East Cobb News

East Cobb man gets 10 years for child sexual exploitation

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Steven Porter, East Cobb man sentenced child sexual exploitation
Photo: Cobb County Sheriff’s Office

An East Cobb man was sentenced last week on child sexual exploitation charges after pleading guilty in Cobb Superior Court.

Steven D. Porter, 65, was given a 10-year sentence by Judge Gregory Poole and ordered to serve two years in prison, according to Cobb Superior Court records.

The Cobb District Attorney’s office said a jury trial call was scheduled for Porter’s case last Tuesday, Aug. 23, but he entered a guilty plea instead.

Porter was taken into custody in the courtroom and was held at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center before being transferred to the Georgia state prison system Thursday afternoon, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.

Porter was charged in April 2021 after Cobb Police executed a search warrant at his home and found on a thumb drive more than 300 photos and videos of children performing sexually explicit acts, according to his arrest warrant.

According to the arrest warrant, police sought the search warrant after someone uploaded sexually abusive material involving children to an IP address connected to a residence on Snowchase Way, located off Freeman Road near Johnson Ferry Road, between Aug. 2, 2016 and April 1, 2021.

Porter was released in April 2021 after posting an $11,200 bond, according to court records.

He was indicted on 10 counts of child sexual exploitation in October. According to the indictments, the photos and videos found at his home depicted children between the ages of 6 and 12, some posing nude, engaging in acts of intercourse and sodomy with adult males.

In Porter’s sentencing, all 10 counts were merged together, according to court records. Terms of his probation include no contact with minors, except for supervised visits with his biological grandchildren in the presence of adult family members.

In December, Porter requested a bond modification to allow for visitation with his seven grandchildren, who range in age from 3 to 10, according to court records.

Poole allowed Porter to have in-person and virtual visitations that required his wife and the children’s parents to be present at all times. His wife also was required to record the virtual calls with his grandchildren, the court records show.

After his release, Porter also will not be allowed to possess or subscribe to sexually oriented material and he cannot utilize a 900 phone number or rent a post office box or drop box without approval of a probation officer.

He also will be registered as a sex offender.

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Noshfest returns Labor Day weekend after two-year absence

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Noshfest
The playing of “Hava Nagila” is a long-standing tradition at Noshfest.

For the first time since 2019, Noshfest is a go.

The Jewish food and cultural festival at Temple Kol Emeth (1415 Old Canton Road) returns to its usual time slot—the Labor Day holiday weekend—in a format similar to pre-COVID.

After postponing the 2020 event to Spring 2021, organizers called that off too, and said the 2022 festival would take place in September.

The event, now in its 10th year, is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday.

Entry is free but you’re asked to bring two cans of food per family to be donated to MUST Ministries.

In addition to food vendors and cooking demonstrations, the schedule includes live entertainment, tours of the synagogue, a kids’ zone, crafts, face-painting and dancing.

Among the Noshfest food items include noodle kugel, potato knish, cheese blintz, bagels with cream cheese, Dr. Brown’s sodas, babka, halvah, pastrami and corned beef on rye and Hebrew National hot dogs.

The local food vendors include Alumni Cookie Dough, Bagelicious, Marietta Diner and Shish Kabob Mediterranean Grill.

You can find East Cobb News calendar listings in one handy place on our site. If you have events to share with the public, please e-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com and we will post them here.

 

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As prices fall, Ga. gas tax suspension extended into October

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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has again extended a suspension of the state’s gas tax that was due to expire this month.

Georgia gas tax suspension extendedInstead, he is continuing the suspension of the 29-cents-a-gallon tax for gasoline and 32-cents-a-gallon for diesel through Oct. 12. The suspension has been in place since March, and has been extended several times before.

Although gasoline prices continue to fall—to under $3.50 a gallon in many parts of East Cobb—Kemp cited continuing inflation elsewhere and supply chain issues.

Kemp, a Republican who is seeking re-election in November, blamed Democrats in Congress and said that “we can’t fix everything Washington has broken, but we can use the resources we have as a result of our responsible budgeting to keep more money in the pockets of hardworking Georgians.”

His announcement comes right before the Labor Day holiday weekend, and the new extension approaches the elections.

Stacey Abrams, Kemp’s Democratic opponent, has urged that he extend the gas tax suspension through the end of the year.

She hasn’t issued a statement on the latest extension, but when Kemp renewed the extension in August, she accused him of refusing “to provide Georgians with the stability they deserve and commit to a full-year suspension.”

The Georgia Department of Revenue estimates that the state gas taxes raise around $150 million a month for road maintenance projects.

Georgia motorists still pay a federal gas tax of 18 cents a gallon.

According to AAA-The Auto Club Group, Georgia’s gas prices are among the lowest in the country, as are most Southern states.

The current statewide average of $3.38 a gallon is “5 cents less than a week ago, 44 cents less than a month ago, and 43 cents more than this time last year,” AAA noted on Monday.

Metro Atlanta’s average of $3.43 a gallon is among the highest areas in the state.

In early June, the statewide average was $4.49 a gallon.

The most expensive state for gas is California, which averages $5.25 cents a gallon.

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East Cobb Restaurant Update: Flying Biscuit reopening set

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East Cobb Flying Biscuit reopening

The Flying Biscuit Cafe at Parkaire Landing has been closed since mid-August due to what the company is saying is an ownership and management change.

The new proprietors have been hiring staff and have been off-site for training, according to a Flying Biscuit social media post.

They have announced a reopening date of Sept. 12. We’ve contacted the company for more information on what’s behind the changes and what customers can expect when they return.

This is Flying Biscuit’s second stint in the East Cobb area. The 3,000-square-foot Parkaire location opened in March 2021 in the former La Vida Massage space after a delay of more than a year due to COVID-19. 

Flying Biscuit left East Cobb in 2010 in a freestanding space at Woodlawn Commons now occupied by Chase Bank.

The Atlanta-based breakfast and lunch chain has 12 restaurants in metro Atlanta and another in Athens, five in North Carolina, four in South Carolina, two each in Alabama and Florida and one in Texas. 

Cobb Foodie Week set

Several East Cobb restaurants are taking part in Cobb Foodie Week, a promotion of Cobb Travel & Tourism that takes place from Sept. 10-17.

The restaurants establish their own specials, discounts and menu options. The East Cobb participants include the following:

  • Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar
  • Camps Kitchen and Bar
  • Catfish Hox
  • Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar
  • J. Christopher’s East Lake
  • McCray’s Tavern
  • Seed Kitchen and Bar
  • Taqueria Tsunami
  • Tin Lizzy’s Cantina
  • Williamson Bros. BBQ

For more information, visit the Cobb Foodie Week website.

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Commissioner to hold virtual meeting on Cobb code amendments

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Cobb commissioner virtual meeting code amendments
Jerica Richardson

Cobb commissioner Jerica Richardson’s latest “Community Huddle”—a virtual meeting for constituents to discuss county government issues—concerns proposed code amendments.

The meeting takes place Saturday, Sept. 3, starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday via Zoom (you can sign up by clicking here).

Among the proposed changes are for trash collection services that has prompted a special board work session Wednesday.

Cobb code amendments are updated twice a year, and the current proposals cover 10 areas of the ordinance.

The Cobb Community Development Agency is coming back to commissioners to attempt to regulate AirBNB short-term rentals, especially AirBNBs (Chapter 78).

The proposed amendment would require a short-term rental certificate from the county business license office, a local agent to be available 24 hours a day and following occupancy and vehicle limits.

The county also is proposing to expand its authority in the inspection of multi-family rental housing units (Chapter 18) to include a required occupational tax for apartment complex owners and inspection of a quarter of a complex’ units every year.

Commissioners will hold specific public hearings on the code amendments on Sept. 13 and Sept. 27, before voting on them on the latter date.

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Foundation named for Wheeler graduate to hold golf fundraiser

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The Jason Cunningham Charitable Foundation, a non-profit that assists children with hearing loss, is holding a golf fundraiser in the fall.Jason Cunningham Foundation golf fundraiser

The Jason Cunningham Charity Golf Classic takes place Oct. 17 at Horseshoe Bend Country Club (2100 Steeplechase Lane, Roswell) and includes prizes and other activities.

Cunningham, a 1999 graduate of Wheeler High School, suffered from hearing loss as a child, and he ultimately received hearing aids. But as an adult his communications issues led to depression, and he died in 2015 at the age of 34.

His friends and family began the foundation to raise funds and awareness for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Since its inception six years ago, the JCCF has raised more than $400,000 to provide financial assistance for education, advanced hearing technology and medical care to more than 60 families and more than 300 children.

For information about the foundation and to sign up for the golf event, click here.

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Cobb Elections to hold open house, job fair at new facility

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The Cobb Board of Elections and Registration recently moved to new offices on Roswell Street near the Big Chicken.Cobb Elections open house

There’s an Open House scheduled for next Saturday, Sept. 10 that also will include a job fair to fill positions for the November general elections.

The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the new facility, 995 Roswell Street, Marietta.

The agency recently moved there from offices on Whitlock Avenue. The Cobb elections board voted earlier this month to relocate early voting to the headquarters, which features expanded and more secure space.

The ribbon cutting takes place at 11 a.m., and the job fair starts at 12 noon.

Representatives from every department within the elections office will be available to speak with job candidates about the open positions, which include poll workers, warehouse prep and more.

For more information about Cobb Elections, click here.

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Sunday hours to resume at Mountain View Regional Library

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Mountain View Regional Library

The Cobb County Public Library System said Monday that Sunday hours at its main branch and three regional libraries will resume starting Sept. 11.

Those locations include the Mountain View Regional Library (3320 Sandy Plains Road), as well as the main Switzer Library in downtown Marietta, the South Cobb Regional Library in Mableton and the West Cobb Regional Library in Kennesaw.

According to a release sent by the library system, they’re the largest libraries in the system.

The hours will be what they were before the pandemic—1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

For more on the services at the Mountain View Regional Library, click here. The phone number is 770-509-2725.

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East Cobb real estate sales, Aug. 8-12, 2022

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Chestnut Ridge, East Cobb real estate sales
Chestnut Ridge

The following deeds for residential East Cobb real estate sales were filed Aug. 8-12, 2022 with the Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s Office Real Estate Department.

The addresses include ZIP Codes; subdivision names and high school districts are in parenthesis:

Aug. 8

4880 Karls Gate Drive, 30068 (Lake Fjord, Walton): Kathleen Shapiro to Matthew and Brandy Blake; $600,000

4933 Preswick Court, 30066 (Tremont, Kell): Claudia Senter to Opendoor Property Trust; $361,300

865 Cauthen Court, 30066 (Windcrest, Kell): ARVM 5, LLC to VM Master Issuer LLC; $280,000

4270 Parnell Road, 30062 (Lassiter): Jonathan Horrell to Michael and Shawnte Scott-Hopkins; $566,000

3392 Rivendell Court, 30075 (Chimney Lakes, Lassiter): Penelope Holloman, trustee to Eric Christopher Dolive; $275,000

3278 Rangers Gate Drive, 30062 (Pine Springs, Pope): Paula Redman to James Finley; $553,000

2613 Watercrest Court, 30062 (Autumn Lake, Sprayberry): Eric Johnson, administrator to Langley Ann Tolbert; $385,000

2499 Regency Lake Drive, 30062 (Regency Lake, Pope): Erick and Jacquelyn Reynolds to Shah and Manasi Chirag; $755,000

2485 Arthurs Court, 30062 (Arthurs Vinyard, Pope): Dean Burris to Joshua and Allison Voight; $512,500

2951 Bea Mar Drive, 30062 (Folkstone, Pope): Keith Reynolds to William and Kristina Fahrlender; $929,000

Aug. 9

3751 Apple Way, 30066 (North Ridge, Sprayberry): Jonathan Razza to Jordan Blaine and Davis Nims; $470,000

1089 Worley Drive, 30066 (Glendale, Sprayberry): Ujam Group LLC to Leondus Hardnett Jr; $425,000

3291 Artessa Lane, 30075 (Havenridge, Pope): Michael Lange to Hyundai Sungwoo Auto USA Corp.; $799,800

2781 Prado Lane, 30066 (Enclave at Laura Creek, Sprayberry): Leslie Ann Crowell to Adam Bost and Kyle Kardashi; $585,000

2753 Morgan Road, 30066 (Sprayberry): Lot One Homes of Georgia LLC to Jessica and Nicholas Cheek; $641,250

3634 Meadow Chase, 30062 (Meadow Chase, Walton): Richard Lopez to Exit Solutions; $525,000

1688 Paddlewheel Drive, 30062 (Wellcrest Townhomes, Wheeler): William Zhou to Geliane Bartlett; $280,000

141 Shadowlake Lane, 30067 (Shadowlake, Wheeler): Anita Maestas to Bryan and Kristen Worley; $635,000

3716 Fox Hills Drive, 30067 (Fox Hills, Wheeler): William Guzak to Alexander and Sarah Will; $500,000

Aug. 10

2872 Treeside Terrace, 30066 (Edgewood East, Lassiter): Toll Southeast LP Company to Ajit Kumar Singh and Priya Raghuvanshi; $1.2 million

2718 Harper Woods Drive, 30062 (Harper Woods, Sprayberry): Ilene Harden-Adkins to Veerannaya Siddeshaiah and Bindu Nagaraj; $475,000

3652 Chestnut Ridge Court, 30062 (Chestnut Ridge, Pope): Yvonne Hicks, trustee to Daniel Foster and Catherine Slafkosky; $525,000

177 Mechelle Lane, 30066 (Piedmont Hills, Sprayberry): Barbara Niedjaco, executor to Thompson & Lambert LLC; $75,000

470 Shadowlawn Road, 30067 (Somerset, Wheeler): Betty McCord to Felipe Rodriguez; $492,500

5600 River Heights Crossing, 30067 (Overlook, Walton): KS Anchors LLC to Terrell and Tamara Thompson; $472,000

Aug. 11

730 Brickleberry Court, 30075 (Overlook at Chastain, Sprayberry): SDH Atlanta LLC to Duyvy Nguyen; $376,105

3287 Whitfield Drive, 30062 (Whitfield, Lassiter): Rodrigo Martinez to IPO Group LLC; $496,000

4132 Barberry Drive, 30075 (Hedgerow, Lassiter): David and Christine McCullough to Christopher and Landyn Freeman; $687,500

3471 Post Oak Tritt Road, 30062 (Post Oak Springs, Pope): Beatrice Martinez to Chetankumar Shah, Palak Shah and Chhayeben Shah; $485,000

2603 Willow Field Crossing Unit 16, 30067 (The Oaks at Powers Ferry, Wheeler): Susan and Jeffrey Welch to Dharmesh and Binita Desai; $530,000

Aug. 12

2879 Treeside Terrace, 30066 (Edgewood East, Lassiter): Toll Southeast LP Company to Naveen and Jaskiran Saini; $1 million

2875 Landing Drive, 30066 (Windsor Oaks, Lassiter): Janice Jenkins to Oliver and Rachel Potter; $670,000

3900 Courson Street, 30066 (Canterbury, Sprayberry): Shaw-Nay Crime to Kirsten Swiggum and James Kinser; $612,000

3890 Clairington Drive, 30066 (Overlook at Chastain, Sprayberry): SDH Atlanta LLC to Hiba Samir Yacout; $427,280

3969 Rock Mill Drive, 30062 (Rock Mill, Lassiter): Kim and John Hawkins and Jenny and Zachary Murray; $410,000

2961 Prince Howard Drive, 30062 (Corinth, Pope): The Wheeler Group LLC to SFR Crown Jeweler Borrower LP; $475,000

1764 Millview Drive, 30062 (Barnes Mill Lake, Wheeler): Teresa McCormack, trustee to Susan Crisler; $263,000

900 Mallory Drive, 30062 (Sprayberry): Matthew Goss to Denise and Micah Danzig; $310,000

3781 Glengarry Way, 30062 (Loch Highland, Lassiter): Obed Fernandez and Tamara Dowis-Fernandez to Broderick Street Homes LLC; $500,000

896 Cedar Creek Court, 30067 (Cedar Canyon, Wheeler): Hendrick and Scarlett Schubert to Tonya Lynn Sanchez; $240,000

662 Monticello Way, 30067 (Stratford, Wheeler): Heather Barclay to Elvis Suarez and Angelica Montoya; $495,000

2154 River Heights Court, 30067 (Overlook Walton): Baily Van Gilder to Mark and Linda Kalman; $177,000

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Editor’s Note: Why we’re keeping reader comments, for now

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East Cobb News Reader Comments Policy
East Cobb News reader Bob violated two tenets of online commenting: Typing in all caps—signifying yelling—and venturing off the topic. Don’t be like Bob.

Ever since I made the switch to online journalism nearly 20 years ago (how time flies!), I’ve constantly wrestled with how to handle reader comments.

The immediacy and engagement can be beneficial components to building a thriving audience for community news.

And yet the instant availability of digital technology to cause mayhem and spread toxic messages often overwhelms those more noble aspirations.

Even before the age of blogs, social media and smartphones, online communication was an open sewer for mischief, threats, insults and worse.

If you remember the “alt” message boards of the late 1980s-early 1990s, you know what I’m talking about. Compared to today’s performative Twitter mobs, they truly resembled the Wild Wild West.

There were no moderators, almost everyone was anonymous and good luck getting anything taken down that was truly distasteful or even slanderous.

Perhaps I’ve become a bit numb, and even jaded, by what I read online to understand how this atmosphere can strike a nerve with readers today.

Our post last week on a proposed change to how Cobb County regulates trash services—to the point of designating a single hauler for a specific area—got record traffic.

At more than 27K pageviews and counting, it’s the most visited post on East Cobb News in our 5+ years of publication.

Stories like that tend to generate plenty of reader comments, and this one certainly did.

For the most part, readers were civil, if irate.

Then somebody hit the CAPS LOCK BUTTON and didn’t turn it off for a good while.

That was a response to another reader complaining about having fled a “police state” in Cobb County that’s led by “Commie Democrats.”

And so on it went like this for a brief sequence, running a bit afoul of our Comments Policy.

Another reader noticed all this, and e-mailed me. He said he appreciates reading about local news and issues at East Cobb News, but “I’m not sure what benefit your comment section brings to your news organization. It’s kind of a dumpster fire and I’ve never seen a productive conversation happen on it. Literally just people calling each other ‘commie’ and other names.”

He makes good points, and I replied that for the most part, readers here don’t get that far off the chains. We’ve had a fairly respectful environment for community conversation in spite of the limitations on online platforms, not just on the site but our social media channels as well.

Shortly after our exchange, I shut off reader comments for that post, linked to our policy and revised it to include the following:

  • Before posting a comment, ask yourself this: Would I say this to someone in person or over the phone? Also, read through your comments for spelling, grammar, etc.;

  • In other words, behave like an adult on this platform.

When I was an online editor at the AJC, I had to moderate comments during the sordid saga of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, as he faced charges of being involved in a dogfighting ring.

For weeks before and then after he was hauled off to federal prison, his football career destroyed, I waded through some nauseating comments, chucking more into the “unapproved” bin than I ever imagined.

What Vick copped to was indeed reprehensible, but after my moderating shift was over, I felt like I needed to take a shower.

We all need a place to vent and rant, but online forums unfortunately have become havens for increasingly vile, putrid expressions.

Frankly, I expected East Cobb News coverage of the Tokyo Valentino adult store and the controversy at Mt. Bethel Church to generate some red-flag comments (sex and religion!).

While they certainly prompted some racy reactions to the former and some biblically-inspired pronouncements to the latter, it was nothing that couldn’t be managed.

It is possible to express strong views without boiling over.

In our increasingly overheated times, many media outlets have decided to dispense with allowing comments at all, and not just major corporations.

Another local independent online news publisher here in Cobb County just switched the off button, for many of the same reasons others have.

For the time being, I’m going to leave them on and keep them going. I still think there’s an opportunity to have civil exchanges on important topics.

Most of you do that; it’s always a small handful that ruins it for everyone else.

I may come to regret this, and there likely are trolls out there waiting to lick their chops.

Please, before you comment on this site, or Facebook, or our other channels, read through and abide by our very reasonable Reader Comments Policy.

East Cobb News is meant to be a community forum, so treat it like that. Don’t call people Commies. Don’t tell them to move to Somalia.

Most of all, DON’T TYPE IN ALL CAPS!

Stick to the topic and communicate with people as you would in real life.

Is that really so hard?

As my Cobb compatriot noted, “editing is hard enough without taking on the job of referee.”

Trust me, you don’t want me to blow the whistle on your misbehavior.

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East Cobb lawmakers part of Georgia-Israel Caucus delegation

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Georgia-Israel Legislative Caucus trip
State Rep. Mitch Kaye (directly under the Star of David) and State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (standing at his right), both of East Cobb, are part of the 16-member Georgia-Israel Legislative Caucus delegation.

State Rep. Mitch Kay and State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick of East Cobb are part of a bipartisan legislative delegation from Georgia currently traveling in Israel.

Members of the Georgia-Israel Legislative Caucus arrived in Tel Aviv on Monday, meeting with members of the Israeli Knesset, as well as representatives from the country’s military, diplomatic, business and legal communities.

The legislators also met with Major General (Ret.) Alon Levavi to learn more about the Georgia Israel Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE).

“This trip is about strengthening the deep bonds of friendship and shared values between Georgia and Israel,” Kaye, a Republican from House District 45, said in a release issued by the Georgia House of Representatives.

“I am already encouraged by the warm welcome we received upon arriving in Tel Aviv, and I look forward to expanding our understanding of this incredible nation over the next several days.”

Kaye was the first Jewish Republican elected to the Georgia legislature in the 1990s and earlier this year won a special election to fill the unexpired term of former State Rep. Matt Dollar through the end of the year.

Other legislators and their families making the trip include House members Debra Bazemore (D-South Fulton), Micah Gravley (R-Douglasville), Debbie Buckner (D-Junction City), Karen Bennett (D-Stone Mountain), Barry Fleming (R-Harlem) and Darlene Taylor (R-Thomasville).

The release said the Gov. Brian Kemp issued a commendation recognizing the trip, noting that Georgia exported more than $280 million worth of goods to Israel and imported $652 million worth of goods from Israel in 2021.

His commendation “also also commended the launch of the Georgia-Israel Legislative Caucus, the expansion of direct flights between Atlanta and Tel Aviv starting next year and the GILEE program with Israel,” according to the release.

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Mountain View Regional Library to offer passport services

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Mountain View Regional Library passport services

The Cobb County Public Library System announced this week that starting Sept. 6, citizens can obtain passports at two of its branches.

They include the Mountain View Regional Library (3320 Sandy Plains Road) in East Cobb and the West Cobb Regional Library (1750 Dennis Kemp Lane, Kennesaw).

They have been approved as Passport Acceptance Facilities by the U.S. State Department and library staff have been trained to process passport applications.

The library system said in a release earlier this week that passport services at those branches will be available via appointment only Monday—Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Thursday—Saturday from 12-3 p.m.

But the applications will be limited to first-time adult applicants, age 16 and older, and children under 16.

Renewals will not be processed at the libraries, and passport photo services will not be provided.

The costs are a passport application fee determined by the State Department and a $35 acceptance fee, each payable by check, money order or cashier’s check.

Starting Sept. 6 the library system will begin accepting appointments online or by calling the library branches directly.

For information on passport services at Cobb libraries visit cobbcat.org or call 770-528-2326.​​​

For more information about passports in general, visit the U.S. State Department website.

 

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Cobb commissioners, officials to meet with trash companies

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John Swierenga, Trash Taxi
East Cobb resident John Swierenga, owner of Trash Taxi, addressing commissioners Tuesday.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners and the leadership of the county’s solid waste department have scheduled a “summit” next week with private trash disposal companies.

Cobb government said in a release on Friday that the meeting will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at 2 p.m. at the Cobb Civic Center (548 S. Marietta Parkway).

The county release said trash company leaders are being summoned “to address a history of complaints by residents in Cobb County of missed pickups, poor customer service, and lack of recycling services.”

The meeting comes several days after commissioners heard a proposed code amendment change that would limit trash pickup services to one private hauler for each of the four commission districts.

But at Tuesday’s commission meeting, Jonathan Jenkins, Director of the Cobb Sustainability, Waste, and Beautification Department, said he had not met with trash companies since 2019, and did not seek their input before proposing the code amendment changes.

“About 20 haulers in Cobb County could be put out of business,” said John Swierenga, an East Cobb resident and owner of Trash Taxi, during a public comment period.

“Large capital [would be] needed to bid on these contracts,” he said. “We face restrictions because there’s no disposal capability we have.”

Swierenga and his brothers started Trash Taxi in 2004, and the company serves around 16,000 customers, mostly in northwest Cobb. Trash Taxi recently expanded into some areas of East Cobb.

He estimated that between 90,000 to 100,000 Cobb citizens get their trash service from small haulers, and that big companies are struggling.

One them, Swierenga said, called him to ask if he could send Trash Taxi trucks to Gwinnett County to help pick up their garbage.

Jenkins said he got the idea for dedicated haulers for a particular area of the county from Gwinnett, which recently implemented that ordinance.

“This proposal, if enacted,” Swierenga said of the Cobb proposal, “could be a colossal failure.”

Citizen complaints have focused strongly on American Disposal, one of the bigger haulers that has bought up smaller competitors to consolidate its market position.

Cobb citizens opposed to the county designating trash service also addressed commissioners Tuesday, including Hill Wright of East Cobb.

“Just stop,” he said. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”

Earlier Tuesday, at a work session on code amendments, Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of Northeast Cobb wanted the trash proposal to be tabled until January.

She and fellow Republican Commissioner Keli Gambrill said they do not support eliminating competition in trash service, and other commissioners expressed concern about the proposal.

But Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said there would be enough time to modify the proposal before a scheduled vote Sept. 27.

Wednesday’s meeting is being billed as a work session. It is open to the public, but there will be no public comment period.

The meeting can be seen on Cobb TV and citizens can e-mail  trashcomplaints@cobbcounty.org with comments and feedback.

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PHOTOS: Groundbreaking celebration at The Avenue East Cobb

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The Avenue East Cobb groundbreaking celebration

Amid the sounds of tinkling champagne classes and a jazz band, East Cobbers, local dignitaries and shop owners at The Avenue East Cobb gathered Thursday afternoon to kick off a new era for the major retail center.

As an honorary wrecking ball—signed by many of the attendees—slammed into a window of the former Bravura store, and green and white confetti rained down on what will be a public plaza.

That’s at the heart of a reimagined and expanded “Central Boulevard” concept that includes events, two “jewel box” buildings with patio-centric restaurants and retail space and valet parking.

The Avenue East Cobb groundbreaking celebration
Guests were shown renderings of what will be the The Avenue East Cobb’s public plaza and other redevelopment features.

Cobb commissioners in June approved a site plan change at The Avenue, which is being managed by North American Properties, developer of Avalon and redeveloper of Atlantic Station and Colony Square.

East Cobb-area representatives Jerica Richardson and JoAnn Birrell spoke, and were given the honors of taking sledgehammers to the windows.

The Avenue East Cobb groundbreaking celebration
Commissioners Jerica Richardson and JoAnn Birrell with representatives of North American Properties, including CEO Tim Perry (center).

The Avenue East Cobb opened in 1999, and much like its other projects, NAP wants it to become a “destination” location, not just for shopping, but dining, entertainment and congregating with friends and family.

The redevelopment is expected to be complete by early next year.

The Avenue East Cobb groundbreaking celebration
Serving champagne on stilts.
The Avenue East Cobb groundbreaking celebration
Signing the wrecking ball.

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East Cobb Food Scores: Suburban Tap; Mellow Mushroom; more

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East Cobb Food Scores, Suburban Tap

The following Cobb food scores for the week of Aug. 22 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:

J. Christopher’s 
1275 Powers Ferry Road
August 25, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Mellow Mushroom
2000 Powers Ferry Road, Suite G-3
August 22, 2022 Score: 91, Grade: A

Planet Smoothie
1050 E. Piedmont Road, Building 200
August 23, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Smoothie King
2022 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 120
August 22, 2022 Score: 91, Grade: A

Smoothie King
1271 Johnson Ferry Road
August 23, 2022 Score: 85, Grade: B

Suburban Tap
1318 Johnson Ferry Road
August 24, 2022 Score: 95, Grade: A

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Cobb to spend $1.45M to hire consultant for strategic plan

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Jimmy Gisi, Cobb deputy county manager
Jimmy Gisi, Cobb deputy county manager

In a split party-line vote, the Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a request to spend $1.45 million to hire an outside consultant to develop a strategic plan for county government.

The board’s three Democrats voted to approve a contract with Accenture LLP to prepare a long-term “guiding document,” in the words of Deputy County Manager Jimmy Gisi, to pull together a number of service issues and objectives.

Those include, according to an agenda item:

“A world-wide pandemic, justice reform, affordable housing, and employee retention are just a few of these challenges. The strategic plan will be the primary strategy to lead the on-going vision and priorities of Cobb County. The plan will include measurable objectives to help improve the County’s responsiveness to the public, to adapt to changes in the economy, to remain competitive, to welcome tourists, to sustain the County’s assets, and to recommend a unified vision for years to come.”

Republicans JoAnn Birrell and Keli Gambrill voted against, objecting to the cost and questioning the need for such a study.

“I know there is a need for a strategic plan,” Birrell said, “but to spend $1.4 million with all the other studies that we have going on. A million here, a million there. I cannot support it.”

Gisi told her the county negotiated down the cost with Accenture, whose initial bid was $1.8 million. The process is expected to take through the end of the year and will include public engagement, produce a long-range vision (10-20 years) and and five-year plan from 2023-2027.

Accenture, a management and professional services consulting firm, would employ eight of its staffers on the Cobb strategic plan project and would need space for up to five of its staffers at county government offices as well as parking.

(More about the project summary can be found by clicking here; Accenture’s “statement of work” can be found by clicking here.)

Gambrill said the county hasn’t taken any steps to implement a five-year plan that was laid out by former Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce in 2017.

“I can’t support this and I don’t expect a rebuttal,” she said.

But County Manager Jackie McMorris told her that was simply about restoring county services to pre-recession levels.

“We’ve never done a five-year financial plan,” McMorris said, referencing Boyce’s aspirations for what he called providing services for a “five-star county.”

Chairwoman Lisa Cupid was eager to approve the contract, saying “we finally have something we can say will help provide guidance” on establishing long-term objectives.

During a public comment period, East Cobb resident Leroy Emkin blasted the spending proposal, saying such a study should be conducted by county department heads.

Cupid responded by saying that “while we have competent employees at Cobb County, this project is outside their area of expertise.”

Commissioner Jerica Richardson of District 2 said before the vote that “it’s vital that this is truly strategic and comprehensive.”

Accenture’s statement of work calls for public engagement sessions in October, and long-range vision document by the end of October, a five-year strategic draft in November and the finalized five-year document by December.

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Sewell Mill Creek streambank repairs at Fullers Park approved

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Sewell Mill Creek streambank repairs
The ground along Sewell Mill Creek at the front of East Cobb Park has been raised into a slight crest to reduce flooding. ECN photos

Heavy flooding last September in the East Cobb area caused significant damage to the homes and properties of residents who are still dealing with stormwater-related issues nearly a year later.

The rains also caused Sewell Mill Creek to swell over, as it has done before, onto the low-lying East Cobb Park and Fullers Park.

The front quad of East Cobb Park was severely eroded after water rushed over the flat surface along the creek.

After several months, the streambank area was reworked to produce a crest between the creek and the walking path and front quad. A park bench was relocated to the front, close to a small “free library” box.

Similarly, Cobb Parks and Recreation wants to restore and stabilize a portion of Sewell Mill Creek downstream at nearby Fullers Park that also was affected by those floods.

Doing so, according to an agenda item presented to Cobb commissioners, “will stop further erosion and deterioration of the streambank and enhance the visual experience of those walking in the park.”

On Tuesday, that request was approved unanimously, with funding coming from the new 2022 Cobb SPLOST.

The lowest bidder, Integrated Construction and Nobility, Inc. offered a cost of $199,700 in bidding that took place last fall. Bids went as high as $556,000, but even the lowest bid was more than what county officials estimated for the project.

So they negotiated with the contractor to reduce the project cost to $104,500. The funding source specifically is the Countyside Parks Subsurface Infrastructure account, which is earmarked for $1.5 million over the next six years.East Cobb Park streambank repairs

That was one of several individual infrastructure contracts approved Tuesday by commissioners.

Commissioners also ratified a previous decision by Cobb County Manager Jackie McMorris to authorize emergency drainage repairs on Turtle Cove Court in the Somerset subdivision of East Cobb.

Cobb DOT replaced 120 feet of a 36-inch corrugated metal pipe that had failed and caused a sinkhole, threatening the safety of the street. The curb and gutter were also replaced, as were two catch basins and some pavement.

The repairs were completed in July and cost $308,550, with the funding coming from the 2022 Cobb SPLOST Transportation Improvements Plan.

Commissioners also voted to approve sidewalk construction in two areas of Northeast Cobb. One is a half-mile stretch on the north side of Davis Road, between Williams Road and Shallowford Road, for $726,727.

The contractor is Glosson Enterprises and the funding is coming from the 2016 Cobb SPLOST ($568K) and another $129.7K from the Capital Projects Fund Commission District 3 Sidewalk Development.

Glosson also was awarded a $476.7K contract to build a sidewalk on the east side of Shaw Road between Piedmont Road and Woodrush Road. That’s a third of a mile, with $250K coming from the 2016 SPLOST and $204K from the same Capital Projects Fund account.

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Fragrance company Arylessence to expand NE Cobb campus

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Arylessence expands Northeast Cobb campus

After receiving a $27 million bond issue from the Development Authority of Cobb County, the fragrance and flavor company Arylessence announced Tuesday it’s expanding its campus in Northeast Cobb.

The bonds—and nearly $1.5 million in tax abatements over the next decade—were approved after Arylessence announced the construction of a new 54.000-square-foot building.

According to a release issued by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, the new facility will include greater manufacturing capacity, a receiving facility, office spaces and other amenities.

The project will create an additional 30 jobs for Arylessence, which moved to its present facility at 1091 Lake Drive—near the intersection of Canton Road and Jamerson Road—in 1986, after starting out in Smyrna in the late 1970s.

Arylessence “creates and manufactures custom fragrances and flavors for products in the personal care, pharmaceutical, home fragrance, food and beverage and industrial and institutional markets,” according to the Chamber, selling products in 57 countries.

Arylessence last expanded in 2018 with the opening of its Fragrance Research and Development Center.

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Birrell asks for Cobb to delay proposed trash service changes

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Birrell seeks delay trash service changes

Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell asked Cobb solid waste officials Tuesday to explore other options to a proposal to dramatically alter how private trash haulers operate in the county.

During a work session, Birrell said she was opposed to a proposal by Cobb Sustainability, Waste and Beautification director Jonathan Jenkins to designate a sole trash hauler to provide pickup and recycling services in each of four areas of the county.

The trash proposal, prompted by lingering complaints about inconsistent service in recent years, has drawn some citizen opposition.

“I’m in favor of an open market and people choosing who they want,” Birrell told Jenkins. “Restricting it to one hauler per district is not the solution to the problem.”

She wanted to have the matter pulled and held until the county next considers code amendments in January, “to meet with the haulers and the public.”

Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said at a later meeting Thursday night that none of her colleagues are in favor of reducing service to one hauler per district, but that there is plenty of time before next month’s public hearings on code amendments.

“We’ve been dealing with this for years now,” Cupid said. “Residents have been dealing with this for far too long. This is our best opportunity to do something.”

The work session was for presentation purposes only; commissioners will hold public hearings on the code amendments on Sept. 13 and Sept. 27, before voting on them on the latter date.

Birrell, a three-term Republican from Northeast Cobb who is seeking re-election in November, is a former consultant for Waste Management, and disclosed that she has not been employed in the industry in a decade.

She said that if the county would put trash services out for bid, she would recuse herself, but that she would want to be involved with other possible ordinance changes.

Cobb County Attorney Bill Rowling said that the proposed code amendment, as written, would allow only four trash haulers in the county, in each of the four commission districts.

“I don’t know if there are four haulers that could take on the magnitude of that kind of lift, to gear up” to provide such an expanded level of service, he said.

He added that while those “are policy issues,” there are “a lot of legal obligations” the county would have to meet.

Birrell acknowledged longstanding complaints about trash service, but said Tuesday after the new proposal was submitted, she’s heard from many citizens who are happy with their service.

“This needs to be looked at some more,” Birrell said. “There are other options we can look at.”

Cobb trash service proposals
Jonathan Jenkins, Cobb Sustainability, Waste and Beautification director

Citizens and businesses in unincorporated Cobb contract with private trash services. There have been numerous complaints about one provider in particular, American Disposal, which has bought up a number of other smaller haulers in recent years.

Commissioner Monique Sheffield of South Cobb said that she has supported revoking the license of “one company in particular” that she did not name and would not want to penalize other service providers for the acts of “one bad apple.”

Jenkins said that performance issues have increased in particular since the recession.

More than 60 haulers once provided those services, he said, but that number dropped by a half by the time of the recession; Cobb customers are currently served by 18-20 trash providers.

Republican commissioner Keli Gambrill of North Cobb called the trash proposal an issue of government stepping in far beyond what it should be doing.

She said she hasn’t received many complaints about trash services from her constituents in District 1 since the pandemic; Jenkins said he’s heard most from residents in Districts 2 and 3 in East Cobb.

Gambrill also was upset that Jenkins hadn’t met with her before crafting the ordinance change; he replied that he had discussed the issue with her in a virtual meeting.

When Gambrill asked Jenkins if he had met with any haulers, he said his last meeting with them was in the fall of 2019.

Cupid—who earlier in the work session admonished Gambrill for questioning Jenkins in what she thought was an adversarial tone—pointed out that other proposed ordinance changes haven’t always involved discussions with those in various industries and professions.

When Cobb was changing the code regarding massage parlors, Cupid said, “we didn’t talk to masseuses,” and she rattled off several other similar examples.

But Gambrill said such a proposal—to have the county assign private trash haulers—”has not been on the books. This is completely new. . . . When they’re new they go through an extensive community process” before being voted on.

Cupid replied that “this is not completely new or it would be completely underlined.”

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East Cobb Traffic Alert: Gordy Parkway closed for drainage repairs

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Gordy Parkway closed drainage repairs

A portion of Gordy Parkway near a busy traffic area of Northeast Cobb was closed Monday afternoon for drainage repairs.

Cobb County government said Monday afternoon that Gordy Parkway is closed between Shallowford Road and Edenbourgh Place, right behind the Home Depot store at the Highland Plaza Shopping Center.

The closures are in both directions and there is no through-traffic on Gordy Parkway, but streets surrounding the closure are open via a temporary detour.

The Cobb government message said work crews were repairing an 84-foot drainage pipe  and was unsure how long the closures would last.

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