Water boiling advisory issued for parts of Northeast Cobb

Northeast Cobb water boil advisory

UPDATED, Tuesday, 11 A.M.:

The advisory has been lifted.

The issue affected some businesses in the area. The Paradise Grill restaurant closed for business Monday and on Tuesday the Chick-Fil-A Lassiter on Shallowford Road was selling bottled beverages and milkshakes and not tea, coffee, lemonade and soft drinks.

ORIGINAL STORY:

The Cobb County Water System has issued a water boiling advisory for parts of Northeast Cobb after a water outage occurred Monday morning.

The advisory is expected to continue throughout Monday afternoon for the Sweat Mountain area, as well as along Sandy Plains Road to Davis Road and Shallowford Road to Wesley Chapel Road.

The advisory urges residents as well as businesses in the area to boil drinking water for at least a minute.

Cobb County government said in a release that the outage was due to a level sensor failure at the Sweat Mountain Water Storage Tank, causing “water pressure in parts of the water system to drop to low levels for a period.

“When this occurs a potential health hazard may exist in these areas of zero pressure from backflow and/or back-siphonage of water of unknown quality into the water distribution system.”

While water service has been restored to the disaffected areas, sampling continues to take place, and consumers should continue to follow the advisory before using water for drinking, cooking or preparing baby food.

For questions or information call 770-419-6200.

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East Cobb real estate sales, Aug. 1-5, 2022

Rivermill, East Cobb real estate sales
Rivermill

The following deeds for residential East Cobb real estate sales were filed Aug. 1-5, 2022 with the Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s Office Real Estate Department.

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

Aug. 1

1672 Pinefield Way, 30062 (Willow Creek, Kell): Meredith Hodge to Cassidy Whitaker and Andrew Martin; $505,000

4587 Jamerson Forest Parkway, 30066 (Jamerson Forest, Kell): John and Ashley Crosland to Mark Thompson; $363,000

4186 Shallowford Road, 30066 (Johnson Ferry Estates, Lassiter): Portico Properties Inc. to Sukru Dizdaroglu and Damla Dayal; $640,000

427 Turner Road, 30066 (Sprayberry): Elizabeth and Jeffrey Horner to Harry and Sarah Jackson; $515,500

1496 Shadowbrook Drive, 30062 (Briarwood Hills, Wheeler): Atlantic Investment Ventures LLC to Mychal Scates; $489,900

2315 Old Orchard Drive, 30068 (Weatherstone, Wheeler): Yun Chun Abernethy to Earnest and Alexandria Wagoner; $605,000

10 Worthington Drive, 30068 (Sewell Manor, Wheeler): JDT Worthington Group LLC to Sara Izidio de Toledo; $330,000

37 Sewell Lane, 30068 (Sewell Manor, Wheeler): JDT Worthington Group LLC to Vanduir Cordeiro de Toledo Jr.; $245,000

4026 River Cliff Chase, 30067 (Rivermill, Walton): James and Tara Dougherty to Kelly Wilczek; $1 million

531 Little Road, 30067 (Red Oak Park, Wheeler): Ernie Wagoner III to Christian and Hayley Reynolds; $447,000

2506 Crockett Drive, 30067 (Red Oak Park, Wheeler): Bradley Chapman to Laura Calvert; $322,500

Aug. 2

1965 Kingswood Drive, 30066 (Kingswood Estates, Sprayberry): Edward Lester, Sheila Martin and Mona Bourque to Scott Smith; $395,000

2545 Wynmont Place, 30062 (Wynmont, Walton): Ted Chang to Gilson and Anora Wilson; $1 million

4487 Belvedere Place, 30067 (Boulevard at Woodlawn, Walton): Brandon and Amy Moss to Jon Schwefler and Caroline Thompson; $1.745 million

17 Peppertree Court, 30068 (Peppermill, Wheeler): Pratibha and Sunil Adsule to Keith and Paula Mack; $875,000

Aug. 3

3947 Viewpoint Court, 30068 (Lookout Point, Sprayberry): Saadat Masoudi to Stephen Molitor; $420,000

2262 Macby Drive, 30066 (Sandy Mill, Sprayberry): Stephen Graham to Richard and Mary Kinsland; $385,000

2813 Chapman Way, 30066 (Wyndcliff at Town Center, Sprayberry): William and Bonnie Lins to Brandon and Kristen Leonard; $475,000

2272 Woodridge Drive, 30066 (Fraser, Sprayberry): Michelle Lawley to Falcon Mutual LLC; $290,000

2260 Abbey Cove Court, 30062 (Piedmont Cove, Sprayberry): Philip and Winona D’Amato to Gunvir and Sarvjeet Singh; $760,000

1083 Fielding Way, 30068 (Indian Hills, Walton): The Robert Rosenblum Revocable Trust to Taslima Bhuiyan; $525,000

Aug. 4

2875 Treeside Terrace, 30066 (Edgewood East, Lassiter): Toll Southeast LP Co. to Jacob and Kelly Houmand; $1.325 million

2223 North Woods Court, 30066 (North Landing, Kell): Fareed Sevani to SHV Homes 4 LLC; $365,000

631 Elaine Circle, 30066 (Addison Heights, Sprayberry): Amber Lea Gray to VSP2 Homes 1 LLC; $365,000

2749 Morgan Road, 30066 (Sprayberry): Lot One Homes of Georgia LLC to Paritosh Manna; $658,145

2373 Wood Fields Lane, 30062 (Post Oak Square, Pope): Kathleen and Derek Magee to Ulyana and Kyle Hamilton; $590,000

2282 Pan Am Lane, 30062 (Olde Braswell Estates, Walton): Alan Parker Homes LLC to Tina Sampat and Danish Lulla; $1.473 million

633 Counsell Drive, 30068 (Wood Wynn, Wheeler): CJ Pursuits LLC to Jennifer Gaines; $482,000

Aug. 5

4798 Rubes Creek Drive, 30066 (Jamerson Forest, Kell): Charlene Booker to Robert Cubbison; $375,000

4712 Outlook Way, 30066 (Highland Ridge, Lassiter): Purchasing Fund 2020-1 LLC to Katherine and Jeremy Stein; $783,360

2719 Jims Road, 30066 (Windsor Oaks, Lassiter): Elizabeth Ann Knowles, trustee to Danny Copa and Sarah Rumble; $465,000

3948 Fairington Drive, 30066 (Lookout Point, Sprayberry): Karen Kelly to OP Gold LLC; $335,000

57 Kathryn Way, 30062 (Heartwood, Pope): Moya Hambridge to Anthony and Margaret Catanese; $415,000

1825 Annwicks Drive, 30062 (Wicks Lake, Pope): Amy Ray, trustee to Wesley and Paula Sewell; $550,000

4264 Biltmore Place, 30062 (Biltmore, Walton): H & H Renovations Inc. to William and Anna Borst; $1.75 million

3086 Garden Lane Drive, 30062 (Sewell Mill Heights, Walton): Suzanne Sperl to C & N Transformed Properties LLC; $410,000

101 Dickerson Road, 30068 (Crossvine, Walton): Charles and Alison Carlin to Brandon and Amy Moss; $2.75 million

3018 Gant Quarters Drive, 30068 (Gant Quarters, Wheeler): Marguerite O’Brien to Tamburo Burks and Walidah Ferrer; $750,000

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Proposed changes to Cobb trash pickup draw citizen opposition

Cobb trash pickup proposed changes
Several private trash haulers currently serve the East Cobb area.

A plan to assign trash haulers to specific parts of Cobb County will be presented to the Cobb Board of Commissioners Tuesday, as they begin dig into proposed code amendment changes to county ordinances.

The work session will take place at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta).

The full agenda can be found by clicking here; the meeting also will be live-streamed on the county’s website, cable TV channel (Channel 24 on Comcast) and Youtube page. Visit cobbcounty.org/CobbTV for other streaming options.

Commissioners have already been hearing from citizens about the trash pickup proposal, which is designed to alleviate collection issues that have existed in Cobb for several years.

Under the proposed trash pickup amendment, four trash pickup zones would be created, and each would be designated a single hauler. Other haulers would not be allowed to service that zone.

Citizens organizing against that change, proposed by the head of the Cobb Sustainability, Waste and Beautification Department (click here to read), don’t like not having a choice and say their trash bills will go up.

A reader opposed to the change told East Cobb News that “many of us are happy with our small business haulers and don’t want the inefficient county to take over and make such demands to destroy free market competitive solutions.”

A website called Save My Cobb Trash Collector has been launched to fight the proposal. It was created by East Cobb resident Hill Wright, who said he’s heard from a number of citizens who also are upset by the proposal.

He said he’s spoken to trash haulers and they’re not happy either, with some of the smaller ones fearful they’ll be put out of business.

The website claims that Cobb is planning to charge customers an 18 percent additional fee to their trash bill.

That information isn’t in the proposed code amendment, but Wright told East Cobb News he’s heard that figure from speaking with county staffers.

The fee would be used in part to create a call center to handle citizen issues with trash pickup service.

The trash pickup change “would cause the service to get much worse,” he said. “They’re trying to solve the problem by creating a monopoly” that would be the lowest bidder.

“The lowest bidder will likely be a large company which is already not able to provide consistent service.”

American Disposal has been the dominant hauler in the Cobb area, buying up smaller competitors in recent years. But it’s also been the subject of numerous customer complaints.

Wright said some of the feedback he’s received on his website is from citizens who’ve told him they’ve left American and wouldn’t want to be forced to use them again.

Wright has used Hugh’s Garbage Service for years, and says he’s very happy with it. When he traveled frequently on business, he arranged for his trash to be picked up inside his home.

“It cost a little more, but it was worth it,” he said.

Wright said he understands the intent of the code amendment but wishes the county had been informing and working with the trash haulers.

“It’s going to hurt some people and destroy some small businesses,” he said.

The East Cobb area is serviced by several private haulers, and the Acworth-based Trash Taxi recently entered the community providing trash and recycling services.

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

Administration; building regulations; fire prevention and protection; licenses, permits and businesses; nuisances; parks and recreation; solid waste; streets, sidewalks and public places and zoning.

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 portion 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.

Cobb Food Scores: Marietta Wings & More; Newk’s Eatery

The following Cobb food scores for the week of Aug. 15 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:Marietta Wings & More, Cobb Food Scores

Aloft Atlanta at The Battery Atlanta
950 Battery Ave.
August 19, 2022 Score: 95, Grade: A

Dunkin Donuts
2022 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 100
August 18, 2022 Score: 90, Grade: A

The Filling Station Cafe
550 Interstate North Parkway
August 19, 2022 Score: 91, Grade: A

Marietta Wings & More
1869 Cobb Parkway, Suite 450
August 18, 2022 Score: 93, Grade: A

McDonald’s
4819 Lower Roswell Road
August 15, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Newk’s Eatery
1975 Cobb Parkway NW
August 16, 2022 Score: 99, Grade: A

Waffle House
550 N. Greenbriar Parkway
August 17, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

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Lockheed presents $1.6B bond proposal to Cobb school board

Lockheed bond proposals
Tony Frese, vice president of business development, Lockheed-Martin Corp. and a Walton HS graduate.

What could be the largest package of bond and tax incentives in the history of the Development Authority of Cobb County was explained to the Cobb Board of Education Thursday.

There were a lot of “ifs” and “woulds” mentioned by officials from the Development Authority and the Lockheed Martin Corp. during a board work session.

That’s because Lockheed has only bid for a wide range of federal defense contracts that the company said could net Cobb government and schools more than $51 million in additional tax revenue over 26 years.

The proposal is codenamed “Project Mike.” Next week Lockheed will formally request the Development Authority’s approval of $1.6 billion in bonds and tax abatements, contingent upon a decision expected in the next few months by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Proposed tax abatements also come to the school board as a courtesy and don’t require a vote.

During the presentation, Tony Frese, Lockheed’s vice president of business development, told school board members that the federal projects it is seeking entail “next generation air dominance” and include classified high-tech work.

He rattled off some of the aeronautics’ giants current projects, noting that “some day they will come to an end . . . and we have to secure our future.”

Frese boasted of being a graduate of Walton High School, which gave him opportunities to attend Georgia Tech, become an aerospace engineer and work for Lockheed for 37 years.

He said that if Lockheed gets the contracts, it could add between 500 to more than 3,000 jobs by 2042.

When Frese was asked by vice chairman David Banks about the disparity in those figures, he said they depend on how many federal contracts Lockheed may receive.

The contracts would enable Lockheed, he said, “to attract the very best in aerospace engineers and talent and a wide spectrum of other high-tech opportunities.”

These opportunities, Frese said, “have been real for me, and with your support they will be real for many generations to come.”

Lockheed also would be spending more than $400 million to upgrade its Marietta plant on South Cobb Drive to accommodate the new workforce and projects.

When companies seek tax breaks from the Cobb Development Authority, they usually take place over a 10-year period.

Should Lockheed receive the contracts, those breaks would extend over 26 years, authority executive director Nelson Geter told the board.

“It’s beneficial to begin the abatement when the capital investment is to start,” Geter said, referring to the $400 million. “That’s why you’re seeing a 26-year cycle, instead of a 10-year cycle, because the last expenses associated with this project will occur 16 years after the original period [expires].

“It’s not a common but a proper process that we use when major capital investments are made over a period of time instead of one capital investment up front.”

Authority board member Clark Hungerford said the body wants to do “whatever we can do to assist [Lockheed] in setting up the bid to be as competitive as possible.”

Board chairman David Chastain, a proposal analyst for Lockheed, recused himself from the discussion.

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Cobb ‘Booked for Lunch’ features football murder mystery author

Carolyn Curry, the wife of former college and professional football star and coach Bill Curry, will be the featured speaker at the Cobb Library Foundation’s Sept. 20 “Booked for Lunch” fundraiser at the Atlanta Country Club in East Cobb.Carolyn Curry, Cobb Booked for Lunch author

The event takes place from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the ACC (500 Atlanta Country Club Drive) and tickets cost $40 (you can book your spot here).

Curry will discuss her latest book, “Sudden Death,” published on Aug. 2 by Mercer University Press. It’s set between 1966 and 1997 and features a woman lawyer who marries a college football coach, and how the couple handles the challenges of balancing their marriage and dealing with death threats that turn out to be realized.

The book is her debut novel. Curry is the author of a biography of Ella Clanton Thomas, the daughter and wife of Georgia planters who kept a diary during the Civil War years.

Curry received the Georgia Author of the Year Award from the Georgia Writers Association and that book was named as “One of the Books all Georgians” should read by the Georgia Center for the Book.

She also is the founder of a non-profit, Women Alone Together, that provides support, education and friendship to women who are single by death, divorce or choice.

Bill Curry starred at Georgia Tech and the for the Green Bay Packers and coached at Tech, Alabama, Kentucky and Georgia State.

The Cobb Library Foundation is an all-volunteer organization that raises money to assist activities and programs of the Cobb County Public Library System.

They include the system’s summer reading program, Girls Who Code, the podcast studio at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center and the Bookmobile.

 

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Cobb school board approves major pay raises for bus drivers

Cobb school bus safety

In a move to address significant shortages of bus drivers, the Cobb Board of Education on Thursday approved a request for pay raises by Superintendent Chris Ragsdale.

The unanimous 7-0 vote came Thursday night, after the district presented a recruiting video featuring interviews with current drivers.

All drivers will be getting raises of $5.25 an hour, Ragsdale said, boosting the current minimum hourly wage of $19.75 to $25 per hour, and topping out at $33.32 an hour, depending on salary steps.

The $7.6 million cost for the raises is coming from revenues generated from the rising Cobb property tax digest of 11.55 percent for the Cobb school district.

At a board work session Thursday afternoon, Ragsdale said the Cobb school district—which runs nearly 900 bus routes and transports more than 72,000 students—is short 200 drivers.

“We were not as competitive as we should be with our bus driver pay,” he said at the work session, calling the raises “a potential solution to a real problem. It’s a big problem. This is pretty much the last option.”

He said the raises will go into effect Aug. 25 and the salaries will be the highest for school bus drivers in metro Atlanta. The raises will be reflected in their Sept. 16 pay checks.

Tthe recruitment video featured mostly older individuals who talked about how driving a school bus “gets in your blood” and how they enjoy interacting with students.

Ragsdale said that retention has been difficult with some drivers running double routes and being exhausted as a result.

During public comment periods, some parents also urged the board to approve the raises, noting that the double routes often resulted in their children coming home later from school in the afternoons.

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East Cobb Girl Scout troops holding informational meetings

The Girls Scouts of Greater Atlanta is conducting informational meetings as a new school year is underway, and several East Cobb-based troops are beginning theirs this week.

Specific information—dates, times and school communities—is included in the flyer below.

The meetings for East Cobb schools will continue through the end of August.

More information about Girl Scout programs in metro Atlanta can be found by clicking here.

East Cobb Girl Scout informational meetings

 

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New director appointed for Cobb Senior Services agency

The Cobb Board of Commissioners approved the appointment of Ioana Bovo-Nicolescu to be the new director of Cobb Senior Services Agency.new Cobb senior services director

She has been with the department since 2016 and most recently served as as manager human services and previously worked with Special Needs Cobb.

Bovo-Nicolescu holds a bachelor’s degree in human services from Kennesaw State University and she is pursuing a master’s in public administration through The University of Texas.

She also has also completed certificates in gerontology at KSU and local government management with The University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government.

Her appointment comes as the senior services agency is marking its 50th anniversary. Among the upcoming special events is a Pickleball Mixer Oct. 14 at Shaw Park in Northeast Cobb.

Other upcoming senior events include the following:

  • Register by Aug. 24 for a day trip to Blue Ridge Georgia 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5 for seniors 55 and up. The group will stop by Mercier Orchards for apples and their famous fried pies, then off to Southern Charm Restaurant for a delicious lunch. Afterward, you will explore all the shops in Blue Ridge. There is a fee of $61. Register from the Tim Lee Senior Center Activities page here.
  • Friday, Sept. 23 is Senior Day at the North Georgia State Fair for Cobb residents 55+. The free morning out includes breakfast, bingo, petting zoo and much more. Fair entry will be free starting later that day at 4:30 p.m. for all Cobb Seniors 55 and older.

For more information on senior services click here.

 

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Johnson Ferry Road repaving work prompts night lane closures

Johnson Ferry repaving project

Cobb DOT is repaving a 3.4-mile stretch of Johnson Ferry Road in East Cobb and will have evening and overnight lane closures.

Cobb government sent out a message Wednesday saying that the closures will take place between Roswell Road and Post Oak Tritt Road from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sunday—Friday.

Johnson Ferry is a four-lane road with a median, and one lane will stay open when the repaving work is underway.

The project is expected to be completed in September, but there might be delays due to weather.

You can view an interactive map of all Cobb DOT repaving projects by clicking here; more alerts, road projects and travel advisories are updated here.

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Mabry MS Teacher of the Year empowers students to say ‘I can’

At Mabry Middle School, Leslie Ann McCoy worked to create a special class just for students to learn how to develop good study habits.Mabry MS Teacher of the Year

McCoy teaches a reading and study skills class designed to help students—especially those coming from elementary school—navigate the middle school landscape, with its multiple classes and teachers and other academic challenges.

She’s the current Mabry Teacher of the Year, and according to a release issued by the Cobb County School District, McCoy, a graduate of Walton High School, draws her inspiration from her own teachers, who wouldn’t let her students say “I can’t.”

“I tell the students when they come in the very first week, ‘I’m your number one cheerleader in this building, and all I want to do is set you up for success,’ ” she said in the release.

She’s truly a local product, having grown up in Marietta. After graduating from the University of Georgia, McCoy earned a master’s degree in special education at Kennesaw State University.

Before teaching at Mabry, she was a teacher at Daniell Middle School in East Cobb.

McCoy’s four children all attend Mabry and her oldest twin sons have taken her class.

Formerly a math and English language arts teacher, McCoy said she tries to see all her students through the lens of her own children.

The curriculum she has developed is very practical, focusing strongly on getting organized.

“It’s a lot to keep up with,” she said of students coming into middle school. “So, building healthy habits like writing in your agenda, having a to-do list, and binder organization is huge. Most of our students will either get assignments, and they’ll lose the assignment before they even complete it.”

Current Mabry 8th graders who took McCoy’s study skills class as sixth graders said it’s made a big difference.

“When I had her in sixth grade, it set up the rest of my years to make me better at keeping track of what I needed to do,” said one student.

Another said she’s taking what she’s learned about getting organized at Mabry into high school and college.

“I see something in each of my students, sometimes things that they don’t see themselves,” McCoy said. “My goal is to spark that fire, even if in just a handful of them, and make the same difference my teachers did for me.”

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Cobb schools propose bus driver pay raises totaling $7.6M

Cobb school bus safety

The Cobb County School District, which has been experiencing serious shortages of bus drivers over the last two years, is proposing to boost their pay by $5.25 an hour.

That’s on the agenda for both a work session and possible action Thursday night by the Cobb Board of Education.

The work session begins at 3 p.m. and the voting session starts at 7 p.m. in the board room of the Cobb County School District central office, 514 Glover St., Marietta.

The full agendas for the meetings can be found by clicking here. An executive session follows the work session.

The open meetings will be live-streamed on the district’s BoxCast channel and on CobbEdTV, Comcast Channel 24. There will be in-person public comment sessions for both; information can be found by clicking here.

In an agenda item, the Cobb school district said the new hourly rate for bus drivers would be between $25 per hour and $33.32 an hour, depending on the salary step for a given driver.

The current pay rate starts at $19.75 an hour. Drivers are eligible for benefits and are paid year-round.

The district said funding for the pay raises would come to $7.6 million and is available due to revenues generated from the rising Cobb property tax digest.

This year that growth was 11.55 percent for Cobb school district collections, higher than the initial projections of 10.49 percent, “making this request budget neutral,” the agenda item states.

The new fiscal year 2023 Cobb school district budget of $1 billion includes raises of between 8.5 and 13.10 percent for non-temporary employees.

In the last school year, the district offered multiple retention bonuses for bus drivers to address staffing shortages.

The Cobb school district employs 875 drivers and 139 bus monitors who run 870 routes daily, transporting more than 72,000 students, or roughly 70 of the enrolled students.

The work session agenda includes a presentation about the first day of school and a discussion of recent Georgia Milestones testing results.

The evening voting session includes a number of recognitions, including the girls sports program at Lassiter High School and the boys and girls sports programs at Walton High School.

They were named recipients of the Georgia Athletic Directors Association’s Director’s Cup all-sports awards.

Employees to be recognized for 40 years of service include Chester Ransom of Blackwell Elementary School and Lona Wright of Lassiter.

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Cobb Chamber of Commerce seeks Citizen of the Year nominees

The Cobb Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations for its 2022 Citizen of the Year Awards that are presented by its nine area councils.

East Cobb citizens of the year
Tom Bills, and advocate for East Cobb Park, and youth football coach Mack Cobb were East Cobb Citizens of the Year in 2019.

That includes the East Cobb Area Council, which unveils its award Nov. 10, in conjunction with community civic clubs and local business associations.

Nominees are those individuals who have had a significant influence on their community. They can come from business, civic and community organizations, the realms of education, athletics, the arts, religion, recreation and others.

According to the Chamber, “these outstanding citizens are chosen for their definable, exceptional deeds, with which he or she has made their community a better place to live.”

Last year’s East Cobb Citizen of the Year was former Cobb commissioner Bob Ott. Other recent recipients include the late U.S. Sen Johnny Isakson, Futren Hospitality president and CEO Mitch Rhoden and Simple Needs GA founder Brenda Rhodes.

Nominations are being accepted through Monday, Oct. 3 and can be submitted by clicking here.

For more information on Citizen of the Year Awards, contact Jani Dix at 770-859-2335 or jdix@cobbchamber.org.

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Northeast Cobb subdivision, car wash rezoning cases delayed

Northeast Cobb subdivision proposal delayed
For a larger view and more details, click here.

A delayed proposal to build a subdivision off Kinridge Court is being continued again by the Cobb Zoning Staff.

The staff also is continuing two rezoning applications for car wash facilities on Shallowford Road.

Those three cases were to have been heard Tuesday by the Cobb Board of Commissioners, but have been rescheduled for September.

In the residential application, Green Community Development requested another month’s delay due to what its representative said was “misinformation” by a neighboring homeowners association.

Christopher Hunt used similarly charged language in July when addressing community opposition to what initially was a 16-home, environmentally friendly subdivision on rocky terrain.

The revised site plan for what the developer wants to call Serenesee at Kinridge reduces the number of lots to 13.

It proposes homes of at least 3,000 square feet made of four-sided brick, stone and/or hard coat stucco.

Hunt proclaimed that the project, with rooftop gardens, “greenpaved” parking and other sustainability and LEED features, would win awards.

But the Cobb Planning Commission voted to recommend denial, and county commissioners didn’t hear the case after zoning staff continued it.

In an Aug. 9 letter to the county, Hunt referenced an opponent in a community meeting “who purposefully held the comments until the very end of meeting that was designed to create false opposition without an opportunity for me to respond properly and thoroughly.”

He didn’t elaborate, but added that “we need time for emotions to settle so clear thinking with truth will prevail. The property is zoned R-20 and no one wants what antiquated, counterproductive rules allow compared to what Serenesee is presenting.”

At the Planning Commission meeting, some residents of the surrounding neighborhoods and the East Cobb Civic Association objected to the application, citing density, traffic, stormwater runoff and site plan issues.

Hunt is seeking rezoning under an Open Space Community category, meaning the developer will set aside some of the land—roughly 28 percent, according to the revised site plan—in exchange for higher density limits.

The case is tentatively set to be heard by commissioners Sept. 20.

Plans for a car wash and convenience store at Shallowford Road and Trickum Road are being pushed back again after Southern Gas Partners, LLC asked for additional time.

The 3.1 acres at the southwest corner of the intersection has been sitting vacant, but a nearby resident complained of longstanding runoff issues stemming from previous uses of the property.

The application also will be heard by county commissioners on Sept. 20

Another car wash proposal just down the street also is being delayed for a month. WATMOR LLC is planning a car wash on a wooded lot of 0.8 acres on the north side of Shallowford and east of Trickum, adjacent to the Shallowford Crossing Shopping Center.

The parcel is currently zoned for low-density residential but is surrounded by commercial development.

Lance Watson of WATMOR did not indicate his reasons for seeking a continuance. What he’s proposing to be Rich’s Car Wash will go before the Cobb Planning Commission Sept. 6.

A request to build a cellular tower on Canton Road also is being continued until Sept. 6. Parallel Towers III, LLC is seeking a special land-use permit for 6.2 acres across from the terminus of Shallowford Road.

The land is zoned heavy industrial and currently has two cell towers and the SLUP is requesting a third to be built at 160 feet high.

The tower would serve the AT&T Mobility network and would replace a Comcast tower near the East Cobb Baseball facility.

The request has been delayed for several months and the Planning Commission will tentatively hear it on Sept. 6.

Zoning case files and related information can be found by clicking here.

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Cobb assistant sheriff, ex-public safety head to lead GBI

Michael Register, a former Cobb public safety director and police chief who is currently a Cobb assistant sheriff, has been named director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.Mike Register, GBI Director

Register’s appointment was announced Monday by Gov. Brian Kemp. Register succeeds Vic Reynolds, a former Cobb District Attorney whom Kemp recently named as a judge to the Cobb Superior Court.

Until Register’s hiring is approved by the Georgia Board of Public Safety, assistant GBI director John Melvin will head the department in an interim role.

“Mike has a strong track record of strengthening public safety and protecting Georgia’s communities,” Kemp said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to his impact on this important agency that makes our entire state a safer and better place to live, work, and raise our families.”

Register has been with the sheriff’s department since current Sheriff Craig Owens took office in 2021. Register’s duties included community engagement, uniform field operations and internal affairs.

Reynolds, who was named GBI director by Kemp in late 2019, resigned that post in June and was sworn in Monday to succeed former Judge Tain Kell.

Sgt. Jeremy Blake, a public information officer for the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, issued the following statement:

“Assistant Chief Michael Register is a dynamic leader and law enforcement professional. He has been instrumental in helping Sheriff Owens transform the culture at the sheriff’s office.
“Sheriff Owens and the men and women of the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office express our appreciation for his service to the people of Cobb County and we wish him all the best in his new role serving our great state.”

Register, a former Clayton police chief, served as Cobb Police Chief from 2017 to 2019, when he was promoted to public safety director. But he announced his retirement a few months later, citing “urgent family issues.”

Register is a retired U.S. Army veteran who is a graduate of the FBI Executive Institute and is working on a doctorate in strategic leadership from Liberty University.

He is a past member of the Georgia Peace Officers Standard Training Council and the state Judicial Qualification Commission and served on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces’ Executive Board.

The GBI employs nearly 1,000 people and conducts a variety of criminal investigations and forensic science and supports the state’s criminal justice system.

Among those roles includes investigating officer-involved shootings by local law enforcement.

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$1B in Cobb 2022 property tax bills issued; due Oct. 15

Cobb 2022 tax bills due

The Cobb Tax Commissioner’s Office has mailed out 2022 property tax bills that are due by Oct. 15.

According to a release issued by Cobb government on Monday, those include 267,850 tax bills and total $1.099 billion for county services, special tax districts and the Cobb County School District.

Of those bills, 252,206 are for real property coming to $1.027 billion, while 15,644 personal property bills add up to $72 million.

The chart below breaks down anticipated collections in each category; roughly two-thirds of the receipts are for schools, followed by the Cobb government general fund and Cobb fire services.

The Cobb tax digest grew by 12.3 percent in 2022, according to the Cobb tax assessor’s office, with much of that due to rising assessments.

Cobb commissioners recently passed a fiscal year budget of $1.2 billion that becomes effective Oct. 1. They kept the general fund millage rate at 8.46 mills but raised the fire fund from 2.86 to 2.99 mills.

The Cobb school board adopted a fiscal 2023 budget of $1 billion that went into effect on July 1, maintaining the previous millage rate of 18.9 mills.

For a $500,000 home assessed at $200,000, the estimated tax bill is a little more than $5,500, with nearly $3,600 of that amount in school taxes and nearly $1,400 for the county general fund.

Cobb 2022 property tax breakdown

Those figures may vary, depending on the amount of a homestead exemption applied tot he county generalfund or an exemption for school taxes for property owners aged 62 and older.

Cobb’s six cities send out their own tax bills.

The Cobb Tax Commissioner’s Office details the 2022 tax bills.

Payments may be made online at cobbtax.org via e-Check, debit, or credit card

Phone payments can be done via an automated system by calling 1-866-PAY-COBB (1-866-729-2622).

The address for standard mail payment is Cobb County Tax Commissioner, PO Box 100127, Marietta, GA 30061.

Those paying in person can go to the Cobb Property Tax Division (736 Whitlock Avenue) and the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road)

There also are 24/7 drop boxes for checks/money orders made payable to Cobb County Tax Commissioner at those locations and others.

For questions or information, email tax@cobbtax.org or call 770-528-8600.

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East Cobb real estate sales, July 25-29, 2022

Kings Farm, East Cobb real estate sales
Kings Farm

The following deeds for residential East Cobb real estate sales were filed July 18-22, 2022 with the Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s Office Real Estate Department.

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

July 25

2330 Willeo Rill Road, 30062 (North Forest, Walton): Peter Ludovice to Whitney Addison; $500,000

4239 North Mountain Road, 30066 (Highland Pointe, Lassiter): Lance Ruhl, trustee to Stephanie Blochinger and Brandon Swartz; $535,000

1511 Piedmont Road, 30066 (Folk, Sprayberry): Tu Tang to Truc Nguyen; $280,000

2781 Riderwood Lane, 30062 (Kings Farm, Pope): Luis Fernando Pacheco to Torey Williams; $824,000

2961 Stoney Brook Lane, 30062 (Holly Springs North, Sprayberry): Anthony Graves to Kamruz and Anisa Zaman; $350,000

4258 Greenridge Drive, 30062 (Bishops Green, Pope): Andrew and Allison Dowling to Michael and Kelly Hall; $895,000

1860 Leighton Lane, 30062 (Leighton Park, Walton): Meredith Shelby to Andrew Lanham; $850,000

1812 Danforth Drive, 30062 (Sewell Farms, Walton): Michael Whorton to Nathan and Lucie Cregeur; $825,000

269 Shiloh Manor Drive, 30066 (Shiloh Manor, Sprayberry): Kapil and Poonam Malhotra to Bushan Rajesh Chelani; $590,000

705 Robinson Farms Road, 30068 (Robinson Farms, Walton): Purchasing Fund 2021 LLC to Allison Gowens and Parker Christian Rehklau; $660,480

2341 Monterey Drive, 30068 (Spring Creek, Wheeler): Family Trust of Ann Dicks Cook to Open Concepts Georgia Inc.; $550,000

July 26

4929 Olde Mill Drive, 30066 (Olde Mill Ford, Kell): Karen Friend to Flitch Properties LLC; $302,750

490 Shannon Drive, 30066 (Addison Heights, Sprayberry): Alan Keith Hallman to Ronald Menich; $470,000

2801 Rockbridge Road, 30066 (Piedmont Hills, Sprayberry): Kelley Christopher to Leah and Jeremy Rousey; $400,000

2931 Caribou Trail, 30066 (Caribou Hills, Sprayberry): Daniel and Tara Primm to Derrick Valeriay and Sarah Howell; $520,000

2795 Bentwood Drive, 30062 (Bentwood, Pope): Alexander Freemon to Prafulla Kumar Shahi; $440,000

851 Mitsy Ridge Drive, 30068 (Mitsy Ridge, Walton): Don Goldberg to Kira Schleicher and Jesse Dennis; $425,000

3501 Ridge View Court, 30068 (Cross Gate, Wheeler): Arun Narayan to Donna and Nicholas Esasky; $400,000

July 27

2285 Wickingham Drive, 30066 (Cambridge Crossing, Lassiter): Open House Atlanta Realty & Investments to Yokoshima Co. Ltd.; $541,000

2853 Wendwood Drive, 30062 (Wendwood, Pope): Amy Lou Kratcoski to Leo Sullivan; $360,000

2049 Abode Way, 30066 (Courtyards at Ebenezer, Sprayberry): Traton LLC to White House Trust; $563,265

2975 Sloans Way, 30062 (Christophers Corner, Sprayberry): Open House Atlanta Realty & Investments to Hideo Takahsaka; $445,000

3013 Alberta Drive, 30062 (Holly Springs, Sprayberry): Open House Atlanta Realty & Investments to Makoto Ishii; $507,000

2049 Kramer Way, 30062 (Holly Springs Crossing, Pope): Cynthia Hannon to Stephen Sodel; $435,000

4172 Avid Park, 30062 (East Haven, Walton): Frank Bertoni to Yvonne Hendrick; $948,000

1494 Dansford Court, 30062 (Penhurst, Walton): Joel Steber, trustee to Howard Fleming; $840,000

768 Fox Hollow Parkway, 30066 (Fox Hollow, Walton): Rebecca Crawford to Carolyn Glover; $690,000

608 Spring Creek Way, 30068 (Spring Creek, Wheeler): Amanda Kelly Richie to Le Wen Hsiu Grace; $575,000

July 28

4759 Township Chase, 30066 (Jefferson Township, Lassiter): Kim Wilson, trustee to Zoe Lee Greenberg; $700,000

4612 North Landing Drive, 30066 (North Landing, Kell): Tony Miller to DGS Residential Properties LLC; $275,000

4291 Arbor Club Drive, 30066 (Arbor Bridge, Lassiter): Emily Eckerle to Daniel and Marion Hinkley; $490,000

3845 Bluffview Drive, 30062 (Creekside Bluffs, Lassiter): David and Virginia Huckaby to Christina and William Updike; $435,000

3626 Candlewood Way, 30066 (Stocktons Mill, Lassiter): Tohoku Giken Kogyo Co. Ltd. to Victoria Traynor; $420,000

3270 Catkin Court, 30066 (North Chestnut Grove, Sprayberry): Carmen and Kyle Collins to Paul and Erica Arena-Camarillo; $516,500

3240 Moss Creek Drive, 30062 (Chestnut Creek, Pope): Travis Johnson to Brendon and McKenzie Ackermann; $537,500

3123 Big Shanty Trail, 30066 (Big Shanty Plantation, Sprayberry): Christopher Hogg, successor to Zachary Hylton; $326,000

2715 Long Grove Drive, 30062 (Madison Hall, Pope): Christy Sheahan to Nicole and Michael Simpson; $1.487 million

July 29

2884 Treeside Drive, 30066 (Edgewood East, Lassiter): Toll Southeast LP Company Inc. to David Torbett; $1 million

3905 Ebenezer Road, 30066 (Philmont, Sprayberry): Robert and Leah Bley to Elham Laghaie; $403,000

4065 Bittersweet Drive, 30075 (Hedgerow, Lassiter): Jeffrey and Michelle Holt to David and Tracy Smiles; $585,000

2813 Prado Lane, 30066 (Enclave at Laura Creek, Sprayberry): Gregory Jones to Antoine Parker; $565,000

2901 Deerview Trail, 30066 (Caribou Hills, Sprayberry): David Whigham and Susan Cole to John and Nicole Leland; $405,000

2800 Meadow Drive, 30062 (Rising Sun, Pope): Bryan Graf to Caroline Moody and Adam Wilson; $476,000

523 Hidden Hills Court, 30066 (Hidden Hills, Sprayberry): David Rogers to Opendoor Property Trust; $327,700

3858 West Clinton Court, 30062 (Cedar Hills Estates, Pope): The Estate of Judith Ann Marvel to Open House Atlanta Realty & Investments; $422,000

3803 Sewell Mill Road, 30062 (Cedar Hill Estates, Walton): Sewell Mill Project LLC to Amitabh Jain and Khushboo Shah; $1.12 million

2275 Snug Harbor, 30066 (St. Charles Square, Sprayberry): Yoon Changheon and Park Kheeryon; $599,000

1579 Greyson Ridge, 30062 (Greyson Knoll, Sprayberry): Elmerner Rollins to RE Property Holdings LLC; $400,000

766 Coventry Township Place, 30062 (Coventry Township, Wheeler): Opendoor Property Trust to Paulo Dos Santos; $289,000

310 Old Orchard Court, 30068 (Weatherstone, Wheeler): Susan Esposito to Aaron and Julianne Edelstein; $530,000

251 Pioneer Trail, 30068 (Pioneer Woods, Wheeler): BPMM III LLC to Abraham and Michelle Chen; $585,000

2240 Powers Ferry Drive, 30067 (Sunvalley Estates, Wheeler): Mary Robinson to Ludmylla Mota and Tulio Duarte de Oliveira; $270,000

419 Smokerise Drive, 30067 (Chimney Trace, Wheeler): Carlos Mendes to Thiago Castro; $230,000

3663 Sope Creek Farm, 30068 (Sibley Forest, Wheeler): Chadwick Tucker and Kate Miller to Ryan Becker; $830,000

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The Music Studio Atlanta to open second location in East Cobb

The Music Studio Atlanta East Cobb

The Music Studio Atlanta, which offers music lessons to youths and adults, is opening a second location in East Cobb in September.

The new studio is located at the Pavilions of East Lake Shopping Center (2100 Roswell Road Suite 1128) and there will be a continuous open house starting on Monday up until the formal opening.

The business offers lessons in a wide range of instruments and includes a lounge, a professional front desk staff and performance opportunities.

Lessons will be offered seven days a week from fully credentialed musical teachers and the studio is “fully stocked” with instruments and sheet music.

The Music Studio Atlanta opened in Vinings in 2011 as a division of the Courtnay and Rowe in-home music academy.

The open houses will take place Monday-Saturday from 2-6 p.m. until the studio officially opens on Sept. 6.

Phone: 404-630-3886; Facebook and Instagram.

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Ex-Cobb Commission Chairman buried at Arlington Cemetery

Cobb County Manager Jackie McMorris and Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell were among those representing the county Thursday at the burial service for former Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce at Arlington National Cemetery.Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce

Boyce, a retired Marine Corps colonel, died in January after suffering two strokes attending a leadership program at his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame.

He served in the Marines for three decades and was laid to rest with full military honors and his wife Judy, and family received the flag that was draped over his casket.

“The ceremony was very moving and inspirational to all of us present. Condolences and prayers to his wife, Judy, and the family,” Birrell wrote in her newsletter Friday. “May he rest in peace.”

Boyce was a Republican who served as chairman from 2017-2020 after ousting incumbent Tim Lee.  Boyce lost his re-election bid in 2020 to current Democratic chairwoman Lisa Cupid.

Boyce, 72, lived in East Cobb after transitioning to civilian life and was an active member of Mt. Bethel Church, where a memorial service was held in February.
Mike Boyce Arlington Cemetery burial Cobb County government produced a photo montage of Mike Boyce’s service at Arlington National Cemetery.

 

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Cobb Police to hold Community and Faith Forum

Submitted information:Cobb Police Community Faith Forum

The Cobb County Police Department invites you to attend the Community & Faith Forum, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25, at the Cobb County Public Safety Training Academy, 2435 East-West Connector, Austell.

This is an opportunity to meet CCPD’s new leadership team and hear their vision for the department and the direction they will be taking as they deal with violent crime and the safety of Cobb citizens. The goal is to build trust with our community.

The Community & Faith Forum was created to promote harmony within Cobb County by bringing together different faiths and beliefs to discuss challenging social issues and raise awareness.

This event is free and open to the public.

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