Local art sale raises funds for Emory ALS research

Janice Overbeck, Emory ALS research

Submitted information and photo:

On Friday, January 25th, the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team held an art show at their office benefiting ALS research. Each participating artist generously donated 15% of their sales toward the fundraiser.

The exhibit included works from a variety of local artists including: Popi Marden, Katherine Knowles, Kent Knowles, Travis Carr, Matt Phillips, Jeff Pickard, Stacie Jean Albano, Rachel Silva, Danielle Rose, Naomi Garcia, Sara Farmer, and Mandy Grant. Hors d’oeuvres were sponsored by Perrie & Associates and premium cocktails were provided by Belle Isle.

The art show raised just over $800 for ALS, bringing the total raised for Emory ALS Center by Janice’s non-profit, JO Gives, to $190,962. 

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

East Cobb students raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Thanks to Katie Valley, a sophomore at Walton High School, for letting us know about a fundraiser she’s holding over the next few weeks for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

LLS logo, East Cobb students

She tells us that she and her group of fellow students, who attend Walton, Lassiter, Pope and Wheeler, are selling T-shirts and taking donations, with all the proceeds going for blood cancer research.

It’s part of the “Steps to Strength” fundraising drive that involves teen fundraisers in honor of young patients who are battling or are in remission from cancer. Here’s more about what the Steps to Strength drive is all about:

“The candidate team that raises the most money at the end of the seven weeks is named Student(s) of the Year. Our mission is to not only raise the most money but also to bring attention to blood cancers like leukemia, which is the most common form of cancer in children and teens.”

Here’s the link to donate:
https://events.lls.org/ga/AtlantaSOY19/tstepstost

And here’s the link to buy a t-shirt:
https://goo.gl/forms/kndHzLrupsKOLzz22

The fundraiser continues to March 23, For more visit the main LLS website.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Cobb budget and transit town hall meetings to begin in East Cobb

East Cobb Senior Town Hall

There’s not much public transit in East Cobb, but two locations in the community will be the venues for town hall meetings in March that will focus on transit issues.

They’ve been scheduled by Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce, similar to his budget town hall meetings last year (including above, at the East Cobb Senior Center), and will solicit public feedback about potential transit options in the county.

The upcoming town halls also will include his budget priorities for fiscal year 2020, including a pledge not to repeat last year’s property tax increase.

The meetings start Tuesday, March 5 at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road), and will be held at 3 and 7 p.m.

The following day, March 6, meetings also will take place at 3 and 7 p.m. at the East Cobb Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road).

The subject of transit is due to the passage of state legislation last year, HB 930, that established a new metro Atlanta transit authority. The law also gives Cobb the option of creating a special transit tax district or levying a one-cent countywide sales tax for transit expansion, which would have to be approved by Cobb voters in a referendum.

A county transit survey that was released late last year indicated that a majority of Cobb voters would approve of such a tax. That includes East Cobb, where the only CobbLinc bus line runs down Powers Ferry Road.

(Here’s a link to the survey summary.)

There was another bus line, along Roswell Road, that was eliminated during the recession due to Cobb budget cuts.

The HB 930 language indicated that if Cobb chose to hold a referendum, it would have to do so by November of this year. But Boyce has indicated he wants to delay that possibility until 2021 or 2022.

A transit sales tax referendum is slated for Gwinnett in March.

The remainder of Boyce’s town hall schedule next month is as follows, with sessions at 3 and 7 p.m. each day:

  • Thursday, March 7 – Cobb Senior Services on Powder Springs Street
  • Monday, March 11 – Freeman Poole Senior Center, Smyrna
  • Wednesday, March 13 – South Cobb Community Center
  • Thursday, March 14 – North Cobb Senior Center
  • Tuesday, March 19 – West Cobb Senior Center

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Pope wins region wrestling crown; Walton, Lassiter finish behind Cherokee

The Pope wrestling team repeated as Region 7 champions on Saturday and had 11 wrestlers qualify individually for the Georgia Class 6A sectional meet next weekend.

The Greyhounds tallied 211 points to 176.5 for runner-up Cambridge. Seven Pope wrestlers also won their weight classes: Jacob Robinson (106), Derek Robinson (113), Max Druhot (120), Alex Hearn (126), Troy Gable (145), Andrew Barner (152) and Chris Sheahan (195)Pope wins region wrestling crown

Walton also advanced 11 wrestlers to the Class 7A sectionals after finishing second to Cherokee in the Region 7 meet.

The Raiders had 155 points, and four wrestlers claimed individual titles, including Caden Canzano at 106, Nate Hardy at 132, Cole Hixon at 195 and Jonathan Chesser at 220.

Lassiter was third in the same region meet with 128 points. R.J. Weston and Dave Panone won individual regional titles, and nine other Trojans qualified for sectionals.

Sprayberry was 4th in the Region 6 meet in Class 6A and qualified five wrestlers for sectionals.

Wheeler also qualified six wrestlers for the Class 7A sectionals.

In Region 7 of Class 5A, Kell finished second to Woodland.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

 

Cobb school choice transfer period continues through February

Mountain View ES, Cobb school choice transfer

Applications for the Cobb County School District’s school choice transfer program for the 2019-20 school year are being accepted for the entire month of February.

Earlier this week the district released its list of schools that have space to accept students who transfer under the HB 251 program. The following lists East Cobb schools with space, and the number of available slots:

Elementary school

  • Blackwell (117)
  • Brumby (106)
  • Davis (143)
  • Keheley (95)
  • Kincaid (19)
  • Mountain View (93)
  • Murdock (20)
  • Nicholson (77)
  • Powers Ferry (14)
  • Sedalia Park (87)
  • Shallowford Falls (110)

Middle school

  • Daniell (19)
  • Hightower Trail (31)
  • Mabry (27)
  • McCleskey (203)
  • Simpson (12)

High school

  • Kell (359)
  • Lassiter (22)
  • Sprayberry (185)

HB 251 was a law passed in 2009 that allows students in Georgia public schools to transfer under certain conditions, and where space was available (more here).

Here’s the full list of Cobb schools that have space for the 2019-20 school year. If a school is not listed, there is no space at that school at any level.

And here’s the school choice application form. The deadline is Feb. 28.

Related stories

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

 

Ebenezer Road park master plan public meeting scheduled

Ebenezer Road park master plan

In mid-February Cobb parks officials will be seeking public input as they develop masster plans for green space purchased with the 2008 Cobb Parks Bond referendum, including land on Ebenezer Road in Northeast Cobb.

The session for the Ebenezer Road land takes place Feb. 18 from 6:30-8 p.m. at Noonday Baptist Church (4121 Canton Road).

In October, Cobb commissioners approved spending $89,000 to develop master plans for the properties.

It’s the only land in East Cobb out of nearly 500 acres purchased that’s undergoing a master plan process. The county also purchased 22 acres of the Tritt property next to East Cobb Park.

That’s slated to remain as undeveloped green space for now, so there’s no master plan underway.

The 18 acres on Ebenezer Road is located just off Canton Road, and was owned in two parcels by the Strother family. Last summer, commissioner JoAnn Birrell held a public preview there.

The Ebenezer Park master plan contract is for $14,300.

The other input meetings will take place in February and March.

Related story

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

 

New Lassiter football coach coming from North Dakota college

The new head football coach at Lassiter High School has Southern roots and Cobb County ties, but he’s coming back down from the frigid north.Sean Thom, Lassiter football coach

Sean Thom was announced Friday as the new man to lead the Trojans. For the last two years, he’s been the coach of Mayville State College in North Dakota, compiling a record of 2-18 in a rebuilding job.

He also has head coaching experience at Faulkner University, his alma mater in Alabama, where he was a three-time NAIA All-American.

In addition to his football exploits, Thom played baseball at North Dakota State University.

“I am honored and excited to lead the Lassiter football program,” Thom said in a release issued by the school. “My family and I are ready to become part of the Trojan Nation and build a program focused on creating exceptional student athletes and even better young men and future leaders.”

Thom’s high school coaching stops in Georgia include serving as defensive coordinator at Kennesaw Mountain, North Forsyth and Gilmer County. He was head coach at McCormick High School in South Carolina.

A native of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Thom and his wife Samantha have a 4-year-old son named Gunnar.

Thom succeeds Jep Irwin, who resigned after nine seasons, including a 1-9 finish in 2018, and who is now coaching in Kentucky.

Related story

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Cobb District Attorney appointed director of the GBI

Cobb  District Attorney Vic Reynolds is leaving his post to head the state’s main law enforcement agency. Vic Reynolds, Cobb District Attorney

On Friday Gov. Brian Kemp announced he had selected Reynolds to become director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

“Vic Reynolds is a courageous leader with unmatched experience,” Kemp said in a statement. “As District Attorney, Vic led efforts to dismantle gangs and protect local families from crime and violence. As GBI Director, he will work around the clock to ensure a safer, stronger Georgia.””

Reynolds is a Republican whose second term is up in 2020. He supported Kemp’s gubernatorial campaign and served on his transition team after the 2018 election.

“I look forward to continuing my service alongside dedicated law enforcement professionals from all across our state,” Reynolds said in a statement. “Our top priority from day one will be to ensure a safer, stronger Georgia.

Reynolds also has led numerous anti-gang initiatives in his time as Cobb’s top prosecutor. In his inaugural address last month, Kemp said one of his priorities will be to set up a statewide anti-gang task force within the GBI that would work with local prosecutors and law enforcement agencies.

More recently Reynolds has been addressing sex trafficking activity, and his office has filed a lawsuit threatening the owners of a Windy Hill Road motel with forfeiture of its property.

A native of Rome, Reynolds is a former police officer and was an assistant district attorney in Fulton and Cobb. He served as Cobb Chief Magistrate Judge and as a private criminal defense attorney before being elected Cobb District Attorney in 2012.

The Cobb DA’s vacancy will be filled by a Kemp appointee until the 2020 election.

That position is one of several countywide offices that will be up for election in two years, including Cobb Commission Chairman, Cobb Sheriff and some partisan judicial posts.

Those seats, like the DA’s office, have long been held by Republicans. But Democrats have made significant gains in recent elections across Cobb. Hillary Clinton won Cobb County in the 2016 presidential election, and Stacey Abrams carried the county over Kemp in the 2018 governor’s race.

Democratic candidates also won Cobb in last year’s elections for lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, school superintendent and other Georgia constitutional offices, although Republicans ultimately prevailed in statewide voting.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

East Cobb food scores: Ted’s Montana Grill; Grand Champion BBQ; and more

Ted's Montana Grill, East Cobb food scores

The following East Cobb restaurant scores from Jan. 21-Feb. 1 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing to view details of the inspection:

Chicago Delights
1392 Roswell Street, Suite B
January 22, 2019 Score: 82, Grade: B

Coldstone Creamery
640 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 110
January 23, 2019 Score: 99, Grade: A

Grand Champion BBQ
4401 Shallowford Road, Suite 168
January 31, 2019 Score: 86, Grade: B

Hoboken Bread & Bagel Co.
1033 Sandy Plains Road, Suite G
January 23, 2019 Score: 95, Grade: A

Marco’s Pizza
2986 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 100
January 28, 2019 Score: 100, Grade: A

Moe’s Southwest Grill
4401 Shallowford Road, Suite 100
January 25, 2019 Score: 93, Grade: A

Paisano’s Catering
3205 Canton Road, Suite 106
January 31, 2019 Score: 96, Grade: A

Papa John’s Pizza
1325 Powers Ferry Road
January 23, 2019 Score: 84, Grade: B

Papa John’s Pizza
3165 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite B
January 23, 2019 Score: 84, Grade: B

Pizza Hut
1100 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 225
January 24, 2019 Score: 95, Grade: A

Ray’s Donuts
4805 Canton Road, Suite 400
February 1, 2019 Score: 86, Grade: B

Taco Bell
4880 Lower Roswell Road
January 31, 2019 Score: 95, Grade: A

Ted’s Montana Grill 
640 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 150
January 25, 2019 Score: 95, Grade: A

Windy City Grill
4017 Canton Road
January 22, 2019 Score: 76, Grade: C

Yogli Mogli
1255 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 35
January 23, 2019 Score: 100, Grade: A

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

 

Revised Holly Springs Road senior living proposal reduces number of units

Holly Springs Road senior living proposal

An initial look at the Cobb zoning calendar for February shows a significant revision to a proposed senior living development on Holly Springs Road that was held by county commissioners in December.

Loyd Development Services had sought zoning for a 16-unit single family subdivision for seniors 55 and older on 4.3 acres near the Davis Road roundabout, but nearby residents complained about traffic and density concerns.

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell asked the applicant to consider an R-15 residential zoning instead of RSL (residential senior living) to get under the Cobb zoning staff’s recommendation of 2.5 units an acre.

A stipulation letter filed with Cobb zoning office on Jan. 22 does more than that in reducing the number of units from 16 to 10.

Those 10 units would come to 2.32 units an acre, and Loyd has revised the application to seek R-15 rezoning.

Garvis Sams, an attorney for Loyd, indicated in his letter the developer is continuing to meet with residents in adjoining neighborhoods.

Part of the new site plan is a 20-foot buffer between the Loyd development and homes on Intrepid Close, an adjacent street.

Here’s the full letter, with additional stipulations and the revised site plan.

The Cobb Planning Commission meets next Tuesday, but this case doesn’t have to go back before that board and will be heard by Cobb commissioners on Feb. 19.

Here’s Tuesday’s full agenda. Individual case files can be retrieved at the Cobb zoning office website. (The county website is being overhauled and for now this is how zoning cases are being organized.)

A couple of East Cobb cases to note: The zoning staff is recommending denial of an application by Mohammed Vasigh to rezone 3.4 acres on Paper Mill Road at Gateside Place from low-density residential to R-15. Currently, one home is located there, and the applicant wants to build a 7-home subdivision.

There is R-15 zoning in the Gateside neighborhood, but the land up for consideration is in the low-density category on the Cobb future land use map. Vasigh also has hired Sams in a case that has been continued.

Something from the December zoning hearing that also was delayed is a proposed sports stadium at the Post Oak Tritt Road campus of Mt. Bethel Christian Academy that has drawn community opposition.

There’s nothing new in the case files on that and we’ll update that story when we get more. The Mt. Bethel proposal also will be heard on Feb. 19 since it’s in the “Other Business” category that doesn’t go before the planning board.

The Planning Commission meeting starts at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the 2nd floor meeting room of the Cobb government building at 100 Cherokee St. near the Marietta Square.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

East Cobb Senior Center to conduct Smoveys fitness class series

East Cobb Senior Center

Starting in February and lasting until April, the East Cobb Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road) will be holding a fitness class involving Smoveys.

They’re molded hollow rings with stainless steel balls that create oscillating vibrations to stimulate body and mind.

Benefits include balance, stability, power, walking, mobility, endurance, coordination, strength and speed. Participants also can take part if they need to be seated.

The classes will be held every Monday starting Feb. 11 and ending April 8 from 9:15-10:15 a.m. There will be no class on Feb. 18 and April 1.

Participants must have a Cobb Senior Services membership to sign up. The class fee is $21 for Cobb residents and $26 for non-residents.

Visit the Cobb Senior Services page for information and to sign up.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Former Pope principal named Buford school superintendent

Robert Downs, who was a principal at Pope High School and an assistant principal at Wheeler and Sprayberry, has been named superintendent for Buford City Schools.Robert Downs, former Pope principal

The Gwinnett Daily Post reported Wednesday that Downs will start his new duties Feb. 25.

In his most recent role with the Cobb County School District, Downs has been an area assistant superintendent overseeing a cluster of middle schools, including Daniell, Dickerson, Dodgen, East Cobb, Hightower Trail, Mabry and McCleskey.

Downs came to Pope in 2012 after serving as principal at Lost Mountain Middle School, and was at the East Cobb high school for four years.

He succeeds Gaye Hamby, who resigned last August after audio recordings of him allegedly making racist comments were made public.

Buford City Schools has four schools and enrolls 4,300 students.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

New East Cobb coworking business holding open house, networking events

New East Cobb coworking business, Brilliant Coworking
Photo: M Harris Studio

Thanks to Michelle Gibson for passing along the news about a new coworking business she and her husband are opening in East Cobb that they’re calling Brilliant Coworking.

The venture is located at 2440 Sandy Plains Road, Building 5 (just across from Sprayberry High School). On Friday they’re offering free headshots for business professionals as part of an open house from 1-7 p.m.

You’re asked to sign up for that event here, as well as a networking event on Feb. 9 from 6-8.

The Gibsons moved here from Seabrook Island, S.C. She’s from East Cobb, he’s from England, and they met while living in Charleston, where she went to college. After starting a family (they have daughters ages 6 and 3) they moved here to be closer to her family.

His background is in management for Chick-fil-A as well as photography, and she has an advertising, creative writing and graphic design background.

They’ve been previewing the coworking space to prospective clients during January. There’s space for “solopreneurs” as well as private offices and meeting rooms. Plans run from $20-$40 an hour for meeting room pricie and starting at $199 a month for designated spaces.

Here’s more on what the Gibsons are envisioning for Brilliant Coworking:

“We want to be a resource for the community to provide meeting spaces, offices, coworking and networking events. Joseph being a photographer would also love to build out the 2nd phase to include studio space to serve the arts community in the local area by providing a place that can be shared and rented.

“Currently we provide meeting space downstairs with a small coworking space upstairs. Our goal is to expand into more of the building and build upstairs and provide private offices, flexible work space and a photography studio for the community. We want Brilliant Co to be a resource that Cobb can be proud of and bring people together.”

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

 

Chattahoochee NRA services gradually restarting after shutdown

The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area was affected by the recent U.S. government shutdown, and is almost back at full strength in terms of staffing and services.

The park issued a message Tuesday saying that the Island Ford Visitor Center in Fulton County has reopened, and that some automated machines in the park are being reactivated:Ford Island Visitor Center, Chattahoochee NRA

“It’s great to be open and we’re looking forward to greeting our visitors. Most importantly we want to give a big thanks to all our VIPs (Volunteers In Parks) and visitors that helped keep the park clean during the recent shutdown. That last bit of good news is that all of the restrooms have been reopened.”

The one exception: The restroom facility at the Cochran Shoals Unit Interstate North entrance is closed for unrelated reasons. Water line repairs are being made by Cobb County, but nearby portable toilets are available.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

East Cobb cityhood lobbyist is experienced in municipal campaigns

The Committee for Cityhood in East Cobb, Inc. has retained a lobbyist who has worked on behalf of other groups in metro Atlanta in recent years that have sought incorporation, as well for as a contractor that has provided services to some of those cities.

John Garst registered on Monday as lobbyist for the East Cobb group, according to the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission.John Garst, East Cobb cityhood lobbyist

He runs Rosetta Stone Communications, an Atlanta-based political consulting and polling firm, and it is the official polling organization for WSB-TV.

His previous lobbying for cityhood efforts include the City of Brookhaven, the City of Stonecrest, the Eagles Landing Educational Research Committee and CH2M.

The latter, formerly known as CH2M Hill, was a Colorado-based engineering and operations firm with an office in Atlanta that has provided municipal services on contract for the cities of Sandy Springs, Milton and Johns Creek.

CH2M also has contracted with other newer municipalities, including Tucker and Chattahoochee Hills in South Fulton. In 2017, CH2M was sold to another Colorado engineering firm.

Phil Kent, a spokesman for the cityhood group, told East Cobb News that Garst, who specializes in a Republican clientele, will be paid “slightly in excess of $10,000 for this year. He will now begin educating and pitching various state lawmakers and the legislative leadership on the benefits of East Cobb cityhood, monitor future legislation, attend meetings, and perform other duties associated with the legislative process.”

Joe Gavalis, an Atlanta Country Club resident who is the chairman of the cityhood committee, wrote a column that was published Tuesday in The Marietta Daily Journal, making his case for “local control over local affairs.”

His column repeats arguments he has made previously, and including obtaining feedback from a group of citizens about a feasibility study for a proposed City of East Cobb:

“Conversations with numerous east Cobb citizens also include concerns over actions taken by a majority of Cobb County commissioners who don’t reside in our community. The recent vote on a property tax increase, for example, passed by a 3-2 vote. Our sole east Cobb commissioner was out-voted. Indeed, there is a perception that county funds are not being spent prudently, and that public safety services and road improvements are not top priorities. If this concerns you in east Cobb, there is a solution. The answer is self-determination through cityhood!”

The proposed map of the City of East Cobb (with a population of 96,000) does not include all of what is generally regarded as East Cobb. The northern boundaries match, nearly identically, the boundaries of Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott’s District 2.

East Cobb’s other commissioner, JoAnn Birrell, also voted against the tax increase.

In the column, Gavalis continued to decline to name other individuals in the cityhood organization, saying only that they are “a group of concerned east Cobb citizens.”

On the East Cobb Cityhood website, he said that besides commercial real estate business owner G. Owen Brown, other donors who paid for the feasibility study “for now, wish to be unidentified due to possible personal harassment or media attacks/smears from opponents.”

Gavalis also has declined to identify those in the citizens group (East Cobb News has contacted a few, including one who quit over what he called a lack of transparency), saying only that “many chose to remain anonymous since this Committee was merely exploring the concept of cityhood.”

He said the group has made the following recommendations:

  • Conduct community meetings to educate the public on the process;
  • Recruit volunteers for study panels;
  • Develop a communication plan;
  • Develop “frequently asked questions and answers” as well as “facts vs. myths” materials;
  • Develop a comparison of the GSU study data versus our study panel estimates and also comparing research with comparable cities;
  • Educate citizens living in adjacent properties about requesting annexation into the city after it is created. (Changing the proposed city boundaries now would require a new feasibility study).

Gavalis did not indicate in his column when cityhood backers would inform the broader public or seek to introduce legislation to establish a local referendum. The earliest citizens could vote on whether to create a City of East Cobb would be in 2020, but only if a bill is passed this year.

Kent reiterated “that the cityhood movement is still in its very early stage.”

He also said that “dates are currently being discussed for community meetings” and that they will be announced to the public when they are scheduled.

The feasibility study, for which the cityhood group paid $36,000, concluded that the City of East Cobb was financially viable without levying taxes higher than the current Cobb County general fund millage rate, and would even start with a budget surplus.

After a recent speaking engagement in East Cobb, Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce told East Cobb News that none of the six existing cities in Cobb have lower overall millage rates than the county.

“Unless you can show me there’s a big difference in the quality of services, you’re going to be paying extra to get those services” in a City of East Cobb, Boyce said.

Gavalis said the study committees would be involved in creating a charter, and he is seeking volunteers with expertise in taxes and finance, planning and zoning, public works and engineering, governance and administration and police and courts. Said Kent:

“A lot of feedback is already coming in via our website from east Cobbers and others with various areas of expertise who want to volunteer to be on study panels that are being established by the East Cobb cityhood committee.”

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Winter weather advisory cancelled in Cobb; schools resume classes Wedneasday

The National Weather Service is continuing a hazardous weather outlook until 7 p.m. tonight but has cancelled a winter weather advisory for Cobb and metro Atlanta after this morning’s rain.

At 11:40 a.m. the NWS in Atlanta revised its weather outlook to include Cobb and much of North Georgia. Patchy black ice could accumulate in extreme North Georgia this afternoon and could be possible across most of the state tonight as temperatures plunge below freezing.

Cobb schools and government were closed today, as well as many businesses, churches and other organizations.

UPDATE, 3:15 p.m. Tuesday: Cobb schools said all classes and activities will resume as scheduled on Wednesday.

Cobb County government will open at 8 a.m. Wednesday.

There are some reports of minor flurries in areas of East Cobb, but nothing is expected to stick. Temperatures were in the mid-to-high 30s around noon.

By the time the sun goes down, the forecast is for temperatures to drop below freezing, all the way into the low 20s overnight.

Georgia DOT closed the Northwest Corridor Lanes at 11:30 a.m. today, and they will stay closed until the weather event is over.

Wednesday is expected to be sunny, but cold, with highs in the high 30s, and lows in the low 20s. Thursday and Friday will be a bit warmer, into the mid 40s and low 50s, but with below-freezing overnight lows.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Cobb schools and government closed Tuesday as winter storm approaches

Cobb schools and government closed

The Cobb County School District and Cobb government both sent messages out around noon Monday that they will be closed Tuesday, due to a winter storm that’s headed to metro Atlanta and north Georgia.

Their decisions came after Gov. Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms held a joint news conference, announcing that state government in the storm area, as well as Georgia’s largest city, would be closing on Tuesday.

Other metro Atlanta governments and school districts also have announced closures for Tuesday, including Marietta City Schools.

State government offices in 35 counties, including Cobb, will be closed on Tuesday, according to Kemp.

The area is bracing for cold, wet weather starting later Monday evening and lasting through Tuesday night.

On Sunday, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch that includes Cobb.

Monday afternoon, the NWS upgraded that status to a winter storm warning, including Cobb, from 3 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Travel could be hazardous due to snow and ice accumulations, including black ice.

Cobb schools spokeswoman Nan Kiel said the following in a statement:

“Knowing that it interrupts the school day and the education process, we did not make this decision lightly. However, given that our District serves more than 112,000 students and their families, as well as 18,000 staff members, and that the safety of our students and staff are paramount, we chose to act on the side of safety.

“The District will continue monitoring the situation, with an eye towards the condition of our roads, and we’ll be sure to update the community further by 5 pm Tuesday evening.”

All events and activities scheduled at schools also have been cancelled or postponed.

Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt said the county’s shutdown will begin at 6 a.m. Tuesday, and will reopen depending on when conditions improve. County Manager Rob Hosack said in a statement:

“With a great deal of uncertainty about the timing and amount of snow, we thought this proactive action would be best to ensure the safety of Cobb County workers.”

Cobb DOT crews will be on the job overnight and into Tuesday, Cavitt said, preparing equipment and pre-treating roads starting around sunrise.

Cavitt said the crews will work in 12-hour shifts until the weather event is over, using a salt-sand mixture to treat “known trouble-spots,” especially around curves and on bridges and overpasses.

Other closings

We’re compiling closings of other schools, businesses and organizations and any cancellations or postponements of events for Tuesday. E-mail us: editor@eastcobbnews.com with your information:

  • St. Catherine’s Episcopal preschool closed;
  • Catholic Church of St. Ann closed;
  • Transfiguration Catholic Church closed;
  • Wood Acres School closed;
  • Primrose School East Cobb closed;
  • Faith Lutheran School closed;
  • Mt. Bethel Christian Academy closed;
  • Orange Theory Fitness Sandy Plains and Marietta-East Cobb opening 3:30 p.m.;
  • Thrive Wellness Center closed;
  • Mt. Zion UMC closed;
  • Wesley Chapel UMC basketball cancelled;
  • Johnson Ferry Christian Academy closed;
  • Eastside Christian School closed;
  • The Walker School closed;
  • East Cobb Tutoring Center closed;
  • Mansouri Family Dental Care closed;
  • East Cobb and NE Cobb YMCA closing at 4 p.m. Tuesday, all group exercise programs before 4 are scheduled (subject to cancelletion), all paid programs are cancelled;
  • East Cobb Business Association Community Breakfast postponed;
  • MUST Ministries program centers in Marietta, Smyrna and Canton and main donation center closed;
  • All locations Marietta Eye Clinic closed, including Marietta Eye Surgery;
  • Dentistry at East Piedmont closing at 12 p.m.;
  • Olde Towne Athletic Club closed;

Weather forecast

The forecast calls for Cobb to get around an inch of snow, with temperatures reaching as high as the low 40s during the day on Tuesday, but dropping to around 20 degrees on Tuesday night.

Monday is the five-year anniversary of a winter storm that crippled metro Atlanta, stranding thousands of motorists and forcing some students, teachers and staff to shelter overnight in schools.

Monday is also the first full day of Super Bowl-related activities in the Atlanta area.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Wheeler STEM program ranked No. 2 in the country

Wheeler STEM program
Wheeler Magnet School student Ryan Davis demonstrates his “Reactive LED Hoodie” at the school’s STEAM symposium in April 2018. (ECN file)

The Wheeler STEM program is regarded as the No. 2 STEM program in the country, according to an educational survey.

Study.com placed the Wheeler STEM program only behind Stuyvesant High School in New York City on a list of the Top 30 STEM programs in American high schools.

According to Study.com, which describes itself as an online educational resource, the Wheeler STEM program:

” . . . also [has] been recognized for their outreach in helping other schools develop STEM programs. The STEM Center offers an accelerated and advanced course of study focusing on medical biotechnology, engineering/robotics, chemical engineering and advanced chemistry. The program culminates in senior research and internships with local business and institution partners. Students have the opportunity to take twice as many math and science courses as they would in a traditional curriculum.”

The formal name for the Wheeler STEM program is the Center for Advanced Studies. It was started as a magnet program in 1997. (STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.)

In 2017 Wheeler became the first high school in Georgia to be certified as a STEAM school, which includes an arts component.

For the last six years, Wheeler also has held a STEAM symposium that reaches out to the whole student body.

Many of the other schools on the Study.com list are schools specializing in STEM programs, including the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, as well as elite private schools in the Northeast and San Francisco Bay Area.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Winter storm watch issued for Cobb, North Georgia with snow on the way

Cobb winter storm watch

At 3 p.m. Sunday the National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for Monday night going into Tuesday that includes Cobb County, metro Atlanta and most of northwest Georgia.

UPDATED, 12:26 p.m. Monday: Cobb schools and government will be closed on Tuesday.

The watch begins at 4 a.m. Tuesday and continues until 10 p.m. Tuesday along and north of a line from Franklin to Gainesville to Jonesboro.

Snow is in the forecast, and for now the NWS is saying Cobb could get up to an inch. Up to three inches could fall in the mountains, but much of the area could get up to two inches.

The NWS is warning that “travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute.”

The warning also reminds motorists that black ice could accumulate even with a little snow.

Monday is expected to be partly cloudy with high temperatures in the mid 50s. But colder weather is coming Monday night, with lows around 40 and rain starting to move into north Georgia.

On Tuesday, the high is expected to be only in the low 40s, with the highest chance of rain before 11 a.m. The chance of precipitation in Cobb is expected to be around 80 percent, with lows dipping to around 20 by the evening.

Wednesday’s high is expected to be in the high 30s, and the low on Wednesday could fall into the teens.

Thursday won’t be much warmer, but the sun will return and sunny weather with temperatures in the mid-50s is in the forecast for Saturday.

UPDATE: Around 5:30 p.m. the Cobb County School District issued the following statement:

“We are monitoring possible winter weather arriving as early as Tuesday. Knowing that none of us know when or even if it will snow, you can know that we will tell you what we do know as early as possible. You can expect an update from us by Monday at 5:00 pm. In the meantime, learn more about what our staff is doing to make the very best decision for students, families, and staff here https://apple.co/2QE3udN and here:”

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Cobb Sunday alcohol hours extended just in time for Super Bowl

Last fall, Cobb voters extended Sunday alcohol hours by approving a “brunch bill” that would allow adult beverage service to begin at 11 a.m.Cobb brunch bill, Cobb Sunday alcohol hours

Last week, Cobb commissioners voted to amend the county code to allow restaurants and bars to serve alcohol until 2 a.m. on Mondays.

Previously, last call was at midnight Monday.

The new hours began today, and are permanent, but they also were timed for the Super Bowl, which takes place this coming Sunday in Atlanta.

The new rule applies only to establishments that derive at 50 percent of their revenues from food service or the same percentage of revenue from overnight room rentals.

Before the elections, Sunday alcohol service and retail sales could begin only after 12:30 p.m.

But the “brunch bill” was approved with more than 71 percent of the vote in unincorporated Cobb, by far the largest margin for any item on the local ballot.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!