Cobb DOT will remove the “S” curve intersection and place it nearer to the new Walton sports complex.
Design work for a planned realignment of the intersection of Bill Murdock Road and Pine Road at Walton High School will be the subject of a public hearing Tuesday by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.
It’s one of several Cobb 2022 SPLOST projects by Cobb DOT that requires public hearings because the engineering and design costs exceed $100,000.
Design and engineering work for other road projects in the East Cobb area on Tuesday’s agenda include the following:
Holly Springs corridor improvements
Shallowford at Gordy Parkway West
Canton Road corridor improvements
Barnes Mill Road sidewalk
Those are specified as line items in the Cobb 2022 SPLOST notebook. The Bill Murdock-Pine Road project is not, as it’s lumped into a category for improvements in a school zone.
The realignment is part of ongoing construction at Walton of a new sports complex, which will house a varsity baseball field and tennis courts.
We asked the county for more details about the realignment, and Cobb DOT said that “S” curve will be removed, and pedestrian movements between the school and Pine Road will be improved in coordination with the Cobb County School District.
There’s not a cost estimate for the design or construction work included in Tuesday’s agenda item. A total of $4.1 million has been designated for SPLOST collections for school-zone DOT projects countywide through the end of 2027.
Construction on the Walton athletic complex is just getting underway with groundclearing of the nearly 25-acre tract. That project, which costs $6.7 million and is funded through the Cobb Education IV SPLOST, is expected to be completed by December.
Access points will be on Pine Road for the baseball field and Providence Road for the tennis courts. There will be parking for 80 vehicles.
The Holly Springs Road project is estimated to cost $3.9 million and includes improving the intersection at Post Oak Tritt Road.
The Canton Road corridor improvements have a project cost of $2.4 million and will stretch along much of that route.
Improvements at Shallowford Road and Gordy Parkway West are estimated to cost $700,000.
Those are all “Tier 1” projects in the Cobb 2022 SPLOST, which began collecting sales-tax revenues in January after being approved by voters in 2020. It is expected to generate $750 million in revenues both for county projects and those in Cobb’s six cities.
The Cobb DOT public hearings Tuesday will take place at the start of the meeting, which begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta).
The full agenda can be found by clicking here; also on the agenda is a final draft of the 2040 Cobb County Comprehensive Plan 5-Year Update to be submitted tothe Atlanta Regional Commission. Agenda item here; final draft here.
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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Caffeine & Octane, an Atlanta-area car show, is relocating to Town Center at Cobb (400 Ernest Barrett Parkway) and will be holding its first exhibition there on Sunday.
The event takes place from 9 a.m. to noon in the parking lot near Belk and JCPenney. It’s free and will include more than 1,000 automobiles from a variety of makes and models.
Caffeine & Octane, which bills itself as the largest monthly car show in North America, will be having monthly events at Town Center. The shows previously were at Perimeter Mall.
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Of course canines are welcome at the Rotary Club of East Cobb’s Dog Days Run.
Here’s a glimpse of what’s going on in East Cobb and environs this weekend from our calendar listings and beyond:
Rotary Club of East Cobb Dog Days Run: The organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year starts at 7:30 a.m. at the McCleskey Family-East Cobb YMCA (1055 E. Piedmont Road) with a 5K run around the communit, followed by a post-race vendor fair, food and other festivities. Cash prizes will be awarded for overall winners, as well as master and senior age groups. $35 registration.
Lutzie 43 Road Race: The 5K to benefit the foundation named for the memory of former Lassiter HS football star Phil Lutzenkirchen takes place at his old stomping grounds, Frank Fillman Stadium (2601 Shallowford Road). The main race starts at 8 a.m., followed by a kids’ run. Online registration is closed but race-day sign-up ($43 for adults and $30 for students) starts at 7 a.m. in the Lassiter gym.
The East Cobb Triathlon: Taking place just down the street from the Lutzie 43 Road Race, starting at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Mountain View Aquatics Center (2650 Gordy Parkway). Swimming, biking and running event, with awards at various age ranges, including kids. Spots are available in six of the seven categories, with registration ranging from $50-$80.
KSU Civil War Collector’s Showcase: The 7th Annual event includes artillery, currency, weaponry, letters and more from the collections of local Civil War buffs. The event is from 9-1 Saturday and is free at the KSU Continuing Education Center (3333 Busbee Parkway, Suite 400).
Aloha to Aging Beer Symposium Benefit:The East Cobb-based agency serving seniors and their caregivers will receive some of the proceeds from a Beer Symposium at The Wing Cafe (2145 Roswell Road) from 2-6. Local beer professionals (from New Realm, Scofflaw, Terrapin and Wild Heaven) and live music are featured. 2 beers from each brewery cost $25, with $5 from each ticket going to Aloha To Aging, Inc. All additional beer tickets will be $5 a piece.
Family Fun Health Fair: Cobb Commissioner Jerica Richardson has invited health professionals to speak about chronic diseases and how to access resources and assistance in treating them at a health fair Sunday from 1-4 p.m. at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road). All ages are invited.
You can find our calendar listings in one handy place on our site. If you have events to share with the public, please e-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com and we will post them here.
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Cobb Animal Services announced Wednesday that the animal shelter has fully reopened to the public after being closed since July 22 after a case of strep zoo was diagnosed in a dog.
Appointments are available once again and through Aug. 25, dogs over 25 pounds and all cats and kittens will can be adopted for $25.
It’s called the Christmas in August adoption special, and more information can be found and appointments made by clicking here.
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The following Cobb food scores for the week of Aug. 1 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection 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!
Eastside Christian School is announcing it will begin offering high school classes starting in the fall of 2023, starting with the ninth grade.
Dr. Tiffany Stark, the head of school, made the announcement in a video that was posted recently on the school’s Facebook page.
She said the school’s board and Eastside Baptist Church elders “unanimously” approved the addition of high school, with grades 10, 11 and 12 to be added in each of the following three years.
“We have been praying and dreaming about this for nearly two years,” Stark said in the video. “After much discussion and prayer, we believe the Lord is telling us to move forward with a high school here at ECS.”
Eastside Christian, which opened in 1983, for a time offered ninth grade classes. It currently enrolls more than 200 students in grades K-8.
Stark said “many families” of Eastside students have been asking about the possibility of having a high school during the last two years, “and the interest of a high school was clearly present.
“Given the current nature of education in our nation, we know that many families are seeking a place where their children can learn and remain rooted in the truth of God’s word,” she said.
“We believe that God is calling us to start a high school at Eastside to serve that very purpose.”
Eastside will be the third Christian school in the East Cobb area to offer high school, along with Johnson Ferry Christian Academy and Mt. Bethel Christian Academy.
Those also are ministries of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church and Mt. Bethel Church, respectively, and they added high school grades one year at a time.
Mt. Bethel’s high school is located on its “North” campus on Post Oak Tritt Road, and began offering classes in 2014. It currently has around 160 students in grades 9-12.
Johnson Ferry Christian Academy has nearly 500 students in K-12.
Eastside has prepared some additional information about its high school offerings on its website. A proposed schedule includes a block format.
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The Cobb Board of Commissioners voted last week to spend nearly $500,000 for an outside consultant to assist county staff in the creation of a Unified Development Code.
Jessica Guinn, Cobb Community Development Director
The vote was 3-2, with the three Democrats voting in favor and the two Republicans opposed. Republican JoAnn Birrell of District 3 in Northeast Cobb objected because she said county community development staffers are best situated to do the work, “because they know the county.”
The proposed UDC has become the subject of some controversy since it was first raised last year, including from some East Cobb citizens who made heated comments that prompted a rebuke from Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid.
Birrell also said that updating the development code can be done through the current practice of updating code amendments twice a year.
But during the commissioners’ regular meeting last Tuesday, Commissioner Jerica Richardson, a Democrat who represents part of East Cobb, said the request for a consultant came from the Cobb Community Development staff.
“They’re telling us they need some help,” she said.
Director Jessica Guinn said “I can’t tell you how much time I spend getting code amendments ready” for that process.
She told commissioners that she would still be the project manager for the UDC process, which she said “is still going to be a huge demand of staff time.”
The consultant is Clarion Associates, LLC, a nationwide land-use and planning consulting firm which has provided services for a UDC in Hall County and design and development guidelines in Savannah.
Clarion also is conducting an overhaul of the zoning ordinance in Fairfax County, Va., an affluent suburb of Washington, D.C.
A UDC is a comprehensive planning guide which incorporates zoning, planning and land-use with design, landscaping, architectural and other guidelines. Local Atlanta-area jurisdictions that have them are the cities of Atlanta and Roswell and DeKalb County.
Guinn has said that Cobb’s zoning ordinance is more than 50 years old and needs an overhaul and needs more than periodic updates during the code amendment process.
Jan Barton, an East Cobb resident, has called UDC “a war on the suburbs” and leaders of the failed East Cobb Cityhood referendum republished a newpaper letter to the editor she wrote on the subject.
But Commissioner Monique Sheffield of South Cobb said hiring a UDC consultant “isn’t a knock against the staff at all. You have more work that you have people.”
Among the tasks include reviewing the project with county staff to assess the current codes and updating the county website, then holding public meetings and related sessions before preparing a draft UDC.
After that, there will be public hearings on the draft proposal, before commissioners would be scheduled to adopt a UDC.
A few virtual meetings an online feedback periods have already been held; Guinn said the consultants’ participation will take between 18-24 months.
“This will be a robust public process,” Guinn said in response to a question from Richardson. “It’s not something that’s going to take place overnight. It’s going to take time. It’s going to be a heavy lift and we’ll be engaging with all of you as well as staff.”
Cobb is currently conducting a five-year update the county’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan, which will be one of the main documents used during the UDC process.
Commissioners are expected to adopt that update this fall.
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Catherine Pozniak, who is challenging Post 4 incumbent David Chastain for a seat on the Cobb Board of Education, will be away on U.S. Army Reserve duty the next six weeks.
She announced in a video on her campaign website that she is reporting for duty next week, and will return in mid-September.
She is a military government specialist for the reserve’s Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command and advises on educational issues.
Pozniak, a Democrat who graduated from Sprayberry High School, has been holding “office hours” sessions with voters at various coffee shops in the area, including Mzizi Coffee on Johnson Ferry Road.
Those and other in-person campaign events will be discontinued while she is on reserve duty.
Post 4 includes the Kell, Lassiter and Sprayberry clusters; Chastain, a Republican who is completing his second term, is the current school board chairman.
“As a member of the Army Reserve, I proudly join tens of thousands of men and women who stand ready to serve when our country calls,” said Pozniak, who is a captain and is a third-generation member of her family to serve in the military.
“While I am serving, I ask that you continue to engage with our campaign team through our website and social media,” she added.
Pozniak said she’ll still respond to e-mail, though it will be “a little bit slower” and “I will continue to provide virtual updates.”
Pozniak, whose father is a retired Army officer, graduated from Sprayberry in 1997 and attended Daniell Middle School and Kincaid Elementary School.
After teaching on a Lakota reservation in South Dakota, Pozniak was an assistant state superintendent of education for fiscal operations in Louisiana and the head of an educational non-profit in Baton Rouge, La.
She currently is principal at Watershed Advisors, an educational and workforce consultancy. This is her first campaign for public office.
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The Northeast Cobb-based Tommy Nobis Center has produced and distributed more than 2,100 COVID-19 preventtion kits for Cobb school students with disabilities and their families.
The kits contain masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, and COVID education materials and were assembled by the center’s EYES (Early Youth Employment Services) summer program participants during the summer.
More from the Nobis Center, which also provided the photo above:
The initiative was made possible by support from the Cobb County Community Development Block Grant and provided hands-on training and work experience for students with disabilities while allowing them to give back to their community and support their peers in a unique and valuable way.
“The recent surge in COVID-19 cases within Cobb County continues to cause concern across our community,” says Dave Ward, President and CEO of Tommy Nobis Center. “This project gave students the opportunity to work and contribute to the wellbeing of their fellow students.”
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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Kindergarteners at Tritt ES get off the school bus during a ride-along event Thursday. Photo: Cobb County School District.
This week the Cobb Police Department has been rolling out safety-related information with another school year about to begin on Monday in the Cobb County School District.
The Cobb school district, which serves nearly 107,000 students at 112 schools, is unveiling a new school crisis alert system with the 2022-23 school year. In the wake of the school shooting in May in Uvalde, Texas, the district announced that each school will be having at least one Code Red drill.
In addition to traffic reminders related to bus stops and child pedestrians, police also have provided safety tips for students at school.
On the roads, motorists are required to do the following:
Stop for school buses with safety lights activated and storm arms extended;
Stop and yield to pedestrians crossing at a crosswalk or intersection;
Stop for a crossing guard holding up a stop sign;
Never pass another vehicle stopped for pedestrians;
Obey all traffic signs posted in and around a traffic zone, including speed and parking restrictions.
It’s a violation of state law to disobey the instructions of a traffic control device unless directed by a law enforcement officer.
Students walking to and from school should observe the following:
Never walk while texting; step aside to let others pass by on a sidewalk;
Do not cross the street while using an electronic device;
Look left, then right, then left again before crossing the street and cross only at crosswalks;
Do not wear earbuds or headphones while walking across the street, and stay alert.
Inside the school buildings, police encourage students to take the following measures to protect themselves and their belongings:
Always keep lockers locked and don’t preset the combination to the last number for easy entry;
Secure belongings inside a locker; do not leave them on top, on benches, or in a classroom or bathroom;
Never share a locker combination with anyone;
If riding a bike, lock it to a rack or another stationary object;
If driving, keep the vehicle locked, windows closed and belongings out of sight;
Do not bring certain valuables to school, especially large amounts of cash or expensive jewelry;
Do not bring weapons to school, and if you see one, immediately report it to school officials and resource officer;
Report suspicious activities to the police, school officials, and your parents;
Tell a teacher, parent, or another trusted adult if you feel unsafe or if someone is bullying or threatening you;
Say no to adults if they ask you to do something you know is wrong, or if it makes you feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
For more information about school safety, visit the Cobb County School District’s Cobb Shield resource page; more information about school buses can be found by clicking here.
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The following Cobb food scores for the week of July 25 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection 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!
After enjoying plenty of rivalry games over the last two years, five of the six East Cobb high school football teams are no longer in the same region.
The Georgia High School Association did keep three of them—Lassiter, Pope and Sprayberry—in the same region, and reunited two other longtime rivals together in Walton and Wheeler.
But a number of those backyard brawl games remain on their schedules in non-region format for the 2022 season, which gets underway in mid-August.
As has been the case in recent years, Kell and Walton will be getting an early start in the Corky Kell Classic.
The Longhorns, who have a new coach in Bobby May, formerly of Westlake High School in Atlanta, have dropped from Class 6A to Class 5A (classification is based on overall student enrollment).
He’s the only newcomer to the coaching ranks among the six East Cobb schools.
Before Kell gets into Region 6 play, it will be facing neighboring rivals Pope and Sprayberry in September.
In Class 6A Region 7, games between Lassiter, Pope and Sprayberry will take on extra meaning in a region with several schools in North Fulton.
Lassiter is maintaining a non-region rivalry game with Wheeler in the season opener for both teams, and a Pope vs. Walton game continues this season. Pope also will be meeting Wheeler in non-region play.
Walton, which reached the Class 7A semifinals last year, remains there, but is now in Region 5, which includes North Cobb, Kennesaw Mountain, Osborne, Cherokee and Wheeler.
The Raiders will once again play at Mercedes Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta against Mill Creek in the Corky Kell Classic, then plays at Brookwood.
For the first time since 2017, Walton will square off against Wheeler at Raider Valley on Nov. 4, in the regular season finale for both schools.
The head coaches and select players from all six public high schools in East Cobb will appear before the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 11.
It’s the annual East Cobb Pigskin Preview, and more information and a registration link can be found by clicking here.
Opponents with a * indicate region games.
Kell Longhorns
Class AAAAA Region 6
2021 Record: 6-5
Aug. 17, 5:30 p.m. vs. Cedar Bluff (Corky Kell Classic at Johns Creek HS)
Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m. vs. Allatoona
Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m. vs. Pope
Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. at Sprayberry
Sept. 23 7:30 p.m. at Centennial*
Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m. at Northview*
Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m. vs. Cambridge*
Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. at Greater Atlanta Christian*
Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. vs. North Springs*
Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. vs. Chattahoochee
Lassiter Trojans
Class AAAAAA Region 7
2021 Record: 4-6
Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m. at Wheeler
Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. at Woodstock
Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m. vs. Dalton
Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m. at Johns Creek*
Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m. vs. Roswell*
Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m. vs. Alpharetta*
Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. at Pope*
Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. at Sprayberry*
Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. vs. Blessed Trinity*
Pope Greyhounds
Class AAAAAA Region 7
2021 Record: 7-4
Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m. vs. River Ridge
Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m. at Kell
Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. at Walton
Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m. vs. North Paulding
Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m. vs. Alpharetta*
Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m. at Blessed Trinity*
Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m. vs. Roswell*
Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. vs. Lassiter*
Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. at Johns Creek*
Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. at Sprayberry*
Sprayberry Yellow Jackets
Class AAAAAA Region 7
2021 Record: 3-6
Aug. 19, 7:30 p.m. at Campbell
Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m. vs. Paulding County
Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m. at River Ridge
Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. vs. Kell
Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m. at Blessed Trinity*
Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m. at Alpharetta*
Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m. vs. Johns Creek*
Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. at Roswell*
Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. vs. Lassiter*
Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. vs. Pope*
Walton Raiders
Class AAAAAAA Region 5
2021 Record: 9-4
Aug. 20, 7 p.m. vs. Mill Creek (Corky Kell Classic at Mercedes Benz Stadium)
Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m. at Brookwood
Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. vs. Pope
Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m. at Marietta
Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m. at North Paulding
Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m. vs. North Cobb*
Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m. at Kennesaw Mountain*
Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. vs. Cherokee*
Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. at Osborne*
Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. vs. Wheeler*
Wheeler Wildcats
Class AAAAAAA Region 5
2021 Record: 1-9
Aug. 19, 7:30 p.m. at Centennial
Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m. vs. Lassiter
Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m. at South Cobb
Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m. vs. North Atlanta
Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m. at Campbell
Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m. vs. Cherokee*
Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m. at North Cobb*
Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. vs. Osborne*
Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. vs. Kennesaw Mountain*
Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. at Walton*
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The Cobb Animal Shelter remains closed due to a case of strep zoo, but a number of animals who have been medically cleared bv the facility’s veterinarian will be available for free adoptions on Sunday.
The pop-up event takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. outside of the shelter (1060 Al Bishop Drive, Marietta). They’ll be located in a trailer and they’re the only animals that will be available for adoption.
The shelter has been closed for adoptions since late last week and will begin reopening next week.
A dog was diagnosed with strep zoo and most of the 285 animals housed there have been placed in quarantine and given antibiotics.
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The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday approved the appointment of Richard Tischler, an assistant principal at Walton High School the last seven years, as its new principal.
He succeeds Dr. Catherine Mallanda, who was named the Cobb County School District’s Chief Academic Officer earlier this month. Tischler begins his new position on Friday, as the 2022-23 academic year begins on Monday.
The school board voted 6-0 to ratify the district’s recommendation to appoint Tischler in a special meeting following an executive session for personnel matters.
The school board also voted 6-0 to appoint Osborne High School principal Josh Morreale to the newly created position of assistant superintendent for school safety operations.
Absent from the meeting was Post 6 board member Charisse Davis, who represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters in East Cobb.
In his role as assistant principal, Tischler was responsible for 12th grade students, ESOL, communications, substitute teachers, graduation and other activities at Walton.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in social science education from the University of Georgia, a master’s degree in educational leadership from Kennesaw State University and a master’s degree in educational supervision from Berry College.
The Cobb school district prepared a principal profile to announce Tischler’s appointment, including a Q and A.
“I am looking forward to continuing the tradition developed by Walton school leaders before me to foster the excellence that Walton has in academics, arts, and athletics,” he said.
Other East Cobb schools with new principals in the coming year are Pope High School, Daniell Middle School, Brumby Elementary School, Eastvalley Elementary School, Powers Ferry Elementary School and Rocky Mount Elementary School.
Morreale will directly oversee a variety of school safety programs. The Cobb school district announced this summer it is changing its vendor for school crisis alert systems and each school will have a Code Red drill during the school year.
That measure drew protests from some parents and other community members, including the Democratic candidate for state school superintendent.
The Cobb school district has 67 police officers to cover 114 school campuses. The new armed guards would be “badged” employees of the school district, and select personnel on those campuses would be notified of those who are carrying arms in the schools on a “need to know” basis.
Under the policy approved by the school board, teachers and other personnel with classroom supervisory authority will not be allowed to carry weapons.
In a release, Cobb schools superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the creation of the new assistant superintendent position “will make sure our school buildings are as safe and prepared as they can be, so our principals and teachers can concentrate on teaching and learning.”
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Commissioner JoAnn Birrell supported raising the millage rate for fire services, saying “they’re hurting and they need to be revived.”
In a split vote along party lines, the Cobb Board of Commissioners adopted a $1.2 billion fiscal year 2023 budget Tuesday night that expands the size of county government and provides substantial employee pay raises.
Commissioners also voted to maintain the general fund millage rate and other millage rates except the fire fund, which is going up slightly.
The board’s three Democrats voted to adopt the budget, with Chairwoman Lisa Cupid saying that while the spending package isn’t a “panacea . . . it helps us to move significantly further ahead” in addressing what she has long said are chronic staffing, salary and other issues that have affectEd service provision.
The budget includes the creation of 147 new jobs in what have been described as “critical” positions and a rise in the minimum wage for county employees from $11.50 to $17 an hour.
The two Republicans voted against the budget for varying reasons. Keli Gambrill cited “philosophical differences in budgeting” and the growing amount of reserve funding that totals nearly $52 million, saying that “to me, we are expanding government.”
JoAnn Birrell of East Cobb repeated publicly expressed doubts about the higher minimum wage. “I’m concerned if it’s sustainable year to year,” said Birrell, who also wants the county to prioritize filling existing vacancies before creating new jobs.
Commissioners also approved, by a 4-1 vote, to implement the recommendations of a new pay and classification study by a consultant that will cost $22 million in the new budget, and nearly $2 million in the current budget.
Among the recommendations is an average pay increase for full-time workers of nearly 11 percent. Gambrill was the lone vote in opposition.
The general fund millage rate—funded by property taxes and that provides for most of the budget—is staying at 8.46 mills.
But the fire fund is rising from 2.86 mills to 2.99 mills. The extra 0.13 mills is being transferred from a parks bond that is due to expire, and after fire officials said they have been deferring capital maintenance and other expenses.
Birrell supported that increase, saying in recent years, the fire fund rate has been reduced twice.
“They are hurting and they need to be revived,” said Birrell, who is seeking a fourth term in November and who has frequently said public safety needs should be at the top of budget priorities.
Cobb Tax Assessor Stephen White
The board’s vote came after a brief recess called by Cupid, who allowed public commenters to chime in, and they did so in occasionally intense fashion.
As she heard in a town hall in East Cobb last week, quite a few wanted the board to roll back the millage rate, saying inflation is taking a toll.
The Cobb tax digest has grown by 12.3 percent in 2022, netting an additional $60 million for the budget. But property tax assessments have gone up astronomically across the county.
Jim Jess of the Franklin Roundtable, a conservative group based in Cobb County, said rising gas prices alter “how people spend money in their households. People out here are hurting,” referring to senior citizens and workers who aren’t getting much of a pay raise.
Salleigh Grubbs, head of the Cobb Republican Party, told commissioners “you don’t acknowledge the looming recession.”
Debbie Fisher of East Cobb accused the county of not properly notifying the public of a tax increase in the millage rate for the fire fund.
Another East Cobb resident, Leroy Emkin, used his time not to comment on the county budget, but to rail against the World Economic Forum, the Green New Deal and wind turbines, speaking in fulminating fashion from prepared remarks.
Another East Cobb resident rose in support of the budget.
“I don’t know if Cobb is planning any wind farms,” said William Parker, “but the planet is on fire.
“Yes, some people are hurting. But it costs money to operate a county.”
Residential and commercial properties are assessed roughly every three years in Cobb County, tax assessor Stephen White said, and the state can penalize counties if they don’t perform updated fair market value assessments.
“We’re taking in a tremendous amount of [tax] money,” Gambrill said. “I agree that we need to be rolling back the millage rate.”
Birrell and Cupid are holdovers when commissioners rolled back the general fund millage rate in 2016, then faced a $32 million budget shortfall two years later.
Cupid voted for a tax increase pushed by her predecessor, Mike Boyce, while Birrell voted against it.
But with some county departments reporting staffing shortages of as much as 40 percent—including DOT, water and other frontline services, “now is the time for auction,” said commissioner Jerica Richardson, whose district includes part of East Cobb.
County department heads had requested a total of 658 new positions.
“Tonight will not be a panacea,” Cupid said. “But I believe that we are making the right decisions for today.”
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The Avenue East Cobb (4475 Roswell Road) has announced that it will have a groundbreaking celebration to kick off redevelopment plans on Aug. 25.
The event takes place from 5-7 p.m. on that date in the Central Lot, in front of what had been the Bravura store, with live music, “lite bites” and beverages.
The groundbreaking is free and open to the public and RSVPs can be made by clicking here. Guests may still be able to walk up and receive complimentary entry the day of the event, but they’re encouraged to sign up in advance.
Cobb commissioners in June approved a site plan change at The Avenue, which is being managed by North American Properties, developer of Avalon and redeveloper of Atlantic Station and Colony Square.
The Central Lot area is the focal point of the “jewel box” plans that include a public plaza with a live music and performance stage, restaurant and retail space and concierge service.
Bravura is relocating to the Alpharetta area, and The Avenue has moved its on-site offices there.
As we also reported earlier, a couple of restaurant/food changes are taking place at The Avenue, with Stockyard Burgers & Bones closing, and New York Butcher Shoppe opening in the fall, next to the J. Jill store.
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After being out in some areas for more than two days, electrical power has been fully restored at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.
Sgt. Jeremy Blake, the public information officer for the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, said in a release Tuesday morning that electricity was restored at 2:15 a.m. Tuesday.
On Saturday afternoon the Towers, an inmate housing area with around 600 detainees, experienced intermittent power disruptions and electricity was lost to certain areas of the facility.
Blake said maintenance crews said the outage was caused by a water leak that had damaged a power line, preventing emergency generators from providing power to the affected areas.
He said contractors and jail maintenance staff worked over the weekend and into early Tuesday to get the parts and make repairs.
During the outage, Blake said, additional law enforcement was called to the scene. Inmates “were provided with continuous ice and water and deputies increased the frequency of safety and security checks. Extra medical staff were on standby in the towers in case of a medical emergency,” Blake said.
A number of buildings at the jail complex, which opened in 1989, are currently or will be getting overhauled. The detention center is located at 1825 County Services Parkway in Marietta.
“I would like to publicly recognize the efforts by our staff over the last 36 hours,” Cobb Sheriff Craig Owens said in the release. “Our staff came in early and stayed late to make sure every detainee was safe and taken care of. Even simple tasks like delivering three meals a day required a team effort to complete. Our staff had to carry everything up and down multiple flights of stairs to make sure everyone’s needs were met.”
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The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area announced Monday that closures and restricted areas are in effect along portions of the Johnson Ferry North trails.
Specifically, trails are closed between the J8 and J9 markers, located at the Owl and Arrowhead branches respectively. (see map above) for the duration of the construction, which is expected to last two months.
The Chattahoochee River NRA said that access to the northern trails ending at Mulberry Creek is possible by hiking between markers JN3 and JN4.
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