East Cobb Schools

EAST COBB THIS WEEK: Summer library events; tax millage town hall; blood drive; business luncheons; greenways and trails meeting

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It’s not quite back to school—though it is hard to believe that’s exactly two weeks from today, on July 31—and the four branches of the Cobb County Public Library System in East Cobb have plenty of activities scheduled for the next two weeks.

We’ve included a good sampling of them in our East Cobb Events Calendar, and there are plenty more to peruse on the library system website. In addition to regular storytimes, this week’s events include a picnic at the Mountain View Regional branch, monthly adult book discussion groups at East Marietta and East Cobb, the monthly Gritters STEAM team event and so much more!

On Saturday, the East Cobb branch will feature a presentation on how to grow your own mushroom garden, with some expert advice from the Mushroom Club of Georgia.

Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce is taking some heat for proposing a tax millage increase, and on Wednesday he is holding a town hall meeting at the East Cobb Senior Center to solicit more input.

The Cobb school board is holding a final public hearing Thursday before voting on setting its tax millage rate for 2017.

The East Cobb Business Association and Northeast Cobb Business Association are holding their monthly luncheons on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. On Wednesday, the Ashley Homestore on Roswell Road is holding a Red Cross blood drive, and the East Cobb Lions Club will be offering free vision screenings.

If you missed last week’s public input meeting on the Cobb Greenways and Trails Master Plan at East Cobb Library, there will be another meeting Tuesday from 5-6:30 at the Covenant Presbyterian Church, Canton Road and Piedmont Road.

Another end-of-summer event for kids takes place Thursday at Terrell Mill Park. The Fairy House Workshop, presented by the Cobb Water System’s Watershed Stewardship Program, includes story-reading before kids ages 3-13 create their own fairy houses.

The Marietta Campmeeting continues every day this week through Saturday, with services at 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. and an ice cream social after Tuesday’s evening service, starting at 9:30 p.m. The final service takes place at 11 a.m. Sunday.

We’ll come back later this week with a preview of weekend events in East Cobb, including live entertainment and other community activities.

Please feel free to send your items—including photos, flyers, maps and PDFs if you wish—to: calendar@eastcobbnews.com, and we’ll post them promptly.

Have a great week, and please stay in touch!

 

Full Pope roundabout opening set for July 30

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This was just released Friday afternoon by the Pope High School administration:

Pope High School roundabout
Cobb DOT rendering

Due to weather delays and scheduling, the new roundabout will not open for “two-way” traffic until July 30th…..At this time, the roundabout will be operational; however, finishing touches will continue to be made after the school year has started….Please continue to access the Pope High School campus from the north (Dorset/Lassiter Rd./North Hembree Rd. area) until the roundabout opens on July 30th….Thank you for your patience and cooperation….

July 30 is a Sunday, the day before classes begin for the 2017-18 school year. Here’s more on the project.

Petition drive launched opposing July 31 Cobb school start date

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With the start of the 2017-18 Cobb County School District academic year exactly two weeks from today, a group of parents has begun a petition drive demanding schedule changes in the future.

The group, which calls itself Cobb Parents Against July School Start Date, has gathered more than 2,000 signatures thus far on the change.org platform, and here’s its main complaint:

“. . . we feel that the start date of July 31 crosses a symbolic line that both threatens the nature of the traditional summer vacation and the developmental promise a more traditional calendar affords our children and families.”

Among the suggested changes in the calendar include cancelling either the September or February week-long breaks and ending the school year later in May (recent graduation ceremonies ended before Memorial Day).

The group, which did not reveal member identification or provide other contact information, also mentioned that the lone school board member to oppose the July 31 start date is Scott Sweeney, who represents the Walton and Wheeler high school districts of East Cobb.

Many of the comments indicated a desire to enjoy a traditional summer vacation from school, especially with the hottest days and months of the season likely still to come.

A commenter named Sarajane Fletcher, who said the last of her three children is finishing at Walton this year, wrote on the petition site that the current balanced calendar adds more stress for students and parents, with added homework and reading assignments given during longer breaks:

“The kids are in a pressure cooker during the year with no escape, so what does Cobb do, just slowly take away their summer vacation! “

The petition organizers did not indicate if, how or when the petition results might be delivered to school board members. The board next meets on July 20.

EAST COBB THIS WEEK: Tax millage rate hearings; women’s networking; Marietta Campmeeting; Bradley’s car show

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The Cobb Board of Commissioners and the Cobb Board of Education this week are holding required public hearings as they prepare to set their 2017 millage rates.

The commissioners will hold hearings tonight at 6:30, and at 9 a.m. on Tuesday and at 7 p.m. on July 25, the date they’re slated to vote on the millage rate. Those hearings will be in the board’s 2nd floor meeting room at the Cobb BOC Building, 100 Cherokee St. in downtown Marietta.

The school board is holding hearings Tuesday at 10 a.m., during its monthly work session, and again at 6 p.m. in the board room of the Cobb County School District main office, 514 Glover St. in Marietta. East Cobb events calendar

The school board will have final hearings on July 20 at 1:30 p.m. and at 7 p.m., when it’s scheduled to vote on its 2017 millage rate.

State law mandates the hearings if local property tax digests rise and millage rates aren’t rolled back, prompting a tax increase (here’s a year-by-year chart of Cobb tax digest totals dating back to 2012, when the county began rebounding from the recession. Here’s the BOE’s millage rate notice and 5-year history of its property tax levy).

Elsewhere in this week’s East Cobb Events Calendar, there’s a new women’s business networking group meeting Thursday at Red Sky Tapas Bar that pledges a “no compete” atmosphere. Friday marks the 180th renewal of the Marietta Campmeeting, with an opening picnic and service scheduled from 6-9 p.m. The venerable tradition continues through July 23, and if you haven’t been, or even if you’re not religious, it’s a tremendous experience. I covered this years ago during my newspaper days, and I highly recommend it.

On Sunday’s Bradley’s Bar & Grill on Lower Roswell Road is holding a summer fest and car show from 3-7 p.m., and if you want your car to take part, you have until Wednesday to register. It’s all for a very good cause.

We’re just getting our engines revved up here at East Cobb News and want to make our calendar listings are simply the best in the community. Please feel free to send your items—including photos, flyers and PDFs if you wish—to editor/publisher Wendy Parker at: eastcobbnewsnow@gmail.com.

Have a great week, and please stay in touch!