Wendy Parker

Editor/publisher, East Cobb News, hyperlocal site serving the East Cobb community of metro Atlanta with 24/7 news, events and information.

Bids go out for construction of Mabry Park; opening projected for late 2018

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Mabry Park
The Mabry Park Master Plan calls for an overlook bridge over the pond, with trails leading up to and surrounding the water on all sides.

The Friends of Mabry Park couldn’t wait to break the news this week that construction bids have been issued by Cobb County government for the development of the 26.5-acre tract on Wesley Chapel Road at Sandy Plains Road that’s been the subject of a years-long effort. On the group’s Facebook page was this message on Thursday:

This is truly an exciting time. All the blood, sweat and tears from sooo many in the community is finally paying off!

The construction time line estimate is approximately 12 months. So we’re looking at later in 2018 before we can enjoy the park, but compared to the time it’s taken to get to this point it’s almost like we’ll be cutting a ribbon tomorrow!

Here are the details: The county sent the bids (officially called request for proposals, or RFPs) last Friday, Aug. 18, with advertising for potential contractors continuing through Sept. 8. All bids are due by Sept. 14.

More information below about the process for bidding and awarding a contract comes via commissioner JoAnn Birrell. Her district no longer includes Mabry Park (it’s now in Bob Ott’s District 2) but it’s a project that she has championed for years. Here’s how the Cobb Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department is explaining the steps and timetable:

“If there is a responsive and responsible low bidder, the Parks team will send the bid to the Board of Commissioners in early October and request that they award a contract. It will take several weeks to obtain all of the required bonds, insurance, immigration affidavits and related documents for a complete contract. Pending any issues, construction should be underway in early 2018. Mabry Park will be under construction for about a year.

The entrance from Wesley Chapel and the roadway into the park will be the first item that needs to be completed. This will allow construction equipment to access the main park property. Although it depends on how the bids come in, the Parks team is confident that the construction funding will support installation of the roadway and all utilities, parking lot, storm water management and water quality features, restroom/maintenance building, most of the pavilion structures, repairs to the dam, and limited dredging of accumulated sediment in the lake. A variety of other features are included as alternates in the bid documents and will be approved as the budget allows.”

Birrell dug the first few scoops of dirt last year during a groundbreaking ceremony at Mabry Park, but that’s as far as it’s gone. Still, that was a big step following stalled attempts to get the park developed during the recession.

The county purchased the land in 2008 with around $4 million funding from the 2006 Cobb parks bond issue, but hadn’t budgeted anything for development into a park.

The Mabry Park Master Plan (PDF here and map below) was completed in 2011. Even after steep budget cuts during the recession meant no money for the park, or even to build the road into the future park area, the Friends of Mabry Park persisted. The group staged a “Mabry Park Preview” in the fall to give residents something to keep hoping and lobbying for.

Many did, including the Friends group, and advocacy from the Cobb Parks Coalition benefitted the Mabry Park effort. The development project costs an estimated $4.25 million, with the funding coming from the 2016 SPLOST approved by Cobb voters.

Mabry Park Master Plan

UPDATED: Motorist dies after East Cobb accident, confrontation with police involving Taser

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Roswell Road at North Marietta Parkway, East Cobb traffic
Cobb DOT photo of Roswell Road at South Marietta Parkway shortly before the ramp reopened early Friday morning.

UPDATED, 2:25 P.M.: The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said what turned out to be a deadly confrontation between a motorist and Cobb Police early Friday morning at a traffic accident scene in East Cobb involved the use of a Taser.

According to a GBI statement issued shortly after 2 p.m. today, the male driver of a white Dodge Caravan, which was heading westbound on Roswell Road, passed a marked Cobb Police car at an excessively high rate of speed.

Police tried to stop the Dodge Caravan, then pursued his vehicle, which then slammed into another car on the ramp to the South Marietta Parkway. The GBI said the driver of the Dodge Caravan “became combative and fought with officers” who had arrived at the accident scene. During the confrontation, one officer utilized his Taser, according to the GBI, and “the subject became unresponsive. He was transported to the hospital where he died.”

According to the GBI statement, the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting an autopsy on the deceased man, whose identity has not been disclosed.

The GBI said several officers received minor injuries during the struggle but did not require medical attention. The driver of the other vehicle involved in the accident was hospitalized with minor injuries, according to the GBI.

The GBI continues to investigate the post-crash incident, while the Georgia State Patrol probes the accident. The GBI will turn over its findings to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.

ORIGINAL REPORT, POSTED 1:32 P.M.: Cobb Police said one person died early Friday following a collision involving two cars on the ramp connecting Roswell Road and the South Marietta Parkway in East Cobb.

The accident happened at 12:46 a.m., according to police, and the ramp was closed until around 7:30 a.m.

According to a statement from Cobb Police, the male driver of a white Dodge Caravan traveling westbound on Roswell Road passed a Cobb Police officer in a marked patrol car at a high rate of speed.

When the driver entered the ramp to South Marietta Parkway, the Dodge Caravan hit another vehicle in the curve, police said.

When they arrived at the accident scene, officers from Cobb Precinct 4 struggled with the Dodge Caravan driver, who was arrested and later transported to a hospital, where he died, according to the Cobb Police statement.

Cobb Police have not identified the man who died.

The accident remains under investigation and is being conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia State Patrol.

EAST COBB TRAFFIC ALERT: Accident causing delays on Johnson Ferry Road at Woodlawn Drive

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Johson Ferry Road at Woodlawn Drive, East Cobb traffic and roads
Cobb DOT photo of Johnson Ferry Road looking southbound at the Woodlawn Drive intersection. Northbound lanes also are backed up. 

UPDATED, 1:35 P.M.: Cobb DOT reports that all northbound and southbound lanes of Johnson Ferry Road have reopened to traffic.

ORIGINAL REPORT: At around 12:45 p.m. Friday, Cobb DOT reported that an accident in the southbound lanes of Johnson Ferry Road and Woodlawn Drive is causing major traffic delays.

The delays are being experienced in both the southbound and northbound directions on Johnson Ferry Road.

Updates to follow.

 

East Cobb Labor Day weekend event schedules for Noshfest, Holy Smoke firming up

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Temple Kol Emeth Noshfest
The Noshfest at Temple Kol Emeth is next Sunday and Monday, Sept. 3-4. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

A week from now is the Labor Day holiday weekend, and two of East Cobb’s signature festivals for that extended weekend are finalizing their schedules.

At the Noshfest, it was announced this week that the Alex Guthrie Band, which is gaining recognition for its “earthy soul” performances in metro Atlanta, Georgia and the South, will be playing next Sunday, Sept. 3, at 1 p.m.

Guthrie is returning to his East Cobb roots, where he stood out as a young musician at Simpson Middle School and Lassiter High School. Want to know what “earthy soul” sounds like? Here’s a 2015 clip of the Alex Guthrie show at the renown Eddie’s Attic in Decatur:

This will be the 7th year for the Noshfest (official website here); admission is free but they ask that you bring two cans of food to be donated to MUST Ministries. Food and drink tickets can be purchased in advance or at the gate. The festival hours are 11am-5pm Sunday and 11am-4pm on Monday at Temple Kol Emeth (1415 Old Canton Road).

Here’s the full entertainment schedule as it stands now for the Noshfest, according to its Facebook page, which provides regular updates for the event:

Sunday, September 3, 2017

11:00 am Flag raising, National Anthem
11:10 am Israeli Dancing (Lessons and Demonstration)
11:30 am Kyra Goldman (Singer/Songwriter)
12:30 pm General Muir Cooking Demonstration
1:00 pm The Alex Guthrie Band
2:00 pm Kagan Entertainment (DJ and MC)
2:00 pm Annual Bagel Eating Contest
2:30 pm Krav Maga Demonstration
3:00 pm The Haskells formally known as TJT’s (Classic Rock Band)

Monday, September 4, 2017

11:00 am Flag raising, National Anthem
11:10 am Israeli DJ Ruby
12:00 pm Atlanta Fever (DJ)
1:00 pm Peyton Parker, The Voice Contestant
2:00 pm The Chip McGuire Band (Nu-Grass Americana Band)

Holy Smoke Festival, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church
The antique car show at the 2016 Holy Smoke Festival featured more than 100 golden oldie buggies. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

A retro car show returns as one of the main features of the Holy Smoke Festival from 11am-3pm Monday at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road), but the barbecue bash includes a lot more in the way of entertainment.

Admission to the festival is free; food plates catered by Williamson Bros. cost $6 each and can be ordered ahead of time (see event website for more).

There’s also a 5K run and tot trot at the church that starts at 9am (more info here); registration fee for the 5K and virtual run is $25 through Sunday; after that it’s $30. There’s no charge to sign up youngsters under 5 for the tot trot. The proceeds for from the race benefit Predisan Health ministries in Honduras.

Here’s more about what’s on tap at Holy Smoke, which drew more than 10,000 visitors last year:

  • kids play area
  • silent auction benefiting Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Storehouse Ministries
  • Antique car show (over 100 cars) and the Silver Wings Skydivers parachute jump team
  • plenty of activities for the family
  • vendor area
  • live music

These events and more can be found at the East Cobb News events calendar; if you have a listing to share with the public, please e-mail us: calendar@eastcobbnews.com.

EAST COBB WEEKEND: High school football; Mt. Paran consignment sale; live music and more

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Spirit of Rush, The Wing Cafe & Tap House, East Cobb live music
The Spirit of Rush cover band plays Saturday night at The Wing Cafe & Tap House.

The high school football season swings into full action this weekend as most East Cobb schools have games, including three in the community, while several local restaurants and bars are offering a variety of live music and entertainment. Here are a few samples, and check out the East Cobb News full calendar listings for the weekend and beyond:

  • An all-East Cobb gridiron battle takes place at Lassiter (which won its opener last week against Johns Creek), where the Trojans play host to Pope. It’s the season opener for the Greyhounds under first-year coach Tab Griffin, a former Pope player and graduate;
  • Sprayberry opens its season under debut coach Brett Vavra (who once played for the Yellow Jackets) against Osborne; Walton (1-0), which won a thriller at the Corky Kell Classic, plays at home for the first time, against Brookwood; after losing 52-0 to Marietta, Wheeler (0-1) hits the road at Centennial; all kickoff times are 730pm; Kell is off this week;
  • Fans of classic rock from the 1970s and 1980s can indulge in their favorites at two live shows this weekend at The Wing Cafe & Tap House (2145 Roswell Road). On Friday, the Rush cover band Spirit of Rush will play from the Canadian progressive band’s iconic “Permanent Waves” album, from 10pm-1 am; on Saturday, ’80s tribute band Shyanne will play at the same venue, at the same time;
  • There’s also live music at Red Sky Tapas and Bar (1255 Johnson Ferry) with the regular Friday-Saturday stand-bys, the 88 Licks Dueling Pianos Show; at Chicago’s Steak & Seafood (4401 Shallowford Road), the featured weekend acts at the SpeakEasy Loung are Jack Collins on Friday and Paul Joseph on Saturday, from 7:30pm-10pm each night;
  • Live music also is on tap Saturday at 9pm at the Rose and Crown Tavern (1931 Powers Ferry Road); and the Sunday Funday Open Mic at Keegan’s Irish Pub (4401 Shallowford Road), where sign-up starts at 6:30 pm.;
  • The late summer consignment sale season continues this weekend with the All 4 Kids Children’s Consignment Sale at Mt. Paran Church of God North (1700 Allgood Road); hours are 9:30am-8pm Friday and 9am-1pm Saturday.

Did we miss something? Do you have a calendar item to share? Send your event listing to: calendar@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll post it, free of charge!

Please keep in touch, and have a great weekend!

 

EAST COBB TRAFFIC ALERT: Lower Roswell closed at Indian Hills Parkway

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East Cobb traffic

UPDATED, 1:07 p.m.: Cobb DOT now says the intersection has reopned to traffic. Lower Roswell had been closed between Shadowlawn Drive and Indian Hills Trail.

ORIGINAL POST, 10:46 a.m.: Around 10:38 a.m. this morning, Cobb DOT announced that Lower Roswell Road is closed at Indian Hills Parkway due to a broken gas main, and that traffic delays are very heavy.

Please avoid the area; we will post more updates as we get them.

Cobb property tax bills for 2017 due by Oct. 16

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Cobb property tax bill

By now most Cobb property tax owners should have received their bills for 2017; most were mailed out in the last week or so. Here’s what the county sent out earlier this week as a reminder:

More than 261,500 bills, representing $729,711,039 in 2017 property taxes, have been mailed. There were 245,942 bills resulting in $674,891,143 for real property and 15,582 bills resulting in $54,819,896 for personal property.
 
The Tax Commissioner’s Office bills and collects property taxes for Cobb County Government, Cobb County Board of Education, Cumberland and Town Center Community Improvement Districts and the Cumberland and Six Flags Special Services Districts. All six of Cobb’s cities bill and collect their own property taxes. State of Georgia property taxes have now been eliminated. The chart below details this year’s property taxes for our billing and collection authorities:
 

County General $       186,988,125
County Bond $           4,237,623
County Fire $         79,471,996
School General $       442,724,334
Cumberland CID $           6,567,316
Town Center CID $           3,228,681
Cumberland SSDII $           5,681,507
Six Flags SSD $               811,457  
TOTAL $       729,711,039

Payments received or U.S. postmarked after Monday, Oct. 16 will incur a 5 percent late penalty, plus monthly interest on the unpaid balance. Payments can be made online at www.cobbtax.org, by automated IVR at 1-866-PAY-COBB or by mail to P.O. Box 100127, Marietta, GA 30061-7027.  In-person payments are accepted at the Property Tax office at 736 Whitlock Ave., Marietta, the East Cobb Government Service Center at 4400 Lower Roswell Road in Marietta and the South Cobb Government Service Center at 4700 Austell Road in Austell. Payment drop boxes are located both inside and outside the Whitlock Avenue location, as well as inside both Government Service Centers.  Payments via check will also be accepted at any Motor Vehicle office.

If you need a detailed explanation about what’s on your bill, the Cobb tax commissioner’s office has created this PDF with a line-by-line description.

East Cobb high school athletes to be recognized by school board

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Thursday’s Cobb Board of Education agenda leads off with plenty of recognitions carried over from the 2016-17 school year, including athletic accomplishments in spring sports.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the board room at the Cobb County School District main office, 514 Glover St., Marietta. An executive session begins at 5:30 p.m.Cobb County School District

Athletes and teams from Lassiter and Pope high school will be recognized, including the entire Pope athletic program, which earned the Class 6A Georgia Athletic Directors Association Directors Cup for overall athletic excellence.

In addition, several academic recognitions will be made, including AdvancEd STEM certification at Brumby and Shallowford Falls elmentary schools and Mabry Middle School (more about the CCSD’s STEM program here.)

The board also will recognize the recent Georgia Department of Education STEAM certification to Wheeler High School (East Cobb News coverage here), the first high school in the state of earn that status.

The rest of the agenda is fairly light, you can view the full agenda PDF by clicking here.

Despite protests, Birrell defends proposal to close East Cobb Library

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JoAnn Birrell, Cobb Commissioners
JoAnn Birrell—speaking here to a business group last week—says closing the East Cobb Library would reduce duplication of services. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

After several East Cobb residents objected to the possibility of closing the East Cobb Library on Tuesday, the Cobb commissioner making the proposal strongly defended her position, and laid out a detailed set of numbers in making her case.

JoAnn Birrell, who represents Northeast Cobb, said at the end of a long Board of Commissioners meeting that “this has never been a personal agenda” but instead addresses what she terms as an issue of duplication of services.

She said she’s proposing the East Cobb Library closure because of the new Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center that will open before the end of the year, replacing the adjacent East Marietta Library.

The two libraries are located five miles apart on Lower Roswell Road, and carry some expensive operating costs, Birrell said. (That’s also about the same distance between the two East Cobb-area libraries in her district, the Mountain View Regional Library on Sandy Plains Road, and the Gritters branch off Canton Road.)

The East Cobb Library opened in the Parkaire Landing Shopping Center in 2010, after being previously known as the Merchants Walk Library and relocated when that shopping center was redeveloped.

“This is about being a responsible steward of the taxpayers’ money,” Birrell said, reading from a written statement, adding that budget decisions will be made by the board, not one commissioner.

The East Cobb Library closure plans were first made public last Thursday, at a town hall meeting held by East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott, who said Birrell “has been relentless” in proposing the move (East Cobb News coverage here).

Birrell said her proposal “was just one” cost-saving suggestion as the commission was presented last week with a proposed FY 2018 budget of $890 million, including $21.5 million in one-time reserve funding to avoid a property tax increase.

After hearing protests to the closure plan earlier Tuesday at the first formal public hearing on the budget, Birrell said the consolidation of Cobb libraries has been “years in the making,” and referenced the 2011 budget crunch. In the wake of the recession and a steep decline in the Cobb tax digest, then-commission Chairman Tim Lee proposed permanently closing 13 of the 17 county library branches, including East Cobb and East Marietta.

But he backed down after vocal public opposition. While no branches were closed, library hours and staffing levels were reduced.

Most of the funding for the new 8,600-square-foot Sewell Mill library complex, which will include an amphitheater and other cultural arts space, comes from the 2016 Cobb government SPLOST (special local option sales tax) approved by county voters.

Birrell said the new library will have annual staffing and operating costs of roughly $732,000. The East Marietta Library currently costs around $524,000 a year to run, according to her figures.

The East Cobb Library, she said, not only has annual staffing and operating costs estimated at $771,000 a year, but another $263,000 a year, ($21,961 a month) is paid out in lease costs at Parkaire Landing.

For that kind of money, Birrell said, the county “could hire three police officers” as part of a larger recommendation in a recent police chiefs’ report that Cobb add 60 more officers to meet current public safety needs.

Read more

Handel talks Charlottesville, health care and more at East Cobb town hall

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U.S. Rep. Karen Handel
U.S. Rep. Karen Handel called the Charlottesville violence an “evil, evil attack” but didn’t mention President Trump at an East Cobb town hall meeting last week. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

Newly elected Georgia Congresswoman Karen Handel got the biggest applause—a standing ovation from some in the audience—at Cobb commissioner Bob Ott’s town hall meeting last Thursday at the East Cobb Library.

Handel, a Roswell Republican who defeated Democrat Jon Ossoff in a June 20 runoff, said she’s made several trips to East Cobb, which gave her strong margins in the most expensive House race in history.

Before Ott spoke to a couple hundred constituents on the county budget and other local items, including the proposed closing of the East Cobb Library (East Cobb News coverage here), he turned the microphone over to Handel, whom he campaigned for extensively.

She immediately condemned the racially-inspired violence in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month that left one person dead and injured dozens of others, calling it an “evil, evil attack.” Of racism, anti-Semitism and bigotry, Handel said, “It is wrong. It is evil. It has no place in society and this country.”

The few hundred whites who showed up to protest the proposed removal of a Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville “are not representative of this country,” she added.

Without mentioning President Donald Trump—who came under fire for his post-Charlottesville remarks—Handel issued a call for fairness, respect and civility, “some basic kindness,” as Americans confront racial and other cultural issues that have flared up in recent weeks and months.

Less than two months since taking office, Handel also defended Congress—or at least her chamber, the House—against criticisms that it’s not getting much done.

She said more than 250 pieces of legislation have been passed in the House, including a repeal of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law passed in the wake of the recession. Some in the audience voiced displeasure, but Handel said the rollback was necessary.

She also said she was bewildered that the Republican-led U.S. Senate failed to pass a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, after it passed the House.

“I would have supported it,” Handel said of the ACA repeal, which was approved in the House before her election. Of the continuation of Obamacare, she said that “the status quo is unsustainable,” a reference to the rising costs of premiums on the ACA exchanges.

Many insurers are seeking significant hikes or withdrawing altogether (here’s a projected 2018 summary from the Kaiser Family Foundation which includes an anticipated seven-percent increase in Georgia for one of the lowest-cost plans, and a 34-percent boost in subsidies).

“The rubber will hit the road when the open enrollment period begins in fall,” Handel said.

Handel has been assigned to the House committees on Judiciary and Education and the Workforce.

Her district office is in the same location at her predecessor, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price: 85-C Mill Street, Suite 300, Roswell.

The district phone number is 770-998-0049.

PHOTOS: Partial solar eclipse passes over East Cobb Park

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solar eclipse, East Cobb Park

The parking lot was full and so was East Cobb Park on an atypical Monday. The first solar eclipse to pass over the United States in nearly 100 years could be spotted—at least partially—in sunny, clear skies over East Cobb, and many took off from work and school to take in the spectacle.

solar eclipse, East Cobb Park

solar eclipse, East Cobb Park

While some schools allowed their students to witness the event outside, some cancelled plans late, unable to verify the safety standards of special viewing glasses purchased for the occasion.

Down the street on Roswell Road, at least one East Cobb business closed early due to the eclipse.

solar eclipse, Cactus Car Wash

At the park, spectators tested out their glasses beforehand, and got a little excited when some clouds covered the sky minutes before the arrival of the moon.

solar eclipse, East Cobb Park

The front quad of East Cobb Park looked like it was a weekend, with picnickers and sun-gazers scattered about in anticipation.

solar eclipse, East Cobb Park

solar eclipse, East Cobb Park

solar eclipse, East Cobb Park

solar eclipse, East Cobb Park

solar eclipse, East Cobb Park

Right around 2:35, with the eclipse only a minute away, nearly all heads in the park craned skyward, as the moon partially passed over the sun, momentarily darkening an otherwise bright day over East Cobb.

solar eclipse, East Cobb Park

With metro Atlanta not located in the eclipse’s “Path of Totality,” there weren’t many “oohs” and “aahs” coming from spectators at the park. But their attention was totally focused on the sun for the two or three minutes of partial eclipse visibility.

solar eclipse, East Cobb Park

Moments after the eclipse had moved on, streaking toward its final U.S. destination near Charleston, S.C., East Cobb Park returned to its usual Monday afternoon look.

solar eclipse, East Cobb Park

(East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)

Cobb schools taking extra precautions for outdoor eclipse activities

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We’re just a couple hours from solar eclipse visibility in north Georgia, and the Cobb County School District is taking extra safety precautions.

Some schools that had planned outdoor eclipse sightings will be observing on television indoors instead if their glasses haven’t met safety standards.

It’s a school-by-school issue, depending on whether the glasses ordered or bought by students there have been approved; there’s a lot of chatter this morning on a Facebook page. According to one poster, some schools found out very late that they didn’t have the proper glasses; keep in mind these reports are not official information coming from CCSD.

The following message was included in a note to parents of Simpson Middle School students this morning:

“. . . our students will have to view the eclipse from inside our building on the TV due to the inability of the solar eclipse glasses company to confirm their safety.”

If you’re an East Cobb parent, what’s the latest you’ve heard about your child’s school? Let us know: editor@eastcobbnews.com or call/text 404-219-4278.

In our area, the moon will begin to cover the sun at 1:05 p.m.; maximum coverage is expected around 2:36 p.m. The sun will be fully visible again around 4:01 p.m.

The 45-minute delayed release plan for Cobb schools announced earlier is still in place.

PHOTOS: Mt. Zion UMC celebrates 125th birthday

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Mt. Zion UMC
Staying cool in the dunk tank at the Mt. Zion celebration. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)

After an inspiring sermon message and a picnic lunch, members of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church dived into an old-style summer carnival Sunday afternoon as they celebrated the 125th anniversary of the church’s founding.

Mt. Zion UMC

Mt. Zion UMC

The carnival atmosphere included cotton candy, snow cones and hitting the bell.

Mt. Zion UMC

That’s where long-time Mt. Zion member Dayle Thompson was volunteering.

Mt. Zion UMC

Thompson said she and her family began attending Mt. Zion around 30 years ago, when her children were young, because of the church’s strong youth programs.

They had come from a bigger church where they felt they didn’t quite fit in, and found that for them, Mt. Zion “was the right size.

“They really try for a family appeal,” she said. “Especially as you get older, you find your church family becomes as important as your own family.”

She is involved in the adult Sunday School program and has been a part of Mt. Zion’s participation in the Family Promise of Cobb County outreach program, which includes 13 faith communities in the county.

Mt. Zion UMC

Mt. Zion’s first service took place on Aug. 19, 1892. The congregation moved to its present location on donated farm land at 1770 Johnson Ferry Road in 1964. Historical messages were pinned to the walls of the gymnasium, with deeply-researched answers underneath.

Mt. Zion UMC

The church’s original location was on Post Oak Tritt Road near Johnson Ferry and where the Mt. Zion Cemetery is still located. The current sanctuary was opened in 1976, and the Family Ministries building opened in 1985. More renovations were made in 1997, not long after Mt. Zion marked its 100th anniversary.

Mt. Zion UMC

East Cobb assisted living center worker charged in death of 91-year-old resident

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Sunrise at East Cobb

An employee at the Sunrise at East Cobb assisted living facility has been charged with murder after a 91-year-old resident there died on Friday.

Landon Terrel, of Powder Springs, has been charged with felony murder, aggravated battery of a person age 65 or older and neglect of a senior care resident. According to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records, he was arrested late Wednesday.

Cobb Police said Adam Bennett, 91, died on Friday at WellStar Kennestone Hospital where he was taken Tuesday via ambulance due to injuries suffered at the facility. Sunrise at East Cobb is located at 1551 Johnson Ferry Road, just north of Roswell Road.

Cobb Police said detectives concluded Bennett had been assaulted at the assisted living facility by someone on staff. (Here’s the information police have released.)

According to a Fox 5 report, the victim suffered broken ribs, a lacerated kidney, and a punctured lung.

Nail Design relocates within East Lake Pavilions Shopping Center

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Nail Design, East Lake Pavilions

The Nail Design salon that’s been located at the East Lake Pavilions Shopping Center (2100 Roswell Road) is moving, but staying within the same shopping center.

A sign went up recently at Suite 2176, near the T-Mobile store and the Mezza Luna restaurant, and that’s easily visible to foot and car traffic coming in the Roswell Road entrance.

Know of a business that’s coming or going in East Cobb? Moving? Changing key personnel or making other changes to its business? Let us know, and send photos if you like, to: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

EAST COBB FOOTBALL: Lassiter wins, Wheeler trounced as season begins

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Some good news and bad news on the East Cobb prep football scene Friday, as the 2017 season got underway:

  • Lassiter 45, Johns Creek 21;
  • Marietta 52, Wheeler 0.

Two more East Cobb teams are in action today, at the Corky Kell Classic in Atlanta:

  • Kell vs. Tucker, 9 a.m.;
  • Walton vs. North Gwinnett, 8:45 p.m.

Pope and Sprayberry open their seasons next week.

EAST COBB TOWN HALL MEETING: Commissioner Bob Ott talks budget, libraries, pipeline and more

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Cobb commissioner Bob Ott

Just a few days after seeing the proposed fiscal year 2018 Cobb County budget for the first time, commissioner Bob Ott briefed East Cobb constituents on the numbers Thursday night and offered some suggestions that could punctuate budget discussions over the next few weeks.

At a packed town hall meeting in the community room of the East Cobb Library, Ott outlined the $890 million spending plan proposed by commission chairman Mike Boyce, including using $21.5 million in one-time reserve funding.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners will hold the first of two public hearings on the budget on Tuesday before approval on Sept. 12. That’s not much time to absorb a proposed spending package that’s 3.79 percent higher than the FY 2017 budget, and only weeks after a heated battle over the property tax millage rate.

Cobb County Government proposed FY 2018 budget
Click the graphic to view and download the budget proposal. 

The budget document also was released this week [there’s a downloadable PDF here] as Cobb homeowners were mailed their property tax bills for 2017. As Ott reminded them, “the tax bill you just got is to pay for [the last fiscal] year.”

The proposed budget is based on the current millage rate established by commissioners last month. Ott and fellow East Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell prevailed in their refusal to raise the millage rate by 0.13, as Boyce had wanted.

The inclusion of the proposed reserve funding to help balance the budget is a dramatic one. A total of $10.4 million would come from the reserve for a county employees pay and classification implementation study; $5.7 million would come from the Title Ad Valorem Tax Reserve; and the $5.3 million would come from the county economic development contingency.

“The board has to decide what are the critical needs,” Ott said. “The bottom line is, it’s your money.”

Specifically regarding the reserve money, Ott, an ardent opponent of tax increases, repeated himself: “It is my belief that it’s your money,” and that there’s “no reason” for it to remain unspent and raise taxes instead.

Read more

East Cobb high school football coaches: game has never been safer

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Jep Irwin, East Cobb high school football
Lassiter head football coach Jep Irwin. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

As they prepare for a new football season that begins tonight, high school coaches in East Cobb and around the nation have been answering familiar questions about the safety of the sport.

Concussions and other crippling injuries involving former NFL stars continue to make the news. In late July, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study showing that 110 of 111 now-deceased professional players whose brains had been examined had been diagnosed for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

That’s a degenerative brain disease that’s been connected to concussions, and is discovered only in brains donated after death. The names of NFL legends with CTE is a long and sobering one: Dave Duerson, Frank Gifford, Junior Seau, Bubba Smith, Ken Stabler and many more. Some, like Duerson and Seau, have committed suicide.

Some living former NFL players have serious memory loss, also associated with concussions and linked to CTE. The physician and researcher credited with discovering CTE says any parent who lets their child play football is committing child abuse.

Walton football
(East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

Some have called for the termination of youth football altogether, or at least seriously limiting contact for young players before high- and middle school age.

But coaches asked about the subject at last week’s East Cobb Pigskin Preview breakfast (ECN coverage here) say their sport is being unfairly characterized.

“High school football is not what you see on ESPN,” said coach Jep Irwin of Lassiter, whose Trojans play at Johns Creek tonight in their season opener. “There’s never been a safer, better time to play high school football.”

He was referring to how the media has reported about CTE and professional players. Irwin said that technology, equipment, officiating and medical intervention all have improved vastly in his eight years at Lassiter, including concussion protocols.

“Is it [completely] safe? No,” Irwin said. “There’s risk in everything that humans do.

“What you see in the NFL is not the case at the high school level. We’re not about win-at-all-costs” when it comes to the welfare of players.

Daniel Brunner, the first-year coach at Walton, pointed out that concussion rates for girls soccer are also high, “but nobody’s talking about shutting down girls soccer.”

Brett Sloan, the new coach at Kell and a former Walton assistant, said what he stresses with his staff, players and their parents is an education process at the youth level.

Other coaches say they also limit the amount of contact that takes place in practice. The East Cobb coaches said they weren’t trying to dismiss the severity of the CTE issue, and they understand parental and player concerns.

Concussion and CTE research at the high school level is not as extensive, but coaches say they’ve never been more committed to ensuring the safest environment for their kids.

Including Irwin, whose son is a sophomore at Lassiter and plays football.

“I love my son more than I love football,” he said. “If I didn’t think it was safe . . . then why play at all?”

EAST COBB IN PICTURES: Photos from the first 6 weeks of East Cobb News

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East Cobb News has been online for about six weeks, and already we’ve covered quite a few events in the community that you may not have seen—averaging about two a week, sometimes more.

Since we’re new, and picking up new readers all the time, we thought we’d serve up a “best of” photo gallery from these events. Because we launched in the middle of the summer, we have a lot of outdoors and sports-related pictures, but they’re all popular community events we enjoyed attending. As we continue to grow, we plan to cover all kinds of events that capture the essence of the East Cobb community, and the spirit of the people who live here.

That’s why we’re asking for your help. If you know of a community event you’d like for East Cobb News to cover in the future, or have photos of an event that’s taken place that you’d like to share, please contact: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

East Cobb News is practicing the community-collaborative approach to local news, and reader/organization contributions are always welcome! When you submit your news and photos, you’re helping us serve our readers better. East Cobb is a big place with so much going on, and we want to earn your trust and become this community’s leading source of real-time news, events and information.

To see more photos and read stories about these events, please click the links below.