Over the objections of nearby residents, the Cobb Planning Commission Tuesday recommended approval of a climate-controlled self-storage facility at the former Mountain View Elementary School site (previous East Cobb Newspost here).
The vote was 4-1, with planning commissioner Thea Powell opposed.
The 105,340-square foot building has been added to a mixed-use development approved in October that would call for “high-end” restaurants, shops and other retail uses.
Residents living in the Cutters Gap neighborhood accused the developer, Brooks Chadwick Capital, of a “bait and switch” in proposing a three-story building at the southwest corner of the 14-acre parcel at 3448 Sandy Plains Road.
Others said they feared the building, which one called “a monster,” would tower over their neighborhood, and suggested a two-story limit.
Kevin Moore, an attorney for Brooks Chadwick, said among the stipulations included with the request would be a 45-foot height limit on the self-storage building, which would include 13 parking spaces.
“It’s the quietest possible use there could be in this location,” Moore said.
The planning commission recommended denial of another East Cobb rezoning request to convert empty office space into a mixed-use development at Johnson Ferry Road and Lassiter Road.
Dr. Robert Licata, a pediatrician who’s long had a practice at 3000 Johnson Ferry Road, wants to move his office to 2863 Johnson Ferry Road and get an acre currently zoned for low-rise office (LRO) to neighborhood retail commercial (NRC).
The request included the possible use for a restaurant and gym as well as other shops. Two empty buildings have sat vacant at that property, but residents in the nearby Lassiter Walk neighborhood are opposed (agenda item information here).
Planning commission chairman Mike Terry said “there are issues that are problematic,” including 37 parking spaces (the county zoning staff is recommending at least 52) and the lack of loading access behind the buildings.
Licata later deleted the restaurant from the rezoning request, but the planning board voted 5-0 to recommend denial.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners will decide on both cases on Feb. 20.
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The Cobb Planning Commission is recommending a height reduction of apartments at the MarketPlace Terrell Mill development (in back, center) to three stories.
The Cobb Planning Commission is recommending approval of a Powers Ferry-Terrell Mill Road development that’s been held up for months, but made some changes Tuesday before sending it along for formal action later this month.
By a 4-1 vote the planning board approved rezoning a 23.9-acre tract at the northwest corner of Powers Ferry and Terrell Mill to community retail commercial (CRC) and multifamily residential (RM-16).
It’s slated to become what its developer, Eden Rock Real Estate Partners, is calling the MarketPlace at Terrell Mill, anchored by a Kroger superstore, and to include restaurants, retail shops, and an apartment building and a self-storage facility.
Eden Rock was requesting a Planned Village Community (PVC) designation after the commission held the application in December. Eden Rock initially sought CRC and urban condominium (UC), but sought a new category that would reduce proposed variances from 21 to 10 and made other changes.
Those changes weren’t enough to sway some planning commissioners and residents of the Salem Ridge condominiums, which are adjacent to the proposed apartments and self-storage building.
After a lengthy discussion, the planning commission included a set of stipulations in its recommendation that would reduce the height of the apartment building to three stories from four, and a maximum of around 220 units in all. The latest site plan had cut that number from 350 to 298.
“I don’t think this is too intense at all,” said planning commission Mike Terry, who represents District 2, which includes the Powers Ferry-Terrell Mill area.
His motion to approve PVC rezoning was voted down before planning commissioner Judy Williams moved to delete that category and replace it with CRC and RM-16.
As he has stated often during the long-delayed application process, Terry said that the Eden Rock proposal—an assemblage of property that includes the current site of Brumby Elementary School—is a key to reviving the Powers Ferry area, especially with the nearby relocation of the Atlanta Braves having provided a spark.
“This is vital to revitalize this whole corridor,” he said. “If this collapses, we’ll have a hodgepodge [of potential future development] . . . and would have the same thing we’ve got now.
“I want this community to be revitalized, and this is the first bite of the apple we’ve had.”
The development has been supported by the Powers Ferry Corridor Alliance, a civic group. But Salem Ridge residents echoed their concerns about density, traffic and potential noise from the complex, including an outdoor swimming pool planned for the roof of a parking deck next to the apartment building.
They also objected to the PVC request, which mandates a 50-acre minimum.
“This request just doesn’t fit,” said Salem Ridge resident Amy Patricio. “It’s too dense, and it doesn’t fit the code or the master plan.”
Planning commissioner Thea Powell, the lone dissenting vote, agreed, even after previously saying that “this not a PVC case.”
The Eden Rock proposal has been more than three years in the making. Partner Brandon Ashkouri said the site plan that was heard Tuesday was the 61st version of the project.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners will make the final decision on the application on Feb. 20.
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The Lassiter High School band at the 2017 Cherry Blossom Parade in Washington, D.C. (submitted photo)
On Saturday, the Lassiter Band wants to sell you a mattress to help raise money for its participation in the 2019 Tournament of Roses Parade (previous East Cobb Newspost here).
The mattress sale takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the band room at Lassiter (2601 Shallowford Road). They’ll be selling name-brand mattresses at a discount and will deliver. For details text the word “Lassiter” to 678-999-7278.
This will be the 130th Tournament of Roses parade and the fifth appearance for the Lassiter Band, which is sending 250 students, educators and others to Pasadena, Calif. for the New Year’s Day event.
Here’s more about related fundraising efforts for the trip, sent to us by Lassiter Band mom Sharon Renaud, who also submitted the photo above:
The Lassiter Band also is selling raffle tickets for chances to win a 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 4×4. The drawing will be held Nov. 17. More information is available by emailing JeepRaffle@lbba.org. As a 501(c)(3) organization, the band also accepts tax-deductible donations which may be mailed to LBBA, P.O. Box 670253, Marietta, GA 30066.
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We noted this a few weeks back, but it’s now open: Okko Ramen Asian Kitchen, in the same building as the New Lucky China restaurant in the Sandy Plains-Shallowford Road area.
To be specific, the address is 3045 Gordy Parkway, Suite 108. Okko opened its doors in mid-January, and the menu features several Ramen entrees and other Japanese specialties, starters and sides.
Okko is open seven days a week; phone is 770-988-5000.
Challise & Co. honored
Challise & Company, a hair-skin-body salon located at 3534 Canton Road, has been recognized by Salon Today 200, a leading business for salon owners.
The Salon Today 200 list includes businesses nominated by the publication’s readers, and who meet various criteria for best business practices.
Challise & Company is owned by Challise Copeland, who took over the former Studio 5 Salon in 2003, and Carrie Cox. They’re active in the Northeast Cobb Business Association and the Cobb Women’s Business Association as well as Small Business Saturday (previous East Cobb Newspost here).
Other openings in East Cobb
The following East Cobb businesses have been granted licenses over the last couple of weeks:
Body Face Image Solutions, 1475 Terrell Mill Road, Suite 108 (esthetician);
Brazilian Bakery Cafe, 1260 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 115 (bakery);
Novo Psychotherapy, 1225 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 170 (counseling);
Nubesec, 2704 Stillwater Lake Lane (computer consultant);
Salata, 4101 Roswell Road, Suite 1100 (restaurant);
Sherry Goins, 2145 Roswell Road, Suite 200 (beautician);
Styles by Isaac, 4101 Roswell Road (beauty salon);
Superior Dental of East Cobb, 2745 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 118 (dentist);
Ushak Rug Gallery, 1762 Shady Hill Road (carpet sales);
Wood Family Chiropractic, 3417 Canton Road (chiropractor).
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For the first time in school history, the Pope girls swimming team has won a state championship.
The Greyhounds edged Johns Creek, 349 points to 338 points, to win the Georgia High School Association Class 6A title at Georgia Tech on Saturday.
Pope swimmer Sarah Sorensen won individual state crowns in the 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke, and her teammate Mady Bragg won the girls 200-yard freestyle.
Sorensen, Bragg, Julia Keith and Anna Prestel took the 6A championship in the 400-yard freestyle relay event.
The Walton girls were attempting a second consecutive state championship in Class 7A, but placed third with 282 points, behind Brookwood and Lambert. The Lassiter girls were sixth, with 213 points.
The Raiders’ 200-yard freestyle relay team of Jasmin Hoffman, Abby Belinski, Jami Williams and Melissa Cox won the 7A state title. Hoffman and Cox finished 1-2 in the 50-yard freestyle finals and they were 2-3, respectively, in the 100-yard freestyle.
Williams was second in the 100-yard backstroke, and Walton diver Mackenna Buchanan won the 1-meter springboard event.
In the boys competition, Lassiter finished second in the Class 7A team results with 304.5 points, which Brookwood won easily with 404 points. The Pope boys were fourth in Class 6A with 283 points.
Sprayberry’s Ananda Lin won the state championship in the Class 6A 100-yard freestyle event with a time of 44.66. He also was second in the 200-yard finals. Other top finishers from East Cobb schools in their respective classifications:
Boys 200-yard medley relay: Pope, 2nd (Mitchell Hunt, Langston Weddington, Ben Prestel, Gabe Lacasella);
Boys 1-meter diving: Casey Harrison, Pope, 2nd;
Boys 200-yard freestyle: Parker Ciaramella, Lassiter, 3rd;
Boys 50-yard freestyle: Jordan Dunn, Lassiter, 3rd;
Girls 100-yard butterfly: Sophie Taylor, Lassiter, 2nd;
Boys 100-yard freestyle: Brendan Hausdorf, Lassiter, 2nd;
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A new rendering of the MarketPlace Terrell Mill project, which goes before the Cobb Planning Commission Tuesday.
In December the Cobb Planning Commission decided to hold a zoning application for a major Powers Ferry-Terrell Mill Road project that was opposed by some nearby condominium dwellers.
When the case goes back before the planning board Tuesday, the proposed redevelopment will come with a request for a new zoning category and will bear a new name.
What had been tentatively called the Terrell Mill Towne Center is now being dubbed MarketPlace Terrell Mill.
The proposed mixed-used project still covers nearly 24 acres at the northwest intersection of Powers Ferry and Terrell Mill roads, and includes the site of the soon-to-be-vacated Brumby Elementary School.
It would still be anchored by a Kroger superstore, along with restaurants, retail shops, as well a high-density apartment complex and self-storage building that have been opposed by residents of the adjacent Salem Ridge condominiums.
Instead of seeking community retail commercial (CRC) and urban condominium (UC) rezoning, the developers are now asking for the designation of planned village community (PVC), a rare category in use in Cobb County.
The attorney for the applicant, SSP Blue Ridge LLC, said a “huge amount of changes” also include settling on Colonial-style architecture throughout the development, and “tilting” the singular apartment building 180 degrees from the original proposal to alleviate concerns by nearby residents.
The rendering from Terrell Mill Road, with the proposed self-storage building in the front of a 298-unit apartment building. The Salem Ridge condominiums are to the left.
Instead of more than 20 variances in the initial request, the PVC would reduce those variances to around 10 or so, according to Garvis Sams, who represents the applicant.
Some Salem Ridge residents who opposed the rezoning in December think the new request is improved, but are still worried about traffic and density issues.
“It’s a step in the right direction, but I don’t think this is it,” said Salem Ridge resident Robert Thompson, who spoke against the proposal at the planning commission hearing in December.
While he understands the need to redevelop the Powers Ferry-Terrell Mill intersection, and that “a lot of wheels are in motion,” he thinks the developers haven’t come far enough in addressing his concerns.
The number of apartment units have been reduced from 350 to 298, and the building has been reduced from five to four stories. The adjacent self-storage facility would be three stories, also with the same architecture (see revised site plan below).
The Powers Ferry Corridor Alliance, a civic group formerly named the Terrell Mill Community Association, has supported the project all along, and urged members to attend Tuesday’s hearing “to help show that the PFCA has a role in supporting positive change in the community!”
One of the variances is significant. To get PVC zoning, a piece of property must be at least 50 acres. The Powers Ferry-Terrell Mill land isn’t half that.
Sams said a waiver request from that minimum acreage is included in a stipulation letter sent Jan. 23 to the Cobb zoning staff, which is recommending approval of the rezoning.
Noting the geographical reality of the property, Sams said the most recent PVC rezoning in Cobb—the West Village Smyrna project approved 13 years ago—also comes in under 50 acres.
The Planning Commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb Government Building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
The planning board’s recommendation is advisory; the final decision is up to the Cobb Board of Commissioners on Feb. 20.
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A citizens group that’s been trying to address the decaying Sprayberry Crossing Shopping Center is organizing a public meeting next month to bring more attention to the issue.
Joe Glancy of the Sprayberry Crossing Action Facebook group said Friday the meeting is scheduled for March 21 at 6 p.m. at the theater of Sprayberry High School (2525 Sandy Plains Road).
He said plans are to invite county and state officials, but didn’t have any other details.
Located on 13 acres on Sandy Plains Road at East Piedmont Road, Sprayberry Crossing Shopping Center was built 40 years ago, in 1978, with more than 140,000 square feet of space and with contemporary cedar trim design. The anchor stores were supermarkets—first an Ogletree’s and then a Bruno’s—and a bowling alley also operated there.
Today, it houses only a few businesses and organizations in run-down buildings that have been in that state since the 1990s. The parking lot is bumpy and riddled with potholes, and nearby residents have long complained about it being a community eyesore.
One of those residents is Glancy, who oversees the group’s Facebook page that has nearly 3,800 members.
Last month, he conducted a survey of group members to decide how to move forward. Glancy said most of the respondents preferred a public meeting. He wrote on the group’s page:
“This year, it is time to hold people accountable and make our voices heard. Don’t let your county representatives tell you how much they care about this issue – it’s time they showed you.
“As for the ownership, it’s probably time the community organized a communications initiative to make sure the owners are made aware of the level of our frustration.”
There’s a long, drawn-out back story to the Sprayberry Crossing Shopping Center, complicated by the location of a private cemetery and other issues as detailed last summer by the Cobb County Courier.
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Cobb Police Precinct 4 officers say parking lots at gyms and fitness centers remain among the leading venues for car break-ins. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
Before doing a deep dive into East Cobb crime statistics, a Cobb Police captain reminded local business leaders this week of a simple preventive measure that’s not being taken enough to address a spike in one of the community’s recurring crime issues.
“People aren’t locking their doors.”
Not just their car doors, but also garage doors and residential entrances, leading to easy opportunities for burglary, theft and other offenses, according to Capt. Everett Cebula, the deputy commander of Precinct 4 in East Cobb.
On Tuesday, Cebula told attendees at an East Cobb Business Association breakfast that car break-ins—referred to on crime reports as “entering auto”—have gone up quite a bit in Precinct 4 since 2012, in residential communities, commercial areas and public venues like parks.
In 2012, there were 392 reported car break-ins in Precinct 4. That number jumped to 597 in 2016 and fell slightly slightly last year to 567 (see table at bottom).
Cebula said gym and fitness center parking lots are prime territory for thieves looking to plunder goods from vehicles, since patrons often leave valuables inside the car and in open view while they’re working out.
In a refrain to messages police routinely give during the holiday shopping season, he urged gym-goers to secure items even before they pull up into the parking lot.
“Take those items and put them in the trunk before you go into the gym,” he said.
Thefts also have gone up in Precinct 4 in the 2012-2017 reporting period. Burglaries—both residential and non-residential—also have gradually dropped since 2012, and more violent crimes, such as murder, rape, aggravated assault and robbery, are fairly low in East Cobb compared to the rest of the county.
From left, Cobb Precinct 4 Capt. Everett Cebula, Lt. Brian Kitchens and Maj. Brian Batterton, the incoming commander. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
One measure police have been taking in recent years to crack down on car break-ins is the use of racketeering laws. That’s because they’ve noticed that these incidents are more frequently connected to larger criminal rings, or repeated activity by solo criminals.
If police can establish a criminal enterprise, they can go outside the county and track down break-in suspects and bring their activity into one case.
Lt. Brian Kitchens, the head of Precinct 4’s criminal investigations, said that last summer his unit was able to use what’s known as the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law—or RICO—to pull together more than a dozen cases for landscaping theft. The suspect in those incidents, he said, is still in jail.
He said “RICO goes a step further” and enables the judicial system to toughen punishments for repeated crimes.
He said another suspect was getting probation for car break-ins committed in various jurisdictions, but the use of RICO revealed that he had 55 such arrests, and a few more cases have been added. That suspect, Kitchens said, was offered a 20-year sentence, with 13 to serve.
Kitchens, who headed up the creation of a car break-in task force by Cobb Police in 2015, said RICO can be used to address other crimes.
He said police are getting more reports of break-ins at businesses like eyeglass stores, women’s clothing boutiques and specialty shops.
“We can expand this to protecting your business,” Kitchens told the ECBA attendees.
The table below has been compiled from Cobb Police data. The first figure in each box is for Precinct 4, and figures in parenthesis are from all of Cobb County.
Precinct 4 includes most of East Cobb, ranging from the eastern side of Canton Road to the Windy Hill Road area in the Powers Ferry corridor.
Part 1 crimes are the most serious and violent offenses against people and property, according to federal Uniform Crime Reports guidelines. They include homicide, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, theft, auto theft and arson.
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Part 1 Crimes
1306 (8800)
1335 (8506)
1196 (8261)
1245 (8695)
1281 (8615)
1264 (8204)
Crimes Against Persons
78 (581)
59 (526)
72 (535)
102 (658)
99 (718)
74 (638)
Crimes Against Property
1228 (8219)
1276 (7980)
1124 (7726)
1143 (8037)
1182 (7897)
1190 (7566)
Homicide
2 (14)
4 (20)
3 (16)
3 (17)
2 (17)
2 (24)
Rape
19 (142)
14 (114)
16 (108)
23 (140)
21 (132)
20 (137)
Robbery
39 (405)
31 (409)
43 (392)
50 (428)
40 (449)
35 (397)
Agg. Assault
57 (425)
41 (392)
53 (411)
76 (501)
76 (569)
52 (480)
Res. Burglary
325 (2334)
365 (1992)
237 (1708)
209 (1694)
240 (1438)
226 (1176)
Non-Res. Burglary
127 (733)
113 (652)
105 (692)
118 (732)
87 (764)
90 (685)
Entering Auto
392 (2512)
422 (2723)
477 (3059)
279 (4062)
597 (3864)
567 (4070)
Theft
647 (3950)
665 (4100)
652 (3992)
659 (4216)
696 (4276)
730 (4359)
Vehicle Theft
90 (797)
102 (827)
87 (942)
107 967)
119 (970)
109 (949)
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Last fall the former Mountain View Elementary School site was rezoned for a major mixed-use development (previous East Cobb Newspost here) that is to include restaurants, shops and other small businesses.
Now, the developers are coming back through the rezoning process to request that a self-storage facility be allowed on the nearly 14-acre tract at 3448 Sandy Plains Road.
Brooks Chadwick Capital, LLC is seeking a special land use permit to construct a three-story facility that would be located at the southwest corner of the property and adjacent to the East Cobb Senior Center and the The Art Place-Mountain View.
The application will be heard Tuesday by the Cobb Planning Commission, which meets at 9 a.m. in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta.
Brooks Chadwick has submitted a revised site plan and renderings for the facility (agenda item packet here), which would contain 105,340 square feet of space and 13 parking spaces.
The above rendering, which features a brick Colonial style to the exterior of the building, was worked out between the developer and nearby residents and was submitted in December.
The Cobb zoning staff is recommending approval of the application with several conditions, including final architectural and landscaping plan approval coming from the district commissioner, and continuing existing stipulations that were part of the rezoning case last year.
The planning commission is an advisory board appointed by members of the Cobb Board of Commissioners, which will decide this and other rezoning, land use permit and related business on Feb. 20.
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A motorist has been hospitalized after a collision at Delk Road and Franklin Gateway Wednesday afternoon, and police are searching for the driver they say caused the accident.
The victim’s name has not been released by Marietta Police, who said that a male driver slammed into two vehicles at the intersection around 12:45 p.m. after being pursued in a traffic stop.
Police said a gray 1997 Mercury Cougar was heading north on Franklin Gateway when a uniform officer noticed the car wasn’t displaying a proper license plate.
When the officer tried to initiate the traffic stop, the Cougar turned left into a filling station, then sped away and ran a red light at the intersection, hitting two vehicles, police said.
The driver of the first vehicle that was hit was trapped inside and later taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, according to police, who did not indicate the victim’s condition.
Police said the suspect fled on foot. He is described as a black male, with a medium skin tone and dreadlocks. He was last seen wearing a striped shirt, blue jeans and khaki colored boots.
Anyone with information about the accident is asked to contact Officer Parker at the Marietta Police Department. The main number is 770-794-5300.
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Some midweek overnight bridge work on the Windy Hill Road southbound ramp to Interstate 75 is being done on the continuing Northwest Corridor Project tonight and Wednesday night that may affect some East Cobb motorists.
From 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. both nights, it’s a multiple-lane closure: A double-left-lane closure starts at 11 p.m., then shifts to a triple-left-lane closure beginning at midnight until 5 a.m.
This closure extends—again, only in the southbound direction—from north of Windy Hill Road to Windy Ridge Parkway.
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Maj. Brian Batterton visits with Rosan Hall at the East Cobb Business Association breakfast Tuesday. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
Maj. Brian Batterton, who began his career with the Cobb County Police Department in Precinct 4, is returning to become commander of the East Cobb-based unit.
Batterton, who succeeds Maj. Jerry Quan, is currently the commander of Cobb Police Precinct 5, which is in West Cobb.
His new appointment is another homecoming for Batterton, who still resides in East Cobb, in the Sprayberry High School area.
Batterton has been with Cobb Police since 1995, serving as a patrol officer, a criminal investigations supervisor and as a training center commander.
He made one of his first public appearances Tuesday at an East Cobb Business Association breakfast at the J. Christopher’s at East Lake Pavilions. Batterton will start his new duties Feb. 11.
In the interim, assistant commander Capt. Everett Cebula will be in charge of Precinct 4, which has around 70 officers and staff.
Batterton earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University and a juris doctor degree from John Marshall Law School. He also has served in the National Guard in Georgia and Alabama.
Quan retired on Friday after nearly 30 years with Cobb Police, and began work on Monday with the Cobb County School District Police Department.
In 2014, Quan was named East Cobb Citizen of the Year by the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.
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Last week we noted that Cobb Police were having a “coffee with a cop” session as part of its community policing efforts. On Wednesday, they’re inviting you to join them again to express your concerns about crime and public safety issues in East Cobb.
From 8-10 a.m., Officer Nathalie Jegg will be available at the Chick-fil-A at Woodlawn Square, 1201 Johnson Ferry Road. She’s the Cobb Police Precinct 4 community officer (all five precincts have such an officer).
Here’s how Cobb Police is explaining this initiative, which is an ongoing function of its new community affairs unit:
“Community policing and trust building is one of the most important aspects of community-based policing. We, as police, need to create the situations where those things can occur, but it is often difficult and we don’t always reach our intended audience with town hall meetings alone. Coffee with a Cop is the perfect answer to the question of how to better engage our community and show our officers in a true and human light. The Cobb County Police Department welcomes you to pull up a chair and talk.”
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Players, coaches and parent volunteers from all high schools in the county were honored at the Cobb County Touchdown Club dinner Sunday night.
The dinner was at the Atlanta Marriott Northwest Hotel. From Walton, Daniel Brunner was named coach of the year, Dominick Blaylock was named offensive player of the year and Austin Kirksey was named quarterback of the year.
Although the Raiders finished 11-1 and reached the second round of the state playoffs, they were not named the Cobb team of the year. That went to McEachern, which reached the Class AAAAAAA semifinals.
Walton’s Chris Hirschfield was named offensive coach of the year and Raiders player Cole Arendsen was named 48 Minute Man of the Year. From Lassiter, Derrik Allen was named defensive back of the year.
On the all-county offensive and defense teams of the year, the following East Cobb players were recognized:
Evan Conley, QB, Kell;
Josiah Futral, RB, Kell;
D.J. Soyoye, RB, Walton;
Michael Luckie, WR, Kell;
Zack Owens, WR, Pope;
Connor Gates, OL, Kell;
Justin Talley, DL, Kell;
Chance Jones, LB, Wheeler;
Aaron Bibbins, DB, Sprayberry;
Christian Jackson, DB, Lassiter.
A player from each school was also selected as a scholar-athlete of the year:
Connor Gates, Kell;
Chase Branch, Lassiter;
Ryan Inskip, Pope;
Zack Heib, Sprayberry;
Kris Kollias, Walton;
Jake Pereira, Wheeler.
And parents from all schools were recognized as volunteers of the year:
Richard Luckie, Kell;
Kate and Adam Beckerman, Lassiter;
DJ Van Deusen, Pope;
Jackie Blalock, Sprayberry;
Stuart Gurr, Walton;
Shontai Davidson, Wheeler.
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Cobb Police say a man robbed a Powers Ferry Road fast food restaurant Sunday night, right before closing time.
The suspect is a black male, and Cobb Police said he entered the Jimmy Johns sandwich shop at 1337 Powers Ferry Road around 9:30 p.m., demanding money from a clerk.
That restaurant is located across from Brumby Elementary School, and between Delk Road and Terrell Mill Road.
The suspect left the store with cash, according to police, who don’t have any more of a description other than he had a black pistol.
Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call Cobb Police at 770-499-3945.
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The Cobb school board on Thursday voted 7-0 for a Walton High School charter renewal for another five years.
Recent meetings with staff and parents included 100 and 99 percent approval for the renewal, respectively, according to deputy superintendent Alice Stouder.
Walton opened in 1975, and in 1998 became one of the first charter schools in Georgia. It’s called a conversion charter, which the state no longer allows.
Having charter status means Walton can develop academic and policy changes from certain local and state mandates and rules. In the past Walton has created programs like the International Spanish Academy (2009) and a STEM Academy (2014) to boost academic immersion in those subject areas.
For this charter rewewal, Walton requested eight waivers, including flexibility for scheduling, developing and implementing curriculum and assessment tools, controlling technology funding and acceptance of non-traditional classes toward graduation requirements.
Future plans with the new waivers include the creation of an honors graduate fine arts program, as well as a “Walton Digital Courses” program that would be taught online-only or in a hybrid format for topics “outside the general required curriculum.”
Here’s a full copy of the Walton charter petition, which underwent what East Cobb school board member Scott Sweeney called “an arduous process” to be renewed. The waiver information begins on page 17 of the document.
Also new is a redesigned Walton Governance Board, a five-member panel of parents and community members who work with school officials to oversee charter goals, the school strategic plan and other functions.
The new charter period will run through 2023.
SPLOST loan request approved
The school board will take out a $40 million loan to get ahead of its SPLOST construction schedule for this year and save some money while doing it.
In another 7-0 vote at Thursday’s meeting, the board voted to approve the loans, which must be repaid by the end of the year from later SPLOST revenues.
The loans will be used to continue projects approved in the Cobb Education SPLOST IV, which is in the final year of collection. The penny sales tax that’s collected for school construction and maintenance is expected to generate around $130 million in 2018, but Cobb school officials say construction costs are expected to increase 4-5 percent.
That’s why they want to take out $40 million in short-term borrowing now, instead of waiting for monthly collection monies. That would “allow us to get an acceleration on these projects” and complete them concurrently, Cobb schools superintendent Chris Ragsdale said at a school board work session Thursday afternoon.
He added that the loans are “not going to cover every project.” Bids for the loans are expected to go out in February, with the funding available in March.
Among the SPLOST IV projects still in progress or that will be underway soon include the rebuilds of East Cobb Middle School and Brumby Elementary School and new gyms at Lassiter High School and Walton High School, as well as a new fine arts building at Walton.
The short term construction notes would be sold in $100,000 denominations, primarily to large institutions. School officials say they will save more in construction expenses because of the loans than the estimated $700,000 in interest, fees and other costs to obtain them.
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It’s expected to be rainy Saturday and Sunday, but given the winter storms of recent weeks, that shouldn’t be enough to deter those eager to get out and enjoy a good variety of East Cobb weekend events:
They start off Friday morning with the kids consignment sale at the Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (1795 Johnson Ferry Road). The hours are 9-6 Friday and from 9-12 on Saturday;
Early Saturday morning it’s the 30th running of the Polar Bear Run at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road), and the temperatures aren’t expected to be frigid, in the high 40s. Not only has the event become at Peachtree Road Race qualifier, but those staging the Walton Raider Chase 5K are offering a special discount to Polar Bear runners to sign up for that Feb. 10 race. Message them on their Facebook page for details;
The Pope High School Band’s annual recycling event returns Saturday from 9-4 at the school (3001 Hembree Road), and the cost is $10 a car. Click the above link for details on what they’ll take and what they won’t accept before you head over there;
Staff from the office of U.S. Rep. Karen Handel will be available from 11-1 Saturday at the East Cobb Library (4880 Lower Roswell Road) for Mobile Office hours, designed to help constituents sort through Social Security, IRS, immigration and other issues. No appointments are necessary, just show up with documents or other materials you’d like to have addressed;
If you’ve got young girls interested in softball, the Sandy Plains Softball Association is having its Fun Day Saturday from 12-2 (2977 Gordy Parkway), which includes walk-up registration for the spring season;
Georgia Young Adult author McCall Hoyle will be working with young writers from 3-5 Saturday on sharpening their skills for professional publications at the Mountain View Regional Library (3320 Sandy Plains Road). She’s a high school English teacher, and copies of her 2017 book “The Thing With Feathers” will be available for sale for $17. You’re asked to register for the session by calling the library at 770-509-4964;
Step out in style on Saturday night to benefit the Walton Chorus at its Fashion Show and Silent Auction fundraiser. “All You Need Is Love” starts at 7 at the school theater (1590 Bill Murdock Road), with student performers modeling current fashions, as well as plenty of raffle prizes. Tickets are $15 at the door and they’re accepting cash only.
Check out our full calendar listings for more things to do this weekend and beyond. Did we miss anything? Do you have a calendar item to share? Your event needs to be geographically located in East Cobb, and ideally we’d like to get it a week in advance. E-mail us: calendar@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll post it.
Have a great weekend!
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A week after Cobb schools were closed for three days due to yet another winter storm, superintendent Chris Ragsdale reiterated the district’s decision not to make up for “snow” days, add to existing class days or reduce planned break weeks to compensate for lost class time.
The Cobb County School District has called off seven class days in the 2017-18 academic year already, including five due to winter weather since mid-December.
Students were in class only one day last week, on Tuesday, since the previous day, Jan. 15, was the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday.
Ragsdale said an extended calendar has enabled the district to avoid scheduling makeup days, a course chosen by some school districts in metro Atlanta. He said he has “full confidence” in the ability of teachers “to meet the academic needs of our students.”
The next break for Cobb students, teachers and staff is the winter break from Feb. 19-23, followed by spring break April 2-6. The state mandates that local school districts schedule 180 instructional delays, but some systems, including Cobb, have received waivers from that requirement.
At a Cobb Board of Education work session on Thursday, Ragsdale was asked by school board member David Banks what would happen if more bad weather forces cancellation of classes.
Ragsdale said while such an event is possible since it’s still January, “We’ll address that as we get there.
“It’s not my intent to modify the schedule at all,” he said. “I’m still looking for the crystal ball in knowing when to close and when not to close.”
Ragsdale said one of the main factors in deciding to close school is the safety of high school student drivers getting on the roads with inclement weather approaching.
When schools are released early for weather reasons, he explained that high schools are dismissed first, followed by middle schools and then elementary school students, so there would be someone waiting at home for the youngest children with school-age siblings.
Ragsdale said there have been some instances when elementary school students have been brought back to school because there was no one at home.
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