After Cobb seniors were asked to pay a membership fee and pay higher fees for services at county senior centers this year, a senior citizens group is asking that they be eliminated or at least reconsidered.
At a recent Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting, June Van Brackle, president of the Senior Citizen Council of Cobb County, cited a figure that fewer than 3,000 seniors are using the centers this year, compared to around 6,500 before the fees were imposed.
Earlier, commissioners set an annual membership fee of $60 a person to take part in activities at the senior centers.
While some were upset by the membership fees and higher cost for activities fees and room rentals, he said “we’re all in this together.”
One group that regularly met at the East Cobb Senior Center has stopped having regular events there. The Foxtrotters Ballroom Dance Club, held a farewell dance in June after 21 years. They’re having a reunion dance there on Jan. 18.
Here’s more from Van Brackle’s remarks:
The Senior Citizens Council of Cobb is urging the Board of Commissioners to eliminate these mandatory fees. Cobb County is renowned for the services it offers to its residents. The reduction in participation at the five centers can only be a major detriment to the overall quality of life for Cobb seniors.
The Senior Citizen Council of Cobb County is an all-volunteer organization that has been in existence for 45 years and advocates for better public policies for Cobb seniors. The Council has always been against additional burden on our oldest citizens and if you are interested, we ask that you contact your commissioner and express your feelings regarding these fees.
Commissioners will be holding their semiannual retreat Monday at the Cobb Civic Center, and Boyce told Van Brackle to attend.
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Want to have some fun and a free lunch? Program volunteers and Kitchen volunteers (no cooking required) for Senior Adult Social Program at Aloha to Aging on Mondays and Wednesdays in East Cobb and Tuesdays in West Cobb from 10am to 2:30pm (we can be flexible with ending time), to socialize and help facilitate games and projects with seniors. Join in a morning snack and lunch as well as a fun 50 minutes of seated exercise with the participants and fellow volunteers.
The number of days is flexible, if you can do 1 day a month or 1 day a week, we’d love to hear from you! 770-722-7641 or info@alohatoaging.org.
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The Alex Gaines Law office (3101 Cobb Parkway, Suite 124) is starting a series of free estate planning seminars this week that continue through Nov. 15.
The dates are Nov. 1, 3, 9 and 15. There’s a Saturday breakfast on Nov. at 10:30 a.m. and 1-hour weekday Lunch & Learn workshops on Thursday, Nov. 1, Friday, Nov. 9 and Thursday, Nov, 15 from 12-1 .p.m.
Here’s additional information they’ve submitted:
These interactive estate planning talks are designed to help guests learn how to avoid common estate planning mistakes and ways to protect their children, families, property, and assets. Everyone needs an estate plan! All courses cover the same information. Breakfast & childcare is available upon request. Seating is limited and registration is required.
Follow this link for more information and to sign up.
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Thank you to Mary Stokes, the care coordinator at Roswell United Methodist Church, for passing along the following about a Roswell Alzheimer’s caregivers support group that will begin soon:
Do you care for someone with Alzheimer’s or Dementia? Do you find certain behaviors challenging or frustrating? You are not alone. Join us for a caregiver’s support group on the second Wednesday of each month at 10:00 a.m. at Roswell United Methodist Church.
We meet in B239 in the Chapel Building. Our first meeting will be on September 12th. Find support. Learn useful tips. And identify helpful resources.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Thanks to Cindy Theiler for the updated information to a story we posted in May about the Aloha to Aging gala that’s coming up on Aug. 18. As we mentioned then, the East Cobb-based senior non-profit is expanding its services, and is having this inaugural fundraising event:
An African safari, a Tuscany vacation, a spa getaway, and a one-week stay at a Florida beach house are just a few of the auction items that will be offered at Aloha to Aging’s inaugural gala on Aug. 18 beginning at 5 p.m. at KSU Center in Kennesaw. Sponsorships and individual tickets are still available for this event that will honor Dr. Betty Siegel, Kennesaw State University’s former long-time president.
Funds raised from this event will help fund programs and services to ensure enhanced quality of life for area seniors, their family care partners, and the community.
Sponsorship levels range from $1,000 to $10,000. Individual gala tickets are $75 per person and include appetizers, a full seated dinner, dessert, and three drink tickets. The reception and silent auction begin at 5 p.m.; dinner and the live auction follow at 6:30 p.m. A split the pot raffle tickets are also available to purchase (2 tickets for $20) from Aloha to Aging.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Calling all seniors (ages 55 and up): The East Cobb Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road) is marking its 23rd anniversary next month, and the celebration will be themed along the “23 Arabian Nights.”
The event is Aug. 10 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., but you’ve got only a little more than a week to register. The deadline is July 16, and the cost is $15 for Cobb residents and $18 for non-residents.
Participants are encouraged to dress in their best genie outfits if they so desire.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The Foxtrotters Ballroom Dance Club is disbanding at the end of this month, after 21 years of events at the East Cobb Senior Center. A farewell dance will take place there on June 22.
A steep increase in fees for renting out the event for their dances is the reason for the decision to shut down the group, Foxtrotters president Barbara Digulla told East Cobb News.
Like other groups and individuals who have been using the East Cobb Senior Center, the Foxtrotters have been affected by proposed activity fee increases for senior centers across the county to address Cobb’s current $30 million budget deficit.
At a January town hall meeting in January at the East Cobb Senior Center, Boyce told seniors upset about the proposals that “we’re all in this together” in terms of resolving the county’s fiscal crisis.
While some seniors didn’t object to paying a $60 annual membership fee, groups that meet at senior centers were alarmed by the high increases that commissioners are being asked to approve.
The Foxtrotters have paid $120 a month to Cobb Senior Services for the use of the facility for their monthly dances.
That cost could jump to $540 an event, if the proposed fee increases are approved when the commissioners finalize the budget in July. The hours for their dances also were pushed up from 7-10 p.m. to 6-9 p.m., with the county citing security reasons.
The Foxtrotters said the changing hours negatively affected turnout, and they hire their own security guard for their dances. Digulla said she was able to negotiate a 7-10 p.m. window for their final dance on June 22.
She said around a third of those coming for the dances are from well beyond the Cobb area, including DeKalb and Gwinnett counties and elsewhere.
“We’ve accepted it,” Digulla said about the end of the group. She said she and other dance club members “tried every possibility there is in this area” to find another place for their events, including churches and community centers.
She said that typically 45-55 people attend a dance, but attendance has been down 20 to 30 percent since the new fees kicked in.
Digulla said the Foxtrotters are required to pay for a security guard that cost $80 an event. Combined with that and the rental fee, along with around $500 an event for bands, each dance cost in the range of $650 to $750 a month.
To have to pay nearly double that, between $1,100 to $1,200 a month, and on short notice, “is ridiculous,” Digulla said.
The Foxtrotters aren’t the first senior dance group to shut down in the wake of the new Cobb senior activity fees.
The Stardust Dance Ballroom Dance Group that held events at the West Cobb Senior Center also is closing down, due to the proposed fee increases, and is having three final dances this year at a senior center in Paulding County.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners is scheduled to adopt the fiscal year 2019 budget in July. The senior fee increases were initially delayed as Boyce held senior town hall meetings, but they went into effect this spring.
Launched in 1997 by founding members Naomi Davis and Jan Henkleman, the Foxtrotters are geared toward seniors, with attendance open to those 55 and older.
They used to have another senior dance group, the Flamingos, who met at the Windy Hill Senior Center, but that group disbanded when the center closed in 2011.
The Foxtrotters farewell event begins June 22, 21 years and two days after their first event at the East Cobb Senior Center. The cost is $15 a person, with music provided by The Continentals Band and the theme “I’ve Got the Sun in the Morning.”
Digulla said around 70 people have signed up to attend, enough to provide a free buffet meal as the Foxtrotters have their last dance.
As a Foxtrotters Facebook page message indicated:
“Let’s say goodbye in style and pay tribute to the best social event East Cobb has ever known!”
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Thanks to Cindy Theiler for sending us advance notice of a very special event the East Cobb-based Aloha to Aging is holding later this summer. The non-profit organization has expanded its services to a five-county area, and is having this fundraiser to help with those growing obligations.
The gala is Aug. 18 at Kennesaw State University, and is honoring Dr. Betty Siegel, the former long-time president of the school, a critical figure in its growth from a junior college to the third-largest university in Georgia.
Some background on Siegel, in case you weren’t aware, she’s been diagnosed with dementia, and this MDJ story from last fall illustrates not only her situation, but her husband’s role as a caregiver:
Aloha to Aging’s Inaugural Gala will honor retired Kennesaw State University’s former president Dr. Betty Siegel. Proceeds from the event will fund programs and services to ensure enhanced quality of life for seniors, their care partners, and the community. 5 p.m., reception and silent auction; 6:30 p.m., dinner and program. Tickets are $125 per person. KSU Center, 333 Busbee Dr., Kennesaw.
Since 2009, Aloha to Aging, Inc. (a 501c3 organization) has been empowering family caregivers, aging care recipients, volunteers and our community in a positive, nurturing manner through quality-targeted programming.
Due to the organization’s popularity and need in the community, Aloha to Aging has expanded its east Cobb County-based services and programs to include participants in a five-county area, including Cobb, Cherokee, DeKalb, Fulton and Paulding. In addition, many of its programs are mobile and can be and are facilitated at locations convenient to participants. Last year the organization served more than 2,900 people (including volunteers) from middle school to up to 99 years young and the numbers are growing.
Aloha to Aging provides a number of quality programs and services, including:
– Aloha Day Club (2 locations – east and west Cobb); therapeutically structured, social day respite program for adults 55 and older who are no longer driving and are in need of engaging activities, exercise and socialization outside their residence
– Monthly support groups focused on Alzheimer’s disease, family care givers and Parkinson’s disease
– Two Simulation Programs for both age-health related and cognitive changes
– Numerous monthly education and weekly specially designed wellness programs specifically aimed to meet the needs and interest of seniors and family caregivers
With the increasing senior population across the nation, especially in the Atlanta/Cobb County area, our unique programs are needed even more to ensure enhanced quality of life for our seniors, their care partners and our community.
To help fund these needed programs, Aloha to Aging will host its inaugural gala honoring Dr. Betty Siegel, Kennesaw State University’s former president, at KSU Center in Kennesaw on Aug. 18. This fun-filled evening will include dinner, drinks, and a live and silent auction. Individual gala tickets are $125 per person and sponsorship levels range from $1,000 to $10,000.
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Seniors packed the East Cobb Senior Center earlier this month for a town hall meeting about fee increases that drew sharp opposition. (East Cobb News file photo).
UPDATED, Jan. 24, 12:23 p.m.:
On Tuesday, the Cobb Board of Commissioners approved a $60 annual membership fee, with a $5 monthly option, to go into effect Feb. 1. Scheduled increases in room rates and classes will be put on hold as a citizens committee will take up the issue.
That committee, which is to be selected to a special assistant to commission chairman Mike Boyce, will be examining fee structures and is expected to make recommendations by June.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 6:22 p.m., Jan. 22:
Increases for some Cobb senior services fees, particularly for room rentals and classes, may be put on hold after seniors protested during recent town hall meetings earlier this month, including one at the East Cobb Senior Center (previous East Cobb Newspost here).
The new fees were set to go into effect on Feb. 1, but Cobb commission chairman Mike Boyce wants to create a citizens committee to come up with alternatives to the staff proposals that upset seniors during those town hall meetings.
Cobb commissioners will be considering that measure at Tuesday’s regular meeting that starts at 7 p.m. on the 2nd floor of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
Boyce is recommending that an annual membership fee of $60 for Cobb residents go into effect on Feb. 1, as commissioners had approved in October, but by charging $5 a month instead of the yearly amount in advance.
The commissioners discussed feedback from the town hall meetings at a work session on Monday.
As he did at the East Cobb meeting, Boyce apologized for how the county handled the proposed fee increases, which angered seniors as much as the steep costs for some services.
“We could have done this better,” Boyce said.
At the East Cobb town hall, major objections were made to room rental rates that in some cases were increases of more than 200 or even 300 percent. One group that meets there frequently, the Golden K Kiwanis, said the new rates would cost nearly as much money as the organization raises for its charitable programs.
Some class fees would more than double or even triple, especially for painting classes, which in some cases would have been raised from $48 to $160.
“I get their point,” Boyce said of the protests to those particular fees. “They would like to be part of the discussion. What we don’t want to do is freeze out the seniors.”
If the commissioners approve on Tuesday, existing room rates and class fees will continue until the committee makes its recommendations.
Another suggestion Boyce mentioned to his colleagues is using senior centers as community centers, and permitting programs for those under 55.
Northeast Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell also suggested a special fee structure for groups that use the senior centers after hours, since the county incurs additional costs for having staff working during evenings.
Boyce said he would be asking Michael Murphy, his staff assistant for special projects, to form the committee.
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Cobb commission chairman Mike Boyce faced a full house at the East Cobb Senior Center Friday (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
Before Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce made his case for increasing charges for senior services, including the creation of an annual membership fee, he issued an apology.
Not for the idea of raising fees. As he reiterated several times, often to the derision of some in attendance at a town hall meeting at the East Cobb Senior Center Friday morning, “We’re all in this together” in addressing Cobb’s mounting budget problems.
Rather, Boyce regretted the way the announcement was handled in November, when commissioners voted to impose an annual $60 membership fee to use Cobb senior centers and in some cases charge steep increases in renting rooms for events at those facilities.
Those new charges are set to go into effect on Feb. 1, but because of strong pushback from seniors, Boyce scheduled a series of town hall meetings this month.
The first was at the East Cobb center on Sandy Plains Road, one of the busiest of the five senior centers run by the county, and with a robust schedule of activities and organizations that meet there.
“You’re angry because you feel like we’re shoving this down your throat,” Boyce said to a standing-room only crowd. “That’s why we’re here.”
Many were angry about any increases in general, with some citing living on fixed incomes, and wondering how much the new charges would help solve a budget deficit projected to be $30 million or more for fiscal 2019.
“I’m hoping it’s only $30 million,” Boyce said, rattling off a long list of things that the county isn’t buying these days—including public safety and senior services vehicles—due to the budget crunch.
He deflected criticism that the county’s obligation for SunTrust Park is contributing to the budget woes, which were $20 million for fiscal 2018. Cobb pays $8.4 million annually for its share of the new home of the Atlanta Braves.
When an attendee charged that the county is “Mickey Mousing us around” instead of addressing funding for the stadium, Boyce was adamant:
“The Braves didn’t create this hole. All they did was accelerate the inevitable.”
Of the $405 million fiscal year general fund budget for 2018, around $170 million is earmarked for required services under state law: public safety, courts, roads and water.
A longer list of “essential” services includes code enforcement, finance and budget and planning and zoning. That totals another $146 million.
The longest list of all, “desired” services, has the smallest budget sum of the three: $86 million, and it’s where the budgets for popular programs for parks, libraries and seniors all come from.
Each senior center costs around $250,000 a year to operate, but county officials estimate only 6,100 of Cobb’s 165,000 seniors use them at all.
When a senior asked why the elderly are being asked to share the burden this way, Boyce offered his standard response—”because we’re all in this together”—to a chorus of boos and groans.
“You may not like the answer, but if we don’t fill this [budget] hole, we may have to close places,” he said.
Boyce faced greater opposition to the room rate increases, which in some cases would be 200 or 300 percent higher than what they are now, as well as class fees.
Currently, the Foxtrotters Dance Club pays $120 for its monthly events, and the Marietta Golden K Kiwanis Club pays the same amount for several meetings a year at the East Cobb center.
Those rentals would go up to $200 an event. Class fees would go up from $48 to $112 and $160 for painting classes and from $30 to $50 for yoga and tai chi sessions.
Some worried that their fellow seniors may drop out of coming to the centers, which have become a vital social hub.
One suggestion Boyce said he definitely would take back to the commissioners is a $5 monthly fee, which may be more affordable for some seniors who can’t pay $60 in advance.
After the town hall meeting, East Cobb senior resident Chris Vail said he appreciated Boyce taking the heat, and for apologizing at the outset.
Vail is member of the Golden K Kiwanis, which has met at the East Cobb Senior Center for 22 years. He’s concerned that higher charges for room rental and other club activities would cost the organization $12,000 a year, about the same amount of money the group raises for various children’s charities every year.
“That would put us out of business,” said Vail, a retired police officer from Albany, Ga., and a former Congressional investigator. “There’s a lot of benefit for us to be here.”
He said a user fee for seniors would be fine with him “as long as it is reasonable.” Vail said while he was glad for the chance to be heard, “I only pray that they will listen to us.”
Additional town hall meetings will take place week at the North Cobb, West Cobb, Freeman Poole and Marietta senior centers. The commissioners will discuss the feedback at a work session later this month before scheduling a vote on the new fees.
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A couple weeks ago we posted the notice that the East Cobb Senior Center is the first venue for several town hall meetings this month on proposed fee increases for senior services in Cobb County.
That first town hall is coming up Friday, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and will be hosted by Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce.
The East Cobb Senior Center is located at 3332 Sandy Plains Road, and the town hall meeting is free and open to the public.
Cobb commissioners have approved imposing an annual membership fee for seniors for the first time, at a charge of $60. The non-resident fee is $90, but at a commission meeting in November, a number of seniors, including some who regularly use the East Cobb Senior Center, strongly objected.
Boyce said he wants to collect further feedback before the fee changes, which also would cover spring classes and offerings, go into effect Feb. 1.
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The East Cobb Senior Center will be the venue for the first of several town hall meetings in January for public feedback on newly enacted Cobb senior services fees.
That first town hall hosted by Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 12, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The East Cobb Senior Center is located at 3332 Sandy Plains Road (phone: 770-509-4900).
At a November Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting, some East Cobb seniors sounded off against the rising fees, including the imposition of a membership fee for the first time (previous East Cobb Newspost here).
Senior fees had been recommended several years ago by a Cobb government citizens oversight committee, and were approved by commissioners who are facing a projected $30 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2019.
The membership fee for seniors will be $60 annually for Cobb residents and $90 for non-residents. It goes into effect on Feb. 1 and does not affect winter class registration that starts Jan. 22. The membership fee will be required to sign up for classes in the spring.
The other town hall meetings will take place Jan. 17 at the North Cobb Senior Center in Acworth and at the West Cobb Senior Center in Powder Springs, Jan. 18 at the Freeman Poole Senior Center in Smyrna and on Jan. 19 at the Marietta Senior Center.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The East Cobb Senior Center celebrated its 22nd anniversary in August. (East Cobb News file photo)
The Cobb Board of Commissioners voted on Nov. 15 to create a membership fee structure for use of Cobb Senior Services, including centers such as the East Cobb Senior Center (previous East Cobb Newspost here).
The charges go into effect on Feb. 1, 2018, and will be implemented for spring 2018 class registration (but not winter, which is still going on. Here’s also a schedule of December and holiday activities at the East Cobb Senior Center, 3332 Sandy Plains Road).
Here’s what the county sent out earlier today, with more details and contact information about the new membership program:
Membership Fees
Cobb residents: $60/year
Non-residents: $90/year
You may create your yearly membership online at CobbSeniors.org or by visiting any senior center. Cash, check and credit cards (MasterCard/Visa/American Express) are acceptable forms of payment.
Included in the yearly membership are free, evidence-based health programs (Cooking Matters, Matter of Balance, etc.), access to workout facilities and free coffee.
If you can’t afford the membership fee, call 770-528-5355 to discuss possible options. You must be within the federal poverty guidelines for consideration.
Class Registration
Registration for winter 2018 classes will begin Monday, Jan. 22, for everyone. Both in-person registration and online registration will start at 9 a.m. Although class fees will remain the same for winter 2018 classes, the new fee structure will be in place for spring registration beginning in April. You must have a valid 2018 Senior Services membership BEFORE you register for any spring 2018 and beyond classes.
The fee schedule is available at each senior center. To view a question-and-answer fact sheet on the new membership program, click here.
Please call 770-528-5355 with questions not addressed above.
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Not everything on the East Cobb Senior Center December events listings are holiday-oriented, but there are some festive celebrations on tap, including a tree decoration event and dinner at a local restaurant. The senior center is located at 3332 Sandy Plains Road, and the phone number for more information is 770-509-4900. Here’s a full list of what’s in store in December:
Phones for the Hard of Hearing
Friday, Dec. 1
10 a.m.-11 a.m.
Free; Registration required
Come to our seminar to learn more about caption phones. These phones will help you with any form of hearing loss and also bridge the gap of missed communication in a most effective way. Presented by Monique Waldron with Clear Captions.
Wiggin’ Out 101
Tuesday, Dec. 5
10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Free; Registration required
Come to our seminar to learn basic head prep for wearing wigs, choosing the right wig type, washing and roller setting wigs, wig styling, and wig maintenance. Presented by Erica Gamble with The Wig Boutique.
Healthy Living for Your Brain
Wednesday, Dec. 6
10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Free; Registration required
As we know, the health of the brain and body are connected. Join Kara Johnson with the Alzheimer’s Association to learn about research in the areas of diet, nutrition, exercise, cognitive activity, social engagement, and use hands-on tools to help you incorporate these recommendations into a plan for healthy aging.
Eggnog and Mittens
Friday, Dec. 15
3 p.m.-4:50 p.m.
Admission: mittens, a scarf or a hat
Come celebrate the winter holidays and this magical time of year. Enjoy Donna’s famous eggnog, cookies, and Good Time Band. We will set a tree up where you hang new mittens, scarves, and hats, which will be given to MUST Ministries. Sponsored by The Solana East Cobb.
Christmas Dinner-a-Round Wednesday, Dec. 13
Muss and Turner’s East Cobb
1205 Johnson Ferry Rd #101 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m.
Separate checks for dinner; Registration required. Everyone meets at the restaurant.
AARP Smart Driver December 28 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
$15 AARP members / $20 Non-members (cash or check only)
Check with your insurance agent about a possible discount. Bring a lunch.
Before the Cobb Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to raise user fees for a variety of county services, some East Cobb seniors voiced their opposition to the proposals.
It didn’t prevent the commissioners from voting 5-0 to levy increases, including a first-time membership fee for seniors, as they seek to find ways to close an expected $30 million budget hole for fiscal year 2019.
The senior membership fee was reduced from a proposed $100 a year per person to $60 at the request of Northeast Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell, who said she was concerned about seniors on a fixed income.
Of the increases overall, she said “it’s something we’ve talked about for years, and it’s much needed.”
Hope Notice, a regular at the East Cobb Senior Center, said she thought that “the raising of fees seemed to be an afterthought.” She said the membership fees are “utterly ridiculous,” and noted that seniors in Woodstock pay only $10 and in Roswell, the annual fee is $25 and includes the use of a swimming pool.
“I realize you need to raise fees, but please find other ways to raise money,” she said. “These increases are more than the norm.”
The membership fees would apply to use of any senior center in Cobb County. Commission chairman Mike Boyce said that while the fee increases approved Tuesday apply to many other services, the only e-mails he has received have come from seniors.
Shirley Scaff, another regular at the East Cobb Senior Center, told commissioners before the vote that she meets there often as part of the Knit Wits knitting group, and also belongs to a crocheting circle. She said the socializing and other benefits of staying active through the center’s many programs are vital for her and others.
“We have members from [age] 60 to 95,” she said. “We enjoy the companionship and the fellowship” and being active “keeps the mind going.” A membership fee, she said, would be “a hardship.”
East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott supported the $100 fee structure. He noted that there is a sliding scale available and that the Cobb Citizens Oversight Committee recommended increases several years ago.
The increased senior fees will go into effect on Feb. 1, 2018, along with increases the commissioners also approved Tuesday for aquatics, athletics, gymnastics and tennis fees; arts fees; picnic pavilion rentals; rentals for the Cobb Civic Center and performing arts venues; and for recreation and community centers as well as library proctoring services and meeting room rentals.
Fees to file for zoning certificates also will go up in 2018, from $40 to $100, and from $200 to $300 for film permits.
The cost for business licenses also is increasing, and will take effect on Oct. 1, 2018. The current range is $102 a year to nearly $15,000 a year (with several tiers based on gross revenues). The new fees will range from $112 to $16,400 annually.
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An East Cobb Veterans Day celebration scheduled for Nov. 10 is free to veterans and family members of those who have served.
UPDATE: We’ve been notified that the reservation limit has been reached. In other words, it’s “sold” out; however you can put your name on a waiting list.
However, they are required to register by the end of next week, Nov. 3, to reserve their place, and they must do so in person. There’s also a ticket limit (see details below).
The East Cobb Senior Center and the East Cobb McCleskey Family YMCA and Northeast Cobb YMCA are teaming up to sponsor the event, which takes place from 5-8 p.m. Nov. 10 at the East Cobb Senior Center, 3332 Sandy Plains Road.
The event includes music and dinner, and the special guest is Cobb commission chairman Mike Boyce, a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer.
More from Cobb District 3 commissioner JoAnn Birrell:
“The keynote speaker will be Cobb County Chairman Col. Mike Boyce (Ret.). . . Doors will open at 4:45 p.m. for seating and fellowship. Program will begin promptly at 5 p.m.
Anyone who desires to attend must register no later than Friday, Nov. 3. Registration is open to those 18 years of age and older and you must visit the East Cobb Senior Center’s front desk to request a ticket. Limit two tickets per household.
“For more info, contact the East Cobb Senior Center at 770-509-4900 or McCleskey and Northeast Cobb YMCAs at 770-977-5991.”
The 22nd anniversary of the East Cobb Senior Center was celebrated by a couple hundred patrons on Friday with a “Gone With the Wind Theme,” but it didn’t end there.
Lunch was dubbed “Barbecue at 12 Oaks” after the name of theO’Hara plantation at Tara in the book and film. Attendees were summoned to the buffet when their table names were called out, in honor of “GWTW” characters Ashley Wilkes, Mellie Hamilton and Scarlett O’Hara.
Among the honored guests were Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce and Commissioner JoAnn Birrell. Cobb Senior Services Staff, dressing every bit the part, were the hostesses for the festivities.
Square dance and line dance music suddenly turned modern, with “The Twist,” “Woolly Bully,” and “Blue Suede Shoes” providing an energetic mid-day exercise that continued into early afternoon.
A little slow dancing was mixed in with a dash of easy-going hip-hop . . .
. . . followed by a return to some oldies that kept quite a few couples, and a number of good friends, on the dance floor during a festive afternoon. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
