Optional valet parking at The Avenue East Cobb will be available between the “jewel box” restaurant and retail buildings and near a concierge and public plaza.
The overhaul of The Avenue East Cobb was approved by the Cobb Board of Commissioners Tuesday with only a slight change added.
During a zoning hearing, the site plan change request by North American Properties was passed on the commission’s consent agenda, meaning there was no opposition.
The back portion of the retail center on Roswell Road, just east of Johnson Ferry Road, will be redeveloped to include two “jewel box” buildings with restaurant and retail space, a live music and special event stage, a concierge building, a public plaza and optional valet parking.
The only change from the formal request came from District 2 commissioner Jerica Richardson, who was adding language about traffic queuing in that area to accommodate what she called “multimodal” forms of transportation.
There was no other discussion of the request. Last week, a spokeswoman for NAP told East Cobb News that new tenants for the jewel box buildings could be revealed soon.
The area for redevelopment is what’s being called The Avenue’s “Central Avenue” area, where live music and other events have been taking place since last fall.
Last summer, NAP—which developed the Avalon complex in Alpharetta and overhauled Colony Square and Atlantic Station in Midtown—entered into a joint partnership with present owners PGIM to manage the 23,000-square foot The Avenue, which opened in 1999.
The objective is to create a more dynamic lifestyle destination space, prompting a dramatic conceptual revision.
In an interview with East Cobb News in April, NAP officials said that construction could get underway in August with possible completion in the first quarter of 2023.
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Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, North Georgia Conference
More than 100 present and former members of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church met this week with the Bishop of the North Georgia Conference, who responded to claims that the denominational body “caved” in its legal dispute with the East Cobb congregation.
Earlier this month, the Conference entered into a settlement agreement with Mt. Bethel to allow it to leave the UMC with its property and assets in exchange for a $13.1 million payment and other terms.
Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson said at a meeting of the Friends of Mt. Bethel this week that legal costs and voluminous deposition requests were mounting.
The Conference and Mt. Bethel have been in litigation since last September, but agreed to a consent decree that has been signed and is expected to be finalized by later this summer.
Mt. Bethel has 120 days to make the payment, and would then become an independent church. According to the AJC, Mt. Bethel is more than halfway toward reaching that goal.
“Our legal counsel was that if we wanted to settle the matter, which we thought was in the best interest of everyone, it would be better to do so before the deposition process began,” Haupert-Johnson said at the Friends meeting, which was held at Mt. Zion UMC in East Cobb.
“That would be a contentious phase. . . So much of our time was spent in the process of litigation and the constant discovery. It wasn’t caving. It was a missional decision above all else to free them to be about the overall mission of the Church.”
The Friends of Mt. Bethel was formed last fall by church members who opposed the congregation leadership’s decision to fight Haupert-Johnson’s reassignment of senior pastor Rev. Dr. Jody Ray.
Mt. Bethel also declined to accept her appointment of Rev. Dr. Steven Usry to succeed him, saying the church was not properly consulted.
After Ray refused his new post and turned in his UMC ministerial credentials, the Conference eventually moved to claim Mt. Bethel property and assets, followed by a failed mediation effort and litigation.
The Friends group numbers several hundred individuals on its mailing list, and has been meeting informally with Usry in recent months. They recently had a picnic and have had other fellowship events in the Sibley Forest neighborhood in East Cobb.
For Easter, Usry preached a sermon for them at another UMC in Atlanta, and the group is planning worship events at Roswell UMC the last Sunday of each month, with him presiding and with a choir.
“These events will give us a chance slow down, pause and deal with our anger and confusion together,” said Suzanne Tucker, Mt. Bethel’s former director of traditional music and creative arts.
She said she was terminated in April because she didn’t go along with Mt. Bethel leadership in the dispute with the North Georgia Conference.
“I am deeply saddened by what is going on,” she told East Cobb News in a message in May. “I am appalled at the power grab being attempted under the banner of Christ by Jody and his supporters.”
Those sentiments were echoed Tuesday at the meeting with Haupert-Johnson, who was joined by Usry.
Someone asked why “didn’t we just go ahead and evict Jody? He was trespassing. He was told he couldn’t be the minister of this Methodist Church and then he sat and squatted.”
Haupert-Johnson responded that “Have you ever tried to evict a tenant from a dwelling that you owned?”
The Friends of Mt. Bethel have been holding worship and fellowship events in recent months, including a May picnic.
Others asked her why Mt. Bethel won’t have a disaffiliation vote, as is called for in the UMC’s Book of Discipline governing documents.
Haupert-Johnson said that was the intention, and while “we knew Mt. Bethel might not go ‘woo-hoo a new pastor’ . . . we didn’t expect all that went on.”
She said the plan was to have Usry represent Mt. Bethel through such a proceeding. “But the leadership of the church took a different direction,” she said.
“When they refused the appointment, when they created their executive committee, when there was so much of that, we realized there was nobody in Mt. Bethel that represented the Methodist Church.”
Haupert-Johnson told the Friends of Mt. Bethel group that she pushed for Mt. Bethel to have a church conference for members to elect leadership this fall and then have a disaffiliation vote next spring.
“They soundly rejected that, every step of the way. So I would have loved for you to have a vote, she said. “I advocated for that to happen. But that wasn’t going to happen.”
Robert Ingram, the lead attorney for Mt. Bethel, previously told East Cobb News that his clients sought a vote because it would have cost “millions and million of dollars less” than what’s been settled.
“We wanted the court to allow a vote just on disaffiliation,” he said, explaining that only the North Georgia Conference superintendent could call for a such a vote.
“Despite our pleas, they never did that,” Ingram said.
Another attendee at the Friends meeting said “that I feel abandoned and unwanted and unnecessary in my own church of 38 years. My question is how do we go ahead? I’m missing spiritual guidance. I don’t have a church right now that I feel like I can go to and worship in.”
Usry said he will be providing pastoral care and shepherding to those Mt. Bethel members who aren’t inclined to go back, and “to provide environments that will help you discern a way forward.”
Tucker said there will be prayer events in July and August at Mt. Zion. She’s also organizing choir rehearsals that take place at East Cobb UMC.
In a video message this week, Ray said “we have a new task of rebuilding toward a new horizon.” He mentioned the fundraising campaign is off “to an amazing start” in asking for donations.
“God has moved in a mighty way on behalf of Mt. Bethel Church,” he said. “He has brought us through a time and place when had to turn our eyes to him and place our total reliance upon him.
“I believe that if we will continue in that same surrender and obedience, Mt. Bethel’s greatest days are out in front of us.”
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Cobb Police said Saturday morning that a portion of Paper Mill Road will be closed “for several hours” due to downed power lines.
Police said in a social media posting around 10 a.m. that the closure is along Paper Mill between Thunderbird Drive and River Ridge Chase, near Sope Creek.
Police said a vehicle crashed into a utility pole, and crews are on the scene to make repairs.
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The Sterling Estates senior residential facility on Lower Roswell Road is a mix of the main assisted living building and separate cottage buildings at the front of the property.
On Tuesday Sterling Estates will go before the Cobb Board of Commissioners to request a site plan change to construct two new cottage buildings.
The agenda item (you can read it and see the site plan here) states that the two proposed buildings, with three independent living units each, would be built in the back of the property.
“The applicant’s facility has a waiting list and the applicant would like to build two more single family cottages in the rear that would each have three units per cottage,” said the agenda item.
A stipulation letter from Sterling Estates attorney Garvis Sams said his client “been a good neighbor to the Kings Cove neighborhood and have complied with all the buffering and lake protection requirements.”
There are currently six rental cottage buildings at Sterling Estates, which opened with two in 2010. Four more cottage buildings were approved in 2014
The zoning hearing starts at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta).
The hearing also will be live-streamed on the county’s website, cable TV channel (Channel 24 on Comcast) and Youtube page. Visit cobbcounty.org/CobbTV for other streaming options.
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Ten students from East Cobb high schools have received appointments to military service academies for the 2022-2023 academic year.
U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath announced the appointments of the Class of 2026 from the 6th District, which includes East Cobb, North Fulton and some of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.
Students interested in attending the academies are nominated by their member of Congress.
“These talented and driven young people are the future of the United States of America,” McBath said in a release issued by her office.
“I want each family of these service academy appointees to know that I am exceedingly proud of how their children will represent our community as they prepare to serve our nation.”
Many of the East Cobb students heading to service academies played varsity sports in high school.
They include Wheeler’s Zyan Hall, who won a state wrestling championship as a senior, and Bridgette O’Shaughnessy of Lassiter, who competed in swimming and softball.
Pope’s Brianna Dempsey played volleyball and was the president of the Service Club and Honor Society, and Hannah Ograbisz of Walton was a swimmer and graduated from the International Spanish Academy.
U.S. Air Force Academy
Brianna Dempsey, Pope
Greta Hans, Walton
Joseph Stellmach, Pope
Luke Sudul, Pope
Zyan Hall, Wheeler
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Caden Pierce, Lassiter
U.S. Naval Academy Preparatory School
Zyan Hall Wheeler
U.S. Naval Academy
Hannah Ograbisz, Walton
Danilo Viciana, Lassiter
U.S. Military Academy
William Greenway, Johnson Ferry Christian Academy
Bridgette O’Shaughnessy Lassiter
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For the first time, Cobb County government is observing Juneteenth, and all offices, including courts and library branches, will be closed on Monday.
June 19 is the designated day for Juneteenth, marking the in 1865 when Union troops freed the last American slaves held in Confederate states.
Cobb commissioners voted last year to begin the holiday starting in 2022. The day off for Cobb employees will cost around $300,000; Cobb currently has 12 official paid holidays every year.
Celebratory events take place all weekend (see the flyer for more information), highlighted by the Cobb NAACP’s cultural festival that takes place all day Saturday at Glover Park on the Marietta Square.
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Scott Halperin, a longtime Legal Aid attorney and public defender in metro Atlanta jurisdictions, has been named the new Circuit Defender for Cobb Superior Court.
Cobb government announced in a release Thursday that Halperin was chosen unanimously by Cobb Superior judges, in consultation with the chief judges in Cobb Magistrate, State, and Juvenile courts, to serve as the lead defender.
Halperin has been the Circuit Defender’s lead advocate in Cobb Juvenile Court since 2020 and will succeed Randall Harris, who is retiring after 15 years in the position.
The Circuit Defender contracts with private attorneys to represent qualifying defendants in the Cobb court system.
A Georgia State University law graduate, Halperin has served as a public defender for Roswell, Sandy Springs and Doraville. In private practice, he represented defendants in criminal and juvenile courts.
“I want to express sincerest gratitude to Randy Harris for his steadfast dedication this office and its mission,” Cobb Chief Judge Rob Leonard said in a statement. “I’m proud to say that Cobb offers the best indigent defense services in the state. That is due in large part to Randy’s leadership and can only improve with Scott Halperin at the helm.”
Of Halperin, Leonard said that “he has a heart for serving the indigent. He also has the respect of the bar and the bench, and he understands the importance of maintaining the independence of the office.”
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The following East Cobb food scores for the week of June 13 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:
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Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid has scheduled town hall meetings in June and July in each of the four commission districts entitled “All-In-Cobb: Cobb forward together.”
The title has been how she’s referenced state of the county addresses she’s given, and in her weekly newsletter Cupid said she’s planning “o share some highlights of what is going on in our county and to hear from citizens about how we can move forward together.”
The timing of the town halls comes after three Cityhood referendums, including one in East Cobb, failed in May, and before Cupid presents her fiscal year 2023 budget.
The two town hall meetings in East Cobb will be June 30 at the Tim D. Lee Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road) in District 3 and July 20 at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road) in District 2.
In remarks this week to the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, she reiterated themes of her initial speech, including diversity issues, a proposed 30-year transit tax that’s been pushed back for consideration in 2024 and proposed pay raises for county employees.
Cupid referenced the Cityhood votes in a recent newsletter by saying that “this should be the start of new dialogue. The town halls, forums, and conversations gave us a great opportunity to hear from residents. Now is the time to consider how we can strengthen county services, create communities with a better ‘sense of place,’ and capture the heightened level of engagement these votes encouraged.
“Residents made it clear they want a role in land use, zoning, and parks programs. Hopefully, this sparks increased community engagement with commissioners and staff when it comes to amendments to our Comprehensive Plan and participation in zoning meetings. In the weeks and months ahead you can also get involved in the county’s transition to a Unified Development Code among other matters like waste collection.”
All the town hall meetings will be from 6:30-8 p.m. and are free and open to the public.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
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The Delta Community Credit Union has announced an investment of $17,500 in three metro-Atlanta non-profit organizations that focus on educational and empowerment objectives for youths.
It’s part of the financial institution’s 2022 Philanthropic Fund program
The organizations include Cool Girls, Inc., which received a $7,500 grant to education, advocacy and material resources for economically disadvantaged girls.
Other recipients are 21st Leaders, which helps low-income students with leadership and entrepreneurship lessons and STEM learning programs; and the East Lake Foundation, which helps students attending the Drew Charter School in Atlanta.
Let East Cobb News know what your organization is doing, or share news about what people are doing in the community—accomplishments, recognitions, milestones, etc.
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Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Mt. Bethel Christian Academy is inviting the public to a groundbreaking ceremony for its new athletic complex at the school’s north campus.
The event takes place on Wednesday, June 29 at 7 p.m at the Upper School campus (2509 Post Oak Tritt Road).
That’s where the academy’s high school is located, and the facility will include turf football, soccer and lacrosse activities and a fieldhouse, spectator seating, campus improvements and parking expansion (previous ECN coverage here).
A release sent by Academy said the new facility “is the start of what we trust will be a period of tremendous growth and energy that will dramatically impact every division of the school.”
Enrollment last year at the school was nearly 700 students total.
Mt. Bethel Christian Academy began in 1998 with K-5 classes on Lower Roswell Road, adjacent to Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church.
The school expanded to high school grades in 2014 after Mt. Bethel purchased land from the Marcus Jewish Community Center on Post Oak Tritt Road near Holly Springs Road.
Mt. Bethel Christian began a football program in the 2021-2022 school year for fifth and sixth grade students, and will have two teams in the 2022-2023 school year for fourth-through-eighth grade students.
The new field and the growth of the football program “go hand-in-hand, as the school plans for Junior Varsity and Varsity football teams in the near future,” the Mt. Bethel Christian release states.
MBCA is a member of the Georgia High School Association and has teams in other sports competing in the Class A private schools division.
An attempt to build an athletic complex at the Upper School campus was withdrawn in 2019 after community opposition surfaced, and nearby residents expressed concerns about a renewed application last year.
But the site plan was changed in several areas, buffers were added and stipulations include limiting the scope of lighting and the hours for a public address and sound system to operate.
Cobb commissioners unanimously approved the request in March.
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As Cobb County, metro Atlanta and much of North Georgia continues to experience extreme weather, the National Weather Service is extending its heat advisories for the area.
The NWS office in Peachtree City is issuing a heat advisory from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, the third day in a row for such notices.
Cobb temperatures reached into the mid-90s on Tuesday, and combined with humidity levels near 60 percent, the NWS calculated the heat index between 105-110.
The local forecast for Wednesday also calls for highs in the high 90s, with a 30 percent chance of rain during the day. The chance of rain will taper off Thursday and Friday to 20 percent.
Temperatures will remain that way, with similar humidity levels, for at least the next week.
Friday’s high is expected to be in the high 90s, and next week will offer little relief, as temperatures could reach 100.
The NWS says that in order to beat the heat, people should try to limit outdoor activities and stay out of the sun during the heat advisory periods, drink plenty of fluids, and not to leave children and pets unattended in vehicles.
“This is especially true during warm or hot weather when car interiors can reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes,” the advisory states.
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Two ‘jewel box’ buildings for restaurant and retail space (front and back center) flank a stage and public plaza (center) proposed for The Avenue East Cobb.
North American Properties has filed site plan changes for The Avenue East Cobb that includes expanded restaurant and retail space and a live music stage and public plaza.
The Atlanta-based commercial real estate firm will go before the Cobb Board of Commissioners next week with a conceptual plan that has been months in the making.
As East Cobb Newsreported in April, the transformation of the 23-year-old retail center on Roswell Road near Johnson Ferry Road is being eyed with making it a destination space for shopping, dining and entertainment.
According to filings with the Cobb Zoning Office, NAP wants to construct two “jewel box” buildings for outdoor patio dining and small retail in the back side of the center’s current parking lot, which would become an area for optional valet service.
A permanent stage would be built for concerts in front of the current Bravura wedding fashion store, which would demolished for a public plaza with seating.
That’s what NAP has been calling its Central Boulevard, adjacent to the Kale Me Crazy and Stockyard Burgers & Bones restaurants.
The Avenue has been holding weekly live music and other events in a makeshift stage there for several months, not long after it entered into a joint partnership with PGIM to manage the 23,000-square foot retail center.
According to the Cobb zoning filing (you can read it here) “the applicant believes these amendments will help to keep The Avenue successful for years to come.”
NAP developed the massive Avalon mixed-use project in Alpharetta and more recently overhauled Atlantic Station and Colony Square in midtown Atlanta.
NAP officials told East Cobb News in a recent interview that while The Avenue East Cobb is a project on a smaller scale, “everyone feels it has all this potential to be tapped into.”
A number of musical, recreational and entertainment events is geared toward “everyone who comes here.”
Brittni Johnson, a spokeswoman for NAP, told East Cobb News Tuesday that she “cannot disclose the jewel box occupants at this time but [NAP officials] are planning to have a leasing update ready to share soon.”
Shops and stores in that part of the center include Michael’s, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Banana Republic and Gap. Johnson said Bravura, a wedding fashion store, will be relocating to Old Milton Parkway in Alpharetta.
The valet and concierge service will be optional, Johnson said, saying it’s designed for shoppers and patrons who choose to have that convenience.
She said there’s not a figure yet on the capacity for the plaza since that’s still in code review. But she said furniture will be added, “and it will be available for use when it’s not activated for events (i.e., eating lunch or mingling with friends).”
Like the plazas at Avalon and Colony Square, she said, “it is really meant to serve as a community gathering space—or as we like to call it the property’s ‘living room.’ ”
Since NAP’s plans don’t require rezoning, they don’t have to go before the Cobb Planning Commission. Site plan changes are listed as “Other Business” items on the agenda of the Cobb Board of Commissioners zoning hearing.
That hearing starts next Tuesday at 9 a.m., and you can view the full agenda by clicking here.
A concert and events stage area will include a public plaza and an optional valet and concierge service.
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New turn lanes would be created at Lower Roswell Road and Woodlawn Drive.
As the long-delayed Lower Roswell Road transportation project gets closer to getting underway, some East Cobb residents are speaking out against it.
Land acquisitions are continuing for the $9 million Cobb DOT project, which would stretch from Davidson Road and Woodlawn Drive, and include the construction of a median and turn lanes.
The project (fact sheet; location map) also would provide a connection for bicycle lanes in the community and provide sidewalks.
But it’s been more than a decade since first being proposed, and is being funded with money from Cobb government’s 2011 Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).
The county held open houses in 2012 and 2013 and accepted virtual comments in early 2022 before commissioners approved the project’s conceptual plan last year.
“You should declare it infeasible,” East Cobb resident Craig Harfoot told members of the Cobb Board of Commissioners Tuesday during a public comment session. “You haven’t done anything [with the money].”
Engineering work began in 2012 and right-of-way proceedings began in 2019. Cobb DOT is hoping to start construction early next year, and anticipates taking two years to completion.
But some residents said Tuesday that the project should be scuttled because they claim it’s unwanted and a waste of money.
“It’s so unpopular that two former commissioners chose not to do it in 15 years,” said Jan Barton, referencing Joe Lee Thompson and Bob Ott.
Her remarks included other complaints about county spending—including outside consultants and a proposed new position for a diversity and equity officer—as well as recent zoning decisions in East Cobb.
Others who live in the vicinity echoed her comments.
“It hasn’t gotten off the ground because nobody really wants this,” said Larry Savage, a former candidate for Cobb Commission Chairman. “Nobody’s defending this.”
Savage said the Lower Roswell Road project really isn’t about safety and operational improvements but accommodating a bike and trail plan policy.
For a larger view of the Lower Roswell Road traffic project concept map, click here.
He said that since commissioners approved the Complete Streets Concept in 2009, it’s been lucrative for project developers to incorporate multi-use trails in what are billed as transportation improvements.
“Bike trails are a recreational amenity, a good amenity,” Savage said. “But this project is not a safety and operational improvements project.”
Some of the delays were prompted by concerns from business owners along Lower Roswell between Johnson Ferry Road and Davidson Road.
That stretch of the project calls for the construction of a median, with some businesses fearing access would be cut off.
Referring to the Tijuana Joe’s restaurant on the southeast corner of Johnson Ferry and Lower Roswell, Savage it could lose its business.
Harfoot referenced the Papa John’s restaurant and the new Bagel 101 Café on the northeast corner, saying “they won’t have any parking.”
Rob Miller, owner of the Bagel 101 Café, told East Cobb News he hasn’t heard of any complaints thus far, but “I hear the project will make parking in our center even less then it already is and it’s tough to get in and out on the weekends.”
Commissioners didn’t respond to the public commenters, who said there was a community meeting recently with commissioners Jerica Richardson and JoAnn Birrell.
Cobb DOT has said that traffic volume and safety precipitated the project and proposed the median because the crash history in that area is above average (42 on Lower Roswell between Johnson Ferry and Davidson from 2016-18).
The agency estimated daily average traffic volumes along Lower Roswell to be nearly 37,000 on either side of Johnson Ferry in 2015, and projects that number to grow to 37,000 in 2025 and more than 45,000 by 2035.
“For Cobb DOT, this is a long one,” Cobb DOT engineer Karyn Matthews told East Cobb News last summer, referncing the delays, “but we wanted to get the right concept for the community.”
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The Honorary Commanders Association, a cooperative effort involving Cobb Chamber, Dobbins Air Reserve Base (ARB), General Lucius D. Clay National Guard Center, Georgia National Guard, Coast Guard, National Defense Force and the Navy and Marine Corps, is seeking nominations for members of its 2023 class.
The Honorary Commanders Association annually selects community and business leaders and pairs them with military personnel in a yearlong program designed to give leaders an opportunity to learn about military activities, their impact on the economy and the various aspects of the national defense system.
Created by the Cobb Chamber in 1983, the association has grown over the years to include units of our nation’s Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Georgia National Guard, Coast Guard and National Defense Force. Each program covers a branch of service and includes a behind-the-scenes tour of local and regional military assets.
The deadline for nominations is July 12. Fill out the nomination form at https://bit.ly/3O0I6JI. The Honorary Commanders Association is sponsored by Marriott Atlanta Northwest Galleria, Blue Sky Exhibits, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Hawthorne Global Aviation Services.
For more information about Honorary Commanders Association, contact Joel Blockton at 770-859-2348 or jblockton@cobbchamber.org.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
WorkSource Cobb/CobbWorks offers a variety of training programs, workshops and on-site recruitments for numerous companies. Discover what is being offered in your area and take advantage of what your local career center offers to help you prepare for your next career.
Webinar: Perfecting your job searching skills Brushing up on your job search skills could land you a career that aligns with your work experience, education and lifestyle. Join the Job Search Techniques webinar, 9-10:30 a.m., Tuesday, June 14.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Daniell Middle School in East Cobb will be getting a new principal in the coming school year, and she’s a familiar face to teachers, staff and students.
The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday approved personnel changes that including promoting Daniell assistant principal Amy Stump to principal, effective July 1.
She will succeed James Rawls, who is leaving after four years to become principal at Cooper Middle School, where he previously had been an assistant principal.
Stump previously had been an assistant principal at Dickerson Middle School.
That is the sixth change of principals at East Cobb schools this spring. Last month, new principals were appointed at Eastvalley, Powers Ferry and Rocky Mount elementary schools.
Two other principals have retired: Dr. Thomas Flugum at Pope High School and Dr. Amanda Richie at Brumby Elementary School, but their successors have not been named.
The 2022-23 school year starts on Aug. 1.
The school board also affirmed the accreditation of the 16 high schools in the Cobb school district by the Georgia Accrediting Commission.
That’s an agency that accredits only high schools in the state, and whose representatives toured Cobb high schools last year as the district was under a special review by Cognia, its main accreditor and which accredits school systems.
Cognia had instructed Cobb schools to make improvements in four areas in its findings that were released last fall, but reversed those findings in March.
Superintendent Chris Ragsdale told school board members Thursday that the GAC accreditation will not affect its accreditation with Cognia and is simply another layer of accreditation.
While Cobb had considered switching to GAC while the Cognia review was underway, Ragsdale assured board members that there were no plans to do so now. The vote to affirm the GAC accreditation was a unanimous 7-0.
GAC announced it was giving the high schools its highest designation, “accredited with quality.”
GAC was paid $3,000 to perform the accrediting process and will be paid $850 annually to continue accreditation monitoring.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
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Cobb DOT crews doing maintenance on Johnson Ferry Road at Olde Towne Parkway last winter. (ECN file photo)
The Cobb Department of Transportation will ask county commissioners Tuesday for funding for outside firms to help perform routine road maintenance projects because of what it says are “critical level” staffing shortages.
According to an agenda item for Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting, Cobb DOT director Drew Rensler and other county department leaders will request funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
The agenda item (you can read it here) says 41 of the 94 maintenance positions in Cobb DOT are vacant, and the maintenance division has been operating with at least 40 percent vacancies for the past year.
“At this time, the Division has extended regular mowing frequencies by two weeks, and work order completion dates by one month due to shortages in current staffing levels,” the agenda item states.
“The utilization of contracted services will allow the Division to respond more efficiently in providing required maintenance operations countywide, and will prevent the back log of work orders.”
Another agenda item (you can read that here) from Rensler, Cobb Water Authority director Judy Jones and Cobb Parks and Recreation Director Michael Brantley further details staff shortages.
They include 27 percent vacancies in “critical” positions maintaining 90 Cobb parks facilities, 30 percent vacancies in the county’s fleet department, 32 percent vacancies in “critical” positions in property management and 31 percent in the water system.
“The volume of vacancies has strained the respective agencies’ abilities to maintain and operate critical infrastructure which is vital for the residents and visitors of Cobb County,” the said in their request.
The funding requests include $636,000 in outsourced salary expenses in all, with $288,000 for water, $132,000 for DOT, $123,000 for Parks, $58,500 for property management and $34,500 for fleet management.
The department heads also will be asking for “a one-time payment of $1,500 for each frontline field staff member responsible for the maintenance and operation of critical public infrastructure throughout the County.”
The bonuses would apply to employees hired before April 1, and they must stay with the county for 12 months after receiving it.
While the agenda items were posted with the full agenda (you can read that here), the Cobb DOT and other department infrastructure items were sent to news media outlets Thursday night by Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt.
He noted that Cobb has begun taking applications for $147 million in ARPA funds and received the second installment of $73,824,239 on Thursday.
Government agencies are among those eligible for the funding, as commissioners previously approved criteria that included county infrastructure.
Tuesday’s meeting also will include an update on the county’s agreement with the Atlanta Braves over Truist Park and The Battery and a recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
Commissioners also will be asked to issue a proclamation on behalf of state senators Kay Kirkpatrick and Doc Rhett to Judy Boyce, the widow of former Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce, in recognition of his public service.
The meeting starts at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta).
The hearing also will be live-streamed on the county’s website, cable TV channel (Channel 24 on Comcast) and Youtube page. Visit cobbcounty.org/CobbTV for other streaming options.
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