Even though we are enjoying summer, the Cobb Police Department Community Affairs Unit is already hard at work to support our students when they head back to school. Book Bag-Palooza is an effort to gather as many book bags and school supplies as possible. Donations will be distributed to county students in need at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year, which is only one month away. Donations can include new book bags, paper, folders, pencils, crayons, glue sticks and markers. Any items that a student, from elementary to high school, would need to start the school year out prepared and ready to learn. Donations can be dropped off from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday (excluding holidays) at any of the Cobb precincts:
Precinct 1: 2380 Cobb Parkway NW, Kennesaw
Precinct 2: 4700 Austell Road, Austell
Precinct 3: 1901 Cumberland Parkway, Atlanta
Precinct 4: 4400 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta
Precinct 5: 4640 Dallas Highway, Powder Springs
Headquarters: 140 North Marietta Parkway, Marietta
If a business or club collects a large amount of school items, one of the Community Affairs’ officers will be happy to arrange pick up. For more information, call Sgt. Jeff Tatroe at 770-499-3981.
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UPDATED 4:36 p.m.: Piedmont Road has reopened after an East Cobb car crash earlier this afternoon.
Shortly before 2 p.m. Thursday Cobb Police said Piedmont Road is closed at Sprayberry Drive due to a single-car crash that took down power poles and knocked out electricity in the area (that’s just west of the Piedmont-Sandy Plains intersection and Sprayberry High School).
The car overturned and the crash prompted several small fires, according to police, who said the driver suffered minor injuries.
Will update this story with more information when we get it.
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With the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission coming up on July 16, a special PBS miniseries will be airing to commemorate the event. On Friday, the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road) will be screening a portion of that series, entitled “Chasing the Moon.”
The screening is free and will be held from 6-7 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre and unlike other film screenings there, no food or drink will be allowed.
Here’s more about the PBS “American Experience” miniseries, which airs on July 8-10, and what’s in store during Friday’s screening:
Chasing the Moon, a film by Robert Stone, re-imagines the race to the moon for a new generation, upending much of the conventional mythology surrounding the effort. The series recasts the Space Age as a fascinating stew of scientific innovation, political calculation, media spectacle, visionary impulses, and personal drama.
Our selection is taken from “Part Three: Magnificent Desolation.” It takes a look back at the tension and excitement surrounding the launch of Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969, all the way up until the lunar module finally lands on the moon.
On Monday, July 16, a celebration of the Apollo 11 event will take place from 7-8 p.m. at the Mountain View Regional Library (3320 Sandy Plains Road), featuring NASA Ambassador Chris Thompson. Here’s on tap for that free event for those age 18 and above:
Mountain View patrons will join the history books by being able to touch space rocks just like Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Lunar and space meteorites and other NASA memorabilia will be on display for patrons to look at and touch. Mr. Thompson will also discuss the history of the Apollo missions and the future of NASA and space exploration.
Chris Thompson is a human resource professional who also shares his love of Astronomy and Space in his role as a NASA Ambassador. Mr. Thompson conducts workshops and lectures to adults and children. He is also the president of the Meteorite Association of Georgia and a member of theInternational Meteorite Collectors Association, (NASA, 2019).
For more information, call the Mountain View Regional Library at 770-509-2725, or visit the Adult Reference Desk.
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Richard Solomon, an East Cobb resident who graduated as a Wells Scholar from Indiana University in 2018 with a B.S. and B.A. in international studies, political science and philosophy, completed the Arabic Flagship program in Meknes, Morocco this past May as a 2019 Boren Fellow.
Richard has studied Arabic at Bethlehem University and Hebrew University, and with the National Security Language Initiative for Youth in Morocco.
A recent CASA (Center for Arabic Studies Abroad) Fellowship recipient, Richard moved last month to Cairo, Egypt where he will continue to receive advanced-level training in Arabic language and culture for a year at the American University in Cairo.
Richard’s research interests include bargaining theory, institutional analysis, and literature.
After a year in Cairo, Richard plans to pursue a PhD in political science or Middle Eastern studies.
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East Cobb News understands the need for confidentiality in some cases but we cannot publish information from totally anonymous sources.
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Since Thursday’s July 4 events in Marietta go on from mid-morning and well into the night, here’s what the police department has put together in terms of schedule, where to park, streets to avoid and more (illustrated above in city-provided map):
10:00 AM Parade The “Let Freedom Ring” parade begins on Roswell Street at Victory Drive. The parade will continue West on Roswell Street into the square, then turn North onto E Park Square and continue North on Cherokee Street all the way to the Cobb County 911 building at North Marietta Parkway. (86) different entries have registered to participate in this year’s parade! Road closures for the parade will begin at 9:20 AM.
10:00 AM until 9:00 PM: Festival in the park activities (art/craft vendors, food trucks, concession stands, carnival games and kids play areas with large inflatables etc.) • 12:00-2:00pm: Concert featuring Scott Thompson • 2:00pm: Bell Ringing Ceremony • 2:30pm: Concert featuring Atlanta Concert Band • 7:00pm: Concert Featuring Chris Stalcup • 8:00pm: Concert featuring A1A – Jimmy Buffet Tribute Band
Dark (somewhere around 9:30 PM) FIREWORKS! Fireworks will be launched from the parking lot of First United Methodist Church (Whitlock at the loop). Due to state fire law, all of that parking lot will be unavailable for public parking the entire day.
IMPORTANT NOTES from MPD:
1. ROADS ON THE PARADE ROUTE WILL BE CLOSED 40 MINUTES BEFORE, AND DURING THE PARADE. 2. THE ROADS SURROUNDING THE SQUARE WILL BE CLOSED ALL DAY. 3. Please consider using a ride sharing service to drop you off and pick you up with ease. 4. If you park in one of the parking decks, we have some helpful reminders for you:
Please back into the parking space so your exit will be easier and quicker;
Fireworks are NOT allowed to be used on any of the parking decks near the Marietta Square;
Open alcohol containers / consumption are not permitted on the parking decks.
5. Local businesses and restaurants will be open on their own normal holiday schedules. 6. Parking will be challenging, especially with the First United Methodist Church parking lot closed. PLEASE CONSIDER USING A RIDE SHARE SERVICE. 7. UBER/LYFT drivers will take you anywhere, but the city has DESIGNATED an easy intersection to give YOU quick access with limited walking as well as give the drivers easy access so they can keep moving and minimize your ride costs. PLEASE use the intersection of Lawrence Street and Waddell Street as your drop off and pick up locations. 8. It is supposed to be ABOVE normal temperatures, please stay hydrated and plan accordingly. 9. Pets can NOT cool off as quickly as you can. PLEASE keep them hydrated and guard against having them standing for too long on hot pavement.
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This has been anticipated for a few months now, and it’s official: The Rose and Crown Tavern on Powers Ferry Road has announced its temporary closure.
The last remaining survivor of “Restaurant Row” will close next Saturday, July 13, for a two-year period as the cluster of restaurant buildings makes way for a new mixed-use development.
Rose and Crown will be part of that project, with expanded space in a retail component in a 578,000-square foot complex that will include a 280-unit apartment building and 171 senior-living units.
Ground is expected to be broken this month for the project. The apartment building is being called Elan at Powers Ferry, and the senior homes will be called Overture Powers Ferry.
Miguel Ayoub opened Rose and Crown in 2010 with his wife at a former La Madeleine restaurant at 1931 Powers Ferry Road. In the new development, the Rose and Crown space will take up 6,000 square feet of a planned 10,0000-square foot retail center.
The property is near the Wildwood Office Park, but other restaurant concepts nearby have come and gone: A Sal Grosso Brazilian steakhouse, TGI Friday’s and Famous Dave’s.
While Rose and Crown is shuttered, the Ayoubs will be running Mojave, a casual Latin restaurant at the former Ray’s Rio Bravo at 6450 Powers Ferry Road, just across the river in Sandy Springs.
A late July opening date for Mojave is planned.
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Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce isn’t proposing a millage rate increase for fiscal year 2020 like he did a year ago. But growth in the county’s tax digest means public hearings will be necessary specifically for the millage rate.
That’s because under state law, local governments and school boards that don’t assess a “rollback” millage rate to counter that tax revenue increase are in effect imposing a property tax increase, and are required to hold public hearings.
Last week Cobb Tax Assessor Steven White declared that the 2019 Cobb tax digest will be a record $39 billion, surpassing last year’s total of $36.2 billion.
The county announced Tuesday that those public hearings will take place on the same dates and at the same Cobb Board of Commissioners meetings in which FY 2020 budget hearings have been scheduled:
The property tax “increase” amounts to 4.52 percent from last year’s general fund revenues.
The Cobb Board of Education also holds millage rate hearings in similar situations. It hasn’t upped the school millage rate of 18.9 mills in years, but tax revenue growth has meant it also has had to hold the same hearings.
This year that tax revenue increase for Cobb schools is 4.88 percent. A recent history of the schools millage rate levy can be found here.
Next Wednesday, the school board will hold its first public hearing on the tax digest at 11 a.m. at the Cobb County School District headquarters, 514 Glover St., Marietta. Additional hearings are in the same location on July 18 at 12 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., with millage rate adoption scheduled for the same day at 7 p.m.
The Cobb schools fiscal year 2020 began on Monday.
The proposed FY 2020 Cobb government millage rates are as follows:
General Fund, 8.46 mills;
Fire Fund, 2.86 mills;
Debt Service (Bond Fund), 0.13 mills;
Cumberland Special Services District II, 2.45 mills;
Six Flags Special Service District, 3.50 mills.
Citizens can speak on the budget and millage rate proposals at the meetings listed above. They will be held in the second floor board meeting room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta.
Here’s more from the Cobb Tax Commissioners Office on the county’s millage rate history, and the millage rates compared to the six cities in the county.
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The July zoning calendar is light on cases in East Cobb, but one that will be getting first hearing Tuesday before the Cobb Planning Commission involves a retail proposal on Ebenezer Road at the intersection of Canton Road.
UPDATE: This case has been delayed to August for notification reasons.
That 1.7-acre tract, close to the Noonday Baptist Church and the eventual Ebenezer Road Park, is being sought by SAW Holding, LLC from neighborhood shopping to neighborhood retail commercial.
There’s a vacant office building on the site now, but the applicant wants to build a 2,241-square-foot center for restaurants, a grocery store and offices, with the businesses open from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m.
According to the application (case file here) about a half-acre was cleared along Canton Road without approval, and it contains part of a the state water buffer and the FEMA 100-year floodplain.
The county zoning staff is recommending approval with several conditions, including a final site plan (not yet submitted) to be approved by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.
The agenda item Z-48 will be heard on the regular agenda since there’s opposition.
Not far away, a rezoning request for a light industrial category for automotive services on 1.1 acres at 4921 Canton Road is being recommended for denial by the zoning staff (case file here). The land currently houses warehouses but the proposed rezoning does not conform to the Cobb land use plan and the future land use plan.
A proposed rezoning at 3140 Johnson Ferry Road, at the site of a former bank building, would convert that space into retail use. Komorebi Holdings, LLC, is seeking neighborhood retail commercial designation for the 1.3 acres in front of the Wal-Mart store (case file here).
The devlepment would include 5,541 square feet of space, the same as the vacated bank, with business hours proposed are Sunday 12:30-6:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday 10-10 and Friday-Saturday 10 a.m.-11 p.m.
The zoning staff is recommending approval, and Z-37 will be heard on the consent agenda.
The Planning Commission meets Tuesday at 9 a.m. in the second floor board room at the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta.
Its votes are advisory. Final zoning decisions will be made by Cobb commissioners on July 16.
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U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, a Marietta Democrat who represents East Cobb, was one of 129 House Democrats to vote for $4.6 billion in supplemental funding this week for humanitarian aid for migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border and to address overcrowding at detention centers there.
The House supported the measure 305-102, after the Senate passed the special appropriations 84-8 (with Georgia Republican senators Johnny Isakson and David Perdue voting in favor).
The Senate had earlier rejected a different House version of the bill.
The second House vote on Thursday was contentious, with more progressive Democrats accusing moderates in their caucus of child abuse. In one instance, there was a confrontation between Democrats on the House floor over heated social media messages.
The only Georgia House member to vote against the bill was John Lewis of Atlanta.
The Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act of 2019 (summary here) would fund operations for the departments of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Commerce and Defense in the following ways:
$2.88 billion for the HHS Unaccompanied Alien Children program for the safety and welfare of children under its care;
$1.1 billion for migrant care and processing facilities, medical care and transportation, and data systems;
$793 million for establishing and operating migrant care and processing facilities to improve conditions at border stations and ports of entry;
$220 million to hire additional personnel to expedite immigration court proceedings;
$209 million for medical care and transportation of unaccompanied alien children and migrants between facilities, counter-human trafficking operations, detention alternatives and migrant processing;
$145 million for Defense operations and maintenance in support of multiple missions at the border.
The bill is awaiting the signature of President Donald Trump, who is in Asia at the Group of 20 Summit.
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The following July 4 events in and near East Cobb are free and open to the public:
Kennesaw will have its annual Star Spangled Spectacular 6-10 p.m. Wednesday, July 3, at the Historic Train Depot, 2828 Cherokee Street. The event features two stages of live music, festive entertainment, food vendors, kids activities and a fireworks display. Admission is free. The fireworks are scheduled for 9:30 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, the fireworks will be rescheduled for Saturday, July 8. Click here for more information and here for temporary street closures;
Marietta’s Fourth in the Park celebration begins 10 a.m. Thursday, July 4, and includes a parade, free live concerts, museum tours, arts and crafts show, food, carnival games, and a fireworks finale. Click here for more information;
More on the Marietta Parade: The start is 10 a.m. at Roswell Street Baptist Church and travels west on Roswell Street, north on East Park Square past Glover Park and the Square, down Cherokee Street and ends at North Marietta Parkway. The end of the parade marks the start of the festival on the Marietta Square. Food concessions, arts and crafts and carnival will provide plenty to do for the whole family.
Powder Springs will hold its SpringsFest on the 4th event 4-10 p.m. Thursday, July 4,at Powder Springs Park (3899 Brownsville Road, Powder Springs). There will be a food court, local vendors, artisans, entertainment, DJ, live performances, bounce houses, a game truck, face painters, kids games and a fireworks show. Click here for more information;
At sundown on July 4 is the start of a fireworks show at the Indian Hills Country Club (4001 Clubland Drive). The event is dubbed Member Appreciation Night but the public is invited to the clubhouse area and enjoy the display;
Acworth will present live music and fireworks at Cauble Park (4425 Beach Street, Acworth) Thursday, July 4. Live music will start at 5:30 p.m. Fireworks will begin at approximately 9:30 p.m. (subject to change depending on weather). Admission to the event and concert is free. Click here for more information;
The 5th Annual Barbecue & Bluegrass: A 4th of July Celebration on the Grounds of Barrington Hall (535 Barrington Drive, Roswell), takes place from 11-4. Free admission, no reservations required. Barbecue, beverages and desserts will be available for purchase from the Mill Kitchen Restaurant and Bar. The Smokerise Bluegrass Band will provide music, and the festivities include games on the lawn and hayrides in the front yard;
The 20th Annual Roswell Fireworks Extravaganza will be held Thursday, July 4 at Roswell High School on the front lawn. The program includes live stage performances, a Kids Zone and great food! Picnic blankets, chairs, and the entire family are allowed, but dogs, tobacco and alcoholic beverages are not. Click here for more on the Roswell events;
Also on July 4, the Stars and Stripes Celebration Fireworks display will take place in Sandy Springs, on the lawn of the Concourse Corporate Center (5 Concourse Parkway, Atlanta. The lawn opens at 7:30 p.m. with music from Bogey and the Viceroys, with the fireworks starting at 9:45 p.m. Picnic fare and blankets are allowed; pets, tents, outdoor cooking, drones, alcohol and personal-use sparklers will not be permitted.
Relaxing the Cobb noise ordinance
The county’s noise ordinance prohibits discharging consumer fireworks after 9 p.m., but the Independence Day holiday is among the exceptions.
Citizens may discharge fireworks until midnight on Wednesday, July 3, and Thursday, July 4.
More fireworks do’s and don’ts
From the Cobb Fire and Emergency Services Department:
Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks. Only those 18 and older can legally use fireworks in Georgia.
Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper because this is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and that they could pose a danger to consumers.
Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Parents don’t realize that young children suffer injuries from sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees – hot enough to melt some metals.
Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully.
Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.
Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly.
Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose beforediscarding it to prevent a trash fire.
Fireworks can mean misery for pets. Thousands are sedated every year after being frightened by fireworks. Others are so distraught they bolt and get lost or injured.
Keep pets indoors, close the curtains and play music to drown out the noise. Make sure your pet is wearing a collar and tag and is microchipped in case it bolts and becomes lost.
Fireworks can still be enjoyed if at the same time care and consideration are given to pets, livestock and animals living in the surrounding area.
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The green zoning signs fronting the entrance to the Sewell Manor neighborhood have a new date etched in for an annexation and zoning case at Lower Roswell Road and the Loop that residents there have been fighting for months.
After the Marietta City Council twice delayed a vote, and after Cobb commissioners reaffirmed a letter of objection to the annexation, the proposal by Traton Homes to build 52 townhome and single-family units is apparently scheduled to be on the July 10 council agenda.
There’s not an agenda posted yet on the City of Marietta website, and there doesn’t appear to be anything new in the case file. We’ll update with more information.
The city council would act first on annexation before conducting a zoning hearing.
The city and county have been at odds over the case since Sewell Manor residents voiced their objection to the Traton project, on less than eight acres of vacant land.
The county had the right to object to the annexation since the rezoning would come to more than five units an acre, but commissioners didn’t formally ratify their opposition before a January deadline.
The Marietta Planning Commission did hear the case in April and voted to recommend denial of the rezoning.
The Marietta City Council held off on votes in April and May, then asked for mediation, and the county agreed. But commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb, designated as the county representative, said the city wanted to change the process to something between mediation and formally binding arbitration, and cancelled the talks.
On June 11 commissioners discussed, but took no action, after Ott briefed them about the dispute.
He admitted that there was nothing the county could do to stop the annexation, but said Marietta Mayor Steve “Thunder” Tumlin had indicated the city would not act on the case as long as the county objected.
Sewell Manor residents have put together a flyer to urge their neighbors and others in nearby communities to turn out for the July 10 Marietta council meeting, which starts at 7 p.m.
What they previously labeled a “Save East Cobb campaign” is now being called “Annexation Without Representation.”
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Citizens living near a longstanding East Cobb eyesore got some encouraging news Thursday night: The owner of the blighted Sprayberry Crossing Shopping Center is in talks with a developer.
That’s according to Joe Glancy, moderator of the Sprayberry Crossing Action group on Facebook, who said in a post to its 4,635 followers that there’s a “tentative agreement to redevelop—I say tentative because nothing is set in stone and we are in the very early stages.”
Glancy, who organized a town hall meeting last March about the shopping center, said he’s met with executives from the development firm—which he did not identify—and which asked to gain more input from other nearby residents in the next week.
Glancy said the development firm “is reputable, their interest is sincere and I believe, that although it’s difficult to please everyone, most members of the community will be pleased with what the firm is capable of.”
He called the discussions “a ray of hope” and said he would “share more information as things progress.”
Joe Glancy leading a town hall meeting about Sprayberry Crossing at Sprayberry High School in March 2018. (ECN file)
Among those community leaders is Shane Spink. He’s meeting with the developer next Wednesday and told East Cobb News that “I think they are being smart by reaching out to the community with their ideas on what they are looking to do” with the 16 acres on Sandy Plains Road and Piedmont Road.
UPDATE: On Friday Glancy said the developer is eyeing a mixed-use project for the property, but there’s nothing more detailed at this point beyond the concept.
For many years residents near the decaying retail center have urged county officials and the owners to take action.
Most of the businesses have long vacated the premises. Citizens have complained that the former bowling alley has been a spot for criminal activity.
Even after Cobb commissioners imposed a “blight tax” on the property last year, little has happened.
Last August, a Cobb judge ordered NAI Brannen Goddard, the Atlanta real estate agency that owns Sprayberry Crossing, to clean up a portion of the property. The most Brannen Goddard could be taxed according to the remediation plan is around $21,000 for 2019.
Earlier this spring, frustrated citizens posted photos of themselves with signs on the Sprayberry Crossing Action page, trying to shame Brannen Goddard into action.
The Sprayberry Crossing property also has been included on a redevelopment list by Cobb commissioners, meaning a developer could be eligible for tax abatements (like Kroger at the MarketPlace Terrell Mill under construction on Powers Ferry Road).
Glancy said he said he’s withholding more details for now “because the developer has been willing to be open, to communicate and to show progress. As such I’m willing to extend them the courtesy of letting them manage the roll out until they are ready.
“This has been a very long time coming. I hope and believe the community will continue to show the same character and courtesy that this group has demonstrated over the previous 30 months.”
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Earlier this week Brilliant Coworking was awarded a $10,000 grant via the Cobb County Entrepreneurship and Innovation Incentive Program.
While the Cobb Board of Commissioners signed off on the grant, the funding comes from the Development Authority of Cobb County.
Last year commissioners created the program “in support of eligible businesses to aid them in growing their business, creating jobs, and maintaining their presence in the County.”
Under the terms of the Cobb Innovation Grant Fund, eligible businesses must meet the following criteria:
agree to remain in Cobb County for three years after the expiration date of the incentive agreement;
be an existing business in Cobb County;
be a graduate of an entrepreneurial training program.
Grants and applications are evaluated by a subcommittee represented by individuals from the Kennesaw State University Office of Community Engagement, SelectCobb, Cobb Travel and Tourism, Cobb Young Professionals, and The Coalition of Cobb County Business Associations.
The funding is generally used for startup operations, purchasing equipment, furnishings and machinery, renovations and expanding business services.
Grant recipients cannot use the grant funding for an owner’s salary, paying off debts or loans, lending or investments or speculative ventures.
Brilliant Coworking (2440 Sandy Plains Road) was started by the husband-and-wife team of Michelle and Joseph Gibson. In their application for the grant, they indicated that their business objective is to “help entrepreneurs and small businesses start, develop and grow” and wants to help “increase the number of businesses within the area and provide a place where they can thrive.”
They’re planning to use their grant funding for marketing, advertising and updating amenities.
“This award is an exciting opportunity for us because Cobb County decided to support us, and stand beside us, so we can turn around and do the same for the business community,” the Gibsons said in a statement.
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A new home under construction in Indian Hills in the Walton High School attendance zone, whose middle and elementary schools will be over capacity over the next decade. (ECN photo)
Growth in student enrollment in public schools in East Cobb is expected to continue over the next few years, but the rate of that increase isn’t projected to be as much as it is in other parts of the county.
A planning consultant hired by the Cobb County School District told school board members in May in his annual enrollment study that population growth in the county has been and will be holding steady, and that will reflect in school enrollment.
James Wilson of Marietta-based Education Planners and a former Cobb and Fulton superintendent, issued school-by-school projections over the next decade (see pages 16-19 at the link above, or see charts below. Click each chart for a larger view).
Some schools in East Cobb, and in particular in the Walton cluster, will be well above capacity. But other schools, especially in northeast Cobb close to the Cherokee County line, will have plenty of room at most grade levels.
Wilson said Cobb’s population is expected to grow only by 22 percent between 2015 and 2040, the lowest rate in all of metro Atlanta. Southern parts of Cobb will be experiencing much greater population growth that will impact school capacity.
“We are not going to grow like other districts and other counties,” Wilson said. “We’re getting older.”
Cobb’s 2018 population estimated at around 763,000, and by 2025, it’s expected to grow to 823,000, according to the Atlanta Regional Commission.
But last year, the county’s population grew by only 1,000 people overall. Between 2016-17, the population rose by around 5,000, less than one percent.
In 2018, Cobb schools enrollment was a little over 111,000, down from 113,000 two years before.
That overall number, and grade-level enrollments, are expected to remain relatively steady over the next decade.
Housing affordability also figures to be a major factor in enrollment patterns.
“Families are choosing to come to Cobb,” Wilson said, “because of the school district, once they can afford to get here.”
Public schools are a major attraction to East Cobb, but the new enrollment projections reflect differing levels of growth in the community.
Many more housing permits are being issued parts of south, west and north Cobb compared to East Cobb. Those new housing starts are solid in the Walton, Sprayberry, Pope and Lassiter clusters.
Not included in this map are housing starts in the Wheeler cluster, which numbered 16 in the same time period, the lowest of any high school zone in the Cobb school district.
Attendance at Lassiter, Pope, Walton and Wheeler is expected to be tight to over capacity in the coming years.
Kell was 386 students under capacity after the 2018-19 school year that just ended, and Sprayberry was 292 spots under capacity.
While Kell’s projections have the school with 557 available spots a decade from now, Sprayberry’s capacity is expected to tighten to only 76 open spots, about the same as Pope.
Wheeler is at capacity for now, but the projections indicate it could be nearly 250 students over capacity by 2028-29, while Walton may be slightly under capacity.
Lassiter is just under capacity now but may be 100 students over in another decade.
Dodgen, Dickerson and Hightower Trail middle schools are over capacity, while there’s plenty of room at Mabry and McCleskey.
At the elementary school level, East Side and Mt. Bethel, in the Walton cluster, are well over capacity.
In the Wheeler cluster, so is the new Brumby Elementary campus, with 59 more students over capacity. Eastvalley Elementary, slated for a new school building, was 160 students over its capacity of 562.
Projections show a rising enrollment to nearly 800 students a decade from now, by the time the school is expected to occupy a new campus at the former site of East Cobb Middle School.
Blackwell, Davis, Keheley, Kincaid, Mountain View and Nicholson and Shallowford Falls elementary are well below capacity and are projected to remain that way.
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Simpson Middle School has become the first middle school in the Cobb County School District to be designated a STEAM school.
STEAM is STEM-based learning (science, technology, engineering and math) with an arts and language-based component.
“Students at Simpson are using the arts to demonstrate what they’ve learned in math, English and even science classes. Their teachers have worked hard to help students see how the concepts that they are learning are integrated from one class to the next. This approach to learning mirrors the real world,” Dr. Sally Creel, Cobb Schools Supervisor of STEM and Innovation, said in a statement.
Simpson is one of 25 Cobb schools to have STEM or STEAM designation. Last year, Kerri Waller, an art teacher at Simpson, was the recipient of a Cobb STEM Distinguished Educator Award.
The other East Cobb schools certified for STEM by the district include Brumby, East Side, Shallowford Falls, Sope Creek and Tritt elementary schools; Hightower Trail, Mabry and McCleskey middle schools and Lassiter, Pope, Walton and Wheeler high schools.
Lassiter, Tritt and Wheeler are also STEM-certified by the state.
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Cobb commissioners on Monday heard an overview of a fiscal year 2020 budget proposal that comes in at $474.8 million and includes a seven-percent salary increase for certified and sworn public safety employees.
Other county employees would receive a pay hike of four percent, according to the briefing that took place at an afternoon work session.
Those raises would cost more than $12 million. Also included in the outline is a proposal for the county to contribute to a supplemental public safety pension plan, which will be an item on Tuesday night’s commissioners’ regular meeting agenda for approval (Meeting agenda can be found here).
Another part of the “retention and recruitment” plan to address public safety concerns includes offering a $5,000 bonus for certified officers (those who have been trained and are experienced elsewhere).
The $474.8 million proposal represents a 4.8 percent increase from the current fiscal year 2019 budget of $454 million, Cobb finance chief Bill Volckmann told commissioners.
The budget proposal would not include a millage rate increase for the general fund, and assumes tax digest growth of 3.4 percent. Last year, commissioners approved a millage rate increase of 1.7 mills to 8.46 mills for the general fund.
Personnel expenses would increase by $6 million from the current fiscal year (see chart below presented at the work session), with operating costs up $11 million. The contingency projection of $18.5 million reflects an increase of nearly $4 million in the reallocation Cobb receives from the state in title ad valorem tax (TAVT) revenues, following a formula change.
The revised budget draft would also reduce by one percent ($2.2 million) the amount of funding the county borrows from water system revenues for the general fund budget. Currently Cobb borrows around 10 percent (or $22 million) each year, but plans are to gradually reduce that amount by one percent a year.
Also missing from the budget proposal is $850,000 in non-profit funding, which is slated to be eliminated completely.
In addition, the county will eliminate fees for use of senior centers that were imposed last year.
During the commissioners’ discussion, some expressed a desire to approve the seven-percent raise for public safety employees this year, and then take initial steps to implement a step-and-grade plan for fiscal 2021.
That’s a sentiment expressed by new Cobb public safety director Mike Register. But commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb, who’s said often that a pay-and-class system is “broken,” wants to start with step-and-grade first.
Commission Chairman Mike Boyce is expected to unveil a formal, more detailed budget on July 8. Commissioners will hold three public hearings on the budget starting July 9.
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Duck Donuts, a specialty chain that’s moving into the Atlanta area, will be opening soon in East Cobb at Merchant’s Walk.
Company spokeswoman Kristen Kellum told East Cobb News there’s not a definite grand opening date yet, although a media preview event is slated for early July.
All she’s saying for now is that the shop will open this summer.
It’s going to be located in the former Gigi’s Cupcakes space at 1281 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 116, between Mirko Pasta and Bar Method.
Here’s what Duck Donuts, which has two other franchises in Atlanta, is about:
Duck Donuts specializes in warm, delicious and made-to-order donuts. Customers can create their own donut combination by choosing from a variety of coatings, toppings and drizzles, including traditional favorites such as chocolate icing with sprinkles and more adventurous creations such as maple icing with bacon.
The family-friendly stores offer a viewing area where children and adults alike can watch their donuts being made from scratch to finish. Duck Donuts also sells coffee, tea, donut breakfast sandwiches and more.
For grand opening details, specials and donut topping updates, customers are encouraged to visit the Duck Donuts Marietta Facebook page or connect on the web at www.duckdonuts.com.
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They did it again!ArtsBridge Foundation and Georgia Public Broadcasting earned their second-straight Emmy Award for their production of the Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as The Shuler Awards.
The two nonprofit partners picked up their latest Emmy Award hardware at a ceremony held June 15.
Presented by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Southeast Chapter, the regional Emmy Award for Special Event Live Coverage went to ArtsBridge Foundation and GPB for the live broadcast and production of The 2018 Shuler Awards held in April of last year.
The team previously won an Emmy Award in the same category for The 2017 Shuler Awards, and in both years, the live broadcast earned back-to-back Emmy Awards for GPB’s Anthony Marshall in the category of Director–Live or Recorded Live broadcast.
Presented as the Shuler Hensley Awards—also known as the “Shuler Awards” or “The Shulers” and named for the Atlanta-born star of the stage and screen—during the event, Georgia high school student recipients are recognized as the best of the state’s musical theatre students and schools for grades nine through 12. Two students are currently in New York preparing for the national 2019 Jimmy Awards taking place June 24 on Broadway after winning in the most recent competitions for best actress and best actor at The 2019 Shuler Awards.
“The back-to-back Southeast Emmy Awards for The Shulers are indicative of the superb quality and high production value Georgia students bring at show time,” said Jennifer Dobbs, executive director of ArtsBridge Foundation. “Producing this live event takes a team of dedicated staff and volunteers at ArtsBridge Foundation, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, many sponsors and our partners at GPB, and it is so rewarding to share this honor with so many contributors.”
Fashioned after Broadway’s Tony Awards, the Shuler Awards competition includes 17 categories with entrants from nearly 60 public and private schools from across the Peach State.
In photo above: Sarah Clay Lindvall of ArtsBridge Foundation.
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The Mount Vernon Chapter presented a Certificate of Commendation to Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in recognition of exemplary patriotism in the display of The Flag of the United States of America. The flags are raised and lowered each day by the security team since they are not lit during the night.
Secretary David Wellons was present and coordinated the ceremony. Other chapter members present were President Bill Floyd, past President Shep Hammack, David Wiley and Chuck Rann. The ceremony was held in the church lobby due to inclement weather.
Members of the church participating in the ceremony were Joe Shadden, JFBC Business Administrator, Amber Hudson, EKG Security Officer, Greg Hebert, JFBC Director of Facilities and Ricky Lewis, EKG Site Supervisor Security Officer. Not in the photo and also present for the ceremony were Mark Shelton, EKG Manager, and Fred Godbee, EKG Owner.
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U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) applauds the House passage of $50 million in funding she requested for important firearm injury and mortality prevention research at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health, including critical projects at the Centers for Disease Control National Center for Injury Prevention and Control in Chamblee that would improve understanding of the solutions to prevent gun deaths.
“I was proud to lead my colleagues in asking for this funding because I believe I have the responsibility as a survivor of gun violence to stand up to stop these tragedies,” McBath said. “The CDC and NIH need this funding to better understand how to prevent gun deaths. When I visited the Injury Center in my district, I was heartbroken to hear about the severe lack of funding for gun-related injury research. This critical funding will save lives.”
These federal dollars will provide for the first gun violence prevention funding in more than twenty years and allocates $25 million each to the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health to study firearm injury and mortality prevention. The funding passed as part of the Labor-Health & Human Services-Education Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2020.
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