Six more students from Wheeler High School and Walton High School in East Cob have been named recipients of National Merit Scholarships.
These scholarships are provided by the college or university of the student’s choice, and range between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study. Probable career fields are also listed.
Madison Bohm, Wheeler: Rochester Institute of Technology; Mechanical Engineering
Peter Fink, Walton: University of Georgia; Computer Science
Misha S. Gupta, Wheeler: Emory University; Finance
Ethan T. Liu, Walton: University of Georgia; Kinesiology
Ashley Kay Rice, Walton: Emory University; Bioinformatics
Hanif A. Zaman, Wheeler: University of Georgia; Cell Biology
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The Cobb Planning Commission on Tuesday recommended approval of a rezoning request for a car wash near Bells Ferry Elementary School that would allow room to preserve an 1840s-era home on the property (see previous post here).
The board voted 4-0 to send the request for neighborhood retail commercial (NRC) and low-rise office (LRO) rezoning to the Cobb Board of Commissioners, which will hold a zoning hearing June 20. Planning Commission member Michael Hughes was absent Tuesday.
Parks Huff, an attorney for the Medford Family Limited Partnership, the property owners, said the car wash would be located on the NRC portion of the two-acre site at Bells Ferry Road and Barrett Parkway.
The LRO designation could be used to accommodate the house if it were to stay on the land.
The case has been delayed as the applicant and historic preservation interests continued discussions that have been ongoing for years.
In her motion to recommend approval Planning Commissioner Deborah Dance was skeptical of the twin zoning categories, and wanted some clarity on what would happen to the LRO land if the home were removed.
He suggested that it could be used for common greenspace, such as a pocket park.
Tommy’s Express by Northgate is proposing a 15,000-square-foot car wash at an intersection that’s surrounded by commercial development, including a Barnes and Noble and Publix.
Cobb Landmarks, an historic preservation non-profit, has been talking with the landowner for four years about finding a way to preserve the McAfee House, which was a homestead that served as a Union general’s headquarters during the Civil War.
Trevor Beemon, Cobb Landmarks’ executive director, told the Planning Commission Tuesday that his organization wants to relocate the house, saying it’s not ideal to serve as a cultural center, although there is some community support for keeping it there.
He said Cobb Landmarks, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and the Cobb Preservation Commission could be conveyed a deed for preservation purposes.
He said he’s meeting this week with the Georgia Trust, which could put a preservation easement on the land surrounding the home, then make repairs and find “suitable purpose” and possibly a new location.
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The Cobb Police Department said Tuesday that one of its own died in the line of duty on Monday.
Sgt. Wayne Delk said in a release Tuesday that Chase, a member of the department’s K9 unit, was left in an officer’s vehicle Monday afternoon during a police active shooter training session at Allatoona High School.
Delk said that the dog was left there in a kennel while officers conducted a training session in the school, and that police personnel checked on the animal every 15 minutes or so.
He said air conditioning was being provided to the animal in the car of his handler, Officer Neill.
But when an officer checked on Chase around 2 p.m., Delk said, the dog was unresponsive.
That’s because the air conditioning system in the car wasn’t working, according to police.
“Life-saving measures were started by Officer Neill, other Cobb Officers, and Cobb County Fire personnel” who were on the scene for the active shooter training, Delk said.
The dog was taken to a nearby emergency veterinary hospital but the animal died due to “heat-related injuries,” the Cobb Police release said.
“Preliminary information indicates that other safety systems did not properly activate and the temperature quickly rose in the vehicle,” Delk said.
“This is a horrible incident and our investigators are continuing to gather information regarding the vehicle system failures that led to this tragedy.”
UPDATED, June 7: The Cobb Police Department published this post this morning to explain why it keeps dogs inside patrol vehicles, and how an alert system is triggered:
“If the air conditioning system fails and the temperature reaches a point where it’s too hot, the safeguard automatically turns on the lights and the sirens, the windows automatically go down, and a fan turns on. The handler is notified and returns to their vehicle to address the problem.
“The patrol vehicle is always left running with the air conditioning on, but should something go wrong, the vehicle is equipped with a safeguard to protect the canine. Unfortunately, this vehicle had multiple failures, the alert system did not activate, and the handler was not alerted about an issue until they returned to the vehicle to check on the canine.”
Delk said that Chase was later taken to the Cobb County Animal Shelter and would be transported to the University of Georgia for a necropsy.
Chase was a four-year-old Belgian malinois born in Hungary and was named after Chase Maddox, a Locust Grove police officer killed in the line of duty in 2018.
The dog had been on duty with Cobb Police since April 2020, and his duties included narcotics detection, criminal apprehension, tracking, building searches and evidence recovery.
Cobb Police said in a separate social media posting that Chase “seized thousands of dollars worth of illegal narcotics, with numerous arrests and apprehensions.”
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General manager Hope Smith demonstrates a compression therapy machine in a cryo room. East Cobb News photos
The third Georgia location of Activate IV and Cryotherapy, a wellness and recovery spa, opened recently at the Providence Square Shopping Center in East Cobb.
It’s a membership-based business for patients who want to treat a variety of ailments with a combination of non-medical treatments, including hydration, compression, vitamin infusion and cryotherapy, which uses a combination of heat and cold elements to reduce body flab.
There’s a medical doctor who oversees the operations, and there’s either a trained paramedic or a registered nurse on duty at all times.
A ribbon-cutting took place last week, and general manager Hope Smith said a soft opening has been underway for a couple of weeks.
She said patients don’t need a doctor’s referral and most insurance does not cover the services provided.
Activate IV’s IV Hydration Therapy includes a variety of intravenous drips to introduce electrolytes, minerals and amino acids directly into the body, as well as oxygen.
Other drips treat the flu, migraines, athletic ailments, menstrual issues and even hangovers.
In addition to a cryo room, Activate IV has a cryo booth with a temperature of -124 Fahrenheit. Patients can stay inside for up to four minutes.
“It helps reduce inflammation, gives you energy, helps you sleep better and address weight gain and pain,” Smith said. “I’ve lost five pounds in a week.”
A red light room offers red light therapy, and Smith said patients use it for athletic injury recovery and as a sleeping aid, among other benefits, including reduced swelling and inflammation and increased collagen production.
Those sessions last 10 minutes, and there’s a separate membership for that.
Lori Rambo, who was a paramedic in the city of Atlanta and worked at Grady Memorial Hospital, is one of the certified staff members at the East Cobb location.
She said patients must fill out a form indicating that they haven’t had a seizure or major heart issues in the last six months.
Activate IV and Cryotherapy is open at 4101 Roswell Road, Suite 310, from Monday-Thursday 10-7, Friday-Saturday from 10-4 and Sunday from 12-4. Phone: 678-398-9499.
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!
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!
Have a splashing good time at Cobb PARKS’ two outdoor pools. Sewell Park Pool and Seven Springs Water Park make for great summer days for the entire family.
Sewell Park Pool, 2051 Lower Roswell Road in Marietta, will be open seven days a week from 1 – 6 p.m. through July 31, except holidays when it is open from 1 – 5 p.m. From Aug.1 – Sept. 4, when most schools start, the pool will be open from 1 – 6 p.m. on weekends only. Holiday hours are in effect for Juneteenth, Independence Day and Labor Day. Fees are $3.50 for youth, $4.50 for adults and $3 for seniors (age 55 and older). More information on Sewell Pool can be found on our website here.
Seven Springs Water Park will offer two separate sessions, noon – 3 p.m. and 4 – 7 p.m., seven days a week through Aug. 1, then weekends through Labor Day. Fees are $6 for adults, $4 for children and $3 for seniors (age 55 and older). Passes are available. Please see our website for more details.
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!
The Cobb County Public Library System has compiled an extensive booklist for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Month, which is observed in June.
The titles range from children’s picture and non-fiction books to teen and young adult fiction and adult titles.
The Cobb library system provided similar resource lists for Black History Month and Women’s History Month earlier this year.
In her weekly e-mail newsletter, Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid referenced the Pride Month booklist, saying “this month-long observation recognizes all members of the LGBTQ+ community, their historical roots, and allies that fight for their fundamental human rights and equality. It honors their bravery and influence. We take time to consider LGBTQ+ victims of hate crimes and those who continue to face violence, discrimination, and other injustices.”
Pride Month has been observed in June to honor the start of the modern gay rights movement, stemming from the Stonewall protests that took place in New York in June 1969.
More information about the Cobb Library Pride Month booklist can be found by clicking here.
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A home in Northeast Cobb that served as a Union general’s headquarters during the Civil War could soon give way to a car wash.
The Cobb Planning Commission on Tuesday is expected to give a first hearing for a proposed car wash at the intersection of Bells Ferry Road and Barrett Parkway after the application had been delayed.
The McAfee House has been vacant for years, and historic preservation interests have been negotiating with the landowners to have the building relocated.
Two-acre site is surrounded by commercial property, including a shopping center with a Publix and a Barnes and Noble, and is across the street from Bells Ferry Elementary School.
Tommy’s Express by Northgate is seeking the neighborhood retail commercial (NRC) category (case filings here) for the two-acre site, which currently is zoned general commercial.
The car wash, which would include 5,315 square feet of space and 29 parking spaces, would be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
The Cobb Zoning Office is recommending approval with some conditions, and suggested that “if the house cannot be moved and/or preserved on site, staff recommends that documentation of the structure, all outbuildings, and its setting, including current archival-quality photographs be completed by a cultural resource consultant. These materials should be submitted to the historic preservation planner.”
The McAfee House was the homestead of farmers Eliza and Robert McAfee, and it dates back to the 1840s. It was used as a Union Army general’s headquarters after the seizure of the Big Shanty during the Civil War. It also served as a field hospital after an 1864 engagement near what was called McAfee’s Crossroads.
Cobb Landmarks had been working to preserve another 1840s home on Post Oak Tritt Road where another rezoning case was being considered.
But the applicant, Kenneth B. Clary, withdrew that application last month after a proposal for a subdivision drew opposition for stormwater and historic preservation reasons.
The Power-Jackson Cabin was also built in the 1840s and has been abandoned for several decades. Cobb Landmarks posted earlier this week that it recently visited the site to assess the possibility of having an archaeological survey conducted:
“Cobb Landmarks is also exploring different options for the long-term preservation of the cabin, including the possibility of relocating it to a nearby park for public display. . . We were encouraged by what we saw and are hopeful the cabin can still be saved.”
Cobb Landmarks has been interested in having the structure relocated to the Hyde Farm facility on Lower Roswell Road.
Another Northeast Cobb rezoning case of interest to be heard Tuesday has been placed on the consent agenda, meaning there is no known opposition.
It’s a proposal by Toys & Gift Delivery, Inc. for a bakery at 2601 Sandy Plains Road, from office-industrial to NRC.
The vacant building at 6,552 square feet and the bakery would be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, according to the zoning filing.
The Cobb Planning Commission hearing begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta), you can view the full agenda and individual case files by clicking here.
You also can watch on the county’s website and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.
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!
Bill Byrne, who served as Cobb Commission Chairman from 1993—2002, has been named to the board of the Cobb Taxpayers Association.
“Byrne’s appointment to our Board comes at a critical time for the County,” Cobb Taxpayers Association Chairman Lance Lamberton said.
The citizens group made the announcement Friday, and Byrne will serve as one of six board members, including chairman Lance Lamberton and vice chairman Jim Astuto, an East Cobb resident.
“We are flattered that someone of Bill Byrne’s stature has agreed to serve on our board,” Lamberton said in a statement. “In his 10 years as BOC Chairman, he served with distinction and presided over a period of historic business and residential growth in the County. That record of accomplishment, combined with his strong commitment towards the taxpayer’s best interests, will bode well for CTA in the next year and a half.”
The Cobb Taxpayers Association was founded in 2005 and scrutinizes Cobb County government finances, spending and tax issues. In the past it has been opposed to extending the Cobb Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) that funds construction and maintenance projects for county government and public schools.
“Byrne’s appointment to our Board comes at a critical time for the County, which is facing the threat of one of the largest tax increases in its history,” Lamberton said, referring to a proposed transit tax which could be on the November 2024 ballot.
Cobb commissioners in March voted to approve spending more $500,000 to hire three separate consulting firms to help the Cobb Department of Transportation prepare for the referendum.
Lamberton spoke at that meeting against the tax, saying that “if mass transit is so dad gum important to you, then move to a place where it makes sense. That place is not Cobb County.”
Earlier this year, Lamberton filed an ethics complaint against a member of the Cobb Transit Advisory Board, but that was dismissed by the Cobb Board of Ethics last month.
Lisa Cupid, the current Cobb Commission Chairwoman, is floating a 30-year transit tax, but the current board’s two Republicans are opposed to anything longer than five years.
Commissioners would determine the length of a sales tax referendum, and more public feedback is being sought.
In the Cobb Taxpayers Association release, Byrne said that “I believe the County has lost its way over the past two decades, and has adopted a tax and spend policy which would have been unthinkable while I was BOC Chairman. But through it all, CTA has fought tooth and nail against the tax and spending interests, and has some impressive wins in its column despite being outspent by its opponents by as much as 100 to one.”
Byrne ran for his old job in 2012, but was defeated by then-incumbent Tim Lee in a Republican runoff.
Speaking to the East Cobb Civic Association this week, Cupid said that a transit tax—which would fund road as well as mass transit projects—has “never been put out to vote” in Cobb’s history.
“We have a lot of people that are not able to access workforce opportunities” due to a lack of mass transit opportunities in Cobb, she said, adding that “a lot of businesses are bypassing Cobb” as a result.
The only CobbLinc bus line in the East Cobb area runs along Powers Ferry Road. A previous line that traversed Roswell Road linking Marietta with Sandy Springs was discontinued in 2011 as part of budget cuts due to the recession.
“I would ask that you consider that there are others among you who can utilize this service,” Cupid said.
She said at the same meeting that she “can’t say” for now if she’ll propose rolling back the county’s general fund millage rate this year despite skyrocketing property assessments.
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The program includes a partnership with the Cobb County School District and Marietta City Schools and is particularly aimed at keeping children reading during the summer vacation months.
Readers earn “BINGO” credits that are good for badges and prizes, as well as eligibility for the grand prize.
Participants track their reading with a Beanstalk account, and a traditional paper log is also available.
More information about the challenge can be found by clicking here; you can create a Beanstalk tracking account at this link and a traditional paper log at this link.
A formal presentation is expected in June, and on Wednesday Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid addressed that topic and others in a mini-state of the county update to the East Cobb Civic Association.
She said her own assessment has gone up by 25 percent on the home she bought in Smyrna two years ago.
Cupid also pointed out the need to continue a new step-and-grade salary and promotional system for public safety personnel, among other priorities in the current $1.2 million FY 2023 budget.
“All of that has to be funded,” Cupid told the ECCA audience of about 40 people at the Fullers Park Recreation Center. “We are fortunate that we have the coffers to do this.”
Cobb commissioners voted last year in a partisan split to maintain the general fund millage rate—which provides most of the revenues for county government—at 8.46 mills, while slightly raising the fire millage rate.
Cupid and the board’s other two Democrats, including Jerica Richardson of East Cobb, voted for that budget, while the two Republican members, including JoAnn Birrell of East Cobb, were opposed.
Some citizens spoke then for a millage rate cut, in light of inflation and amid broader economic concerns.
After the meeting Wednesday, Cupid was asked by East Cobb News if she might be considering a millage rate reduction for the 2024 budget.
She said that “she can’t say” for the moment, not just because the budget proposal is still being put together, but also because of the need to continue making strides to improve salaries for county employees and other priorities.
Last year, Birrell and GOP commissioner Keli Gambrill said the millage rate should be cut back due to rising revenues from a tax digest that grew by more than 12 percent.
This year’s digest is expected to be 13 percent, and could be larger when it is finalized next month.
The Cobb Board of Education last month passed an FY 2024 budget of $1.4 billion that includes generous salary increases but also cuts the millage rate for the first time in 15 years.
Cupid said her concern is if the board does cut back, the funding issues she’s mentioned for several years “will roll over and over” into coming years.
She admitted that concerns from citizens about rising assessments “is the most I’ve ever heard” in her near-decade on the board.
“Those concerns are being heard,” she told East Cobb News. “I can certainly understand the concerns they have.”
Cobb commissioners last reduced the general fund millage rate in 2016, when then-chairman Tim Lee was in a runoff with Mike Boyce, who defeated him then to become chairman.
But the county faced a $32 million budget shortfall two years later, and Boyce pushed through a millage rate increase that his fellow Republican commissioners opposed.
Boyce, whom Cupid defeated in 2020, said the hike was necessary to maintain Cobb’s status as a “five-star county.”
She isn’t using language like that, but reiterated her long-standing complaints—stemming from the time she was the only Democrat on the board—about “kicking the can down the road” when it comes to spending priorities.
“I could do it and look good,” Cupid said, referencing a tax cut proposal, “but somebody’s going to have to pay the price.”
She said Cobb has made some headway on addressing those long-term needs, including restoring some key capital maintenance funding, but “we still have a ways to go.”
Before Wednesday’s meeting, ECCA officials handed out an information sheet about how citizens can appeal their assessments.
Cobb Tax Assessor Stephen White said roughly 1-2 percent of Cobb property owners file an appeal. The deadline for submitting an appeal is June 26, and more information can be found by clicking here.
Cupid also encouraged property owners to learn about homestead exemptions and other exemptions they may qualify for that could reduce the assessed value of their homes.
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!
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!
Teresa Sykes of the Johnson Ferry Homeschool Group passed along the flyer below about its curriculum and used book sale Friday and Saturday.
The sale takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday in the Magnolia Room at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road).
The sale includes a wide variety of curriculum, as well as general reading literature from preschool on up, games, puzzles, DVD’s and other items of general interest to the public.
For more information, scan the QR code on the flyer below.
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