East Cobb News

Revised East Cobb Cityhood bill moves up referendum to May

by
State Rep. Matt Dollar, East Cobb cityhood bill
State Rep. Matt Dollar, East Cobb cityhood bill chief sponsor

The East Cobb Cityhood bill that was favorably reported out of a State House Committee earlier this month would move up a referendum for voters in the proposed city limits from November to May.

If approved by the Georgia General Assembly during the current session, the bill would call for a May 24 referendum for eligible voters in the proposed city limits.

That’s the date of the 2022 general primary in Georgia.

Those voters would determine whether a City of East Cobb with a population of around 60,000, would be created out of a 25-square-mile area of unincorporated Cobb along the Johnson Ferry Road corridor.

Another significant change presented by chief sponsor State Rep. Matt Dollar on Monday to the House Governmental Affairs Committee would change the council-mayor form of government—you can watch a replay of the meeting here.

The original HB 841 called for a “weak mayor” form of government with six city council members. They would choose among themselves a mayor to serve a two-year term—with a two-term limit.

In Dollar’s change announced Monday, a mayor would be elected citywide, and six city council members also would be elected citywide. But two members would have to reside in each of three council districts.

Dollar said in a brief committee meeting Monday that the changes were being made due to feedback from the public and by committee lawmakers.

The revised bill HB 841 (you can read it here) was offered as a substitute just as the committee and one of its subcommittees met two weeks ago to consider it.

Supporters and opponents of the bill, including lawmakers and citizens, spoke at both meetings.

Referendum language in the original version of HB 841.

But what wasn’t discussed was the new referendum date. Neither Dollar nor Ed Setzler, a new co-sponsor who is a Republican from North Cobb, mentioned it during those public meetings two weeks ago.

The substitute bill was not posted online for the general public until after the full committee issued a “do pass” recommendation.

The original legislation submitted in 2021 by Dollar and State Rep. Sharon Cooper, both East Cobb Republicans, called for a referendum to be included on Nov. 6 general election ballot.

 

The May referendum language in the substitute HB 841 reported out a House committee.

Lawmakers returned to regular business on Monday after spending last week in budget meetings.

East Cobb News left a message with Dollar on Sunday seeking comment about the proposed change in the referendum date.

At Monday’s committee meeting, he said the reason for changing it was to have a mayor and city council elected in November to avoid a special election in early 2023.

He said the mayor and council members would be elected to four-year terms, and would be limited to serving three terms.

But committee member Mary Margaret Oliver was skeptical that there would be sufficient time for a Cityhood bill that passed early in the legislative session and signed into law to be put on the May primary ballot.

She called the process “maximum chaos.”

East Cobb News also contacted the Committee for East Cobb Cityhood on Sunday.

In an e-mailed response Sunday evening, spokeswoman Cindy Cooperman said the group “has evaluated and is supportive of holding a referendum vote in the May primary. If the majority of residents in East Cobb vote yes to Cityhood, it opens the door for a council to be elected in November thereby avoiding the need for a special election. In addition to being more cost effective, this timing is ideal to get an elected council in place for 2023.”

On Monday, the Governmental Affairs Committee voted to favorably report the bill.

The next step will be for HB 841 to go to the House Rules Committee, which would schedule the bill for a debate and vote by the full House.

Related content:

 

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!

Taste of East Cobb, Taste of Marietta announce 2022 dates

by

Taste of East Cobb

After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the Taste of East Cobb announced over the weekend it’s returning on May 7.

The festival, which benefits Walton High School music programs, will take place at its usual venue—the recreational parking lots at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church—from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In addition to food samples from local restaurants, there will be music, a kids’ zone, a raffle and silent auction and “Best of” voting.

Restaurants and local businesses can apply to be vendors by clicking here.

The Taste of Marietta festival will take place a couple weeks before, on April 24 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Marietta Square.

Related posts:

 

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!

Johnson Ferry Baptist Church to hold 2022 Polar Bear Run

by

Polar Bear Run, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church

The 2022 Polar Bear Run at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church is scheduled to take place next Saturday, Jan. 29, starting at 8 a.m.

While the event is for participants of all ages, it’s also one of the earliest qualifiers for the Peachtree Road Race.

A 2K fun run starts at 8 a.m., followed by a 5K timed run and cub run and cub dash follows at 9:15 a.m.

Registration is still underway and can be done by clicking here. Costs range from $25 for the cub races through $35 in advance for the 5K.

The Polar Bear Run is in its 34th year, and proceeds benefit the Johnson Ferry Academy high school music students who need financial assistance to attend an annual summer mission trip.

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!

Virtual meeting slated for Cobb Comprehensive Plan update

by
Cobb 2040 Comprehensive Plan update
The 2021 Cobb County Future Land Use Map; for a larger version click here.

A virtual meeting to present the 5-year update to the 2040 Cobb Comprehensive Plan will take place on Monday.

The meeting, which was to have taken place at the Mountain View Regional Library, is being limited to online participation due to county COVID-19 restrictions. 

The first community meeting was cancelled on Jan. 13 due to the current Omicron variant surge.

Monday’s event lasts from 6-8 p.m. and will be conducted via Webex. The signup link can be found by clicking here. The meeting number is 2300 863 0071 and the password is “plan5.”

Participants also can join by telephone at +1-415-655-0003 with an access code of 2300 863 0071.

Every five years the state requires local governments to update their long-term planning priorities. The last update in Cobb was in 2017 (you can read it here).

The update covers a wide range of planning topics, including land use, transportation, housing, economic development, community facilities, human services, public health, education, natural and historic resources, public safety, intergovernment coordination, disaster resilience, military compatability and place-making.

Among the development issues in the update that’s raised concern is the proposed creation of a Unified Development Code.

The Cobb Community Development Agency has proposed a UDC—which exists in Atlanta, DeKalb County and the city of Roswell— that incorporates zoning, planning and land-use with design, landscaping, architectural and other guidelines.

The agency said on an information page that the changes are needed to “streamline these documents into one combined document that would be more easily accessible to the public, designers, and County staff reviewers.”

But some civic leaders around the county have been critical of UDC, saying it would change the suburban nature of many Cobb communities (see our previous post). One opponent has said it amounts to declaring “war” on the suburbs.

The 2040 Comprehensive Plan update process will take several months, with additional public meetings to be scheduled, and culminating with a vote by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.

A future meeting is slated for the Mountain View Regional Library, with a date to be determined.

There will be an open house at the Cobb Civic Center on April 14.

For more information click here.

Related posts:

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 commissioners to consider proposed redistricting map

by
Proposed Cobb commission redistricting map
For a more detailed view of the proposed map, click here.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners will be asked on Tuesday to vote on a redistricting map to be recommended to the county’s legislative delegation.

Lines for the four commission districts will be drawn during the current legislative session, and the map proposed for Tuesday’s meeting does not call for dramatically shifting boundaries.

But some precincts in East Cobb would be redrawn in the map proposal by State Rep. Erick Allen, a Smyrna Democrat who heads the county’s legislative delegation.

More map details can be seen by clicking here.

District 2 commissioner Jerica Richardson, a Democrat, would lose the Willeo, Shallowford Falls and Sewell Mill 1 precinct and parts of the Sewell Mill 3 and Fullers Park precincts.

See the present District 2 map by clicking here.

They would move to District 3, represented by Republican JoAnn Birrell. Click here to see the present map.

She’s up for re-election this year, as is her fellow Republican Keli Gambrill of District 1 in North Cobb.

District 2 has the largest population of the four, with a 2020 Census total of 193,175, an increase of 1,638 from the last Census, and includes much of East Cobb and the Cumberland-Smyrna-Vinings area.

District 3, which stretches to the Town Center/KSU area, has a population of 189,682; the District 1 population is 190,629; and District 4, which covers most of South Cobb, the population is 192,663.

You can view more population data by clicking here.

If the commissioners approve the map recommendation, it would be only advisory.

In December, the Cobb Board of Education voted along party lines—it has a Republican majority—to recommend a map designed to keep that GOP edge.

Democrats hold a one-seat majority in the 21-member Cobb legislative delegation, which will make the final decisions for the school board and commission boundaries.

The commission meeting Tuesday also will include the first public hearings on code amendments (agenda item and proposed changes).

Topics of note include alcoholic beverage uses, regulation of health spas and short-term rentals, and traffic plan requirements for certain zoning and land-use permit applications.

Commissioners revise code amendments every January and don’t hear zoning cases during the month.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta), but it will be conducted in virtual format due to continuing COVID restrictions.

There will be two general comment sessions for residents, as well as the public hearing for the code amendments, that the public can participate in virtually. The details can be found in the full agenda packet by clicking here.

The meeting will be live-streamed on the county’s website, cable TV channel (Channel 24 on Comcast) and Youtube page. Visit cobbcounty.org/CobbTV for other streaming options.

Related posts:

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 update COVID cases as protocol changes continue

by

Cobb school superintendent contract

The Cobb County School District resumed public reporting of new COVID-19 cases this week after not doing so to start the spring semester.

But changes are underway to alter the present reporting system, and in Friday’s update only the district-wide total number of cases—1,856— were disclosed in its weekly notification report.

That’s for the past week, Jan. 14-21, and is a single-week high during the current school year.

The totals no longer include a school-by-school breakdown, as has been done for most of the past two years.

There also was no information provided on COVID case numbers reported before that. The spring semester in Cobb began on Jan. 5.

Until Friday, district’s notification report page had not been updated since Dec. 17, 2021, the last day of the fall semester.

At the time, there were 6,709 cumulative cases reported among students and staff since July 1, 2021.

Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said Thursday night that as the Omicron variant subsides, reporting those figures will be done differently.

During a Cobb Board of Education meeting, he said that the district will continue to report positive cases to Cobb and Douglas Public Health (his remarks start around the 45-minute mark of the video at at this link.)

“Most organizations have encouraged case counts not be the primary emphasis,” said Ragsdale, reading from prepared remarks, and citing the CDC and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House COVID-19 adviser.

“We are taking the guidance to not focus on case counts,” Ragsdale said. Changing school district protocols is a “multi-step process that will result in no numbers being seen on a web page after the Omicron variant goes through. We will still report, as required, to DPH.”

On Jan. 6. Ragsdale said the district was changing some COVID protocols, including eliminating most contract-tracing, after a new state public health order was issued for schools.

On Thursday, Ragsdale later discussed mental health issues affecting youth, as well as learning loss caused by COVID-19 disruptions, saying some mitigation efforts have been “damaging to students.”

“The bottom line is that we are having school,” he said, “and we are trying to get back to normal as quickly as possible. Because we know a normal school day for our students is what’s going to benefit them most.”

He added that parents should keep their kids home if they are sick, but “otherwise, they need to be in school, where teaching and learning are going to be going on every day.”

Board memberJaha Howard tried to question Ragsdale at that point, but chairman David Chastain told him that “if you have any questions, you can call the superintendent. We’re going to move forward with the agenda.”

Howard voted against adopting the Thursday night business meeting agenda at a Thursday afternoon work session because it contained no specific COVID-related items.

The superintendent made the COVID remarks during dedicated time for him to speak on a variety topics and that typically aren’t published on the agenda.

Howard has attempted to question Ragsdale at previous board meetings about COVID and other issues, without much success.

After a brief interchange with Howard, Chastain repeated his comments, and the board began acting on other agenda items.

Related posts:

 

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 COVID-19 emergency declaration extended to mid-February

by

As she hinted last week, Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid has extended a declaration of emergency regarding COVID-19 until mid-February.Cobb paid leave county employees

A current emergency declaration was to have expired on Friday. A message sent out by the county late Thursday afternoon said that the new order is “for another 30 days but will be reevaluated if the surge eases.”

She cited the continuing spread of the virus, and specifically the Omicron variant, and the impact to local hospitals for her new order.

“Cases remain well above high community spread, and until we get those numbers down we need to encourage residents to take precautions; to continue wearing masks, watching their distance, and washing their hands,” Cupid said. “Those precautions are outlined in this order.”

Cobb and Douglas Health reported Thursday that the 14-day average of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people is 1,993, a drop from a figure of more than 2,500 last week.

That’s still excessively beyond the “high” transmission threshold of 100 cases per 100K.

The order keeps the county’s emergency operations plan in place and calls for continuing portions of public meetings online.

That includes a Cobb Board of Commissioners work session and regular meeting next Tuesday.

The county statement Thursday said that mask requirements and social distancing guidelines that have been in effect in county government facilities will expire at the end of the month.

But “that could also change if circumstances warrant it.”

The mask mandate applies to all indoor county facilities, including libraries and recreation centers.

It does not apply to private or non-county buildings, nor the Cobb County School District.

County courthouses continue to operate under a mask mandate ordered by the Georgia Supreme Court.

Related posts:

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: Bagelicious; Flying Biscuit; more

by

Bagelicious, East Cobb food scores

The following East Cobb food scores for the week of Jan. 17 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:

Andretti Indoor Karting and Games
1255 Roswell Road
January 20, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Bagelicious
1255 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 37
January 18, 2022 Score: 91, Grade: A

Chili’s Grill & Bar
4111 Roswell Road
January 20, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Chipotle Mexican Grill
1281 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 104
January 18, 2022 Score: 88, Grade: B

Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins
2765 Sandy Plains Road
January 20, 2022 Score: 91, Grade: A

Flying Biscuit
4880 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 70
January 21, 2022 Score: 88, Grade: B

IHOP
3130 Johnson Ferry Road
January 20, 2022 Score: 98, Grade: A

La Carreta
1252 Roswell Road
January 18, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Los Arcos
3101 Roswell Road, Suite 104
January 21, 2022 Score: 84, Grade: B

Mellow Mushroom
2421 Shallowford Road
January 20, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Paradise Grille
3605 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 165
January 21, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Related posts:

 

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 County to hold COVID-19 test distribution event Sunday

by
East Cobb rapid COVID-19 testing
Lines have been long for COVID-19 testing around the county, including at East Cobb United Methodist Church.

Cobb County Government said Thursday that citizens can receive a limited supply of COVID-19 test kits on Sunday afternoon.

The county will give out 1,000 free tests starting at 2 p.m. at Jim R. Miller Park (2245 Callaway Rd SW, Marietta).

The event was rescheduled from last weekend due to inclement weather.

County spokesman Ross Cavitt said in a release that more kits are expected in a few days after being delayed to an increase in demand for tests.

The kits will be available to the public at the park pavilion, with access from Al Bishop Drive.

Cavitt said individuals will receive one kit per person, with a maximum of four per vehicle.

“With such a limited supply, the distribution is not expected to take long,” Cavitt said.

He said county officials will be working with Cobb and Douglas Public Health to distribute the additional kits later in January, at designated events and with local non-profits.

“The intent is to target residents that may not be able to go to testing sites or order kits online from the federal government,” the county release said.

Residents seeking a COVID test, vaccination, or information should visit www.cobbanddouglaspublichealth.com.

Related posts:

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 Cobb Commission Chairman has surgery after strokes

by

Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce

Former Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce remains hospitalized in Indiana after having surgery Tuesday.

Cobb County Government sent a message Tuesday saying that Boyce, an East Cobb resident, suffered two strokes “in recent days.”

Boyce and his wife Judy had been attending a leadership program at the University of Notre Dame, his alma mater, when he was stricken.

An update Tuesday posted to the CaringBridge website said Boyce is on a ventilator and is being sedated as doctors obeserve how he responds.

“Needless to say, this is a very grave situation for our dear friend,” the update states. “Prayer is a powerful thing! Let’s all continue to pray for Mike and Judy.”

More than 100 people have sent messages, including Piedmont Church pastor and MUST Ministries head Ike Reighard as well as Cobb County Manager Jackie McMorris and current Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell.

UPDATED, SATURDAY, JAN. 22:

Boyce remains in a hospital in South Bend, Ind., and has been visited by family members.

“They are all talking to him and he is showing signs of recognition by occasionally movement of his feet and legs,” wrote Sue Ballard Stone on the CaringBridge page.

“The doctors love the fact that they are talking with him and playing his playlist from the iPod for the time they are there.”

Boyce, a retired Marine colonel, defeated then-chairman Tim Lee in the 2016 Republican primary, then was unopposed in the general election.

He was defeated in his re-election bid in 2020 by Democratic current chairwoman Lisa Cupid.

Boyce is an active member of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church in East Cobb.

“We know Mike is a fighter,” McMorris said in a statement issued by the county. “Our prayers are with him, as well as Judy and the family. We are hopeful of a speedy recovery and praying he can come through this. Our county family hopes to see him back in Cobb County as soon as possible.”

 

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 board to consider SPLOST loans, public comments

by

The Cobb Board of Education will be asked to approve taking out $100 million in short-term loans for construction projects on Thursday.Campbell High School lockdown

The board is meeting in public at a 2 p.m. work session and a 7 p.m. business session Thursday at the Cobb County School District Central Office (514 Glover St., Marietta).

There will be public comment periods at the start of both meetings, but speakers must sign up in advance by clicking here.

Each public comment session is limited to 30 minutes, and individual speakers have a maximum of two minutes.

The agendas for both meetings can be found here; the work session technically begins at 1 p.m., but members will convene, go into an executive session and return for a public work session at 2 p.m.

The meetings also will be live-streamed on the district’s BoxCast channel and on CobbEdTV, Comcast Channel 24.

Another executive session will take place between the public meetings.

In recent years, the Cobb County School District has taken out short-term loans to get a head start on construction projects funded by its Special Local-Option Sales Tax, and to save money.

Among the major construction projects on tap for this year is the reconstruction of Eastvalley Elementary School on the former campus of East Cobb Middle School. 

If the board approves, the $100 million loan would be repaid at the end of the calendar year with SPLOST revenues.

The board will be asked to accept a “best bid” for the purchase of the loans that will be presented at the work session. The final vote would come in the evening session.

The board also will be asked to consider changing the policy for signing up for public comment periods. 

Last year the board approved an online registration process but a proposal to be presented Thursday would revert to the previous in-person sign-up process.

The board also will be asked to spend $3 million to purchase 25 air conditioned buses that hold 72 passengers each.  

What’s not listed specifically on the agenda is any mention of the Cobb school district’s changing COVID protocols that were announced in December by Superintendent Chris Ragsdale.

He said that per a new state public health order, Cobb will eliminate most contact-tracing and will be changing staff quarantine policy for employees who are identified as close contacts.

Since the spring semester began earlier this month, the district has not been revealing any COVID case data.

A district spokeswoman told East Cobb News last week that the policy for counting cases is “under review” and that “once determined, we will provide an update on our COVID-19 webpage about what process we will use going forward.”

There could be information provided by Ragsdale under agenda items at both meetings regarding superintendent’s remarks.

The only items listed under board business at the work session are for annual board member compliance reports and appointments to the district’s facilities and technology committee, which conducts SPLOST oversight.

Thursday’s meetings will be the first with board member David Chastain of East Cobb presiding as chairman.

Related posts:

 

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 2022 graduations return to KSU, campus sites

by

Lassiter graduation, Cobb schools 2020 graduation schedule
Most Cobb County School District graduations will return to KSU after a two-year absence. 

After two years of socially-distanced graduations at a single venue, the Cobb County School District is returning 2022 commencement exercises to familiar locations.

Most of the district’s 16 traditional high schools will have their graduations at the Kennesaw State University Convocation Center, the primary venue before the COVID-19 pandemic.

That’s where all six East Cobb high school Class of 2022 seniors will be getting their diplomas.

McEachern High School, which was the site for all Cobb graduations the last two years, will be having its commencement at Cantrell Stadium on campus, and Allatoona High School will hold graduation at its Allatoona Stadium.

Wheeler High School had been having its graduations at Wildcat Arena on campus but this year will be at KSU.

  • Monday, May 23: Kell High School, 7:30 p.m., KSU
  • Wednesday, May 25: Lassiter High School, 3:30 p.m., KSU
  • Wednesday, May 25: Wheeler High School, 7:30 p.m., KSU
  • Thursday, May 26: Walton High School, 10 a.m., KSU
  • Thursday, May 26: Sprayberry High School, 7 p.m., KSU
  • Friday, May 27: Pope High School, 2:30 p.m., KSU

More graduation will be forthcoming in the following weeks; click here for the full graduation schedule.

Related posts:

 

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!

Keep Cobb Beautiful closes drop off recycling locations

by

Last week Keep Cobb Beautiful announced it was closing its designated recycling dropoff locations in the county—including Cobb Fire Station No. 14 near the Mountain View Regional Library and the East Cobb Government Service Center on Lower Roswell Road.Keep Cobb Beautiful spring recycling

The reasons were for a lack of garbage service providers in the county as well as a significant increase in the improper utilization of the recycling drop spots.

KCB, which is an agency of Cobb County government, indicated that the closure is “for now,” and that “we will continue to work on a solution that is best for all parties and will notify the community as soon as we are able to implement a suitable solution.”

Suggested alternatives sites for those looking to drop off recycled items include the following:

  • Main County drop off located at 1775 County Services Pkwy, Marietta, 30008
  • City of Smyrna Recycling Center located at 3475 Lake Dr.SE, Smyrna, 30082
  • Ask your garbage provider to provide curbside recycling with your service.

You also can call 770-528-1135 for more information and to find other places that take recycling materials.

Some community organizations hold single-event recycling opportunities, including the Pope High School Band.

It will be having a recycling fundraiser on Saturday, Jan. 29 at the Northeast Cobb YMCA (3010 Johnson Ferry Road) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

You can bring metal, electronics, appliances, paint and paper documents for shredding. The cost is $10 per car plus additional disposal fees for electronics, large items and other materials.

More details can be found by at www.popeband.com/recycle and for questions and pickup reservations, contact popebandrecycling@gmail.com.

 

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 legislators to hold school board redistricting town hall

by

Cobb school board redistricting town hall
State Rep. Erick Allen’s draft map of Cobb school board posts. For a larger view, click here.

Democratic members of the Cobb legislative delegation will be holding a virtual town hall meeting Tuesday to go over proposed redistricting maps for the Cobb Board of Education.

The event, which is organized by State Rep. Erick Allen, the delegation chairman, begins at 6:30 p.m. and can be accessed by clicking here.

The other lawmakers involved are State Rep. Teri Anulewicz and State Rep. David Wilkerson.

Democrats hold a one-member majority in the Cobb delegation, which will redraw lines for the school board as well as the Cobb Board of Commissioners.

(PLEASE NOTE: This process has nothing to do with school attendance zones, which are drawn by school district administrative staff and are done mainly to balance out school capacity or when new schools open.)

Redistricting for elected offices is done every 10 years by legislators after the Census is updated. In November, Georgia lawmakers redrew Congressional and legislative lines.

County legislators are responsible for redrawing the lines of districts for county commissioners and city council members and school board posts.

In December, the Cobb school board voted along party lines, with its Republican majority in favor, of a recommended map designed to keep that razor-thin majority.

The map would reduce the number of school board members representing the East Cobb area from three to two.

Cobb school board redistricting town hall
Cobb school board Republicans are recommending a map that shifts Post 6 out of East Cobb. For a larger view click here.

The current Post 6, represented by Democrat Charisse Davis, currently includes most of the Walton and Wheeler clusters.

But the Cobb GOP school board map would shift that post into the Cumberland-Smyrna-Vinings area completely, drawing current Post 2 board member Jaha Howard into the same area.

Allen’s map retains most of Post 6 as it looks now.

Like Davis, Howard is a first-term Democrat who’s openly challenged the Republicans on a number of issues, including race, equity and diversity, school discipline and COVID response.

They also prompted a special review of the Cobb school district by its accrediting agency last year.

At a Jan. 6 school board organizational meeting, the GOP majority elected East Cobb Republicans David Chastain and David Banks to serve as chair and vice chair, respectively, for 2022.

It was the latest in a series of contentious public meetings along sharp partisan lines that have roiled the school board over the last three years.

Chastain, who represents the Kell and Sprayberry clusters, has announced his intention to seek re-election this year.

Davis also is up for re-election but hasn’t announced her plans. Amy Henry, a Republican who has four children in the Walton High School cluster, has declared her intent to run for that seat, and has said that “Post 6 should remain largely as-is.”

Howard has declared his intent to run for Georgia school superintendent.

Qualifying starts in March, with a May primary.

The Cobb school board will meet at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday and and include time for public comment.

Agendas for the meetings will be posted at this link on Tuesday.

Related posts:

 

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 not updating COVID cases to start spring semester

by

After a week and a half of classes in the spring semester, the Cobb County School District has not updated its COVID-19 case data.CCSD logo, Cobb 2018-19 school calendar

Each Friday during the 2020-21 school year and in the fall semester of 2021, the district revised those figures each Friday, with breakdowns according to each school.

But for the last two Fridays, those numbers have not been provided on the district’s COVID Case Notification page.

Instead, the page shows it was last updated on Dec. 17, 2021, the last day of the fall semester, with a figure of 6,709 cumulative cases reported among students and staff since July 1, 2021.

In December, Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the district was changing some of its COVID protocols, including eliminating much of its contact-tracing and revising procedures for staff quarantine if they’re identified as close contacts.

At a Cobb school board meeting, Ragsdale didn’t reference how the district may be counting and publicly reporting COVID cases.

On Friday, East Cobb News asked the district about the status of keeping those figures current.

A spokeswoman responded by saying only that “recent changes to our public health protocols, and their impact on accurate COVID-19 case counts, are under review. Once determined, we will provide an update on our COVID-19 webpage about what process we will use going forward.”

That’s the same answer she has given to other news outlets.

Nearly two years into the pandemic, and the highly infectious Omicron variant is yielding record transmission levels in Cobb, Georgia and elsewhere.

As of Friday, the 14-day average of cases per 100,000 people in Cobb County was around 2,500, far higher than the “high” transmission rate of 100/100K.

Cobb government leaders said at the end of last week they will likely extend an emergency declaration through most of February, for another 30-day period.

That doesn’t affect the schools.

The Georgia Department of Public Health issues a weekly School Aged Surveillance Data report, and notes the numbers in Cobb are decreasing slightly.

As of Jan. 13, the 14-day case count in Cobb County between the ages of 5-17 has been 2,169, with a 14-day case rate of 1,642 per 100,000.

Those figures are not broken down by public school district or private schools.

The single-day high recently reported in Cobb was 252 on Dec. 30; on Jan. 12, the number was 171, part of a downward trend that’s generally dipping below 200.

The spring semester resumes on Tuesday. The COVID protocol changes may be discussed Thursday at Cobb school board meetings, which are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and include time for public comment.

Agendas for the meetings will be posted at this link on Tuesday.

Related posts:

 

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!

 

Light snow arrives in East Cobb as icy road hazards continue

by

East Cobb snow icy road hazards
There’s a flashing light at the traffic signal at Johnson Ferry and Lassiter roads, indicating a power outage. Photo: Georgia 511

Some light accumulated snow began to fall in East Cobb late Sunday morning and into the afternoon, and as slushy roads were in the process of freezing.

A winter storm sweeping through the South has left several inches of snow in the mountains of North Georgia, but in metro Atlanta the conditions vary.

While roads are passable for now and there are no major issues on the roads, Cobb officials are urging the public to avoid travel if possible today.

Temperatures are hovering just above freezing, but are expected to drop into the high 20s Sunday night and into Monday morning.

As the winter storm approached, high winds were knocking down trees and power lines in parts of the county, Cobb spokesman Ross Cavitt said in a social media posting.

He was standing at the intersection of Johnson Ferry Road and Lassiter Road, one of three intersections in the county where the traffic signal is out.

Cavitt said there’s a power outage in the area, prompting the traffic signal to be flashing in all directions.

That’s one of 21 traffic signals in the county that are flashing or are out.

Sprucebough Drive, located off Johnson Ferry Road, is closed due to trees falling on power lines, a Cobb government message said right before noon.

Cobb EMC is reporting that there are more than 1,000 customers without electricity in the Sandy Plains-Shallowford area, with service restoration estimated for later Sunday afternoon.

(Here’s the Cobb EMC outage tracker.)

The Georgia Power outage map isn’t showing any service issues in the East Cobb area for the time being.

A winter weather advisory remains in place for Cobb until midnight Monday, but a high wind warning continues until 2 p.m. today.

Winds today have been in the 10-15 mph range, according to the National Weather Service, but the wind could reach gusts up to 30 mph in some places.

A wind advisory is in effect until 7 p.m. Monday.

According to the National Weather Service, there’s an 80 percent chance of rain, sleet and snow Sunday. Tonight the precipitation will fall to 30 percent, with lows dropping into the high 20s.

Monday will be partly sunny with highs in the high 30s and lows in the mid 20s.

 

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 group presses for ‘right’ to referendum

by

East Cobb Cityhood referendum
Members of the Committee for East Cobb Cityhood with State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (third from left) at the Georgia Capitol this week.

After a bill to call for a referendum about creating a City of East Cobb passed a Georgia House Committee this week, the group pushing for the legislation created a petition to build public support.

The Committee for East Cobb Cityhood on Saturday sent out an e-mail with a link to an online petition.

“The residents of East Cobb deserve the right to vote in a referendum to decide whether we should become the City of East Cobb,” states the petition, which is addressed to East Cobb-area legislators, including the bill’s sponsors.

“The decision is best left in the hands of the voters in the next election. We should not be denied our right to vote on the question of local, representative government for our community.”

HB 841, which got the approval of the House Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday, would call for a referendum this year that would let voters within the proposed city limits decide on whether East Cobb should become a city.

If the bill fails to pass in the Georgia General Assembly, there would be no referendum, and the cityhood issue would have to begin again in the next legislative cycle.

In 2019, an East Cobb cityhood bill was abandoned by supporters and never was considered by the legislature.

At a subcommittee hearing Wednesday and the committee meeting Thursday, local officials were asked by a lawmaker if the citizens of East Cobb should be able to vote on whether a city should be created.

Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid wanted more time to examine the bill and a financial feasibility study, saying voters don’t have “clear and accurate information.”

She said she doesn’t oppose cityhood bills in general, but “I’m in opposition to a bill being passed that has not been made clear, with information that is incomplete or is inaccurate so voters can make a wise decision.”

When pressed by State Rep. Barry Fleming about whether she opposed HB 841 (a substitute to the original bill) as it is written now, she said, “at this time, yes.”

On Saturday afternoon, the East Cobb Alliance, a group of citizens opposed to cityhood, issued a response to the cityhood group’s online petition, accusing the latter’s e-mail of largely containing “half-truths” about the issue of a referendum and other topics.

In a lengthy e-mail message, the Alliance, who had a representative at the legislative meetings this week, also said “the actual ballot language is not crystal clear as to what regular voters (not legislators and lawyers, but regular people) can decipher on the ballot. It is as convoluted as the trick-polling in which the Cityhood group has engaged.”

The Alliance message also delves into the addition of police and fire services to the East Cobb financial feasibility study, after proposing a “city lite” set of services without public safety in the bill introduced in 2021.

“Right out of the gate, a City of East Cobb will be operating at a huge loss, and the city will have to take on heavy debt immediately,” the Alliance e-mail concludes.

East Cobb House Republican Matt Dollar was the only co-sponsor in 2019, but this time around got the support of State Rep. Sharon Cooper.

HB 841 also will need a local sponsor in the Senate if it passes in the full House. (A House vote will not take place before Jan. 24, since the legislature will be holding budget meetings all next week.)

In 2019, State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, a Republican from East Cobb, said she couldn’t support the bill because she got a lot of negative feedback from constituents.

She told East Cobb News on Friday that she is more receptive to the bill this time.

“The bill and the map are much different than 2019 and I am getting a lot more positive feedback on it this time,” she said. “I have said all along that if there was sufficient interest from the citizens in voting on this issue, I would support it and that appears to be the case this time. Then the community can vote it up or down.”

Kirkpatrick, however, isn’t a co-sponsor. While she represents the proposed City of East Cobb currently, her District 32 will not include any of that area in the 2022 election, due to redrawn lines during reapportionment.

Instead, the Senate co-sponsor would be John Albers, a Republican from North Fulton, whose District 56 will soon include the proposed East Cobb city area.

Among the signatories to the East Cobb Cityhood group’s petition include Scott Sweeney, a former Cobb Board of Education member who joined the group last year, and current school board member David Banks, who represents the Pope and Lassiter clusters in East Cobb.

Related content:

 

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 included in winter weather advisory for Storm Izzy

by

Cobb winter weather advisory
For more details about Storm Izzy, click here. Source: National Weather Service Atlanta

What’s being called Winter Storm Izzy was approaching Georgia Saturday morning, and the National Weather Service expanded its winter weather advisory to include most of Cobb County and metro Atlanta.

The advisory begins at 10 p.m. Sunday and continues until midnight Monday as North Georgia braces for snow, sleet, ice and other winter weather.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency for most of North Georgia.

The advisory, which was issued at 11:15 a.m. Saturday, says there’s an expectation of up to 2 inches of accumulated snow and up to two-tenths of an inch of ice accumulation during that time.

High winds also will be a factor, with gusts predicted of up to 40 mph in some areas.

The Cobb area is likely to get precipitation on Sunday morning. As a result, many churches have cancelled in-person services and will be worshipping online.

As noted previously, Cobb DOT will begin pre-treating selected roads, bridges and overpasses in the county starting at 6 p.m. Saturday, and will have around-the-clock shifts through Monday to respond to any serious road issues.

Citizens are advised to be off the roads before 6 p.m. Saturday and to avoid unnecessary travel after that.

The high Saturday is expected to reach into the high 40s, but temperatures will drop near freezing Saturday night.

Sunday’s high is expected to be in the mid 30s, with a 90 percent chance of a wintry mix.

Sunday’s low will dip into the high 20s.

Monday will be clear and sunny, but with highs also in the low 40s and lows in the mid 20s.

 

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!

CycleBar East Cobb conducting coat drive through Cobb schools

by

CycleBar East Cobb coat drive

Starting Monday and continuing through Jan. 28, the CycleBar location in East Cobb (4880 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 450 in the Parkaire Landing Shopping Center) is conducting a winter coat drive.

New and gently used coats of all ages can be dropped off there Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Saturday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

CycleBar will be donating the collected coats through the Cobb County School District.

Those who donate coats will get 3 free rides at CycleBar as a thank-you gift.

More details can be found at the link above or by calling 770-672-0198.

Related posts:

 

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 cookie artist donates $5K to Piedmont Healthcare

by

East Cobb cookie artist donates Piedmont Healthcare

Submitted information and photo:

Sam Opdenbosch, owner of Sam’s Cookie Company, won the Food Network’s “Christmas Cookie Challenge” on December 23rd, 2021. The competition, which invites five cookie artists from around the country, challenges bakers to create holiday themed desserts for a $10,000 prize.

Opdenbosch, a licensed home baker and owner of Sam’s Cookie Company, has decided to donate all $10,000 to organizations that have been hit hardest by this unprecedented COVID crisis.

The Piedmont Healthcare Staff Support Fund will receive $5,000. Angels Among Us Pet Rescue and Furkids will each receive $2,500.

In Christmas Cookie Challenge, five confident and daring bakers compete to prove their holiday cookie-making skills. Tough-love judges are on hand to crown the holiday cookie master, who will go home with a $10,000 prize! In Season 5, Episode 8 Reindeer Auditions Santa’s recruiting new animals for his team, and it’s up to five of the best cookie makers around to come up with the candidates! After hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson select which reindeer replacements will make the squad, it’s time for fun with a frosty friend as the cookiers craft one-of-a-kind 3-D snowmen. To infuse their cookie snowmen with a chilly flavor, the competitors incorporate frozen fruits like blueberry, strawberry, raspberry and blackberry. With $10,000 on the line, only one can be “Best in Snow.”

Samantha made it to the second round by using strong animals to replace the reindeer. She created a llama and polar bear to help Santa deliver presents. “For the final challenge of the season, the bakers were tasked with crafting one-of-a-kind 3-D snowmen made entirely of cookies. Eddie loved the detail on Samantha’s chocolate espresso blackberry cookie, noting that she did an excellent job on the piping.”

“Being on Food Network’s Christmas Cookie Challenge season 5, episode 8 “Reindeer Auditions” was one of the most amazing experiences I have had! Not only to be on the show but to take home $10,000 is still unbelievable!!!!! Being able to donate the winnings to incredible organizations like these has made this one of the most memorable moments of my life.”

The Piedmont staff support fund provides funding for initiatives that raise employee morale, aid staff in their self-care, or help employees as they care for their loved ones at home. Examples for these initiatives include but are not limited to staff celebrations, daycare expenses, meal support, technology and tutoring needed by children for at home learning, mental and emotional support services and more.

Related posts:

 

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!