A couple of community-oriented events are coming up with Cobb Police this week, starting with National Night Out from 5-9 Tuesday at Jim Miller Park (2245 Callaway Road, Marietta). Here’s what will be going on:
“This event is part of the continued effort to build and strengthen public safety personnel’s relationships with the community they serve. Admission is free and everyone is invited to enjoy an evening of food, fun and entertainment. There will be public safety demonstrations, 15 giant inflatable and water activities for children, food trucks and live music. The School of Rock will perform on the main stage all evening. Also, there will be balloon artists, face painters, jugglers and magicians.
“National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes camaraderie to ensure our neighborhoods are safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. It also provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.”
On Wednesday, the Cobb Police Coffee With a Cop sessions resume in East Cobb. This is a chance to meet with police officers and ask crime and public safety questions. That session will be from 6-8 p.m. at Zaxby’s at 2981 Delk Road.
Another session takes place Aug. 17 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at Sterling Estates East Cobb (4220 Lower Roswell Road).
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A rendering of a proposed six-story, 290-unit apartment building that would occupy long-vacant restaurant space on Powers Ferry Road.
Here’s an update to the Powers Ferry Restaurant Row project proposal we posted about on Friday, which are plans to redevelop 8.8 acres of mostly empty eatery space for a very dense, mostly rental residential complex with some retail, and that’s getting an initial hearing Tuesday before the Cobb Planning Commission:
Powers Ferry Road Investors, LLC, the developer, has provided revised and conceptual landscaping plans and its attorney, James Balli, has filed a stipulation letter (you can read the whole thing here) that would increase the proposed parking from 510 spaces to 711 spaces.
The parking situation was among the concerns expressed by the Cobb Zoning Office analysis, which recommends approval of the nearly 500,000-square foot mixed-use project to regional retail commercial (RRC).
The 471 apartment units (290 multi-family, 181 senior active adult living) are still proposed, with the former (see rendering at top) taking up six stories, and the latter (see below) encompassing a five-story building.
The 10,000 square feet of mostly restaurant and retail space is still proposed for the center of the property, and would include the expansion of the current Rose and Crown Tavern from 4,400 to 6,000 square feet.
Most of the apartments will be studio, or one-bedroom units, and some will have two bedrooms.
The proposed 181-unit senior living building adjacent to the Sage Woodfire Tavern on Powers Ferry Road.
The Powers Ferry Corridor Alliance, a civic group, has filed a response to the proposal, and has expressed concern over a growing and overwhelming trend in the area toward rental housing.
While eager for “Restaurant Row” redevelopment, the group suggested a moratorium for more apartment construction: “Is there REALLY no market at all for owner-occupied units in a truly mixed-use development that could go on this site?”
The citizens group noted the development would be located next to a premium condominium high-rise complex on Powers Ferry.
The PFCA was strongly in support of the MarketPlace Terrell Mill project approved earlier this year that includes 298 apartments. But the group has estimated that since 2015, a total of 1,152 apartment units have been approved for the corridor, as opposed to only 155 owner-occupied dwellings.
If the Restaurant Row project is approved as presented, that would add up to 1,623 rental units, a ratio of 10.43 multi-family units to one owner-occupied unit.
A conceptual landscaping plan filed by the developer and that was submitted on Thursday.
The PFCA also wants to see the development reconfigured to include more retail, since more than half of the proposed space for that part of the project would be taken up by Rose and Crown, an existing business.
The civic group also has made numerous landscaping, parking, lighting and walkability suggestions: “The residents of each building should not have to exit from the parking lot or parking garage to go to the restaurant or out to the street at Powers Ferry Road. There should be attractively lit and maintained footpaths going from the buildings to the sidewalk on Powers Ferry Road.”
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A record total of 694 people took part Saturday morning in the 13th East Cobb Rotary Club Dog Days Run, which started and ended at the East Cobb-McCleskey Family YMCA.
The 5K event took place along East Piedmont Road and Sewell Mill Road before winding back along Roswell Road to the YMCA. The proceeds will benefit a number of East Cobb charities, including School Mates Literacy Project, Canine Assistance, Aids Awareness, The Center for Family Resources, Cobb County Public Safety and Kids2Leaders Inc.
Runners were cooled off by the Cobb Fire Department as they made the final turn back into the YMCA.
Post-race refreshments included bottled water, donuts and plenty of bananas. Local businesses, including Honest-1 Auto Care, Tuxedo Pest Control, Cheek Dental, Dentistry of East Piedmont, Fitness Together East Cobb, Big Peach Running Co., MDE School, Dermatology Consultants and The Solana East Cobb had information booths.
Also on hand were members of East Cobb Robotics, who later shot small rubber balls into the souvenir-seeking crowds.
Blooper, the Atlanta Braves mascot, also turned out for the festivities.
Some of the top winners. Medals were awarded across all age groups, ranging from under 10 to the 80s. There even was a woman runner who is 99 years old.
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The following East Cobb restaurant scores from July 5-Aug. 3 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link below each listing to view details of the inspection.
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As we’re typing these words, the sun has come out! It’s expected to stay out, at least partially, as this weekend’s sports-heavy lineup leads off Saturday with the 13 annual East Cobb Rotary Dog Days Run.
It gets underway at 7:30 a.m. at the East Cobb-McCleskey Family YMCA (1055 E. Piedmont Road). Race-day registration is $30, and the proceeds benefit a number of East Cobb charities, including School Mates Literacy Project, Canine Assistance, Aids Awareness, The Center for Family Resources, Cobb County Public Safety and Kids2Leaders Inc.
At the same time, the Lutzie 43 Foundation Road Race is taking place at Lutzie Field at Lassiter High School (2601 Shallowford Road), with proceeds going to the non-profit set up in the memory of Phil Lutzenkirchen, the former Trojans football star. It helps teach young people leadership skills and how to make good decisions. There’s a 1-mile fun run for kids in addition to the 5K. Race-day registration is $30 for students and $43 for adults.
Not far away, another school community is celebrating its upcoming football season. The Pope Football Pancake Breakfast goes from 9-11 in the cafeteria at the school (3001 Hembree Road), and is a Pope Touchdown Club fundraiser. For $11 a person or $26 a family (players eat free!), you’ll get pancakes, sausage, bagels, fruit and juices; stick around for the team picture day to follow.
The Wasted Potential Brass Band returns to The Art Place Saturday.
Saturday also is Sandy Plains Softball Fun Day from 11-1 at Field 1 at Sandy Plains Park (2977 Gordy Parkway), and it includes walk-up registration for the fall season.
On Saturday evening, bring your blankets and lawn chairs to The Art Place (3320 Sandy Plains Road) and enjoy the sounds of the Wasted Potential Brass Band. The popular Atlanta group is appearing as part of the Mountain View Arts Alliance’s Summer Stars Concert Series. Concessions are in exchange for a donation to MVAA, or you can bring your own food (but no alcohol is allowed).
More prep football on Sunday takes place 2-4. It’s Walton Raider Day at the Raider Valley stadium (1590 Bill Murdock Road). Admission is free, and the jamboree-style event includes kids games, a coaches dunk tank, face-painting, trampoline-jumping and a meet-and-greet with all the Raiders teams. Wear your Walton Spirit gear, since there will be drone group photo taken during the day.
Also on Sunday, the Good Mews Cat Shelter (3805 Robinson Road) is having another microchip and vaccination clinic from 10-3. Additional services include nail clippings, and appointments are encouraged but not required. Dogs are welcome too, and all pets must be in a carrier or on a leash when they arrive.
Did we miss anything? Do you have a calendar item you’d like to share with the community? Send it to us, and we’ll spread the word! E-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com, and you can include a photo or flyer if you like.
Whatever you’re doing this weekend, make it a great one! Enjoy!
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Plans call to demolish four restaurant buildings on Powers Ferry Road for a nearly 500,000 square-foot, mostly residential complex near Wildwood Office Park, in upper right. (From Cobb Zoning Office case file.)
A proposed Powers Ferry Road development that would include nearly 500 residential units and restaurant and retail space comes before the Cobb Planning Commission Tuesday.
The rezoning request by Powers Ferry Road Investors, LLC, would raze a string of vacant restaurants and build 291 apartment units and 181 upscale senior active dwellings in between a 10,000-foot restaurant building, according to a filing with the Cobb Zoning Office (agenda packet item here).
The project would include three buildings totaling 438,555 feet near the Wildwood Office Park.
The 8.8 acres along Powers Ferry between Windy Hill Road and Windy Ridge Parkway currently houses only one active business, the Rose & Crown Tavern, which will remain and be “enlarged” in the new development, according to a zoning impact statement included in the case file.
Surrounding it are empty restaurant spaces that were once Sal Grosso, Famous Dave’s and TGI Friday’s. The Sage Woodfire Tavern location that opened last fall in the former Houston’s space on the corner of Powers Ferry and Windy Ridge Parkway is not part of the development.
The site plan calls for a senior living complex on the left, with a large apartment building at the right. The office/retail/restaurant space is slated for the center building. (From Cobb Zoning Office case file.)
(Earlier this week, Sage Woodfire Tavern filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but no announcements have been made on possible restaurant closings.)
The Cobb Zoning staff is recommending approval of the request to rezone the land with conditions from general commercial (GC) to regional retail commercial (RRC), which is recommended for large developments of 500,000 square feet or more.
The future land use plan calls for regional activity center (RAC).
The developer has included three variance requests that would reduce the front and a side setback from the minimum 50 to 15 feet, and reduce a recommendation of 859 parking spaces to 510.
The Cobb Zoning Staff analysis said while the requested zoning category is compatible with the area, the six-story heights are taller than nearby buildings. The staff also does “not support the reduction of the required parking spaces.”
The cases are the latest major redevelopment projects slated for the Powers Ferry corridor since the opening of SunTrust PArk, and follow the MarketPlace Terrell Mill rezoning approved earlier this year.
The meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
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Twenty years after first opening an independent bookstore in East Cobb, the owners of the Bookmiser Roswell store are closing it.
Owners Jim and Annell Gerson announced Tuesday that they’re closing the store at 4651 Sandy Plains Road by the end of September, and that a liquidation sale has begun for everything, including books, books on CD, fixtures and accessories.
Most items will be an additional 20 percent off during the liquidation. A specific closing date hasn’t been announced.
Their other Bookmiser store, at 3822 Roswell Road, at the intersection of Robinson Road East, is remaining open.
No more trades will be accepted at the Roswell store, which will keep its usual store hours as it prepares to close: Sunday 12-5; Mon-Fri 10-7; Sat 10-6.
Here’s more in a message sent out last night to Bookmiser customers:
Thank you all for making the Roswell location one of longest running bookstore locations in the state of Georgia.
Discounting of our inventory at the Roswell location will begin immediately, so please stop by for the extra savings. Early bird gets the worm, so stop by soon and often to take advantage of our discounts. Trade credit will still apply on any used merchandise purchased at either location.
The liquidation process does not lend itself to placing books “on hold” or searching for specific titles, so come on by and enjoy the search.
We hope all our Roswell customers will frequent our East Cobb store in the future. We will continue our off-site author events, and book clubs will meet at our East Cobb location.
Bookmiser opened in 1998, as retail brick-and-mortar book chains began faltering. The Borders location at The Avenue East Cobb closed in 2011 as the chain was liquidated. There also was a Bookstar store (part of Barnes & Noble) at the Providence Square Shopping Center in the 1990s.
Other indie book stores have come into East Cobb since then: Book Exchange on Canton Road, Once and Again Books on Shallowford Road and a Book Nook at 1547 Roswell Road.
They also have a buying and trading program, as does Half Price Books, a national chain that opened in East Cobb at Woodlawn Square on Johnson Ferry Road in 2016.
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The start of the school year is a soggy one, and the rest of the week will be wet as well. Cobb is one of many counties in north and central Georgia under a flash flood watch until 8 a.m. Friday.
The National Weather Service in Atlanta is predicting that Cobb could get between and inch to an inch and a half of rain until then.
Under a flash flood watch, conditions exist that could lead to flash flooding of lakes, streams, creeks and rivers and could cause hazardous driving situations on roads.
The forecast for Cobb calls for cooler temperatures but high humidity over the next few days. Today’s high is expected around 80, with a low of around 70, and a 100 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms.
For Thursday, similar conditions are expected, with the rain expected to taper off to a 60 percent chance by the evening.
Friday also calls for a 60 percent chance of rain with highs in the low 80s and lows in the low 70s. Likewise for Saturday, with the chance of rain forecast to dwindle to a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms.
The rainy weather is expected to continue into early next week.
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Thanks to the Cobb County School District’s communications office for the photos from today’s ride-along for Nicholson Elementary students who aren’t as familiar with that “back to school” feeling as those in the higher grades.
That’s because they’re kindergarteners and first-graders getting ready for the first day of classes on Wednesday as the 2018-19 school year begins.
They got up early with their parents to ride the school bus, and were greated by teachers and staff. They also got greetings and special messages from the CCSD transportation staff on how to be safe riders on the buses.
The Chick-fil-A cow, the CCSD’s transportation mascot Hawkeye (in the background below) and Kell High School students took part in the ride-along festivities at Nicholson, and they were repeated at other schools in the district.
Nicholson is one of seven East Cobb schools to have new principals this year. Faith Harmeyer comes over from Mt. Bethel Elementary School, where she had been an assistant principal.
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East Cobb Middle School students and staff join Superintendent Chris Ragsdale (third from right) and Principal Leetonia Young (second from right) to cut the ribbon Tuesday morning. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
The doors opened to new campuses for Brumby Elementary and East Cobb Middle School Tuesday morning, as two overcrowded school grounds more than 50 years old gave way to twin facilities on Terrell Mill Road.
The day before a new school year began, staff and teachers at the East Cobb’s oldest schools rejoiced in a day they have been hoping would come about for many years.
Back-to-back ribbon-cutting festivities, followed by open house tours, doubled the excitement for both school communities.
“This community deserves this,” East Cobb MS principal Dr. Leetonia Young said to rousing cheers, referring to the two-story building as a “resort.”
Instead of five aging buildings bunched in on Holt Road, its home since it opened in 1963, East Cobb MS is just one building, and can handle an enrollment of 1,300 students.
“Compared to where you came from, this is a resort,” echoed Cobb schools Superintendent. Like young and other dignitaries who spoke at the festivities, he thanked Cobb voters for approving the Cobb Ed-SPLOST sales tax that financed construction of both new schools to a combined tune of more than $53 million.
An East Cobb Middle School student looks at class lists posted on the wall. (CCSD photo)
Brumby Elementary, which opened in a single round building on Powers Ferry Road in 1966, was massively overcrowded even with additional buildings and 17 portable classrooms.
Not only was that unsafe for students and teachers, but it also posed traffic dangers for carpooling parents and bus queues that lined up on busy Powers Ferry Road.
A Brumby student who can attest to those conditions is rising fifth-grader Vincent Carter, a member of the school’s Boy Scout color guard.
He said it was “a really looooong walk” to leave class and go to the bathroom at the old school, and not fun at all in the rain.
He’ll get to enjoy his new school for only a year, but a year from now will start sixth grade next door at the new East Cobb Middle School.
Dr. Amanda Richie, the Brumby principal, got emotional discussing the evolution of the new school, which was about five years in the making. She also credited her faculty and staff that she said stuck together during some adverse times, trying to make do with an outdated campus.
“We’re a family, we’re the Brumby family,” she said. Because it’s a special group, she added, the new building will be “not just a school house, but a school home.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Principal Amanda Richie (in black dress) said the Brumby ES family will help make the new campus “not just a school house but a school home.” (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
Members of the family whose land made the new schools possible also were in attendance. Six generations of the Hill family lived and farmed on 40 acres on Terrell Mill Road, even after it was subdivided to descendants.
The land was sold to the Cobb County School District for just under $10 million in 2014, and construction got underway in the fall of 2016.
Ed Graham, the grandson of Dorsey and Sarah Hill, attended Brumby its first two years, and brought along the jersey he wore as a member of the first Brumby Bobcats football team.
While the land featured cows, pigs, some chickens and vegetables, to him and his siblings and his cousins, “it was a 40-acre playground.”
His cousin, Tracy Luttrell Bennett, recalled childhood memories that included pea-shelling, corn-shucking, selling vegetables to passers-by, homemade ice cream every Father’s Day, Easter egg hunts and sales of pumpkins and Christmas trees during the holidays.
Ed Graham, who grew up on farmland that is now the schools’ sites, holds up the jersey he wore as member of the Brumby Bobcats. (CCSD photo)
“It’s a great honor to see these schools here today,” she said, encouraging the students to “work together, work hard, stay strong in the good times and the tough times, value your community and value your education.”
Cobb Board of Education member Scott Sweeney, who represents the Brumby and ECMS attendance zones, said that with their expanded capacity, the schools will be better able to serve as community centers.
While both schools have educational challenges—students come from cultural backgrounds that include a total of 40 languages and their enrollments have many transitory families—the extra elbow room can start to help make a difference.
Charlene Brisco, who is starting her sixth year as Brumby’s social worker, said she and her counselors have classroom space at the new school they didn’t have before, and that will enable them to conduct small-group meetings with students who need their help.
There’s also a food pantry to help out families in need, with room for a refrigerator that wasn’t available at the old school.
“Now we can expand what we’re doing,” she said.
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The Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team office will partner with Silverton Mortgage to host a free home buyers seminar in August. This FREE community class is open to the public and is an informative session for those looking to purchase their first home or for those who have not purchased in the last few years.
“Since the market has been quickly changing, simple processes and information can be very different today than it was even a few short years ago,” says Nick Seidell, who is an in-house loan officer at the team’s office in Marietta.
This seminar will include a wealth of information, along with free study guides, workbooks, and checklists for each guest.
Two class sessions will be offered and are set for Wednesday, August 8th from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm and Saturday, August 11th from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. Food will be served, so please call (404) 585-8881 to RSVP. Location: 2249 Roswell Rd. Marietta, GA 30062.
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At the 2017 East Cobb Pigskin Preview, head coaches, L-R: Tab Griffin (Pope); Brett Sloan (Kell); Daniel Brunner (Walton); Brett Vavra (Sprayberry); Mike Collins (Wheeler); and Jep Irwin (Lassiter). They’re all back for 2018.
With August only a day away, local business groups are revving into back-to-school mode, including the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce. Its annual East Cobb Pigskin Preview breakfast is next week.
It’s on Thursday, Aug. 9 from 7:30-9 a.m. at Indian Hills Country Club (4001 Clubland Drive), and you can get registration information here. While last season was full of change, as four of the six public high schools in East Cobb had new coaches, for 2018 they will all be back.
The coaches will be answering questions and will bring some of their top players with them as pre-season practice is getting underway.
The highlight of the year was Walton reaching the second round of the state playoffs under Daniel Brunner, who was one of the rookie coaches.
On Thursday, the Sandy Springs-Cobb MeetUp networking group has its monthly breakfast from 9-10:30 a.m. at Egg Harbor Cafe (4719 Lower Roswell Road). Small business owners will meet to share trips and help find referrals in an open group setting. The group also meets for lunch the third Thursday at Tijuana Joe’s (690 Johnson Ferry Road).
The East Cobb Business Association is holding its next Lunch and Learn Session Aug. 7 at the Sewell Mill Library, with the program subject being identity theft protection strategies. The ECBA monthly luncheon guests on Aug. 21 at Olde Towne Athletic Club are Atlanta Braves marketing and partnership executives.
The ECBA’s East Cobb Open Networking breakfast is every Friday from 7:30-8:30 a.m. at Egg Harbor, and it’s drop-in event.
The NCBA’s Five Alive business after hours event on Aug. 30 goes from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Fidelity Bank Canton Road branch (830 Old Piedmont Road) and also is themed for the upcoming football season.
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The last of the test runs for Cobb school buses take place Tuesday as another school year begins on Wednesday.
Here’s more about the Cobb County School District’s transportation services in this podcast with CCSD Executive Director of Transportation Rick Grisham and Associate Director John Lyles. The district has a bus route information page, and also has more information about stop arm laws and student safety.
Also Tuesday: Ribbon-cuttings will be held for the new Brumby Elementary and East Cobb Middle School campuses, which are ready to go after construction was completed this summer.
In addition to CCSD officials and school board members, the invited guests include Congresswoman Karen Handel, State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick and State Rep. Sharon Cooper.
The ECMS event is from 9-9:30 a.m. at 825 Terrell Mill Road, and the Brumby ribbon-cutting starts at 9:30 a.m. right next door at 815 Terrell Mill Road. Public open houses will follow.
From Cobb County government, here are some road and school bus safety tips for motorists to observe:
These tests will include activating the bus lights and stop arms—be on the lookout!
As Cobb County children head back to school, drivers are reminded to be alert and exercise patience and caution. Impatient, uninformed or apathetic drivers pose a great threat to children waiting at school bus stops. Georgia Department of Education staff recommends these safety practices:
Be on the alert as children walk to and from their school bus stops.
Exercise care and be responsive as children congregate and wait at their bus stops. They may be thinking about getting to school, but may not be thinking of getting there safely.
Be ready to act when you see the yellow flashing lights on the front and the rear of a school bus. This is your warning that a bus stop is about to take place.
Begin to slow down and look for students in the area. NEVER speed up to beat a school bus. You must be focused and exercise caution any time you are in the vicinity of a school bus stop, as student riders can sometimes be impulsive.
Abide by the law when a school bus comes to a full stop and you see the flashing red lights activate and the stop arm deploy. Motorists are required to stop in nearly every instance. The only exceptions to this rule are when highways are separated in the center by a dirt, grass or concrete median or a center turn lane. In these situations, only vehicles following or traveling alongside a school bus in the same direction must stop.
Be attentive after stopping. You must remain stopped until all loading students are aboard in the morning or all unloading students have cleared 12 feet off the roadway in the afternoon. Proceed with caution only after all students have safely cleared the roadway, the stop arm is cancelled and the flashing red lights are deactivated.
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Thanks to Cindy Theiler for the updated information to a story we posted in May about the Aloha to Aging gala that’s coming up on Aug. 18. As we mentioned then, the East Cobb-based senior non-profit is expanding its services, and is having this inaugural fundraising event:
An African safari, a Tuscany vacation, a spa getaway, and a one-week stay at a Florida beach house are just a few of the auction items that will be offered at Aloha to Aging’s inaugural gala on Aug. 18 beginning at 5 p.m. at KSU Center in Kennesaw. Sponsorships and individual tickets are still available for this event that will honor Dr. Betty Siegel, Kennesaw State University’s former long-time president.
Funds raised from this event will help fund programs and services to ensure enhanced quality of life for area seniors, their family care partners, and the community.
Sponsorship levels range from $1,000 to $10,000. Individual gala tickets are $75 per person and include appetizers, a full seated dinner, dessert, and three drink tickets. The reception and silent auction begin at 5 p.m.; dinner and the live auction follow at 6:30 p.m. A split the pot raffle tickets are also available to purchase (2 tickets for $20) from Aloha to Aging.
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In the days before former Atlanta Braves star Chipper Jones was preparing for his Baseball Hall of Fame induction, the Sandy Plains Prowlers baseball team was there, in Cooperstown, N.Y., participating in the Cooperstown Dreams Park baseball tournament.
Team manager Mike Tamucci got in touch with us to share the information below and the photos from the Prowlers’ run through the 104-team tournament.
They were runners-up, playing before 2,000 fans at the Little Majors Stadium in Cooperstown. He says it’s “the pinnacle of the 12-year-old travel baseball season.”
Here’s more from Mike explaining how the Cooperstown tourney unfolded for the Prowlers between July 20-27:
The Prowlers went 6-0 in pool play and outscored their opponents, 104-11, against teams from six different states, to earn the number one seed. On championship Thursday, the Prowlers won four-straight games and hit 18 home runs to beat the 32-seed from New Jersey, 17-seed from Maryland, 8-seed from California, and 5-seed from Wisconsin. In the semifinals, the Prowlers overcame a four-run deficit in the bottom of the fifth and scored 11 runs, including three-straight home runs, to earn the victory. For the tournament, the Prowlers hit 38 home runs and outscored their opponents, 157-22.
The Prowlers were the first team from Sandy Plains Baseball to earn a number one seed and play in the championship game in the 32-year history of Cooperstown Dreams Park. The Prowlers finish the season with a record of 65-11 and five tournament championships.
The Prowlers are seen below with the Dreams Park finalist trophy. Front Row: Brett Armstrong, Braden Gabel, Adam Little, Griffin Tamucci, Collin Trevison, and Ben Garvis. Back Row: Coach Ryan Tamucci, Coach Mike Tamucci, Kent Schmidt, Oscar Alfaro, Coach Darren Little, Dorian Harper, Pascal Trevison, William Petteys, Coach Brian Gabel, and Coach Bill Garvis.
Do you have news to share with the East Cobb community about your organization? Send it to us and we’ll get out the word! It can be anything, from a sports team to a church or faith community, civic or neighborhood association, school or more.
E-mail us at editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll post it. Feel free to send photos, graphics or flyers.
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East Cobb citizens had their say at several budget town hall meetings this summer, including at the Sewell Mill Library on July 9, shortly before commissioners voted to raise property taxes. (East Cobb News file photo)
Whenever the subject of a Cobb tax increase comes up, those who say “no” the loudest and most often quite often have prevailed.
Especially after I returned to the county in 1990, the “nos” have frequently had the ear of elected officials.
They have done almost anything to heed those citizens who urge them to: Cut wasteful spending. Impose a hiring freeze. Take care of needs instead of wants. Live within your means, just like we do.
These have been the bedrock principles of low-tax conservatism for as long as I can remember growing up in Cobb County.
Cobb became a magnet for new residents and businesses in large part because of low taxes. That’s still a big attraction, but so are good government services and schools. As a result, Cobb’s explosive growth, especially in the last 30 years, has generated another constituency.
These citizens, coming from all across the county, and representing many demographic and socioeconomic classes and interest levels, effectively countered the “no” forces during the budget deliberations that concluded this week with a general fund property tax rate increase of 1.7 mills.
Those citizens have been extremely vocal over the past few months about supporting the services they feared were being imperiled as a $30 million deficit loomed.
As draft lists were made public about potential “savings” in library and park services, the UGA Cobb Extension service and other small-bore line items, these citizens formed their own groups. Some started on Facebook, then fanned out to attend budget town hall meetings and public hearings and urged their members to tell commissioners what they valued.
They were every bit as active and organized as those who opposed a tax increase. At this point, the naysayers may wish to point out that citizens were whipped up into a frenzy by Commission Chairman Mike Boyce, who cited the need for a millage rate increase to keep Cobb “a five-star county.”
I wrote previously that there was some emotional blackmail involved as these lists were made public. I also wrote that a tax increase was likely. For far too long, Cobb elected officials have been fearful of getting an earful from those who always say “no.”
The problem with always saying no is that the provision of services wasn’t keeping up with the demand. Even as Cobb’s population grew from 450,000 in 1990 to more than 750,000 today, commissioners were gradually reducing the millage rate.
A post-recession situation emerged in which library hours hadn’t been restored, Cobb DOT maintenance crews hadn’t been replenished and the county had to hire dozens of new police officers.
Members of the Cobb Master Gardeners spoke in favor of preserving the UGA Cobb Extension Service.
As I listened to those who were saying “yes,” I heard the voices of Cobb citizens adamantly insisting that the services they valued were worth a few extra dollars a month on their tax bill.
Among those standing up were members of the Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County. I’ve been hearing from them all summer. They work with the UGA Cobb Extension Office, which runs the local 4-H program and gets equal funding from the county and the state.
Also saying “yes” were some citizens who identified themselves as fiscal conservatives. These weren’t garden variety Berkeley radicals but suburban gardeners. They were also library and arts patrons and everyday people not prone to political activism.
None of those saying “yes” that I heard this summer are wild about a tax increase. I’m certainly not, but Cobb leaders have been dodging this bullet for too many years. After playing ball with the Atlanta Braves, they cut the millage rate in 2016, right before SunTrust Park became operational.
To me, that was the height of fiscal irresponsibility. Yet many proud fiscal conservatives have ignored that this summer, or belatedly sprung to action. The local newspaper fulminated in a thunderclap editorial that Boyce went against his promises of no new taxes, and fretted that “conservatism has fallen out of fashion” yet again.
(I’d argue that real, principled conservatism went out of fashion when the four members of the commission who are Republicans voted to subsidize a baseball stadium, an action the daily printed edition uncritically approved. The lone Democrat, occasionally slammed by the same publication, cast the only vote against it.)
Earlier this month, citizens against a tax increase lobbied for a hiring freeze, even as DOT, public safety and other positions have been frozen for several years.
The day before the budget vote, the Cobb GOP passed a resolution against a tax increase with plenty of boilerplate language, but no tangible suggestions to balance the budget.
Commissioner Bob Ott
JoAnn Birrell and Bob Ott, East Cobb’s commissioners, were on the short end of the 3-2 vote. Birrell wanted a smaller increase, Ott wanted to see more proposed spending cuts.
The decisive vote was cast by Bob Weatherford, drubbed the day before in a runoff against a tax increase opponent, but who said it was time for the county to invest its future.
Though his support for a tax increase may have cost him his political future, Weatherford’s rationale was certainly different than what we’re accustomed to in Cobb. So is Boyce’s, whether he runs for re-election in two years or not. Both are Republicans.
What looms ahead remains uncertain. I wonder if 1.7 mills will be enough of an increase to avoid another rough budget process next year. There are efficiencies that have to be considered that Boyce ignored in this budget.
Ott offered some sound spending proposals that deserve attention. Foremost is reforming the county’s existing defined benefit pension plan, which is a ticking time bomb for many governments. SPLOST reform also must be addressed.
More than anything, I hope citizens who participated in the budget battle this summer, both in favor of a tax hike or against, continue to stay active. Their voices and diligence and willingness to question how their money is being spent are needed.
No matter your views on a tax increase, it was encouraging to see such vigorous civic involvement, especially from those who don’t normally speak out.
Before Wednesday’s vote, former Gov. Roy Barnes, who holds a 4-H gala at his Marietta home every fall, said to the commissioners that local government is “government in the raw.”
We may be about to find out what that truly means, even after this grueling summer.
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More than 98 percent of students at Timber Ridge Elementary School performed at Level 2 or higher in the Georgia Milestones, the highest figure in the Cobb County School District.
Several East Cobb schools led or did well in various categories of academic performance in the 2018 Georgia Milestones report.
The data was released Friday by the Georgia Department of Education, which collects test scores from public school districts to measure learning proficiency in grades 3-12.
The levels are 1-4. Level 1 is Beginning Learner, Level 2 is a Developing Learner, Level 3 is a Proficient Learner and Level 4 is Distinguished Learner.
The evaluations are based on End of Grade (EOG) tests at the elementary and middle school levels, and End of Course (EOC) tests at the high school level.
According to the Cobb County School District, 10 elementary schools had 94 percent or more of their students score between levels 2-4. Nine of them are in East Cobb: East Side; Garrison Mill; Davis; Mount Bethel; Mountain View; Murdock; Rocky Mount; Sope Creek; Timber Ridge; and Tritt.
At Timber Ridge, 98.1 of the students were between levels 2-4, the highest figure for a Cobb elementary school. The elementary EOG tests are in English Language Arts and math.
Among top performing middle schools, according to CCSD, were Dickerson (97.3), Dodgen (96.5) and Hightower Trail (96.9). Middle school students take EOG tests in English Language Arts, math, science and social studies.
High school students are given End of Course (EOC) tests in eight courses in English Language Arts and math, as well as social studies and science.
Walton led Cobb high schools with a 97.1 score of students between levels 2-4, followed by Lassiter (96.4) and Pope (96.0).
Wheeler’s composite score of 83.3 is up 7.9 percent from 2017, one of the biggest improvements in the county.
Cobb schools said that the district-wide Level 2 or higher percentage for high school students is 84.9, much higher than the state average of 74.1 percent.
At the elementary/middle school level, 80.7 percent of Cobb students scored at Level 2 or higher, compared to 74.6 of all Georgia students.
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The latest Cobb Police Precinct 4 crime statistics reveal some good news about burglaries and car break-ins.
In its monthly PENs notification message for July, Precinct 4 officers said that 32 residential burglaries have been reported since May, down 43 percent from this time a year ago.
Vehicle break-ins are also down a bit, from 107 from May-July 2017 to 101 this summer.
What police are continuing to encourage you to do, as they always do, is keep your vehicles locked at all times.
In recent weeks the department has been issuing social media reminders to lock up and stay safe, whether at home or in your car.
Cobb Police are calling this the #9pmReminder. Each evening at this time, the messages go out on their social media accounts for you to do the following:
Lock all doors (even back doors and porch doors)
Leave exterior lights on (they deter loitering and burglars)
Pull your car in the garage, if possible, and remove your valuables, LOCK, and CLOSE the garage door (just because your car is in a garage, doesn’t mean it is secure).
Bring all items of value indoors (lawn decorations, toys, etc.).
Bring in mail (it has your information on it and is sought by those who want to steal your identity).
Set your alarms before bed (burglars do not like audible alarms).
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An Atlanta man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for robbing a Navy sailor after an evening at a Marietta nightclub two years ago, pistol-whipping him and leaving him naked near Bells Ferry Road.
Cortlyn Javon Martin, 26, was convicted by a Cobb jury in June of armed robbery, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony.
On Thursday, he was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Lark Ingram.
Martin was a patron at the Club Rio, near the South Marietta Parkway and Franklin Gateway, on June 18, 2016, when he left the club with the sailor and other men by car, according to the Cobb District Attorney’s office.
The sailor was driving when Martin, sitting in the back seat, began pistol-whipping him, the DA’s office said, adding that Martin robbed the driver after forcing him to withdraw $500 from a bank ATM in Kennesaw.
The DA’s office said Martin then forced the victim to strip naked, and left him near Bells Ferry Road.
Martin, who was arrested two months after the incident, will be credited for the two years he has been in custody, according to the DA’s office.
“This defendant preyed upon an active-duty military member who was visiting Georgia for the first time on military leave,” assistant Cobb district attorney Kaitlin Southmayd said in a statement. “We are thankful for our victim’s service to his country and his willingness to tell his terrifying account to the jury.”
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Alyssa Prindle had recently graduated from Pope High School.
An East Cobb teenage girl who fell out of a moving car on Johnson Ferry Road earlier this month has died, and an arrest warrant has been issued for the driver.
Cobb Police Officer Sarah O’Hara said in a release this morning that Alyssa Prindle, 18, who suffered serious injuries in the incident, died Wednesday at WellStar Kennestone Hospital.
O’Hara said that the Cobb County Magistrate has issued an arrest warrant for Abigail Cook, 17, also of East Cobb, for 1st degree vehicular homicide.
According to police, Cook was driving a silver 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe northbound on Johnson Ferry Road near Sewell Mill Road around 2 a.m. on July 5 when Prindle, a backseat passenger, rolled down a window and began hanging out of the vehicle.
Police said Prindle was yelling and screaming and then fell out of the Hyundai. She was taken to Kennestone and placed in ICU, and O’Hara said this morning that she never left the hospital before dying of her injuries.
Cook was booked in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center and charged with DUI, reckless driving, serious injury by vehicle (a felony), underage possession of alcohol, possession of false identification and a violation of class D drivers license hour restrictions. She later bonded out of jail, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.
A GoFundMe page had been set up by Prindle’s family to pay for medical expenses, but a message posted there Thursday announced that Prindle, a Pope High School graduate, “lost her fight. Her body just couldn’t keep going. There were too many injuries, and the doctors just couldn’t do anything else for her.”
The message continued:
“Please pray for our family as we go through a difficult next few days together.
“Her parents are Todd and Julie, and her 15-yr old brothers are Kyler and Bailey. We would love for you to be praying for them by name, as well as her extended family.”
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