Four years after groundbreaking, the new multi-purpose building at Shaw Park anchored by Gritters Library is open to the public.
The 20,000-square foot facility, which opened on Nov. 6, includes the relocated Northeast Cobb Community Center and the workforce development headquarters for CobbWorks, the county’s job and employment resource center.
The Gritters building will also serve as an outreach center for civic engagement and health and wellness matters.
At a Thursday ribbon-cutting celebration, officials from those entities and others touted the new center as a dynamic asset for a growing area.
“Wow. Wow,” said Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of East Cobb, who championed the reconstruction project through financial and other hurdles. “Have you ever seen a more beautiful thing than this?”
The Gritters replacement project was included in the 2016 Cobb SPLOST, with $6.8 million originally budgeted for the library and $1.2 million for the community center.
There was a ground-breaking ceremony in 2021, but a $2.5 million shortfall emerged due to rising construction costs. Cobb commissioners approved some creative financing in 2023 to set the project in motion.
After thanking the many parties involved in the funding and building—including State Rep. Don Parsons of Northeast Cobb and the Georgia Public Library Service, Birrell declared the new Gritters to be “a community asset for the whole area because of the partnerships invested here.”
When the small wooden frame building that served as the Gritters Library branch opened in 1973, it was designed to serve a population of 25,000.
Today, that 3-mile radius now includes more than 65,000 people, as well as a number of educational institutions. There are 11 Cobb County School District campuses, Kennesaw State University and a branch of Chattahoochee Tech in the community.
“It truly is about community connection—neighbors to neighbors,” Cobb County Manager Jackie McMorris said. “The word is spreading about this beautiful facility. We are excited to be a part of this with you.”
Sonya Grant, executive director of CobbWorks said that “this partnership with the library is the perfect fit for us.” With its “wealth of resources,” she said, “CobbWorks is 100 percent committed to the economic vitality of all of our citizens.”
The community center space is expanded from its old quarters in Shaw Park, said Cobb PARKS director Michael Brantley, serving as a venue for public meetings and things like weddings and special celebrations.
It’s the second such collaboration between the parks and libraries, along with the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center.
“This is a great investment in your future,” Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said. “What I love about libraries is they foster fellowship with our neighbors.”
Gritters Library is open Monday —Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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