Radio star opens Delta Community youth savings account in East Cobb

Press release:

Radio personality Maria More spent Christmas Eve morning in East Cobb, where she opened a Youth Savings Account at Delta Community Credit Union.

A fixture in Atlanta radio for the past decade, More currently serves as a host on Atlanta radio station Majic 107.5/97.5. She opened the account this morning for her 7-year old daughter Ligayah, during Delta Community’s December promotion in which the Credit Union will match deposits up to $100 when you open a new Youth Savings Account for children 12 and younger.

The attached photo shows Delta Community Branch Manager Eddie Johnson, Maria More and Ligaya, and Delta Community Member Service Agent Afshin Safaeian.

 

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Northwest Corridor Express Lanes holiday schedule announced

If you’re planning on using the Northwest Corridor Express Lanes over the next week or so, here is the holiday schedule Georgia DOT has put together:

  • Dec. 24-25: Operate northbound
  • Dec. 25, 11 p.m.: Reverse to southbound
  • Dec. 26-28: Normal operations
  • Dec. 28, 11 p.m.: Reverse to southbound
  • Operate southbound until Dec. 31, 11:30 a.m.
  • Dec. 28-31: Operate southbound at 11:30 a.m.
  • Dec. 31: Normal operations
  • Jan. 1: Operate northbound
  • Jan. 1, 11 p.m.: reverse to southbound
  • Jan. 2: Return to normal schedule

There also will be no lane closures for ongoing Georgia DOT construction projects during much of the holiday period.

There’s a no lane closure period going on now that began on Saturday, and that will continue through Wednesday.

Some construction work and lane closures will resume from Thursday through Saturday.

No closures will also be in effect starting at 6 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 31, and continuing through 5 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 2.

For up-to-date information about travel conditions on Georgia’s interstates and state routes, call 511 or visit www.511ga.org before heading out on the roads.

 

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Finding a sense of peace during the holidays

On Christmas Eve a year ago, I stepped inside church doors for the first time in a very long while and found a seat in a pew.

This church was packed for a candlelight service that resonated with the faces, and the voices, of children. Many of them were invited to come to the front for a special word of scripture.

A young family sat beside me, including a baby held by her father the whole time. Occasionally, she cooed and smiled, as the song surrounding her, surrounding all of us, wafted through the sanctuary.

The music soared, and so did we.

“Peace be with you.” We grasped the hands of those around us and greeted one another with those words.

These are the usual practices and scenarios at church services every Sunday here in East Cobb, and elsewhere.

But as someone who drifted away from faith as a teenager, I felt immediately reconnected with a spirituality that has long eluded me.

Since Christmas Eve last year, I haven’t been back to church, either, mainly because I’m still not sure what I believe. All I know is that the peacefulness of being in that sanctuary on that evening hasn’t left me.

Neither has the sense that it’s moments like those that really reflect the meaning of the season.

The holidays have flown by, and as usual, I have found them overwhelming. The secular activities of shopping and gift-giving, Santa visits and tree lightings are fine and festive, as are office and school parties.

So is helping those less fortunate with the provision of food, clothing, home supplies and gifts for children as volunteers, and with charities.

Yet there’s something that I’ve found missing, something that I’ve only found in a sanctuary, or in connecting with the Christian traditions of the season. Perhaps it’s just another mid-life occasion in which I’m reflecting on the forces that shaped me.

Earlier this week, I heard Handel’s “Messiah,” the whole magisterial thing, performed by New York Philharmonic on a radio program. If that doesn’t uplift you, nothing will.

It made me think about how such music has started bringing back a little closer to God. So have some of the liturgies, many of the Psalms and an appreciation for the richness and variety of what’s available in this East Cobb community we call home.

Many of our local churches have opened their doors to the public for concerts, nativity scenes and other events this season. They’ll do the same on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

If you’re like me and unsure about what you believe, or you’re if simply looking to find a sense of peace, consider taking a step inside.

And may peace be with all of you this holiday season!

 

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Cobb commissioner Birrell sworn in for third term; named vice-chair

Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell has been sworn in for her third term in office.

Birrell, a Republican who represents District 3, took the oath on Wednesday at the Northeast Cobb Business Association luncheon at Piedmont Church.Cobb commissioner Birrell sworn in

She narrowly defeated Democrat Caroline Holko in the November elections, receiving a little more than 51 percent of the vote. Birrell, who was first elected in 2010, thanked her constituents and supporters in her weekly newsletter on Friday:

“Together, we have brought new businesses to the district, connected neighbors through various homeowner associations, worked to ensure we are fiscally responsible stewards of your tax dollars, added parks/green space, and supported our public safety team who is second to none. There are not enough words to express my gratitude to you for being so engaged, passionate, and supportive of our community.”

Birrell also has been appointed to serve as vice chair of the Cobb Board of Commissioners in 2019. That appointment was made by chairman Mike Boyce.

The only other commission election this year was in District 1 in North Cobb, where incumbent Bob Weatherford was defeated by Keli Gambrill. She also was sworn in this week.

The new terms for Birrell and Gambrill officially begin in January.

 

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Wheeler Athletic Hall of Fame inductees include Olympic track gold medalist, 1st state basketball champs

The latest class of the Wheeler Athletic Hall of Fame includes Aries Merritt, who won the Olympic gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the London Olympics in 2012.

He will be honored with three other individuals and a team at the induction ceremony on Jan. 19. Wheeler High School Fall 2017 Senior Projects, Wheeler athletic hall of fame

Merritt graduated from Wheeler in 2003 and starred at the University of Tennessee before focusing on international competition. His winning Olympic time of 12.80 seconds is the current world-record.

Also selected to the Hall of Fame is Bob Tway, Class of 1976, a former professional golfer who won the 1986 PGA championship and 12 other tournaments.

Antwuan Dixon, Class of 1998, played college basketball at Florida State.

Lyn Murray was a standout soccer goalkeeper at Wheeler, graduating in 2001, and earning all-Cobb and team MVP honors.

The Wheeler boys basketball team that won the state championship in 1994 also will be inducted. It’s the 25th anniversary for the first of six Georgia titles the Wildcats won under former coach Doug Lipscomb, who retired last year.

The star player on that team was Shareef Abdur-Rahim, a former NBA all-star and league executive who recently was named president of the G League, a developmental league for professional basketball players.

The induction ceremony costs $10 a person, and the doors will open at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 19, which is a Saturday.

RSVP by contacting Lotty Bresch at 770-578-3266, ext. 073, or by e-mailing Lotty.Bresch@cobbk12.org.

The Wheeler Athletic Hall of Fame was created in 2008. Here is a list of the other inductees.

 

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Cobb government closed Monday and Tuesday for Christmas holidays

Just a reminder that Cobb government services will be closed on Monday and Tuesday due to the Christmas holidays.

That also includes public libraries, which will reopen at their regular hours on Wednesday, Dec. 26.

East Cobb schools earn Governor’s Office of Student Achievement awards

Lassiter High School graduation rate, East Cobb schools

Several East Cobb schools are among the 159 schools across the state recognized earlier this month by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement.

The awards are given to schools that meet a number of measures for student academic progress, called Statewide Accountability System Awards, and include the categories of “Greatest Gains” and “Highest Performing.”

Greatest Gains schools must earn a three-year average in the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) Content Mastery Score that ranks in at least the 93rd percentile.

High Performing schools exhibit high academic performance by earning a three-year average CCRPI Content Mastery Score in at least the 93rd percentile.

In other words, these schools are in the top three percent in the state in academic growth in those respective categories.

Lassiter High School earned a Platinum Award for Greatest Gains, while those schools getting the Gold Award are Walton High School, Wheeler High School, Dodgen Middle School and Garrison Mill Elementary School.

Sprayberry High School and Addison Elementary School earned a Silver Award, and the Bronze Award went to Dickerson Middle School, Hightower Trail Middle School and Murdock Elementary School.

Related stories

Highest Performing schools from East Cobb include Lassiter and Walton (Platinum), Mt. Bethel Elementary School (Gold) and Simpson Middle School (Bronze).

Recognized schools will receive and award certificate and a banner to hang in their schools.

The awards are developed by the GOSA and approved by the Georgia Department of Education. For more information, including further explanation about how the awards are calculated, click here.

Wheeler HS GOSA Award

 

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East Cobb cityhood steering committee member resigns, citing lack of transparency

A member of an informal citizens steering committee examining a possible East Cobb cityhood initiative has resigned, saying he and other committee members weren’t being told who funded a $36,000 feasibility study released last week.

Joe O’Connor, a resident of the King’s Cove neighborhood and a longtime community activist, told East Cobb News that he insisted that Joe Gavalis, president of the Committee for East Cobb Cityhood, Inc., offer more clarity about who’s pushing for a portion of East Cobb to become a city.

“I told Joe, ‘you’ve got to be transparent about this,” O’Connor said, recalling his conversation late last week. “His exact words to me were, ‘It’s none of anyone’s business.’ “

In response to questions from East Cobb News, Gavalis on Wednesday did not address O’Connor’s issues with who paid for the feasibility study or his other transparency concerns.

Instead, Gavalis said those who had been invited to serve on an ad hoc citizens group were being made the subject of “some misinformation” by “an attendee who is not for cityhood [and who] chose to share the names of people in the group knowing there were individuals who asked to remain anonymous and who had not made up their minds.”

He said the group is still gathering basic information about possible cityhood. “Many East Cobbers who attended are simply asking questions just like everyone in the aftermath of the Georgia State cityhood feasibility release,” Gavalis said.

East Cobb News contacted some of those individuals. One was upset her name had been given to a reporter and did not want to be interviewed. Some others have not returned messages seeking comment or were unavailable.

O’Connor said he has been friends with Gavalis, a resident of the Atlanta Country Club area, for many years, as they both have served on the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission and the Cobb Elder Abuse Task Force.

O’Connor also said he had problems with some of the data and information included in the study compiled by the Georgia State University Center for State and Local Finance. (Read it here, and view a proposed city map here.

City of East Cobb

In a response to written questions from East Cobb News over the weekend, Gavalis declined to say who funded the study or to name the individuals serving on the citizens committee.

He said the cityhood group, the Commitee for East Cobb Cityhood, Inc., has received donations from around the community to fund the study but he provided no specifics.

Among those on the citizens committee is former Cobb commissioner Thea Powell. She told East Cobb News that she thinks the cityhood idea is worthy of consideration, but “the process should have started sooner, of going out into the community.”

Powell—who said she hasn’t formed an opinion about whether East Cobb should be a city—referenced recommendations from the Georgia Municipal Association that strongly encourage cityhood advocates to get community input early on.

O’Connor said his first meeting about the cityhood idea was held in the office of G. Owen Brown, founder of the Retail Planning Corp., a commercial real estate firm located at Paper Mill Village. Brown is listed on the cityhood committee’s state filing documents as its incorporator. Gavalis is the only other individual who has been named.

O’Connor said after he first began reading through the study last week, he “immediately saw problems.”

Some of the statistical data was outdated and inaccurate, he said, and he was troubled by the low number of businesses in the proposed East Cobb city (around 3,300), far fewer than those in Alpharetta, Johns Creek and similar cities that were compared (bottom line in the chart below).

The residential-to-commercial split in the proposed city of East Cobb would be 85 to 15 percent.

“That’s a concern,” O’Connor said. “The other cities have a good combination.” In East Cobb, he said, “we’re so much more residential.”

Powell also noted that those business number stats are from 2012. “We’re working on really old figures when the economy wasn’t doing very well,” she said.

In his response to that issue over the weekend by East Cobb News, Gavalis said that the city of Milton, also in North Fulton, has a similar breakdown of its tax base, and there hasn’t been millage rate increase there since 2006.

Gavalis said he was asked to lead a possible cityhood effort after some citizens complained they didn’t think they were getting their money’s worth in county property taxes. He has not said who any of those people are.

Among the service priorities Gavalis indicated for a possible city of East Cobb were police and fire and community development, including planning and zoning.

A cityhood effort is a two-year process, requiring state legislation calling for a referendum that must be approved by voters living within the proposed city area. Cityhood advocates must also provide a feasibility study.

Gavalis told East Cobb News the community will be informed but did not indicate when that might be. Here’s more of what he told us Wednesday:

“We are in the beginning stages of our planning process and are seeking answers to some legitimate and sincere questions at this time. The Committee is not trying to be evasive but instead we have honored requests from participants who did not want their names disclosed since this group is still informal. We want to be transparent but we are compiling answers to questions about the study and formalizing our strategy on the expertise levels that will be needed to provide insight and professional advice.

“When we complete our strategic plan we will finalize who will be formally asked to join us and then we will announce who has accepted.”

With the possibility of legislation coming in the new year, Powell thinks the larger community should have been told more by now.

“Public input is of utmost importance,” she said. “Ultimately it doesn’t matter what I think. They will have the final say.”

O’Connor has been supportive about a city of East Cobb, writing a letter to the editor of The Marietta Daily Journal and commenting on East Cobb News to that effect.

But, he said, that support is based on solid “facts and numbers” and a willingness to make a good-faith effort to inform the public. He doesn’t think that is happening.

“I’ve always said that if you’re hiding something, then you’ve got something to hide,” O’Connor said.

 

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Walton High School fire breaks out at construction site; no injuries or significant damage reported

Walton High School fire
Photo: Cobb Fire Department

A fire broke out Tuesday at the construction site at Walton High School, where a new gymnasium and fine arts building are being built.

James Kapish, public information officer for the Cobb Fire Department, said the call came in around 4:48 p.m., stating that there was a fire on the roof of the construction area, and that no students nor staff were on scene at the time.

https://twitter.com/SydneeRae4/status/1075147833408438272

Cobb Fire arrived around 5:55 p.m., according to Kapish, who added that there were no injuries. He said fire crews had the remaining workers safely evacuate.

The superintendent of the construction project said that a section of insulation caught fire, Kapish said, but the reason hasn’t been determined.

Firefighters kept the blaze from spreading and it was contained at 5:22 p.m., he said.

Kapish said the  fire was confined to the construction area, and that classes at Walton will operate as normal on Wednesday.

The $31.7 million construction project is taking place on the site of the former Walton classroom building. The new gym and fine arts/theater building, which totals around 151,000 square feet, is scheduled to open for the 2019-20 school year in August.

Cobb schools said preliminary information indicates that the damage from the fire is not significant.

This story will be updated.

More East Cobb school stories

 

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Holly Spring Road senior living proposal, Mt. Bethel Christian stadium case delayed to February

Holly Springs Road senior living proposal

The Cobb Board of Commissioners Tuesday voted to hold a proposal for a senior living community on Holly Springs Road until February.

The applicant, Loyd Development Services, wants to build 16 single-family homes on 4.3  acres on the east side of Holly Springs, just below the roundabout at Davis Road.

The Cobb Planning Commission voted earlier this month to deny the request for RSL (residential senior living) zoning, saying it was too dense and a category not compatible with nearby residences.

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell concurred, and made a motion to hold the case until February, suggesting an R-15 (single-family) category that would meet the 2.5-home-per-acre recommendation by the county zoning staff.

“You can still have the buffers that they’re asking for and address the drainage a little better,” she said.

The land is zoned R-20 with two existing homes, and is part of the Margaret A. Keheley Living Trust.

A resident in the nearby Ashmore community supported the plan, but others were opposed, pointing to density concerns and the fact that the nearest RSL developments are in busier commercial areas.

The proposal would call for 3.7 homes per acre, while a nearby subdivision has homes on around three-quarters of an acre.

Another major East Cobb case on the commissioners’ agenda Tuesday also was delayed.

Mt. Bethel Christian Academy is proposing to build an athletic stadium on its upper school campus on Post Oak Tritt Road, and at the meeting asked for a continuance until February.

Residents in the adjacent Holly Springs subdivision have objected to the proposal, which would include lighting and permanent seating that were restricted when Mt. Bethel obtained the initial land use permit for the 33-arce property in 2013.

Jim Ney, the Mt. Bethel attorney, told commissioners the school has had “a wonderful opportunity to meet with the neighbors” and said discussions will be continuing.

Commissioners denied another residential zoning case in the Northeast Cobb area in a request that was previously withdrawn.

Richard Duncan was seeking an R-12 category for 3.1 acres on Cajun Drive and Piedmont Road to build six homes, refiling his application after initially wanting eight homes.

But Birrell said the revised plan was still incompatible for the area. There was some discussion about holding the case, but Duncan didn’t want to wait until February.

His property changes from the current medium-density residential category under the county’s comprehensive land use plan to low-density status in January.

Before presenting his case, Duncan indicated he was reserving his right to issue a constitutional challenge regarding the use of his property.

The vote against his application was 4-1, with outgoing commissioner Bob Weatherford voting against.

Cobb doesn’t hear zoning cases in January.

 

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Cobb Schools Tank grant winners include Lassiter and Keheley teachers

Cobb schools tank grant winners

Thanks to the Cobb County School District for the photos and info about its “Tank” grant competition that took place recently, and featured several teachers and students from East Cobb schools.

They took part in the “Cobb Tank” competition, which encourages teachers to come up with classroom learning ideas that are evaluated by a selected panel of judges.

The format is based on the “Shark Tank” TV program, and at the end of the event teachers from two East Cobb schools were named grant recipients.

Cobb schools Tank grants
Lassiter teacher Teresa West

Two Lassiter teachers advocated for for $8,255 to support a sensory and calming room at the school. At Keheley Elementary School, teacher Michelle Yoo pitched for $3,000 for a video production classroom. Keheley teachers also were granted funds for a sensory garden.

Their winning requests were part of $74,000 given out across the school district.

“Through the Cobb Tank grant competition, we were able to provide much-needed funding to support the dreams of dedicated educators who are passionate about going above and beyond for their students,” said Sally Creel, the STEM and Innovation supervisor for Cobb schools.

Cobb schools Tank grants
Javan Campbell, McCleskey Middle School student, and Tank judge

Among the judges were Fred Veeder of Dodgen Middle School, the 2018 Cobb teacher of the year, and Javan Campbell, a sixth-grade student at McCleskey Middle School.

Other grant recipients come from Baker, Kemp, Teasley and Varner elementary schools, Lost Mountain Middle School and Pebblebrook High School.

Among their projects are an outdoor life lab to teach about animals, encourage creative ways to inspire writing, and the introduction of a “T.E.A.M. Player” classroom.

Related stories

 

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East Cobb food scores: Aspen’s; Cherokee Cattle; Drift; Goldberg’s; Mazzy’s; Nana; and more

Drift Fish House and Oyster Bar

The following East Cobb restaurant scores from Dec. 3-14 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing to view details of the inspection:

3 Colors Asian Kitchen
2060 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 160
December 10, 2018 Score: 92, Grade: A

Aspen’s Signature Steaks
2942 Shallowford Road
December 10, 2018 Score: 85, Grade: B

Cherokee Cattle Co.
2710 Canton Road
December 13, 2018 Score: 96, Grade: A

Cherry On Top Delights
4665 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 107
December 12, 2018 Score: 94, Grade: A

Davis Elementary School
2433 Jamerson Road
December 6, 2018 Score: 97, Grade: A

Delkwood Grill
2769 Delk Road
December 10, 2018 Score: 86, Grade: B

Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar 
4475 Roswell Road, Suite 1410
December 14, 2018 Score: 91, Grade: A

Goldberg’s Bagel Co. & Deli 
1062 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite A110
December 6, 2018 Score: 98, Grade: A

Kincaid Elementary School
1410 Kincaid Road
December 6, 2018 Score: 100, Grade: A

Los Bravos
2125 Roswell Road, Suite B-40
December 4, 2018 Score: 96, Grade: A

Mazzy’s Sports Bar & Grill II 
2217 Roswell Road, Suite A-200
December 5, 2018 Score: 91, Grade: A

Mirko Pasta
1281 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 120
December 3, 2018 Score: 71, Grade: C

Moe’s Southwest Grill 
688 Johnson Ferry Road
December 7, 2018 Score: 97, Grade: A

Moxie Burger
2421 Shallowford Road, Suite 158
December 10, 2018 Score: 96, Grade: A

Mr. Wonton
3595 Canton Road, Suite 328
December 12, 2018 Score: 95, Grade: A

Nana Thai Eatery
2940 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite C
December 4, 2018 Score: 97, Grade: A

Papa John’s Pizza
4811 Lower Roswell Road
December 12, 2018 Score: 100, Grade: A

Sabor do Brasil
2800 Delk Road, Suite E
December 5, 2018 Score: 88, Grade: B

Shallowford Falls Elementary School
3500 Lassiter Road
December 4, 2018 Score: 90, Grade: A

Sprayberry High School
2525 Sandy Plains Road
December 5, 2018 Score: 97, Grade: A

Related stories

 

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City of East Cobb committee leader declines to identify group, or indicate when public response may take place

The president of a committee exploring possible cityhood for East Cobb is declining to identify those he has been meeting with and is not indicating when the group may begin a community dialogue about the issue.

Joe Gavalis, a resident of the Atlanta Country Club area, said in response to written questions from East Cobb News this weekend that he and others he has been discussing cityhood with are still examining a feasibility study released this week.

That study, commissioned by his Committee for East Cobb Cityhood, Inc., was conducted by Georgia State University researchers, who concluded that based on the data they were given to work with, such a city is “financially feasible.”

The most likely next step would be introduction of state legislation, a two-year process that would require a public referendum. If such a bill is introduced next year, the earliest such a vote could take place would be 2020.

Gavalis said if “a review of the GSU study and the community response indicate a desire to proceed,” the group “will work with our elected officials to introduce appropriate legislation.”

He would not say when the public would be fully briefed on the cityhood group’s plans, only that “meetings with our fellow citizens in our community will be initiated” and media outlets “utilized.”

The group also has launched a website, but there’s no other information there than what’s previously been released.

Gavalis said he began the cityhood inquiry “after hearing that others in our county were looking to form a new city,” a reference to conversations taking place in South Cobb, and to see if a new city of East Cobb would be feasible.

During that process, he said, “hundreds of neighbors, business owners and social groups were engaged in recent months about their interest in creating a city in East Cobb. Many asked me to spearhead a loose-knit group to help foster debate regarding the idea.”

He did not identify anyone by name. The only other name that has been made public about the cityhood committee is G. Owen Brown, who is listed on state filing documents as the group’s incorporator. Brown is the founder of the Retail Planning Corporation, an East Cobb-based commercial real estate firm located on Johnson Ferry Road.

Gavalis said that one of the driving forces behind East Cobb cityhood is more local control of government services. Currently, he said, each of the four Cobb district commissioners serves 175,000 people. In the City of East Cobb map that’s been proposed, each city council member would represent around 12,000 citizens, “who would be better served regarding local services and other issues.”

Commissioner Bob Ott, who represents District 2 that covers the proposed city map, has pointed out previously that roughly 40 percent of property tax revenue comes from his district. He has said some residents have told him they don’t think they’re getting their money’s worth.

His district also includes the Cumberland-Vinings-Smyrna area, with major corporate and commercial offices, but it is not part of the proposed City of East Cobb.

For a more detailed map of the proposed City of East Cobb, click here.

When asked which services were priorities for the cityhood group, Gavalis said that community development (which includes planning and zoning), police and fire “are high on the list.” State law requires new cities to provide a minimum of three services.

Gavalis is a retired federal agent who serves on the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission and has also been on the Cobb Elder Abuse Task Force. He noted that regarding East Cobb cityhood, “discussions have always taken place since former Cobb Commissioner Bill Byrne proposed a city [in the 2012 elections], and there have always been cityhood movements in metro Atlanta over the last decade.”

Gavalis said there is an East Cobb cityhood steering committee that “is an unofficial group of citizens with knowledge of our community who have volunteered to look at the issues of forming a new city with no pre-set determination for or against a city.”

He said those individuals, whom he also declined to identify, are also examining the feasibility study.

That study cost $36,000, according to a copy of the contract East Cobb News obtained through an open records request. Here’s the full report, which was delivered to the cityhood group on Dec. 7.

Gavalis also would not identify who paid for the study, saying only that “citizens, neighbors and business owners have financially contributed for the cost.” He’s anticipating other donations in the future but would not elaborate.

He also declined to indicate how much the group is paying Phil Kent, CEO of the Cobb-based Insider Advantage political publication and panelist on the Fox 5 public affairs program “The Georgia Gang.” Kent has been retained by the cityhood group to serve in a public relations capacity.

The proposed City of East Cobb map that the cityhood group released doesn’t include all of what’s considered East Cobb. With a population of 96,000, it contains only unincorporated Cobb east of I-75 that is in Cobb Commission District 2, and outside the Cumberland Community Improvement District.

Asked why areas north of Sandy Plains Road are not included in the map, Gavalis would say only that the map “uses boundaries of voting districts already set by the legislature. The proposed map is clean, with no conflicting boundaries.”

The feasibility study indicated that no property taxes would need to be levied above what East Cobb residents are paying for county services.

Gavalis also was asked to respond to citizens who may be happy with the services they’re getting and worry that they might be asked to pay for another layer of government.

“Many residents are not happy and have concerns about the county adequately addressing the values and wishes of East Cobbers.”

He also would not identify those residents or specify their concerns.

Gavalis said that the proposed city is based on a tax base that’s 85 percent residential and 15 percent commercial, similar to Milton in North Fulton. He said officials there have indicated they have not raised the millage rate since 2006.

The GSU study for East Cobb suggested a millage rate of 2.96 and said it may even begin operations with a surplus of nearly $3 million.

“A smaller government can focus on providing the services important to their residents in a timely fashion and can work closely with their citizens to create the type of community they desire,” Gavalis said.

 

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Proposed Mt. Bethel Christian Academy stadium draws opposition

Mt. Bethel Christian Academy

When Mt. Bethel Christian Academy got approval from Cobb commissioners to open a high school campus on Post Oak Tritt Road in 2013, one of the restrictions pertained to the development of an athletic stadium on the back of the 33-acre property.

The special land use permit granted to the school prohibited any field from having lights and permanent seating. Four years after the school opened, Mt. Bethel wants to remove that stipulation in a site plan amendment that’s on the Cobb Board of Commissioners zoning hearing agenda Tuesday.

UPDATED: We understand this case is being delayed until February and are seeking confirmation.

The Mt. Bethel application seeks permission to amend the site plan “to develop a multipurpose field with lighting and permanent seating for a competitive high school.”

The proposal also calls for a reconfiguration of other buildings on the campus to “create a more efficient layout,” with most of the buildings clustered in the interior of the property. The proposed revision also calls for 32 additional parking spaces on campus.

Mt. Bethel isn’t asking to increase an anticipated maximum enrollment of around 450 students (currently 150 students attend grades 9-12). The school currently has a footprint of 230,700 square feet of classroom, activities, recreational and other space.

The proposed site plan revision is shown at the top, and the full agenda item can be found by clicking here. The file also contains details of the 2013 special land use permit process and correspondence.

Nearby residents have been urging their neighbors to write to commissioners in opposition to the stadium. Here’s a letter a resident of the Holly Spring subdivision sent to us:

MBCA stadium letter

Mt. Bethel purchased the land, located near the northwest corner of Post Oak Tritt and Holly Springs Road from the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, which operated a preschool and camps on the site of the former Shirley Blumenthal Park.

In a letter to Cobb Zoning staff from Mt. Bethel’s attorneys dated Nov. 12, the school explained its plans to develop a field that would be used for soccer, lacrosse, track and other high sports competitions. The revised site plan request also includes room for a 9,400-square foot fieldhouse.

Currently Mt. Bethel has high school boys and girls soccer, high school coed track and field and boys and girls lacrosse at the middle school level.

Some Mt. Bethel teams complete at the academy’s 44-acre lower school campus on Lower Roswell Road.

In the letter to Cobb zoning staff, Mt. Bethel attorneys Jim Ney and Ryan Pulley said that their client “does not foresee any harm to come to the neighboring properties and will take great efforts to ensure that the multipurpose field will be a reasonable and a non-injurious addition.”

Mt. Bethel says in the letter it will present details of a light study it is conducting at Tuesday’s meeting, and will maintain all current setbacks and an 85-foot buffer from surrounding properties.

We’ve left word with Mt. Bethel attorneys for more details and will update when we hear back. 

Mt. Bethel got approval last year to amend the high school site plan to permit a temporarily modular classroom. 

 

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Good Food restaurant closes on Lower Roswell Road

Jenny Cubbon, owner of the Good Food restaurant at 2044 Lower Roswell Road (across from the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center), announced that it’s closed, as of today.Good Food restaurant closes

Good Food opened a little more than a year ago in The Shoppes at NewMarket Center and served up a variety of what she called comfort food in a cafeteria-style setting.

Here’s the message Cubbon sent out, and she also indicated she may regroup after the holidays for catering purposes:

Unfortunately, though very successful for a first year start up, we simply can not support the rent for this space and the landlord is unwilling to work with us in any reasonable way.

He won’t even allow me to put up a proper building sign. I guess he’d rather have empty spaces than work with us on rent. It’s hard to walk away from a thriving restaurant that I know has been a welcome addition to our community, but I’m left with no choice.

Thanks for the love,

Jenny and the Good Food Crew.

All catering orders will be honored as contracted.

 

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Bring One for the Chipper recycling program returns to East Cobb locations

tree recycling, Bring One for the Chipper, Keep Cobb Beautiful

Christmas is still another week or so away but Keep Cobb Beautiful is getting out word now about the return of its Bring One for the Chipper recycling program that will take place on Jan. 5.

Live undecorated Christmas trees will be accepted from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on that day at the following locations in the East Cobb area :

  • Home Depot, 4101 Roswell Road
  • Home Depot, 3605 Sandy Plains Road
  • Noonday Creek Park 489 Hawkins Store Road
  • Fullers Park, 3499 Robinson Road

All decorations, mesh and strings must be removed prior to dropping off.

Here’s more information information that’s being sent out via KCB:

The chipper program involves the entire community and countless volunteers. Since its inception, the program has recycled an estimated 5.9 million Christmas trees statewide.

The mulch from these trees has been used for playgrounds, local government beautification projects and individual yards.

You can support the chipper program by bringing your live undecorated Christmas tree to a designated drop off site or volunteering with your local coordinator to collect trees.

As a Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation affiliate, Keep Cobb Beautiful works with sponsors to organize the recycling event for Cobb County. These sponsors include Home Depot, Davey Tree Expert Company, TAG Grinding Services Inc. and Cobb County PARKS.

Numerous local sponsors and volunteers also make contributions and provide in-kind services.

 

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Architect for new Sprayberry High School gym, renovations approved

Sprayberry High School

Design work for a new Sprayberry High School gym and renovations to the school’s career training building was approved by the Cobb Board of Education Thursday.

The board voted 7-0 to spend $925,162 for an architectural and engineering design contract with CDH Partners of Marietta.

Plans call for a new main gymnasium and renovations to the Sprayberry’s CTAE (Career, Technology and Agricultural Education) facility.

(Click here to view the meeting agenda.)

That project, as well as design work, is included in the upcoming Cobb Education SPLOST V collection period that begins Jan. 1. The design contract will be paid for out of the general fund, which will be reimbursed with SPLOST V revenues.

At a work session Thursday afternoon, John Adams, the Cobb County School District deputy superintendent, was asked by school board member David Banks where the new gym would be located on campus.

Adams said that “we have to hire an architect to tell us what we can do and where.”

Most other East Cobb high schools have gotten new gyms in recent years, or are getting them. Wheeler opened Wildcat Arena three years ago, Pope opened a new gym earlier this year and construction on new gyms at Walton and Lassiter are underway.

The new gyms are built with a capacity of 3,000 and the Sprayberry facility is expected to cost around $20 million.

Another board member, former Sprayberry administrator Randy Scamihorn, asked if the school’s baseball field may have to be relocated to accommodate the renovations.

Adams gave him a similar answer, saying that “we have to get an architect on board.”

He said that the CTAE facility would have a similar capacity within an improved building.

The board also voted 7-0 to approve $90 million in short-term construction bonds to begin work on SPLOST V projects in advance.

The district wants to speed up the completion time for projects and find cost savings with interest rates on the rise.

Brad Johnson, the district’s chief financial officer, told board members at the work session that interest rates have been going up 4-5 percent a year.

The $90 million in bonds, called TANS (tax anticipatory notes) would be repaid at the end of 2019 with revenues from SPLOST V.

Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said it’s a “no brainer” to get started with construction at a lower cost, “instead of waiting for a higher interest rate to kick in.”

Johnson estimated that the strategy could enable the district to “come close to breaking even” after the interest costs are paid.

Earlier this year the school board approved $40 million in TANs for similar reasons. Those funds were applied to completion of the East Cobb Middle School and Brumby Elementary School rebuilds, as well as the Lassiter and Walton gym and fine arts projects that are part of the current SPLOST IV collection.

“We’re borrowing more,” Johnson said, “but we’re borrowing for a longer time.”

Also included on the SPLOST V project list is rebuilding Eastvalley Elementary School on the former site of East Cobb Middle School on Holt Road.

The school board is expected in January to formalize issuing the bonds, with revenues anticipated by February.

 

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Breaking News: Cobb Police Precinct 4 receives bomb threat; all-clear issued

The Cobb Police Precinct 4 headquarters on Lower Roswell Road was among the county government entities that received a bomb threat today.

Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt said that e-mail threats were sent to Precinct 4 and Precinct 1 in North Cobb, Cobb Police Headquarters, Cobb Superior Court and Cobb 911.

Cavitt said the threats were not deemed to be credible and those buildings were given the all-clear. While Cobb Superior Court was evacuated, Cobb Police Sgt. Wayne Delk said none of the police facilities receiving threats were.

“We did conduct thorough security checks and determined the threat to be unfounded,” he said.

Precinct 4 is located at the East Cobb Government Service Center, which also houses Cobb Fire Station 21 and a tag office.

A number of e-mailed bomb threats were sent elsewhere in metro on Thursday, including schools and businesses, as well as around the country.

Several lockdowns took place at schools in the Dunwoody area, and another bomb threat was made at Columbine High School near Denver. That’s where a 1999 mass shooting killed 13 students and teachers.

The threats at Columbine and other schools in the Denver area were also not deemed to be credible and lockdowns there were lifted.

Some of the e-mail threats demanded payment in Bitcoin, but it’s not clear now if the messages sent to Cobb agencies were that specific.

Also getting threats across the country were universities, media organizations and even the opera house in Boston.

Cavitt said the Cobb threats have been turned over to the FBI for investigation.

We’ll be updating this story as new information becomes available.

 

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Canadian man who tried to lure Cobb teenage girl into sex gets 16 years

A Canadian man who had flown to Atlanta to have sex with a Cobb teenage girl last year has been sentenced by a federal judge.Cobb teenage girl, Kell High School teacher indicted

Yves Joseph Legault, 54, from Toronto, will serve 16 years in prison for a variety of sexual exploitation charges that include his attempt to meet a 13-year-old Cobb County girl last year. He also will be on supervised release for life and will be deported to Canada upon his release from prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta.

Legault pleaded guilty in September to several charges, including coercing and enticing the production of child sexual exploitation images over the Internet. Federal prosecutors said he preyed on victims in Georgia and Mississippi at the same time.

He was arrested last August at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after getting off a plane for what federal prosecutors was a trip to have sex with the Marietta girl, whom he met via Omegle, an anonymous online text and video chat tool.

During Legault’s trial, prosecutors said Legault and the girl moved their chats to Google Hangouts, where he asked her to perform sex acts for him on a live video stream. Later, he arranged to travel to Georgia to meet her for in-person sex acts.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the girl’s mother alerted the FBI after her daughter received a package from Canada, and after intercepting messages between Legault and the girl.

While Legault was facing charges in Georgia, prosecutors also said he had engaged in similar behavior with an eight-year-old girl in Pascagoula, Miss. He was charged there with one count of coercing and enticing the production of child pornography, and also pleaded guilty to that charge in federal court in Atlanta.

“Predators like Legault are always lurking on line, and a threat to our children. Hopefully his sentencing will serve as a warning to all parents to monitor what their children are doing on the internet and on their cell phones,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said in a statement.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said both the Georgia and Mississippi cases are part of the U.S. Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood initiative to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.

 

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Lassiter-Pope-Kell NJROTC recognized by Keep Cobb Beautiful

Lassiter-Pope-Kell NJROTC

Photo and info from the Cobb County School District:

Because of their dedication to community beautification, students in the Lassiter-Pope-Kell (LPK) NJROTC program earned the title of Adopt-a-Mile Youth Group of the Year by Keep Cobb Beautiful. 

Capt. Jim Minta (USN, RET) and First Sgt. Lorenzo Cox (USMC, RET) recently paired the NJROTC unit with the Keep Cobb Beautiful initiative by adopting Shallowford Road in front of Lassiter High School. Once a quarter, cadets, armed with plastic gloves, trash bags, and neon vests, spend a morning picking up trash along the mile stretch.  

Knowing that individuals are far less likely to desecrate a well-maintained community motivates the Cobb students to keep their community beautiful. The student volunteers are not only helping the local community, but they are also helping the environment. 

Ever since the unit’s involvement along the road, litter within the area has decreased dramatically, according to the students’ NJROTC leaders. The reduction of litter mitigates the effect of pollutants flowing into the surrounding water basins. Both the Lassiter High School campus and the area surrounding it appear healthier and cleaner than ever. LPK’s NJROTC cadets plan to continue to set an example with their clean-up efforts in their East Cobb community.  

 

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