Front row left to right: East Side Elementary Youth Essay Contest winners Cameron Courant (5th grade), Stella Eagen (4th grade), Polly Funk (4th grade) and Gianna Sitaf (3rd grade). Back row left to right: Ryan Behrens (Community Development, Delta Community), Jessica Williams (Assistant Branch Manager/Johnson Ferry Road, Delta Community) and Maria Clark (Principal).
Four students from East Side Elementary School in East Cobb were named recipients of the 2023 Delta Community Credit Union Youth Essay Contest in April.
The contest, held in April in recognition of National Credit Union Youth Month, was open to third, fourth, and fifth graders, and 21 students from metro Atlanta schools were chosen. Delta Community received more than 130 entries and selected seven winners from each grade level.
The East Side students are third-grader Gianna Sitaf, fourth-graders Stella Eagen and Polly Funk and fifth-grader Cameron Courant.
Each of the recipients was awarded a $100 youth savings account. Here’s more from Delta Community about the essay content:
“Winning essays included responses from students that said they would save money for altruistic causes like donating to the National Brain Tumor Society, building a wildfire refuge for animals, or providing necessities for those in need. Another student said they would save money to build a school, and another would save to pay for college.”
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Ebenezer Downs contains a lake that’s been used by the public for fishing. ECN file photo.
Nearly three years after a master plan was approved for a new passive park in Northeast Cobb, the project is getting closer to getting underway.
On Tuesday the Cobb Board of Commissioners will be asked to approve a design contract for what’s been named Ebenezer Downs Park.
It’s located on Ebenezer Road near Canton Road and contains 18 acres the county purchased in 2018 with proceeds from the 2008 Cobb Parks Bond referendum.
Funding for the design and construction comes from the 2022 Cobb SPLOST (Special Local-Option Sales Tax).
According to an agenda item (you can read it here), $3 million has been earmarked for the entire project, and $544,828 has been spent, primarily for the master plan.
Its features include a fishing lake and lakeside pavilion, walking trails, a playground and a 30-space parking lot. One of the former homes on the site would be used for small events, including wedding receptions and private parties, and public restroom facilities would be built.
The entry to the park would be aligned with the Ebenezer Road entrance to Noonday Baptist Church.
Two companies bid for the design contract, with WSP USA Environment & Infrastructure, Inc. the low bidder at $218,625.
But the agenda item states that a selection committee voted to award the contract to Pond & Company, which bid $238,450, as it was the “top-ranking firm.”
Included in the design contract are cost estimating, bidding assistance and construction administration services.
A timeline for completing the work wasn’t included. Once the design project is finished, commissioners will have to approve a construction contract separately.
For a larger view of the Ebenezer Downs Park master plan, click here.
Also on Tuesday, commissioners will get an update on the county’s memorandum of understanding with the Atlanta Braves about Truist Park and The Battery and conduct a public hearing on the county’s proposed strategic plan.
They also will be asked to approve a recommended ranking of the top three qualified firms to conduct a disparity study of the county’s procurement policies.
The meeting starts at 9 a.m. at the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta). You can read through the full agenda by clicking here.
You also can watch on the county’s website and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.
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Unicyclists from Mt. Bethel Elementary School are a regular feature at the EAST COBBER magazine parade. ECN file photo.
EAST COBBER magazine announced this week that it’s resuming its signature parade and community festival this year after a nearly four-year hiatus.
A message on the magazine’s website said the event date is Saturday, Sept. 9, with the parade marching off from Mt. Bethel Elementary School at 10 a.m. and down Johnson Ferry Road to Johnson Ferry Baptist Church. where the festival continues until 5 p.m.
It will mark the 25th staging of the festival, which along with the parade hasn’t been held since 2019 due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the sale of the magazine last year from founder Cynthia Rozzo to Laren Brown, the publication’s former advertising representative.
Rozzo started the magazine in 1993 and began the parade in 1995.
After the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, the magazine went from publishing 11 times a year to six times a year. At the start of 2023, the EAST COBBER began publishing again on a monthly basis, with a combined June/July issue.
Mt. Bethel Christian Academy will hold its inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony next Friday, May 12.
The first inductee is Roger Kaiser, who helped establish the school’s athletics program in 2003 and served as its first boys basketball coach.
The event takes place at 7:45 p.m. on Friday, May 12, following MBCA’s Baccalaureate ceremony in the library of the Lower and Middle Schools campus (4385 Lower Roswell Road).
The creation of the Athletics Hall of Fame comes as Mt. Bethel Christian marks its 25th anniversary.
Kaiser served in his dual roles at Mt. Bethel until his retirement in 2018.
Mt. Bethel Christian began its sports programs with the middle school grades, then expanded when the academy began high school classes in 2014.
The Upper Campus is located at 2509 Post Oak Tritt Road, where a new athletics complex is being built. After competing in a private Christian athletic association, Mt. Bethel’s varsity high school teams now participate in the Georgia High School Association.
Football teams were added at Mt. Bethel two years ago for fifth and sixth grade students, and in the current year two teams were formed with fourth-through-eighth grade students.
Kaiser is a former basketball star at Georgia Tech who also served as athletics director at Life University.
He is a member of the Georgia Tech, Life and West Georgia sports halls of fame and the Georgia and Indiana basketball halls of fame.
Those interested in attending the hall of fame ceremony are asked to RSVP@mtbethelchristian.org.
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Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar returns as one of the participating restaurants in the Taste of East Cobb Saturday.
The weather is predicted to be perfect for many of the events on our weekend calendar, in East Cobb and beyond, as May swings in full gear.
As we’ve been noting in recent weeks, the Taste of East Cobb is back Saturday from 11-5 at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road), with savory bites, the smooth sounds of Walton High School jazz bands and plenty of family-oriented fun and entertainment.
Parking and admission are free; you purchase the food tickets. All proceeds go to the Walton Band Parent Association to support the school’s band programs.
For the first time, East Cobb News will have a booth at the festival as a gold sponsor, and we’re thrilled to be involved. Stop by, say hello and pick up some ECN swag!
More spring plant sales are continuing this weekend, with the Sope Creek Garden Club Plant Sale on Saturday from 9-4 at Temple Kol Emeth (1415 Old Canton Road). Admission is free, and hundreds of plants and shrubs from members’ gardens will be on sale.
Garden baskets will be raffled off, and decorative garden items, plant stands and bird houses also will be sold.
And a couple of things going on at East Cobb Park (3322 Roswell Road) this weekend:
On Saturday, the Cobb County Water System will have a Sewell Mill Creek Cleanup event from 10-12:30. All the equipment will be provided; you should come with waterproof clothing and closed-toe shoes.
On Sunday, a second consecutive Music in the Park concert takes place from 4-6, featuring the local duo The Woody’s. It’s rescheduled from a postponement in April and is sponsored by Wellstar. Bring your own food, blankets/chairs, pets and friends/family and enjoy Fleetwood Mac and rock covers, among other popular tunes.
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An Atlanta man was given a life sentence this week after a Cobb Superior Court jury found him guilty of raping a woman in her apartment in the East Cobb area.
The Cobb District Attorney’s office said that Cam Melikoglu, 34, must serve 25 years in prison and will be on probation for the rest of his life following the sentencing by Judge Julie Adams Jacobs.
According to the DA’s office, Melikoglu was at a home on Aug. 3, 2020, for drinks and dinner with friends that included two women who are sisters.
Prosecutors said that the victim became heavily intoxicated and her sister took her to her apartment off Wylie Road.
The victim’s sister and Melikoglu messaged each other on Instagram, with Melikoglu saying he wanted to check on them “due to some tension between others at the party,” the DA’s office said.
Melikoglu arrived at the victim’s apartment and her sister let him stay there overnight because it was late, the DA’s office said.
According to his arrest warrant, the attack took place around 3 a.m.
Prosecutors said sometime during the night Melikoglu went into the victim’s bedroom and raped her while she was passed out, and when she woke up he was still in her bed.
The DA’s office said her injuries were “consistent with sexual assault” and his DNA was present. After an investigation by the Marietta Police Department, Melikoglu was charged with rape and was indicted on that felony count.
At the trial, the victim, now 30, testified, according to the DA’s office, as did her sister and others at the party. The jury returned a guilty verdict earlier this week.
“This defendant is a predator. He saw an opportunity and he took it,” Cobb assistant District Attorney Lindsey McClure-So said in a statement. “He thought because the victim was unconscious when he raped her that she wouldn’t say anything. The victim should be commended for her bravery to come forward with what happened to her and to give testimony in front of her rapist.”
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Cobb Police said Wednesday that they are assisting Atlanta Police and other law enforcement agencies in trying to apprehend a man whom they say shot at least five people at Midtown hospital, one fatally.
In a social media message posted around 3:15 p.m., Cobb Police said they have assigned officers in the search “after reports he may have come to Cobb County. Portions of Cobb County that border Atlanta may see heavier than normal presence.”
Cobb Police said in another message a few minutes later that “reports of a recovered carjacked vehicle near Campbell Middle School are not correct. We will update with information as it becomes available.”
Another message posted around 3:45 p.m. said the search was taking place in the Vinings, Cumberland and Truist Park areas.
At 4:25 p.m., Cobb Police said that “reports of shots fired at 200 Galleria Pkwy were a false alarm. No shots fired.”
The Smyrna Police Department posted a message shortly after 2 p.m. saying it had received “credible information that a vehicle possibly connected to the midtown shooting was seen in the area of Campbell Rd and Atlanta Rd.
“Officers responded to the area to assist in the search, but the vehicle was not there. Smyrna Police Department is continuing to work with other law enforcement agencies in this matter. If you see anything suspicious please call 911.”
At 4:45 p.m. the Cobb Sheriff’s Office said it had activated its SWAT unit to support Cobb Police search efforts.
The Cobb Police postings came shortly after Atlanta Police lifted a shelter-in-place order in the area around 1110 West Peachtree St.
That’s the address of the Northside Hospital Midtown campus.
Atlanta Police identified the suspect as Deion Patterson, 24, and released the accompanying photos, saying that as of 2:46 p.m. he was still at-large but believed he was no longer in the Midtown area.
“The suspect is believed to be armed and dangerous and should not be approached,” Atlanta Police said shortly before 2 p.m.
The shelter-in-place was ordered around 12:40 p.m. after shots rang out at the medical building.
Police said four of the shooting victims were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and the person who died was pronounced deceased at the scene.
A Grady official said at a press conference that three of the shooting victims taken to the hospital are in critical condition—two of them had been in surgery—and the other is in the emergency room.
Atlanta Police held a media briefing later Wednesday afternoon, and said a 39-year-old woman was killed, and that the other victims taken to Grady also are women, ages 25, 29, 56 and 71.
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A few other moves at The Avenue: The College Station store that was located in Suite 1520 near the Gap is now next to Lenscrafters in Suite 425; and Faced the Facial Studio has opened in Suite 200, between Warby Parker and the forthcoming Barnes and Noble bookstore.
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The Delta Community Credit Union has named Tina Nelson the new branch manager at its East Cobb location on Johnson Ferry Road.
She has nearly 24 years of banking and management experience and was previously a branch manager with the Bank of Montreal in her native Canada and the Regions Bank branch in Dallas, Ga., and was a mortgage loan officer with Security Mortgage Company prior to joining Delta Community.
Nelson moved to the U.S. in 2014 after her husband, an American military veteran, retired after serving at a local installation.
“I’m looking forward to incorporating my industry knowledge to bring a positive impact to our credit union team and our members in Marietta and Cobb County,” Nelson said.
Based in Atlanta, the Delta Community Credit Union has more than 484,000 members and nearly 30 locations in the metro area and north Georgia.
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A long-delayed request to build homes on property containing an historic 19th century cabin is being held again after the Cobb Planning Commission voted for a 30-day hold on Tuesday.
The 5-0 vote came after a lengthy discussion about a number of other issues—including stormwater, dam repair and traffic access issues—that weren’t resolved after the applicant submitted a revised site plan last month.
“It’s pretty clear to me that we don’t have enough information,” said Planning Commissioner David Anderson, who represents District 2, which includes the 13.38 acres at 4701 Post Oak Tritt Road.
The five-member board, appointed by members of the Cobb Board of Commissioners, voted to hold the request last month for similar reasons.
Kenneth Clary, the property owner, wants to sell the land adjacent to the Clary Lakes subdivision for what would be an 18-home development (case file here).
His property is currently zoned R-30, the lowest-density residential category in Cobb. After initially making an R-15 request, his attorney, Parks Huff, submitted an R-20 site plan per the recommendation of the Cobb Zoning Office.
Huff told the planning board that many of the outstanding issues mentioned by opponents can be resolved during the plan review process.
“Your job is to zone property,” he said. “You cannot say that R-20 is not a proper category for that property. Let’s not overthink this. Let’s put this in the proper zoning category and move on.”
But the requested zoning category wasn’t why opponents came forward.
Another outstanding issue is historic in nature, that being the possibility of three graves on the site located near the Power-Jackson Cabin, one of the last one-room structures left in the county dating from the 1840s.
Huff said his client knows of no human remains on the property.
But Jimmy 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.
The site plan submitted by Huff, according to Richards, doesn’t indicate anything about the location of the cabin or the possible graves.
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, urging that the rezoning be delayed.
Cobb Landmarks, an historic preservation non-profit, wants to have the cabin relocated to Hyde Farm, near other Powers family cabins.
The Power-Jackson Cabin includes Masonic markings on the chimney that are “why it wasn’t burned down during the Civil War,” Ovbie said.
More modern concerns also prompted the additional delay.
Richard Grome, president of the East Cobb Civic Association, said the new site plan “seems to have some of the same problems as the old one.”
One of the lots would not be accessible by the subdivision street at all, but via Post Oak Tritt Road.
other lots are included on a flood plain on the southern edge of the two Clary lakes. There also is a dam that is located on one of the lots.
When Anderson asked who would bear responsibility for repairing the dam, Huff indicated that it might not be a homeowners association but rather an individual property owner.
“We’re doing this the same way [as nearby subdivisions],” Huff said. “We’re doing it at a lower density.”
But Anderson wasn’t reassured by that response, nor some of the traffic access problems. His motion to delay 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.
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The LM Frame and Gallery is opening expanded gallery space at its existing location at the Shops of Woodlawn (1062 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 150) and will hold a special ribbon-cutting ceremony later this month to celebrate.
The ribbon-cutting, which is being held in association with the East Cobb Business Association, takes place on May 18 at 5:30 p.m. and the event will include a special art exhibit of local artists featuring Aboriginal works.
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.
New Businesses
The following businesses in East Cobb were granted licenses in April by the Cobb Community Development Agency:
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From May 1-Sept. 30, an outdoor burn ban is in effect in Cobb County.
Citizens may not burn leaves, tree limbs or other yard waste and forest land and may not use air curtain destructors for land clearing.
Cobb is one of 54 counties in Georgia with the outdoor burn ban, which includes unincorporated areas as well as the cities of Acworth, Kennesaw and Powder Springs.
Certain types of recreational fires and bonfires are permitted throughout the year, and there are restrictions that apply and some permits may be required.
Exempted from the burn ordinance are fires stemming from barbecue grills or pits, and outdoor fireplaces and similar devices that burn logs and clean wood.
For more information on permitted outdoor burning in Cobb, please click here.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid will deliver the annual State of the County address next Thursday, May 4, at 7 p.m. at the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre (548 S. Marietta Parkway).
She will continue her theme of “ALL IN for Cobb,” during the address, introducing individuals “demonstrating integrity, inclusiveness, investment in others, innovation, and intelligent decision-making for the county,” according to an announcement for the event.
It will be preceded by a reception at the adjacent Cobb Civic Center from 6:15 —7 p.m.
The address is free and open to the public, you’re asked to RSVP by clicking here.
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The Terrell Mill Tennis Center, located at Terrell Mill Park (480 Terrell Mill Road), is taking part in National Tennis Month events in May.
Cobb PARKS has scheduled a number of special activities across the county, including free clinics at the Terrell Mill Tennis Center.
The first is next Saturday, May 6, and its for kids ages 5-8. Kids Tennis in the Park will be broken into two age groups: ages 4-5 from 9-10 a.m. and ages 6-8 from 10-11 a.m.
There will be court games, raffles and refreshments and no experience is necessary. Registration is required and the deadline to sign up is May 4 by calling the Terrell Mill Tennis Center at 770-644-2771.
On May 18, the Terrell Mill Tennis Center’s Serve Fest takes place from 7—8:30 p.m and is open to all adults. The staff will conduct serving contests and challenges, and participants can enjoy refreshments, music and raffles.
Advance registration is required by calling 770-644-2771 by May 15, and space is limited.
Summer tennis and pickleball lessons at Terrell Mill Tennis Center and other county facilities is continuing, and you can browse through the schedule by clicking here.
To learn more about National Tennis Month, click here.
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The Loose Shoes Band returns to East Cobb Park Sunday, but rain is in the forecast.
From our calendar listings are some weekend events that will bring the month of April (and some predicted last-dash showers) to a close:
Saturday is expected to be warm and sunny all day, perfect for disposing of unwanted items at the Pope Band Recycling Day. Come by the Northeast Cobb YMCA (3010 Johnson Ferry Road) between 9-2 with your items (list of what’s accepted and not); cost is $10 per vehicle and extra disposal fees may apply for some items.
More plant sales are continuing, this Saturday near the Marietta Square. The Root House Plant Sale offers vintage and native Georgia plants for sale from 9-1 at the William Root House Museum and Garden (80 N. Marietta Parkway).
Bring your appetites and wear some good walking shoes all day Sunday at the Marietta Square, the venue once again for the 28th Taste of Marietta. It bills itself as the largest food festival in metro Atlanta, and from 11-7 you can nosh and enjoy live music, entertainment, kids’ fun and more.
The East Cobb restaurants on hand will be Alumni Cookie Dough, Jacobs Java Cafe, Smokehouse Q and The Freakin’ Incan. (Some of them will also be at The Taste of East Cobb next Saturday, and which East Cobb News is thrilled be involved in as a gold sponsor.)
There’s rain in the forecast on Sunday, when Music in the Park returns to East Cobb Park (3322 Roswell Road) from 4-6 p.m. If the weather cooperates, you’ll hear the cover tunes of the Loose Shoes Band, with a playlist ranging from classic rock, blues, pop and Motown to country music. Bring some food and blankets/chairs to the concert stage and dance away the rain.
Send Us Your News!
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., as well as community events.
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.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
When we posted earlier this year about a Barnes and Noble store coming to The Avenue East Cobb, quite a few readers mentioned that the community has a number of smaller, mostly independent bookstores.
For the last 10 years, there’s been an Independent Bookstore Day across the country on the last Saturday in April, and this Saturday three East Cobb stores will be taking part.
It’s the culmination of Independent Bookstore Week, as stores offer special discounts, prizes and other incentives, designed to help the moms and pops of the book retailing world to counter the dominance of Amazon and national chains.
Bookmiser (3822 Roswell Road), the Book Exchange (3932 Canton Road, Suite 230) have and All Things Inspirational (2745 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 156) are among the 20+ stores participating in the Georgia Indie Bookshop Hop, which also has store prizes and a grand prize.
Participants can purchase items from as many bookstores as they choose and submit their receipts to be entered into prize drawings.
Bookmiser (marking its 25th anniversary this year) and the Book Exchange have been in the community for a while. All Things Inspiration is a newcomer, expanding from its original Mableton location to The Corners Shopping Center last fall, and specializes in Christian-oriented books, Bibles, study materials, greeting cards and gifts.
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A reader saw our post last week about Lassiter High School senior Luke O’Malley being accepted to the U.S. Naval Academy and alerted us to another East Cobb student who’s going to the same institution.
He’s Kenneth Namango of Sprayberry High School, where he played varsity soccer, served as team captain and was named the Georgia High School Association’s Region 7-6A player of the year.
He was recently named a Senior Elite at Sprayberry (video here), and was involved in many academic and extracurricular activities, including the Computer Science Club, Shop With a Yellow Jacket, PTSA Craft Show and the Black Student Union.
Namango also was selected as Prom King and with having the Best Smile and being part of the Best Couple in the senior class.
His soccer awards also include being named to the Region 7-6A Academic All-Region team. Kenny sent us the above photo and the information below about how he came to be offered a chance to continue his educational and athletic careers at the U.S. Naval Academy:
I had been recruited by the Naval Academy’s Men’s Soccer staff at an ECNL Orlando showcase just before my high school season. They became interested in my leadership and soccer skills that I was able to show as I am the Captain of NASA TopHat’s Boys 2005/2004 ECNL team. The staff and I were able to get in contact and they expressed their interest in me and invited me on a visit. I went to the campus in Annapolis and absolutely loved it. I got to wake up early, go to classes and watch soccer practice almost as if I was a student athlete there. They also gave me a tour around campus and a little walk through Annapolis.
The Naval Academy likes people who can balance being a leader, being involved in their community, and having good academics. At Sprayberry I became captain of the Varsity team since my freshman year, did over 100+ hours of community service within the last two years, worked at Mcdonald’s on Barrett Parkway and Wing City on Windy Hill, and was able to maintain a 4.3 GPA taking all honors and AP classes.
With the combination of my recruitment by the Naval Academy’s Men’s soccer staff and my resume, I received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy. Along with being on the soccer team I seek to study computer science and am interested in choosing to be a Cyber Warfare Engineer as my career following my studies at the academy.
Send Us Your News!
Reader contributions always make East Cobb News better!
Let us 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.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
From L-R: Dhanya Naik, Wheeler High School PTSA; Steven Brown, Walton PTSA; Mrs. Margie Hatfield; Kinsley Brennen, Pope High School PTSA; Shraya Patel, Lassiter High School PTSA; Amanda Tubbs, Kell High School PTSA. Not pictured: Sebastian Jean Francois, Sprayberry High School PTSA. (East Cobb Council PTA)
The East Cobb Council PTA named its 2023 recipients of the Margie Hatfield Scholarship on Thursday at its general meeting at Walton High School.
Hatfield is a former ECC PTA president, and nearly 200 such scholarships have been awarded in the organization’s signature awards program bearing her name.
A $1,000 scholarship is awarded to one student at each of the six high schools in the East Cobb area that “honors the dedication and years of service given by Mrs. Hatfield to the youth of our council. In recognition of her volunteer involvement, the ECCC PTA Margie Hatfield Scholarship Fund awards deserving seniors who have made significant contributions to the community.”
The scholarship requires not only academic success, but asks that students “take on leadership roles within the community and service-based programs during their high school years.”
The 2023 recipients were selected from 25 applicants:
Amanda Tubbs, Kell High School, who is bound for the University of Georgia with plans to major in interior design;
Shraya Patel, Lassiter High School, who plans to attend Georgia Tech, studying management information systems;
Kinsley Brennen, Pope High School, who’s been accepted to Mississippi State University to study elementary education;
Sebastian Jean Francois, Sprayberry High School, who will be pursuing a degree in computer science at Cornell University;
Steven Brown, Walton High School, who will enroll at the University of Alabama with an intended major in business;
Dhanya Naik, Wheeler High School, who will be going to Georgia Tech to study biomedical engineering.
The East Cobb Council PTA is a non-profit made up of 35 PTA organizations to enrich the education of students. The ECC PTA also conducts a Reflections Art Contest, organizes community activities and raises funds for academic programs at its member schools.
Its business partners include MissQuito, Cyclebar East Cobb, My Ideal College, School of Rock East Cobb, Peace Love & Pizza; Mathnasium, Cactus Car Wash and East Cobb Tutoring Center.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The McAfee House, which was a Union general’s headquarters during the Civil War, would give way to a car wash at the intersection of Bells Ferry Road and Barrett Parkway. (Cobb Landmarks)
Two homes built in the 1840s—a decade after the creation of Cobb County—have stood the test of time.
The Power-Jackson Cabin on Post Oak Tritt Road and the McAfee House at Bells Ferry Road and Barrett Parkway have been the subject of considerable attention by historic preservation interests for a number of years.
But they stand on property being eyed by developers in areas of Northeast Cobb where there’s little undeveloped land remaining.
Two current rezoning cases will likely determine the fate of those historic buildings.
On Tuesday, the Cobb Planning Commission will hear for a second time a proposal to develop a subdivision on the Post Oak Tritt property after voting to hold it at their April hearing (case filings here).
In addition to community opposition for density and stormwater issues, the subject of the Power-Jackson Cabin is also a consideration.
It’s regarded as one of the last one-room cabins left in Cobb from that era, and is literally falling apart.
At the April Planning Commission hearing, an attorney for the applicant said the building is “uninhabitable” and urged for its relocation.
In a stipulation letter to the Cobb Zoning Office dated Monday (you can read it here), attorney Parks Huff said his client would provide Cobb Landmarks, a local historic preservation non-profit, access to the cabin “for research purposes” and to make it available for relocation or for preserving parts of the building.
In response to a message from East Cobb News, Cobb Landmarks executive director Trevor Beemon said his organization would like to relocate the Power-Jackson Cabin to Hyde Farm off Lower Roswell Road.
That’s where another 1840s-era cabin, the Power Cabin, has been preserved, and where another cabin in the Power family also sits.
A rezoning case on land where the McAfee House is located was to have been on Tuesday’s Planning Commission agenda.
It was the homestead of farmers Eliza and Robert McAfee, and was used as a Union Army general’s headquarters after the seizure of the Big Shanty during the Civil War. It also served as a field hospital after an 1864 engagement near what was called McAfee’s Crossroads.
Huff, also the attorney for that applicant, has asked for a delay to June (see case filings here).
His client is Tommy’s Express by Northgate, which wants to build a car wash on the two-acre site that’s across from Bells Ferry Elementary School and near a retail center with a Publix and a Barnes & Noble.
The Medford Family Limited Partnership, which owns the land, has wanted to sell for several years. Cobb Landmarks has been in talks since 2019 to find a way to relocate and preserve the land, but acknowledged that despite the designation of an historical marker (there’s also one at the Power-Jackson Cabin) “the house and land are not protected through local zoning or historic designation.”
Those discussions, with the landowner and potential developers, have not been successful, but Beemon said Thursday that efforts would continue “with the developer and a private individual to relocate the home to Marietta for restoration and use as a residence.”
Another East Cobb case that’s been delayed and that also won’t be heard Tuesday is a request to build a new standalone Starbucks at Paper Mill Village.
The Cobb Planning Commission hearing begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta), you can view the full agenda and individual case files by clicking here.
You also can watch on the county’s website and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.
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Police said four of the shooting victims were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and the person who died was pronounced deceased at the scene.
