

She replied that “you haven’t really answered my question but thank you” and said she was curious about “why cityhood is being pursued here.”

Another Democrat on the subcommittee, Rep. Mesha Mainor of Atlanta, said she was familiar with East Cobb after having lived in Sandy Springs.

“East Cobb is its own place,” she said.

Cityhood committee members who spoke Wednesday said that’s why they’re getting involved now, after not doing so or being unaware of the issue three years ago.

“A lot of times it seems our representatives are out of touch,” said Cindy Cooperman, the group’s communications leader. “I’m not getting the engagement or representation I’m looking for.”

Another newcomer to the cityhood campaign, Sarah Haas, said she’s taking part now to help preserve “the character of East Cobb,” particularly regarding development and redevelopment.

“How do we have local control and a local voice?” said Craig Chapin, the group’s president. “This isn’t secession from Cobb County.

“Folks who live in the community should be making the decisions that are the most relevant to our community.”

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East Cobb food scores: Panera Bread; Taqueria Tsunami; more

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Panera Bread The Avenue East Cobb

The following East Cobb food scores for the week of Jan. 10 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:

Catfish Hox
2595 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 101
January 14, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Chopsticks China Bistro
3822 Roswell Road, Suite 113
January 12, 2022 Score: 98, Grade: A

Corazon Mexican Cantina
1199 Bells Ferry Road
January 14, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Jersey Mike’s Subs
4400 Roswell Road, Suite 148
January 11, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Martin’s Restaurant
3101 Canton Road
January 12, 2022 Score: 94, Grade: A

Panda Express
4275 Roswell Road
January 11, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Panera Bread
4475 Roswell Road, Suite 1530
January 11, 2022 Score: 84, Grade: B

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen
2830 Windy Hill Road
January 10, 2022 Score: 86, Grade: B

The Place
700 Sandy Plains Road, Suite A1
January 12, 2022 Score: 91, Grade: A

Studio Movie Grill
40 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 400
January 12, 2022 Score: 96, Grade: A

Taqueria Tsunami
1275 Johnson Ferry Road
January 13, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Tofu Village
700 Sandy Plains Road, Suite B1
January 12, 2022 Score: 81, Grade: B

Waffle House
621 Johnson Ferry Road
January 13, 2022 Score: 94, Grade: A

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East Cobb cityhood bill to get first legislative hearing

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Revised East Cobb city map
The proposed city of East Cobb boundaries, as revised in August 2021. For a larger view, click here.

The first hearing for the East Cobb Cityhood bill will take place Wednesday in a Georgia House subcommittee.

UPDATED: East Cobb residents sound off on cityhood bill at hearing.

A special subcommittee of the House Governmental Affairs will hear HB 841 at 1 p.m. in Room 406 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building (18 Capitol Square, SW, Atlanta).

It’s a hybrid hearing that also will be live-streamed at this link; the meeting is for hearing purposes only, and will deal only with the East Cobb legislation, according to the agenda item.

The bill, HB 841,  was filed at the end of the 2021 legislative session by two East Cobb Republican House members, Matt Dollar and Sharon Cooper.

Under state law, cityhood bills must be considered over two years in the same legislative cycle, meaning they are introduced in the first year and considered in the second year.

The hearing by the special subcommittee is the first step in that process; the bill would eventually have to be voted out of the Governmental Affairs Committee to reach the full house floor. The Senate also would act along similar lines if the bill is approved in the House and then “crosses over.”

The full legislature must vote to approve the bill, which calls for an incorporation referendum in November 2022 to be decided by voters in the proposed city boundaries.

The Committee for East Cobb Cityhood hasn’t publicized the subcommittee hearing, but a group opposed to cityhood, the East Cobb Alliance, sent out an e-mail alert Tuesday afternoon urging those interested in speaking against the bill to show up in person.

“You do not need any long-winded speech to oppose,” the e-mail read. “You can just appear, sit down, and say ‘I oppose this legislation as I oppose a new city being jammed down my throat by a handful of people who keep pushing their agenda to add government to my life!’

“Or, say whatever you want in your words.”

This is the second East Cobb cityhood bill filed since 2019, when Dollar first submitted legislation that was later abandoned by its initial supporters.

Community opposition included local and state lawmakers, among them State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, who would need to sponsor the current bill. State law requires cityhood bills to have local sponsors in both chambers.

Cooper didn’t support the first bill but appeared with Dollar on a cityhood virtual town hall last year.

Current supporters said their reasons for backing cityhood now is to preserve the suburban feel of the community, with planning and zoning and code enforcement among the proposed services.

After a financial feasibility study was released in November, the cityhood group said it was adding police and fire services, which had been part of the initial cityhood campaign.

However, any services ultimately would be decided by the city council, should a cityhood referendum pass. State law mandates a minimum of three services for new cities.

The proposed charter that’s included in HB 841 also calls for a different governing structure, with six city council members coming from three districts (two members from each district), and with the council then selecting a mayor.

The current bill includes much smaller boundaries than the 2019 legislation, with around 55,000 in a city centered along the Johnson Ferry Road corridor.

The special subcommittee conducting Wednesday’s hearing includes State Rep. Mary Frances Williams, a Democrat from Marietta whose District 37 includes some of Northeast Cobb, but not the proposed East Cobb city area.

Three other cityhood bills in Cobb—for Lost Mountain, Vinings and Mableton—will undergo a similar process—but no committee hearings have been immediately assigned.

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Cobb Commission Chairwoman to hold virtual COVID town hall

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Cobb health director COVID vaccines
Cobb and Douglas Public Health director Dr. Janet Memark.

Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid will conduct a virtual town hall Thursday to discuss the county’s response to the latest COVID-19 surge.

She will be joined Cobb and Douglas Public Health director Dr. Janet Memark and WellStar’s Medical Director of Infectious Disease, Dr. Danny Branstetter starting at 6:30 p.m.

The town hall will be live-streamed on the county’s YouTube and Facebook pages. Citizens can ask questions during the meeting or in advance by e-mailing: comments@cobbcounty.org.

On Tuesday, Memark briefed the Cobb Board of Commissioners about skyrocketing COVID-19 metrics, including a current 14-day average of 2,657 cases per 100,000 people.

That’s far above the “high” transmission threshold of 100/100K, and Memark attributed that to the fast-moving Omicron variant.

While many of the symptoms of that variant are milder than previous versions of the virus, she said local hospitalization capacity is being strained.

Cupid, who declared a state of emergency through Jan. 22, defended the county’s decision to limit attendance at county-run aquatic centers for high school swimming meets.

Commissioners have received a high volume of e-mails complaining that family members aren’t being allowed inside to watch the competition.

“We do feel for the parents who have been impacted,” she said during a virtual meeting, in which she was masked but was the only commissioner in attendance in the board’s public meeting room.

“We’re hoping to get through this and reduce that very high number. We can share numbers with you, but the most compelling are the experiences we are seeing and feeling in real time.

“People are still experiencing impacts . .  . long COVID due to the Omicron variant. These are not conditions that we want anyone to experience. We’ve also got to think about our health care infrastructure.”

(You can watch Memark’s presentation by clicking here; it’s at the beginning of the meeting.)

Memark outlined extra testing efforts, including additional sites for the public to get tested. She also urged those unvaccinated to do so, including booster shots.

Cobb’s “fully vaccinated” population is only 58 percent, with 64 percent having had at least an initial dose and only 20 percent boosted.

More testing and vaccination information from Cobb and Douglas Public Health by clicking here.

Cupid said more information about 60,000 at-home test kits ordered last week by the Cobb Emergency Management Agency will be coming later this week. There will be a distribution event from 8-10 a.m. Monday at Jim Miller Park.

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Cobb Martin Luther King Jr. celebration switched to virtual format

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The Cobb government/Cobb NAACP celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday next Monday will be held in a virtual setting due to the COVID-19 surge.Cobb MLK celebration virtual

The county announced that the service will still begin at 10 a.m., as initially scheduled, but will be available for online viewing only on CobbTV, the county’s Facebook page and on YouTube.

The celebration includes the introducing the 2022 Living the Dream Award honorees, who are community members who demonstrate leadership and commitment to making Cobb more diverse and inclusive.

MLK Day is a day of service, and the Cobb organizers are encouraging volunteers to find opportunities via Americorps or Hands-on Atlanta.

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Cobb keeping aquatic center COVID restrictions despite protests

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Cobb aquatic center COVID restrictions

After Cobb commissioners got an e-mail deluge from high school swimmers and their parents over the weekend about capacity limits at aquatic centers, Chairwoman Lisa Cupid isn’t budging from restrictions designed to combat a COVID-19 surge.

Cupid issued a statement Monday saying that capacity limits at indoor county facilities include the county-run aquatic centers, and that they are necessary.

“As the mother of student-athletes, I understand the frustration from not being able to watch your children compete,” Cupid said in the statement.

“However, public health leaders have impressed upon me now is not the time to have large groups gathering together in confined spaces during this record COVID surge. Our local hospitals are nearing a breaking point, and our staff has been severely impacted due to rising cases in the county.”

Charles Barry, a junior swimmer at Walton High School, began an online petition drive over the weekend to protest the capacity limits, and his campaign is approaching nearly 2,000 signatures.

Cobb high school swimming meets regularly take place at two county-owned aquatic centers that are rented by the Cobb County School District for those events.

The restrictions were to limit total capacity to 100 people, but increases were allowed for meets over the weekend.

According to county spokesman Ross Cavitt, the largest, Mountain View, was limited to 160 people, and a maximum of 125 people were allowed at the Central Aquatic Center in Marietta.

Cupid declared a state of emergency on Dec. 22 to run through Jan. 21. That includes a mask mandate at indoor county facilities and social-distancing limits, but Cavitt said the aquatic center capacity restrictions “are not directly tied to the emergency declaration.”

In a message Sunday to East Cobb News, Barry said that “multiple people are in full support of removing the capacity limits and think that they are ridiculous and put swimmers at a disadvantage.”

He said the swim teams only found out on Thursday about the limits, which he said don’t affect practices but are “dramatically affecting meets.

“The meets are limited in capacity which causes people to sit outside in the freezing cold during meets, or separate the meets by boys and girls, or even have coaches cut the amount of swimmers,” Barry said.

He added that Walton’s combined boys and girls team includes around 100 swimmers. “It is absurd that they are limiting this because it is causing our meets to not run normally and not run how they should be.”

The Cobb County varsity and junior varsity swimming championships will be contested Jan. 20-21 at the Mountain View and Central aquatic centers.

Cupid said in her statement that the county parks director “has been in contact with Cobb school athletic directors who assured him they will be able to continue holding swim meets with the social distancing requirements in place.”

In the same statement, Cobb County Manager Jackie McMorris said that “while it’s a difficult time for everyone . . . proper social distancing and reducing the number of people inside confined facilities at these events will enable us to keep the facilities’ doors open.”

A parent signing the petition complained her son, a senior swimmer, “was already cheated out a normal junior year season with all the mandates and no spectators in 2020-2021 and now he is being cheated out of having a complete normal senior season.

“He is a team captain and being a full team is what drives these kids’ spirit. Let these kids finish their season strong!”

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