East Cobb News

Rocky Mount, Tritt ES students named Silver Pen Award winners

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Golden K 2023 Silver Pen Awards
L to R: Dr. Cheri Vaniman, Principal Rocky Mount ES; Peter Munk (dad); Karen Munk (mom); Aimee Mendel, past president KCMGK: Jim Perry, presenter and past president KCMGK; John Kone, president KCMGK and Dr. Sage Doolittle, Rock Mount ES. Front: DEANNA MUNK, SP award winner

Thanks to John Kone, president of the East Cobb-based Kiwanis Club of Marietta Golden K, for the following information and photo:

The Silver Pen Program, now a statewide award, was created over 25 years ago by the Kiwanis Club of Marietta Golden K (KCMGK). Since then, the Silver Pen Award has been presented by the KCMGK to Cobb County Fourth grade students. The essay completion was competitive since  the award was open to all 4th grade students on a school wide level.

Jim Perry, past president of the KCMGK and Silver Pen Award presenter summarized it this way, “The Club challenges all fourth graders in three schools to write a comprehensive essay on a topic assigned by the Club. Teachers in each section of fourth grade send their best two submissions to the school administration. One paper from each class is submitted to the Club, who has a panel of judges select the winner from each school.  The Silver Pen Award was our Signature Program for many years, but  its success became widely known. Now, this is an approved program for Kiwanis Clubs throughout the Georgia District.” 

This year, the KCMGK awarded the Silver Pen Awards at three Cobb County schools: Acworth, Rocky Mount, and Tritt Elementary Schools. The winning students were: ASHLEY LANGAN, Acworth ES; JAMES THORPE, Tritt ES, and DEANNA MUNK, Rocky Mount ES. Each winner was presented with a silver pen in a velvet sleeve, a roll of $25 uncirculated one dollar coins acquired directly from the Philadelphia Mint, and an engraved plaque. The presentations were made during the morning broadcast to the whole school.

Everyone was extremely proud of the Silver Pen Award winners, however, the most surprising change observed by us, the adults (parents, teachers and Kiwanis Club members)  was the delivery! At each school, the SP awards were presented LIVE, to each classroom, via a “closed circuit” in house TV system. “We never had anything like this when I was in Elementary School,” one parent went on to say.” Both students and adults are thankful for all the technological changes that have taken place in our schools over the years.  

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Cobb schools announce 2023 valedictorians and salutatorians

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Cobb 2023 vals and sals
From L-R: Wheeler valedictorian Rithu Hegde; Sprayberry valedictorian Sebastian Jean Francois; Kell salutatorian Elana Darsey.

As graduation ceremonies continue this week, the Cobb County School District on Tuesday announced the Class of 2023 valedictorians and salutatorians.

Overall, the valedictorians in the Cobb school district combined for an average grade-point average of 4.705, with salutatorians at 4.67.

Five seniors from high schools in East Cobb had grade-point averages above 4.8.

Two of them are from Walton, valedictorian Chaitanya Yetukuri (4.826), and salutatorian Gavin Du, with a GPA of 4.808.

The others are Pope valedictorian Shaunak Karnik (4.815), Wheeler valedictorian Rithu Hegde (4.803) and Lassiter valedictorian Arsh Mukhtar Ali (4.8).

What follows are the vals and sals from the six East Cobb high schools, their GPAs, college choices and intended majors.

Eight of the vals and sals from East Cobb are headed to Georgia Tech, with others bound for Cal Tech, MIT, Cornell and Northwestern.

Kell High School
Valedictorian—Clare Wu, 4.750, California Institute of Technology, computer science
Salutatorian—Elana Darsey, 4.719, Georgia Tech, computer engineering

Lassiter High School
Valedictorian—Arsh Mukhtar Ali, 4.8, Georgia Tech, computer science
Salutatorian—Joshua Michael Wu, 4.75, Georgia Tech, computer science

Pope High School
Valedictorian—Shaunak Karnik, 4.815, Georgia Tech, computer science
Salutatorian—Amy Kokan, 4.778, Georgia Tech, mechanical engineering

Sprayberry High School
Valedictorian—Sebastian Jean Francois, 4.750, Cornell University, computer science
Salutatorian—Thomas George, 4.742, Georgia Tech, civil engineering

Walton High School
Valedictorian—Chaitanya Yetukuri, 4.826, Georgia Tech, business administration
Salutatorian—Gavin Du, 4.808, Northwestern University, economics

Wheeler High School
Valedictorian—Rithu Hegde, 4.803, Undecided, mathematics
Salutatorian—Ewuraba Buckle, 4.766, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, computer science

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Man charged with murder in shooting at Northeast Cobb home

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A man died Saturday at a home located off Canton Road in Northeast Cobb, and police said they have charged a another man with murder.Northeast Cobb car crash, Cops on Donut Shops

A release by Cobb Police Tuesday afternoon said that Darius Butler, 20, has been charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault and murder.

Cobb Police Public Information Officer Aaron Wilson said officers were called to a home on Buckline Court, in the Shallowford Forest neighborhood, after a black male was seen laying in front of the residence with multiple gunshot wounds.

Police said that Butler, 28-year-old Anthony Jones of Marietta and a third, unidentified suspect went to the home around 8:30 p.m. Saturday to commit an armed robbery against Michael Sonnichsen, 25, of Kennesaw, and Malik Darden, 24 of Woodstock.

According to police, Sonnichsen and Darden shot at Butler, Jones and the other suspect in self-defense.

Jones was pronounced dead at the scene and Butler was injured by gunfire, police said.

Police said Butler has been taken into custody, but didn’t indicate whether he had been hospitalized. There is no booking information about him available at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.

Police said Jones’ next of kin has been notified, but did not indicate what happened to the unidentified suspect.

UPDATED:

Butler was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center Thursday but no further information is available.

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Ex-Cobb Police officer sentenced for assault, child cruelty

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A former Cobb Police officer assigned to patrol duties in Precinct 4 in East Cobb was sentenced to six years in prison and 14 more years on probation Monday for a 2018 assault on a woman.Ex-Cobb Police officer sentenced for assault

According to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office, Robert New, now 51, pleaded guilty to that felony charge, as well as to another felony count of cruelty to children in the first degree.

A release issued by the DA’s office Tuesday said New was sentenced as a first offender in a non-negotiated hearing before Cobb Superior Court Judge James Bodiford.

New was charged with aggravated assault in June 2018 stemming from an off-duty incident with a woman who accused him of choking and slapping him during a sexual encounter at his home off Hawkins Store Road.

The DA’s office said police were alerted to the incident by a “good Samaritan” who said the woman had cognitive disabilities.

Police conducted a forensic interview with the the woman, who was 44 years old at the time, and concluded that due to a traumatic brain injury that occurred during childhood, she had the mental capacity of a 10-14-year-old child.

An internal affairs investigation determined that New met the woman online, and while the encounter was consensual, police said “the actions that took place during the encounter brought us to take out warrants against Officer New.”

The DA’s office said Tuesday that during a sexual encounter in May 2018, “the victim stated that New became violent during sex and choked her to the point of her not being able to breathe.”

Prosecutors said that in an interview with the victim, she said New wanted her to bring her juvenile niece and involve her in sexual activity. Police conducted a forensic analysis of New’s phone and arrested him, the DA’s office said, and he resigned a few days later.

Cobb Superior Court Judge Kellie Hill accepted New’s guilty plea in April, according to the DA’s office.

New was hired by Cobb Police in February 2005 and was assigned to Precinct 4 in East Cobb. He later served on the department’s DUI Task Force before returning to Precinct 4.

He was a police officer for a total of 27 years before his arrest, the DA’s office said.

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Cobb Newcomers Club holds 2023 installation of new officers

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Cobb Newcomers Club

Thanks to Lee Tarbell of the Newcomers Club of Cobb County for the following information and photos:

The Newcomers Club of Cobb County held their annual installation of new officers meeting on May 16, 2023 at the John Knox Presbyterian Church in Marietta. This is the Club’s largest and most well-attended event of the year with approximately 60 women participating. It was no ordinary monthly meeting due to the talent and creativity of one member and her team, Dotti Catini. A routine meeting was turned into a dress-up costume luncheon with a theme of “Alice in Wonderland.” There were many “Alices,” “Queen of Hearts,” “Tweedledum” and “Tweedledees” and “White Rabbits” racing down the rabbit hole. This theme was carried throughout with the table and hall decorations and desserts. 
 
The event became so popular after Dotti suggested to the Board in 2016 a way to liven things up and have a lot of fun. Since then each year (except for 2020 and 2021) the event became memorialized with various themes over the years: Hollywood and the red carpet (2017), a Flight Crew on their way to Paris (2018), Run for the Roses Derby Race (2018), Breakfast at Tiffany’s—with various Audrey Hepburns in attendance and finally, the Alice in Wonderland theme (2016 and 2023). If you would like more information or would like to join a great group of women, you can find us at www.newcomersofcobbcounty.com.  

Cobb Newcomers Club

Cobb Newcomers Club

Cobb Newcomers Club

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East Cobb Biz Update: Ribbon-cutting for LM Frame and Gallery

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LM Frame and Gallery Ribbon-Cutting

The LM Frame and Gallery celebrated expanded space at its location at the Shops of Woodlawn (1062 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 150) last Thursday with an art exhibit and a special ribbon-cutting with members of the East Cobb Business Association.

The custom framing store and contemporary art gallery is owned by Christophe and Caroline Choquart. Framing work includes traditional paintings, 3D objects, needlework, posters and more.

Hours are 10-5 Monday-Saturday, with an emphasis on contemporary art and fine art paintings by local artists, as well as photography. The current exhibit features Aboriginal art from Australia.

You can take a virtual tour by clicking here.

All photographs were taken by Stuart Hasson of Hasson Photography.

LM Frame and Gallery Ribbon-Cutting

LM Frame and Gallery Ribbon-Cutting

LM Frame and Gallery Ribbon-Cutting

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Let East Cobb News know what your organization is doing, or share news about what people are doing in the community—accomplishments, recognitions, milestones, etc.

Pass along your details to: editor@eastcobbnews.com, and please observe the following guidelines to ensure we get everything properly and can post it promptly.

Send the body of your announcement, calendar item or news release IN TEXT FORM ONLY in the text field of your e-mail template. Reformatting text from PDF, JPG and doc files takes us longer to prepare your message for publication.

We accept PDFs as an accompaniment to your item. Images are fine too, but we prefer those to be JPG files (more than jpeg and png). PLEASE DO NOT send photos inside a PDF or text or any other kind of file. Of course, send us links that are relevant to your message so we can direct people to your website.

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Cobb Police: Pedestrian killed on I-75 near Windy Hill Road

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Cobb Police said that a woman walking along Interstate 75 early Sunday north of  the Windy Hill Road intersection was killed after being struck by a vehicle.Cobb Police, Powers Ferry Road crash, East Cobb crime forum

Public Information Officer Aaron Wilson said in a release Monday that Rebecca D. Poole, 40, was walking eastbound from an eastern shoulder of I-75 shortly before 5 a.m. when she was hit by a black 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross driven by Maria Salas Bracho, 24, of Marietta, who traveling was northbound on I-75 in the second lane from the right.

Wilson said that Salas Bracho was not injured but Poole was pronounced dead at the scene by the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office.

He said her next of kin has been notified and that anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.

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East Cobb residential real estate sales, May 1-5, 2023

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Atlanta Country Club, East Cobb real estate sales
Atlanta Country Club

The following East Cobb residential real estate sales between May 1-5, 2023, were compiled from agency reports:

May 1

210 Candlestick Court, 30067 (Fox Hills, Wheeler): $700,000

2627 Little John Trail, 30067 (Red Oak Park, Wheeler): $389,000

2167 Sedalia Court, 30067 (Sedalia Park, Wheeler): $465,000

2351 Hembree Drive, 30062 (Walton): $825,000

1624 Rex Drive, 30066 (Village North, Sprayberry): $408,000

2390 Catamaran Court, 30062 (Autumn Lake, Sprayberry): $450,000

3270 Wendwood Drive, 30062 (Wendwood, Pope): $405,000

563 Charing Cross Drive, 30066 (Canterbury North, Sprayberry): $400,000

2980 Forest Chase Terrace, 30066 (Forest Chase, Lassiter): $365,000

3519 Jefferson Township Parkway, 30066 (Jefferson Township, Lassiter): $790,000

700 N River Forest Drive, 30068 (North River Forest, Walton): $927,500

5510 Conway Drive, 30068 (Hyde Park, Walton): $865,000

May 2

3994 Chapel Grove Drive, 30062 (Highlands at Wesley Chapel, Lassiter): $1.1 million

4053 Jordan Lake Drive, 30062 (Walden, Pope): $760,000

804 Weybourne Court, 30066 (Chastain Commons, Sprayberry): $400,000

May 3

660 Atlanta Country Club Drive, 30067 (Atlanta Country Club, Walton): $5.9 million

1901 Meadowbrook Lane, 30067 (Meadowbrook, Wheeler): $330,000

3850 High Green Drive, 30068 (Indian Hills, Walton): $663,100

1525 Oakmoor Place, 30062 (Allgood Farms, Sprayberry): $600,000

2275 Spear Point Trail, 30062 (Cedar Forks, Pope): $445,000

1768 Apple Boulevard, 30066 (North Ridge, Sprayberry): $325,000

4519 Reva Court, 30066 (Stockton Place, Lassiter): $508,000

4986 Meadow Lane, 30068 (The Meadows Condos, Walton): $310,000

May 4

2175 Watercrest Commons Circle, 30062 (Watercrest Commons, Walton): $980,000

3103 Soldier Trail, 30068 (Sumpter Ridge, Wheeler): $695,000

2536 Princess Lane, 30067 (Red Oak Park, Wheeler): $395,000

2284 Woodsfield Lane, 30062 (Post Oak Square, Pope): $590,000

May 5

4120 Lower Roswell Road, 30067 (Kings Cove, Walton): $1.51 million

2116 Carefree Circle, 30062 (The Crossings of East Cobb, Sprayberry): $345,000

227 Powers Ferry Road, 30067 (Wheeler): $320,000

102 Creekway Lane, 30062 (Park at Barrett Creek, Sprayberry): $525,000

671 Wind Grove Road, 30067 (Grove Meade, Wheeler): $499,000

522 Smithstone Trace, 30067 (Smithstone, Wheeler): $495,000

302 Robin Lane, 30067 (Red Oak Park, Wheeler): $327,500

2774 Bentwood Drive, 30062 (Bentwood, Pope): $510,000

2693 Tritt Springs Trace, 30062 (Post Oak Springs, Pope): $590,000

4004 Highfield Way, 30062 (Madison Hall, Pope): $1.164 million

3125 Suholden Drive, 30066 (Addison Heights, Sprayberry): $315,500

3064 Antler Trail, 30066 (Oak Knoll, Sprayberry): $410,000

4563 Ashmore Circle, 30066 (Hampton Ridge, Lassiter): $555,000

4921 Marlos Drive, 30066 (Cooks Valley, Lassiter ): $549,000

1965 River Forest Drive, 30068 (River Forest, Walton): $1.03 million

2252 Rushmore Drive, 30062 (Plantation Place, Walton): $700,000

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East Cobb high schools to have a graduation ceremony a day

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Lassiter graduation, Cobb schools 2020 graduation schedule

The Class of 2023 in the Cobb County School District begins receiving their diplomas on Monday, with commencement exercises taking place through Saturday.

As the schedule would have it, the graduations for the six public high school in East Cobb will be spread out over all six of those days.

All East Cobb graduations will take place at the KSU Convocation Center (590 Cobb Ave., Kennesaw).

The Cobb County School District has a full schedule and other information on graduation ceremonies, including parking, ordering DVDs and live streaming information at this resource page.

The parking cost is $10 per vehicle, and KSU requires all persons entering the venue to pass through a metal detector.

All bags and packages will be searched, and only bags with a clear tote or small clutch will be allowed.

All guests must be ticketed, and balloons and signs are not permitted. Strollers also may not be brought to the graduation site.

  • Kell High School: Monday, May 22, 7:30 p.m.
  • Pope High School: Tuesday, May 23, 7:30 p.m.
  • Walton High School: Wednesday, May 24, 7:30 p.m.
  • Lassiter High School: Thursday, May 25, 10 a.m.
  • Sprayberry High School: Friday, May 26, 7 p.m.
  • Wheeler High School: Saturday, May 27, 2:30 p.m.

Three school days remain in the 2022-23 academic year in the Cobb school district. All school levels will have early release on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Schools will release students, and buses will run, as follows:

  • High Schools, 11:30 a.m.
  • Elementary Schools, 12:30 p.m.
  • Middle Schools, 1:30 p.m.

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New principals named at Sedalia Park ES, Mountain View ES

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Katie Derman, Mountain View ES principal
Dr. Katie Derman

The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday formalized the appointments of two principals at East Cobb elementary schools as part of broader personnel changes for the 2023-24 school year.

They include the appointment of Dr. Katie Derman to succeed the retiring Renee Garris as principal at Mountain View Elementary School.

Derman has been the principal at Picketts Mill Elementary School in Acworth, and previously was an assistant principal there.

She also served as a special education teacher in the Cherokee County School District.

Sedalia Park Elementary School also will be getting a new principal in August. Principal Tiffany Jackson has been reassigned to Sanders Elementary School in Austell, and her successor will be William Dryden.

He has been the principal at Frey Elementary School in Acworth, and one of his previous teaching assignments was at Brumby Elementary School.

Both Derman and Dryden will begin their new duties on July 1, when the fiscal year 2024 starts in the Cobb County School District.

William Dryden, Sedalia Park ES principal
William Dryden

Sedalia Park assistant principal Rachel Kaliah has been promoted to principal at Austell Elementary School and also will begin that appointment on July 1.

The Cobb school district also promoted Sherri Hill, its chief leadership officer, to the position of chief of staff to the superintendent.

She succeeds Kevin Daniel, who is retiring. Hill’s replacement will be Dr. Jasmine Kullar, who has been an assistant superintendent for middle schools in West Cobb.

The school board also approved Superintendent Chris Ragsdale’s recommendations to extend the contracts of other members of his cabinet for another year.

They include Chief Strategy and Accountability officer John Floresta, Chief Technology and Operations officer Marc Smith, Chief Financial Officer Brad Johnson, Chief Academic Officer Catherine Mallanda and Chief Human Resources officer Keeli Bowen.

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Cobb superintendent responds to Cupid’s ‘derogatory’ comments

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During his monthly remarks to the Cobb Board of Education Thursday, Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale lashed out at a county elected official for school-related comments she made at a recent public event.Cobb superintendent responds to Cupid's 'derogatory' remarks

His target wasn’t any of the seven board members seated around him, but the head of Cobb County government.

Ragsdale was in attendance earlier this month at the Cobb Prayer Breakfast when Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid spoke, giving a mini-county update from her perspective that included a passing reference to schools.

“We have top businesses here and excellent schools for most of us,” Cupid said near the end of the May 4 prayer breakfast, but did not elaborate on the latter.

Cupid, who served two terms as the District 4 commissioner in South Cobb before her election as chairwoman in 2021, has homeschooled her two children.

Ragsdale called the comments “derogatory” and added that some on his staff asked him if he would respond.

“I do not believe that such negativity, especially at a prayer breakfast, deserves a response,” he said, reading from a prepared statement, and referenced Cobb high school valedictorian grade-point average differences from 2022.

“That being said, I will pose this question: Do you know what the difference is between the valedictorian at, stay, Pebblebrook and the valedictorian at Allatoona? About 0.3. . . .

“Or say the valedictorian at South Cobb and the valedictorian at Walton? That would be about 0.23. With one going to Georgia Tech and one going to Duke.

“These are just small examples that show that all of our schools provide an excellent education to all of our students,” Ragsdale said.

“Perhaps instead of hijacking a prayer breakfast to issue a politically-charged statement, one should just remember to do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

UPDATED, MONDAY, MAY 22:

We got this response late Sunday evening from Cupid:

“I am grateful Superintendent Ragsdale shares commitment to the success of our county which includes ameliorating existing disparities where data and observation may indicate opportunity for improvement. I have been and will continue to be a champion and partner where our interests overlap.”

According to Cobb real estate records, shortly after her election as chairwoman in early 2021, Cupid and her husband purchased a home with a Mableton address but that is in the Vinings Estates area of the city of Smyrna, the Campbell High School cluster and Cobb commission District 2.

They previously had been living in a home in Mableton, not far from Six Flags and in the Pebblebrook cluster, according to real estate records.

In recent months, Cupid has brought several former antagonists of Ragsdale and the Cobb County School District into county government.

She hired former Mableton Elementary School counselor Jennifer Susko for a short-term diversity role earlier this year, and appointed former school board member Jaha Howard to the Cobb Transit Advisory Board.

Susko resigned her job with the Cobb school district in 2021 after being highly critical of the Cobb school district’s handling of various racial issues, including the school board’s vote to ban the teaching of critical race tbeory and the district’s refusal to take up “anti-racist” and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.

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Cobb school board adopts FY 2024 budget; Banks votes present

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The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday adopted a $1.448 billion fiscal year 2024 budget Thursday with a property tax rate reduction and a generous pay raise for teachers and other employees.Cobb school board adopts FY 2024 budget

But it wasn’t unanimous.

Board member and vice chairman David Banks, a Republican from Post 5 in East Cobb, voted present after expressing concerns about rising tax assessments.

The Cobb County School District’s millage rate is going down for the first time in 15 years, from 18.9 mills to 18.7 mills.

But that wasn’t enough for Banks, whose six colleagues all voted to adopt the budget.

Cobb property tax assessments for 2023 have gone out in the last week, with Cobb Tax Assessor Stephen White acknowledging that the “vast majority” of homeowners will have higher assessments than last year.

As he questioned Cobb school district Chief Financial Officer Brad Johnson, Banks referenced rising assessments by as much as 46 percent.

Although the largest portion of a typical Cobb homeowner’s tax bill is for schools—except for those receiving the senior tax exemption—assessments are conducted by the Cobb Tax Assessor’s office and are based on fair market value and other factors.

“I have some concerns about this budget,” Banks said, addressing Johnson. “Would you acknowledge that this is the largest tax increase the school district has ever had?”

Johnson hesitated for a moment before responding by reminding Banks of the millage rate cut, which is resulting in a savings of $7.6 million this year in property tax revenues, “and over five and 10 years much more than that.”

Banks said in spite of that, “it’s still the largest tax increase in the school’s history,” withing citing a source, “correct?”

Johnson replied that “I characterize it as a millage decrease. If you have a home that’s worth more [in the form of a higher assessment], you will pay more. If you have a home that’s worth less, you’ll pay less.”

Banks continued that “the taxpayer is going to see a huge increase in their taxes this year, correct?”

Johnson reiterated that “it depends on how much their home is worth, and it depends on how the tax assessor values it.”

Banks said he wanted to see the tax rate cut by 0.5 mills.

“I’m a fiscal conservative Republican, and I’m going to vote accordingly,” he said.

One of his fellow fiscal conservative Republican colleagues was aghast.

“Wow,” said Randy Scamihorn of Post 1 in north and west Cobb, right after Banks finished his remarks. “I didn’t know that giving back money was going to create complaints. We need to be prudent and make sure we can cover the basics, make sure that we are competitive in salaries with our teachers and support staff. We’re doing good things.”

In the FY 2024 budget, which takes effect July 1, full-time employees will receive salary increases between 7.5 percent and 12.1 percent, and the Cobb school district would hire an additional 11 officers for its police department, which currently has 70 officers.

Banks, who is in the last year of his fourth term, has not announced if he will be seeking re-election in Post 5, which includes the Walton, Wheeler and Pope high school clusters.

Two candidates who have declared their candidacy for the Post 5 seat, Democrat Laura Judge and Republican John Cristadoro, both addressed the school board Thursday before the budget vote in approval of the proposed spending plan.

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Gritters Library to close June 17 for reconstruction of new site

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Gritters Library reopening
The Gritters Library branch opened in Shaw Park in 1973, funded by the county’s first library bond issue.

In less than a month the longstanding Gritters Library branch in Northeast Cobb will be closing for good.

The Cobb County Public Library System announced the closing date on Thursday, two months after the Cobb Board of Commissioners finalized a $9.8 million contract for a rebuilding of the branch that’s also to include the Northeast Cobb Community Center.

The final day of service for Gritters is Saturday, June 17, with the doors shuttering forever at 5 p.m.

Both facilities are located at Shaw Park, and the new building will more than double in size from the present Gritters, to around 15,000 square feet.

Gritters patrons will be served by the Mountain View Regional Library (3330 Sandy Plains Road) during the closure. An estimated opening date for the new facility has not been announced.

Gritters opened in November 1973 in Shaw Park, built with funding from Cobb’s first library bond issue (that bond issue also funded the East Marietta Library, which was replaced by the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center in 2019).

But as the surrounding community has grown—the library system estimates Gritters serves a population of 62,000 and nearly a dozen schools—the tiny branch has been overloaded.

The Gritters rebuild project was included in the 2016 Cobb SPLOST, with $6.8 million originally budgeted for the library and $1.2 million for the community center. Initially plans called for renovations, but county officials later determined that a complete rebuild was needed for the aging, outdated branch.

There was a groundbreaking event for the new Gritters in late 2021 after Cobb received a $1.9 million capital outlay grant from the Georgia Public Library Services.

But construction costs have soared since then, and efforts to start construction appeared to have stalled last fall, with a $2.5 million shortfall.

In March, county staff proposed filling that gap with $1 million in funding from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, $1.2 million for the community center from the 2022 SPLOST Shaw Park Repurpose project, and $719,000 in savings comes from 2011 SPLOST library projects and fiscal year 2023 library system capital projects.

Gritters will serve as a hub for CobbWorks workforce development programs. The ARPA funding included a $3.7 million earmark for CobbWorks, which was planning to expand into Gritters beforehand.

In addition to CobbWorks, Gritters has partnerships with the Northeast Cobb Business Association, SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) and nearby higher educational institutions.

Gritters Library project to proceed
The new Gritters facility will house a library, the Northeast Cobb Community Center and workforce development, job skills and lifelong learning programs.

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East Cobb Weekend Events: Greek Festival; Garden Tour; more

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Marietta Greek Festival

One of East Cobb’s most savory events—the Marietta Greek Festival—headlines a full weekend of community events and activities.

The Greek Festival, which is sponsored by and takes place at Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church (3431 Trickum Road), is a celebration of Greek food, faith and culture (full info here).

In addition to tasty dishes and dancing, there will be church tours, games for kids and adults and a marketplace. Proceeds benefit church projects and community charities.

Festival hours are 4-10:30 Friday, 11-10:30 Saturday and 11-4 Sunday. Admission is $5; 12 and under are free. There’s limited parking on-site, but shuttles will be running from between Simpson Middle School (3340 Trickum Road), Mountain View Elementary School (3151 Sandy Plains Road) and the Church of Latter-Day Saints (3155 Trickum Road, Friday and Saturday only).

There’s some rain in the forecast Saturday, but it shouldn’t dampen the Cobb Master Gardeners Spring Home Garden Tour, which will feature five homes in East Cobb for self-guided tours, as well as the Jean and Elwood Wright Environmental Education Center. (2661 Johnson Ferry Road).

The tours will go on rain or shine; costs range between $21-$25 and admission is free for ages 17 and under.

Pet owners can enjoy discounted services for cats and dogs on Sunday at the Good Mews Animal Foundation Microchip and Vaccination Clinic. The hours are 10-4 at the shelter (3805 Robinson Road) with costs ranging from $10-$25.

You’re asked to book an appointment online by clicking here before you stop by; for information e-mail vaxclinic@goodmews.org.

Also on Sunday, it’s the spring concert of the Cobb Wind Symphony, an all-volunteer orchestra that will perform at 6 p.m. at the Lassiter High School Concert Hall (2601 Shallowford Road).

The show is themed “Dance, Dance, Dance” and pieces include symphonic dances from “Fiddler on the Roof” and works by Duke Ellington, the Beach Boys, Whitney Houston and Glenn Miller.

The cost is free but donations are accepted.

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East Cobb Food Scores: Cafe Rivkah; Mezza Luna; more

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Cafe Rivkah, Taste of East Cobb

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

Cafe Rivkah
2100 Roswell Road, Suite 2104
May 17, 2023 Score: 93, Grade: A

Garrison Mill Elementary School
4111 Wesley Chapel Road
May 16, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

Kincaid Elementary School
1410 Kincaid Road
May 15, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

McCleskey Middle School
4080 Maybreeze Road
May 15, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

Mezza Luna Pasta & Seafood
2100 Roswell Road, Suite 2198
May 16, 2023 Score: 81, Grade: B

Sprayberry High School
2525 Sandy Plains Road
May 15, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

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Cobb judge rules Methodist churches can have disaffiliation votes

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Ga. Methodist churches sue to restore disaffiliation process
Mountain View UMC in East Cobb is one of the plaintiffs suing the North Georgia Conference.

A Cobb Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday that nearly 200 congregations in the United Methodist Church’s North Georgia Conference can proceed with disaffiliation votes.

The ruling by Judge Stephen Shuster came after an emergency hearing in a packed courtroom.

A total of 186 member churches of the North Georgia Conference filed a lawsuit in March against the denomination’s regional body after it initiated a “pause” on the disaffiliation process.

More than 70 North Georgia Conference churches left the UMC last summer after going through the disaffiliation process, following a high-profile legal dispute with Mt. Bethel Church that led to the East Cobb congregation’s departure in a $13.1 million settlement.

(You can read the lawsuit here.)

The North Georgia Conference said the pause was needed to quell “misinformation” about the disaffiliation process.

The United Methodist Church has been roiling in division for several years on a number of social and cultural issues, including human sexuality and other theological issues.

The plaintiffs filed for the emergency hearing due to the North Georgia Conference’s upcoming annual convention, June 1-3, at which disaffiliation is expected to be a major topic.

The conference has 800 congregations, including several in East Cobb.

One of the plaintiffs, Mountain View UMC, located at Jamerson Road and Trickum Road, had requested a disaffiliation vote after holding a discernment period last fall, with church members hearing the pros and cons of leaving the denomination.

But the church said that vote was denied by Bishop Robin Dease, who succeeded former Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, who issued the pause before leaving in December for another UMC post in Virginia.

East Cobb News has left a message with Mountain View UMC seeking comment.

The North Georgia Conference said Wednesday that it “is exploring our opportunity to appeal” and was still waiting to receive Shuster’s full court order before deciding further action.

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Cobb school board scheduled to adopt FY 2024 budget

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The Cobb Board of Education will hold a final public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2024 operating budget Thursday before voting on adoption later in the evening.Campbell High School lockdown

A public budget forum will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the board room of the CCSD central office (514 Glover St., Marietta), followed by a vote at the board’s voting meeting at 7 p.m.

Last month Cobb County School District Chris Ragsdale proposed a $1.4 billion budget (detailed numbers here) that includes a slight millage rate decrease, from 18.9 mills to 18.7 mills, due to rising property tax assessments.

Full-time employees would receive salary increases between 7.5 percent and 12.1 percent, and the Cobb school district would hire an additional 11 officers for its police department, which currently has 70 officers. 

If approved, the millage rate reduction would be the first change in the general fund property tax rate for the Cobb school district in nearly 15 years.

The 2024 fiscal year begins July 1. 

The school board will meet at 2 p.m. in a work session that includes an update on the Cobb school district’s demographics.

An executive session follows the work session. Agendas for the public meetings can be found by clicking here.

At the evening session, the recognitions will include the boys soccer team at Lassiter High School, which won the Georgia High School Association Class 6A state championship.

The open meetings also will be live-streamed on the Cobb County School District’s BoxCast channel and on CobbEdTV, Comcast Channel 24.

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Cobb strategic plan draft makes exclusionary zoning reference

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East Cobb real estate outlook
Most subdivisions in East Cobb were developed on property that allows only single-family residential use. ECN file. 

The draft of the Cobb County Five-Year Strategic Plan was released last week, and the second of two public hearings before the Cobb Board of Commissioners is scheduled for May 23.

The plan, which will help set county government policy and goals from 2023-2028, recommends strategies “for achieving success indicators,” as the study’s consultants have phrased it, that for the most part are not very controversial.

But one of those recommendations under the housing category could prove to become a subject of interest as the county continues to gather feedback.

The plan’s three “success indicators” for housing include aiming for an “adequate quantity and availability of housing types.”

One of the recommended strategies under that section is to develop a process to “evaluate and adapt land use policies that promote exclusionary zoning and inhibit a variety of housing options across the County.”

Exclusionary zoning is the practice of allowing only certain kinds of zoning categories in certain areas, and has come up frequently in communities across the country—especially suburban ones—in regard to affordable housing in recent years.

Shortly after the Biden Administration took office the White House issued comments about exclusionary zoning  along similar lines, saying that such practices “drive up housing prices, poorer families are kept out of wealthier, high-opportunity neighborhoods. This, in turn, leads to worse outcomes for children, including lower standardized test scores, and greater social inequalities over time.”

Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid has mentioned affordable housing frequently, including at a contentious town hall meeting last summer in East Cobb when she said that “people who work here should be able to afford to live here.”

In recent years, a number of local and state governments have acted to limit or ban exclusionary zoning, as it has been described by some activists as racially and economically discriminatory.

Such bans have been approved in California, and there’s a proposal in New York state to do the same. Similar measures also have been adopted in Minneapolis and Arlington, Va.

There’s no such language suggesting or proposing a ban in the Cobb strategic plan draft, which goes onto to recommend that other strategies to address affordable housing include setting a countywide housing mix goal, and to ensure that a proposed Unified Development Code, should that be approved, “enable a variety of housing types.”

Atlanta became the first city in Georgia to ban exclusionary zoning in 2017, and a year later Brookhaven created an “inclusionary” zoning code and outlawed short-term rentals.

Housing data included in the strategic plan draft indicates that Cobb has a median gross rent of $1,367 a month and a nedian home value of $263,150.

The strategic plan draft was prepared by Accenture LLP, which the county is paying $1.45 million. A proposal to provide another $285,000 and a time extension was dropped last month by commissioners, who said they would hold extra meetings and feedback sessions instead.

The plan is designed to give policy makers a long-term (10- to 20-year) vision for meeting those future service needs, in addition to the more immediate 5-year range.

The draft submitted by Accenture includes seven topic, or “strategic outcome” areas—community development, economic development, governance, housing, infrastructure, mobility and transportation and public safety.

The public can comment on the strategic plan by e-mailing: StrategicPlan@cobbcounty.org.

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Post Oak Tritt Road subdivision rezoning request withdrawn

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The Power-Jackson Cabin is one of the last one-room log cabins in Cobb dating back to the 1840s. Photo: David Seibert for Historical Marker Database

A week after the Cobb Planning Commission voted to hold a subdivision request on Post Oak Tritt Road that drew community opposition, the applicant has withdrawn the proposal without prejudice.

Attorney Parks Huff asked for the withdrawal in a letter dated May 12 to the Cobb Zoning Office, but didn’t specify a reason, other than referring to “issues raised during the pendency of the application.”

East Cobb News has left a message with Huff seeking more information.

A request by Kenneth B. Clary, the landowner, to rezone 13.38 acres at 4701 Post Oak Tritt Road near McPherson Road for homes adjacent to the Clary Lakes subdivision was first made last fall, but didn’t get a first hearing until April.

The Cobb Planning Commission voted for a continuance then, after Clary sought rezoning from R-30 to R-15, and with nearby residents concerned about responsibility for repairing two dams on the lake.

The Cobb Zoning office recommended an R-20 designation, which would allow 18 homes.

But historic preservation activists also had issues with the rezoning. The site includes the Power-Jackson Cabin, one of the last one-room log structures left in Cobb County.

It dates back to the 1840s, and the Cobb Landmarks Society wanted the applicant to pay for relocation expenses to the Hyde Farm property in East Cobb.

Also at the April hearing, preservationists mentioned a cemetery on the site that Clary’s representatives said they weren’t aware of.

At the May 2 Planning Commission hearing, Jimi Richards of the Cobb Cemetery Preservation Commission cited a book about the early history of Cobb County (up to 1932), indicating a young mother, part of the Power family, died there nearly 140 years ago giving birth, and she is buried there with her baby twins.

He asked for the delay for the applicant to hire an archaeologist, per county code, to conduct a survey to discover if, and where, they may be resting.

Joe Ovbey, who lives in an adjacent home on Post Oak Tritt, said his family has known the Clarys for decades.

“I’ve been shown where those graves are for many years,” he said earlier this month.

The planning commission motion to hold the case included provisions for a community meeting between the applicant and nearby residents, a third-party analysis of the possible graves and further addressing dam and stormwater issues.

When an zoning applicant withdraws a request without prejudice, it can refile at any time. Cases that are denied or that are withdrawn with prejudice cannot be refiled for at least a year.

Post Oak Tritt zoning case delayed
The nearly 14 acres owned by Kenneth B. Clary at Post Oak Tritt and McPherson roads (inside the blue lines) is located just east of Tritt Elementary School.

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East Cobb man sentenced for shooting at neighbors, police

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An East Cobb man who engaged with a standoff with police and shot at officers and neighbors in a 2020 incident was given a 35-year sentence, the Cobb District Attorney’s office said Tuesday.East Cobb man sentenced shooting at police

The DA’s office said Donald Terry Welborn, Jr., must serve the first 18 of those years in prison in a sentence handed down by Cobb Superior Court Judge Ann Harris.

In a news release, the DA’s office said Welborn, now 60, pleaded guilty to nine counts of aggravated assault on police officers, three counts of aggravated assault on civilians and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Welborn was arrested by Cobb Police on Sept. 22, 2020, at a home on Kingsley Drive in the New Castle neighborhood off Post Oak Tritt Road after a standoff lasting several hours.

According to police, Welborn’s wife and daughter reported that Welborn began shooting inside the home around 5:30 a.m., saying he was intoxicated, and struck a ceiling fan and a ceiling.

Police arrived and closed off the neighborhood. They said said the women escaped the home unharmed, but Welborn remained inside, firing at two nearby homes.

When police reached the home, according to the DA’s office, officers tried to talk him into coming outside, but he initially refused, and began shooting at them “with multiple firearms over a short period of time.

“Officers had to duck behind vehicles as projectiles whizzed by their heads, striking treetops, the asphalt roadway, and houses,” the DA’s office release said.

The Cobb Police SWAT team took over the scene and Welborn surrendered peacefully after several hours.

The DA’s office said the investigation also determined that one of neighbors, a family with two parents and two children, “hid in a closet, terrified, for hours during the standoff.

“One bullet from a high-powered rifle struck their aquarium located in their living room, killing the fish and flooding the area. In total, detectives located 68 spent shell casings of various calibers, 32 guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.”

Welborn was indicted in May 2021 by a Cobb grand jury after his attorney unsuccessfully tried to get him transferred to a mental health court.

Cobb court records indicate that one of the women, Susan Welborn, was Welborn’s wife, but they had been separated. She filed for divorce in Cobb Superior Court on the same day of the shootings.

Court records show that those proceedings are continuing.

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