East Cobb restaurant update: Red Sky Tapas and Bar closes

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Red Sky Tapas and Bar, East Cobb food scores

A few readers have contacted us about the closing of Red Sky Tapas & Bar in East Cobb and we’ve contacted the restaurant to get more information.

After 14 years, the restaurant founded by Terry Kirby and Brian Kennington at the Market Plaza Shopping Center on Johnson Ferry Road has shut its doors for good.

A reader messaged us Wednesday night and said “went by this evening and definitely closed. No signs but deserted.”

UPDATED, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.: Red Sky announced the closure on its Facebook page after this story published:

“Thank you for 14 wonderful years of memories, fun, friends and family. Sadly, we are permanently closed.”

There was no further explanation. East Cobb News has left multiple messages with Red Sky Wednesday and Thursday seeking further comment. There was no answer at the restaurant via telephone and there was no voice mail option.

RETURN TO ORIGINAL STORY:

The restaurant and retail site ToNeTo reported late Wednesday that Kirby said he and his partner “were presented with ‘an offer they couldn’t refuse’ and made the difficult decision to sell the business.”

They continue to operate 1911 Biscuits & Burgers, a breakfast and lunch spot on South Cobb Drive in Smyrna, but the Red Sky space “will reportedly be reconcepted under new ownership,” according to the report.

Market Plaza, which includes the Los Bravos, Kouzina Christos, Mediterranean Grill, Bagelicious and Fuji Hana restaurants on eight acres, was sold in August by Market Plaza Joint Venture to Palatka Mall LLC for $9.8 million, according to Cobb property tax records.

In addition to its menu items, Red Sky was known for its live musical entertainment—including dueling pianos—and having a variety of benefit and charitable events.

Kirby and Pennington opened Red Sky in 2008, years after coming up with the concept for a night dining and entertainment concept in East Cobb.

Kirby previously was a manager of a sports bar in Sandy Springs and was shot in the back and paralyzed below the waist during a robbery in which his pregnant boss was killed.

He frequently visited Red Sky guests, moving around in his wheelchair to gauge their experience.

“It’s more than a dining experience,” Kirby said in a 2015 interview with the AJC. “It’s a shared experience. You enjoy the food and the people you’re with. Dining like that builds relationships.”

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2-story Starbucks, drivethru proposed for Paper Mill Village

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Starbucks Paper Mill Village

Here’s the first look a major change proposed for Paper Mill Village: The building containing an existing Starbucks location would give way to a two-story, standalone coffee shop with a drivethru lane.

That’s according to filings with the Cobb Zoning Office in an application scheduled to be heard by the Cobb Planning Commission Oct. 4.

The filings include a revised site plan with new access points and procedures for conducting a traffic study to gauge how the expanded coffee shop would affect traffic in the busy Johnson Ferry Road-Paper Mill Road area.

S & B Investments has applied to rezone the 0.73-acre tract on the northwest corner of that intersection from future commercial and R-80 to NRC (Neighborhood Retail Commercial).

(Although Paper Mill Village is a mixed-used commercial development, it has a unique zoning history that we noted earlier this year when the property’s developer sought NRC designation for other buildings there.)

According to the application (you can read it here and view more renderings), the building would be around 5,000 square feet and the Starbucks would be open from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. seven days a week.

A stipulation letter from Garvis Sams, the S & B Investments attorney, includes a lengthy list of retail uses that would not be allowed on the property (you can read that letter here).

S & B Investments previously requested, then dropped, a request to add a drivethru lane for its existing 1,600-square-foot building, which includes space for two other retail businesses. One of them, where a nail salon was located, is vacant, and the other is a dry cleaning service.

Initial zoning staff analysis concluded that there wasn’t sufficient space to provide drivethru service for Starbucks with the building intact.

In his letter, Sams wrote that “while Starbucks has been a presence at this intersection for decades, because of the change in demographics and circumstances engrained in the nuanced evolution of our culture generally and more specifically the like-kind demographic within this sub-area of east Cobb County, the drive-thru component is no longer an option but is, instead, a necessary component.”

 

Revised Starbucks PMV site plan
For a larger view click here.

There is a standalone one-story Starbucks just up Johnson Ferry at Woodlawn Square. There’s a two-story Starbucks similar to the one proposed for Paper Mill Village in Sandy Springs.

Renderings provided in the Paper Mill Village filings show expansive customer space inside the new building, and traffic configurations.

The initial site plan called for a two-way access point from an existing alley off Johnson Ferry Road.

That has been changed to provide separate entrance and exit access from that alley, and a two-way access point from the existing alley off Paper Mill Road. A total of 23 parking spaces are included, including handicapped spots, and the drivethru area would be sealed off.

Cobb Zoning Staff has not completed its analysis or made a recommendation.

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Police: Man arrested after knife threat at East Cobb Wendy’s

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Man arrested Wendy's East Cobb knife threat

Cobb Police have arrested a man after he allegedly threatened to kill another man with a knife at an East Cobb Wendy’s restaurant Monday night.

Anthony O’Bryant Brown, 30, whose booking report says he is homeless, has been charged with one felony count of aggravated assault after the incident at the Wendy’s at 2238 Roswell Road, according to his arrest warrant.

The warrant states that Brown and another man were arguing outside the restaurant between 7:35 and 9:10 p.m. Monday. Brown said in the warrant the other man called him a “crack head,” angering him, and Brown then went inside and got a knife from the kitchen.

The warrant said that Brown said he “bucked” at the victim with the knife in his hand. The victim told police that Brown wanted to kill him, and that three Wendy’s employees heard him making that threat, according to the warrant.

Police were called to the scene and Brown was arrested, according to the warrant, which lists his home address as Elizabeth Porter Park in Marietta.

According to jail records, Brown is being held on a $22,000 bond at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.

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Chopt East Cobb location expected to open ‘later this year’

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Chopt East Cobb opening

The Chopt sign has gone up at one end of Pine Straw Plaza (4250 Roswell Road) where the California Pizza Kitchen used to be.

But a timeline for the opening of the salad concept location in East Cobb has still to be announced.

A public relations representative for Chopt Creative Salad Co. told East Cobb News in response to that question only that the opening will be taking place “later this year.”

The fast casual chain specializes in offering several dozen salad varieties that customers can customize for themselves, along with wraps, sandwiches, salads and bowls.

Chopt announced it would be coming to East Cobb earlier this year. It will be the fifth location in metro Atlanta, along with Perimeter Center, Buckhead, Ansley Mall and Toco Hills.

Chopt, founded in 2001, is heavily concentrated on the East Coast, in the New York City and Washington D.C. areas, as well as Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Chopt also has 21 locations in Alabama and seven in Tennessee.

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East Cobb Food Scores: Moxie Burger; Eggs Up Grill; more

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Moxie Burger Shallowford, East Cobb food scores

The following Cobb food scores for the week of Sept. 12 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:

Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar
3460 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 110
September 15, 2022 Score: 95, Grade: A

China Dynasty
3605 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 105
September 14, 2022 Score: 92, Grade: A

Eggs Up Grill
4401 Shallowford Road, Suite 126
September 14, 2022 Score: 91, Grade: A

First Watch 
3460 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 130
September 15, 2022 Score: 88, Grade: B

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
2716 Sandy Plains Road
September 13, 2022 Score: 91, Grade: A

La Bella Pizza 
2635 Sandy Plains Road, Suite A-7
September 13, 2022 Score: 94, Grade: A

Moxie Burger
2421 Shallowford Road, Suite 158
September 13, 2022 Score: 86, Grade: B

Smokehouse Q
4401 Shallowford Road, Suite 168
September 14, 2022 Score: 96, Grade: A

Subway
2610 Delk Road
September 13, 2022 Score: 83, Grade: B

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Cobb school board asked to consider public conduct policy

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Cobb school board public conduct policy
Some public commenters at Cobb school board meetings wear shirts emphasizing their concerns.

The Cobb Board of Education will be asked on Thursday to adopt a policy to govern conduct by members of the public at school board meetings.

Proposals include the possibility of allowing the school board to meet in an alternate location should disruptions get out of hand and calling on law enforcement to intervene “in any potential violation of law.”

Those proposals are on the agenda for both a work session and possible action Thursday night by the school board.

The work session begins at 2 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 public meetings can be found by clicking here. An executive session follows the work session.

The open meetings will be live-streamed on the Cobb County School 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.

The agenda item (which can be found on pages 28-29) comes as local school districts in Georgia are required under a new state law to develop rules of conduct policies by Oct. 1.

The provisions of SB 588 mandate that public school districts provide public comment sessions. Cobb has been doing so for several years, but the law also calls for boards to adopt policies for those commenters.

The law states that members of the public “shall not be removed from such public meetings except for actual disruption and in accordance with rules adopted and published by the local board of education.”

In July several citizens protested at the Cobb school board meeting after the board voted to hire armed guards for schools.

Some attendees who shouted at the board to delay the vote continued their disruptions after, and chairman David Chastain called for a recess. The protests continued, with some shouting “Shame on you!” as the meeting was adjourned.

In recent months, numerous speakers have addressed the board wearing shirts declaring an advocacy group or cause, and there has been some heckling. On some occasions, disrupting citizens have been removed from the board meeting room.

Public commenters at Cobb school board meetings are notified by the school board attorney when their allotted time has expired, and if they continue, their microphones are cut off.

The issues that have sparked their ire have included those that have been roiling in school districts around the country in recent months—school safety, especially in light of the Texas school shootings; the COVID-19 response; diversity, racial and equity issues—and Cobb school district spending.

Last November, the Georgia School Boards Association broke off from the National School Boards Association after the latter asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate parents who protest at school board meetings.

Entitled “Rules of Attendee Conduct for Public Meetings,” the Cobb agenda item states that “the requirement that all meetings of the Board ‘shall be open to the public’ does not prevent governing bodies from maintaining order at meetings.”

The item states that because “children have access to meetings and meeting broadcasts/recordings, the public is advised that the content of these meetings should be appropriate for all ages.”

The agenda item said that existing board policy doesn’t allow use or display of “abusive, obscene, profane, vulgar, defamatory, or slanderous” language or gestures. Citizens may not block others from entering or leaving the meeting room and are not allowed to make threats and disruptive noises.

“Any attendee(s) disrupting or attempting to disrupt the meeting in any manner will be addressed,” the agenda item states. “No attendee shall endanger others by acts of violence or abusive conduct. No attendee shall cause, provoke, or engage in any physical confrontation, fight, brawl, or riotous conduct so as to endanger the life, limb, health, or property of another. Any attendee(s) with signage that blocks or may block the view of others will be addressed.”

East Cobb News has left a message with Chastain seeking comment.

The seven-step Cobb policy proposal to address public conduct starts with a verbal reminder “of the expectations” and is followed by a verbal warning and removal from the room if someone’s behavior makes “the orderly conduct of the meeting unfeasible.”

The law enforcement intervention and relocation of the board meeting would be the measures of last resort, with the latter requiring that the continuing board meeting would be available via an audio and video stream made available to the public.

“As a general rule, the Board will attempt another method or methods to resolve the issue prior to employing this action,” the agenda item states.

However, the proposed policy would allow the board, depending on the circumstances of a situation, to take actions “in any order and is not bound to follow each step chronologically.”

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Cobb commissioners table proposals to regulate trash service

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Cobb tables trash proposals

The Cobb Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to table code amendment proposals pertaining to trash service.

But they disagreed on when, or even if, to bring proposals back for board consideration.

By a 4-1 vote, the commissioners approved tabling the amendments until January. Tuesday’s vote came before the first public hearing on code amendments, which will be voted on Sept. 27.

The dissenting vote was from Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of Northeast Cobb, who supported tabling the trash proposals but thinks doesn’t think they need to be brought back at all.

“I think the public has been loud and clear,” said Birrell, who’s up for re-election in November in a newly drawn District 3 that includes most of East Cobb.

“This should never have been brought to the board,” she said, without talking to the haulers and the public.”

She said she’s received 1,715 e-mails from citizens, with only two in support of a proposal that would have limited trash service to one hauler per commission district.

All five board members have publicly said that they don’t support the single-hauler provision, and held a work session Aug. 31 with private providers to hear their concerns.

There was another meeting last week with the haulers and county officials to continue hammering out solutions to trash service problems that Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said have been lingering for a decade.

“I don’t know that we need an ordinance to address this code at this time.”

Later, she said that the trash proposal “need to be removed completely. If it needs to come back, it can come back.”

Keli Gambrill of North Cobb agreed with Birrell, her fellow Republican.

“These are things that can be solved by the haulers without the county’s interference,” Gambrill said via telephone, attending the meeting remotely.

Citizens in unincorporated Cobb contract with private providers for trash service. But Cupid said the county has a role in resolving service issues some citizens have had with not getting service, or getting inconsistent service.

“This is a public health matter, when there are citizens not getting service,” Cupid said. Until now, “there has not been a prod to the private market to address these issues. There is a role for us to play in this matter.”

Commissioner Jerica Richardson of District 2 in East Cobb said that while tabling the amendments “doesn’t necessarily solve the problem” of inconsistent trash service, it’s “encouragement that the right kind of dialogue is happening to address this issue.”

After the vote, speakers at the public hearing  also spoke out against the trash proposals, which included mandatory recycling.

“This amendment isn’t ready for game time,” East Cobb resident Debbie Fisher said, calling it an example of “government overreach.”

She said she found it ironic that county government is attempting to step in to dictate trash service when it “can’t mow the grass” in road medians. “That’s a problem. Limited government is always better.”

East Cobb resident Hill Wright, who started a website to galvanize opposition to the single-hauler proposal, acknowledged that while there are issues in some areas with trash service, “the county has proven that it is not the right entity to make it happen.”

Beyond the initial meetings with haulers, he said, “we need town halls,” and was critical of what he said was an initial attempt to “bypass the haulers and the public.”

One of those haulers, Brian Warren of Custom Disposal Service, thanked commissioners for tabling the code amendments. He said 75 percent of his company’s business is in Cobb, and he’s served on a task force in nearby municipality to help resolve trash issues.

He was responding to a question about how long such a process might take, and he said from previous experience that “within a six-month period we came up with a plan.”

He urged commissioners not to follow the lead of Gwinnett County, which went to a single-hauler format a decade ago, only to continue to have service problems.

“Cobb should be a county that others want to emulate,” he said. “We don’t need to emulate others with failed programs.”

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Cobb postpones traffic court cases for deputies’ funerals

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Traffic cases in Cobb State Court will be put on hold Wednesday and Thursday so court personnel can attend the funerals of two slain Cobb Sheriff’s deputies.Cobb State Court postponed

A message from Cobb government Monday said the traffic cases scheduled for those days will be rescheduled, and “notifications will be sent out to those affected.”

On Monday Cobb officials announced the funeral arrangements for deputies Jonathan Koleski and Marshall Ervin, who were shot and killed at a West Cobb home trying to serve a warrant to a man who had failed to appear on a theft by deception charge.

That man, Christopher Cook, 32, and the alleged shooter, Christopher Golden, 30, surrendered at the scene and are being held without bond.

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Funeral arrangements set for slain Cobb Sheriff’s deputies

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Funeral services slain Cobb deputies
Deputy Jonathan Koleski

Funeral services will be held this week for the two Cobb Sheriff’s deputies who were killed Thursday in the line of duty.

Cobb government sent out a message Sunday night saying that the funeral service for Deputy Jonathan Koleski will take place Wednesday at North Star Church (3413 Blue Springs Road Kennesaw) at 12 p.m.

A visitation is from 9-11 a.m. at the church and burial will take place starting at 2:30 p.m. at the Georgia National Cemetery (1080 Veterans Cemetery Road
Canton).

Koleski, 42, had been with the Cobb Sheriff’s Office since 2007 and is a veteran of the U.S. Army.

The funeral for Deputy Marshall Ervin is scheduled for Thursday at 2 p.m. at West Ridge Church (3522 Hiram Acworth Highway, Dallas), with visitation from 12—2 p.m.

Erwin, 38, had been a deputy for the last seven years.

The Cobb Sheriff’s Office said it would be releasing information about the routes of the funeral processions for members of the public who wish to pay their respects.

Deputy Marshall Ervin
Deputy Marshall Ervin

On Thursday night, Koleski and Ervin were attempting to take into custody a man who was wanted for a failure to appear on a theft by deception charge.

Another man came out of the house and into the driveway with a weapon and ignored the deputies’ demands to drop it, according to Cobb Police, who said gunfire ensued.

The deputies were both shot and died, and the two suspects eventually surrendered. On Friday they were denied bond by a Cobb Magistrate judge.

Christopher Golden, 30, has been charged with two counts of felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault.

Christopher Cook, 32, the subject of the warrant, has been charged with eight counts of theft in charges stemming from this spring.

The Cobb Sheriff’s Foundation, a non-profit organization founded last year that serves Sheriff’s Office personnel and their families, has set up a donate button for its Fallen Officer Fund on its website for the families of Koleski and Ervin.

The Sheriff’s Office has set up a memorial to the slain deputies at its headquarters visitation center at 1877 County Services Parkway, Marietta.

Koleski and Ervin also were honored with a moment of silence Sunday afternoon at Mercedes Benz Stadium during the Atlanta Falcons game with the New Orleans Saints.

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East Cobb real estate sales, Aug. 22-26, 2022

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Lassiter Ridge, East Cobb real estate sales
Lassiter Ridge

The following deeds for residential East Cobb real estate sales were filed Aug. 22-26, 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. 22

4093 Tropez Place, 30075 (Princeton Cove, Lassiter): Robert Connely to Matthew Waldron; $900,000

5082 Merton Lane, 30068 (Cobblestone Manor, Walton): Keisha Kasuya to Koti Mulupuri and Swathi Kethenini; $895,000

5018 Kingsley Manor Court, 30066 (Kingsley Manor Estates, Kell): Jaime Mitchell to Jasmine James; $725,000

4703 Claridge Way, 30066 (Hampton Ridge, Lassiter): Scott Stephan to Opendoor Property Trust; $609,900

1664 Millhouse Landing, 30066 (Spencers Mill, Kell): Gary and Ellen Leven to Nicholas and Ashley Izzo; $585,000

3795 Glengarry Way, 30075 (Loch Highland, Lassiter): Leticia Hall to Donna Matthews; $400,000

281 Piedmont Road, 30066 (Piedmont Hills, Sprayberry): Joseph Chmelecki to Ruzveh and Mahafrin Mehta; $336,000

2598 Stoney Brook Lane, 30062 (Holly Springs North, Sprayberry): Alice Karen White to SHV Homes 4 LLC; $455,000

2588 Club Valley Drive, 30068 (Beverly Hills Estates, Wheeler): Joel Howell, trustee to Avin Properties LLC; $343,000

Aug. 23

4199 Westchester Trace, 30075 (Westchester, Lassiter): Tyler and Brandy Young to Kenneth Davis and Kathryn McCollister; $535,000

4345 Inverary Walk, 30075 (Loch Highland, Lassiter): Kelly and Brian Filer to Gregory and Lauren Wile; $626,000

3784 Maple Court, 30066 (North Ridge, Sprayberry): Carol Beebe to Penny and Eric Pratt; $450,000

3594 Downing Street, 30066 (Churchill Falls, Lassiter): Hee Jung Kim to Jisha Chalil and Sukesh Sudevan; $455,000

3322 Acorn Falls Drive, 30062 (The Estates at Davis Ridge, Pope): Dean and Ann Charles to Luke and Chelsea Fleming; $1.45 million

4166 Shallowford Road, 30066 (Johnson Ferry Estates, Lassiter): Portico Properties LLC to Manu Kaipulli and Nezleen Sankaran; $625,000

996 Velma Drive, 30066 (Sprayberry): Rosa Mirabal to Alex Finelt and Yaffa Ouaknine; $415,000

880 High Green Court, 30068 (Indian Hills, Walton): Alice Nix to Yanco and Karin Golan; $615,000

Aug. 24

783 Bayliss Drive, 30068 (River Springs, Walton): Cecelia Sanjeevi to Jobin and Mackenzie Bhamanipour; $484,000

4658 Sandy Plains Road, 30075 (Lassiter): Geoffrey and Fabiana Buchanan to Felix Solomon and Yulianta Silva; $775,000

2021 Shadowood Drive, 30066 (Shadowood, Sprayberry): Matthew and Elizabeth Garmon to Albert Speranza and Alyssa Deslauriers; $423,600

2854 Baccurate Trail, 30062 (Covington Ridge, Pope): Todd Gambrell to Francis and Katherine Cody; $710,000

2866 Interlaken Drive, 30062 (Alpine Lakes, Pope): Sabine Williams to Open House Atlanta Realty & Investments; $588,000

757 Smithstone Road, 30067 (Dogwood Park, Wheeler): John Sweitzer to Maria Garcia and Braxton Bennett; $399,000

Aug. 25

939 Otter Way, 30068 (Lashley Farms, Walton): Leslie and Dorothy Buell to Opendoor Property Trust; $561,800

3860 Lindsey Road, 30067 (Avignon, Walton): Brett Cannon to Tayo Famakinwa and Thomas Pascale; $1.985 million

2132 Lassiter Field Drive, 30066 (Lassiter Ridge, Kell): Gregory and Alison Lionberger to David and Blair Smith; $935,000

3830 Bluffview Drive, 30062 (Creekside Bluffs, Lassiter): Oluwole Akintayo to Portico Properties Inc.; $170,000

3401 Shaw Road, 30066 (Shaw Woods, Sprayberry): Shelly Norton to Arbor View Properties LLC; $235,350

4456 Columns Drive, 30067 (Columns Drive @ ACC, Walton): Susan Williamson to Paul Akbarzadeh and Roya Akbar; $1.39 million

Aug. 26

1503 Quarter Horse Court, 30075 (Plantation North, Pope): Mary Ann and Jewell Thomas Cobb to Christopher and Julie Graves; $557,500

5235 Shasta Way, 30062 (Plantation Place, Walton): David Keith to Jille Natalino; $522,000

2938 Governors Court, 30066 (Piedmont Place, Sprayberry): Opendoor Property Trust to Daiane Motta; $250,200

2139 Carlyle Drive, 30062 (Cedar Hill Estates, Pope): Redfinnow Borrower LLC to Julianne Burrall and Daniel Belcher; $365,500

2387 Snug Harbor, 30066 (St. Charles Square, Sprayberry): Brett and Amy Langefels to Heather and Martin Lev; $620,000

1557 Cedar Bluff Trail, 30062 (Cedar Bluff, Wheeler): Michele Warf to Zahra Alghoul; $281,000

4400 Kings Way, 30067 (Kings Cove, Walton): Derek Raymer to Jonathan Rue and Amanda Coppock; $762,000

609 Abbington River Lane, 30339 (Abbington at Wildwood, Wheeler): Chris Kromer and Erin Fawcett, trustees to Alice and Steven Byrne; $775,000

1501 Riverbend Club Drive, 30339 (Chattahoochee Chase, Wheeler): Sharon King to Charles Quinn and Katie Eidiecker; $549,900

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Cobb code amendments to get first public hearing Tuesday

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Cobb code amendments public hearing
Jonathan Jenkins, Director of the Cobb Sustainability, Solid Waste and Beautification Department

Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell reiterated Friday that there will be a motion made following a public hearing on Tuesday regarding proposed code amendments to table measures related to solid waste.

In her weekly e-mail newsletter, Birrell said that after the public hearing Tuesday by the Cobb Board of Commissioners, “the Board plans to make a motion and vote to table the Solid Waste code section. It is a consensus of the BOC—none of us are in favor of the proposed one hauler per district.”

She made a similar statement last week after commissioners held a special work session with private trash haulers who were opposed to proposals they said would put them out of business.

Jonathan Jenkins, Director of the Cobb Sustainability, Solid Waste and Beautification Department, had initially proposed limiting each of the four commission districts to a single hauler.

Birrell, a Republican from District 3 in Northeast Cobb who is up for re-election in November, objected, saying citizens should be free to select their own trash service.

She started her e-mail Friday by saying that “as I have stated on the record in meetings, I am in support of open market and residents being able to choose their trash provider.”

She also wanted a delay in the trash code amendments to January. Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid initially balked, saying that too many citizens have been waiting for improvements for inconsistent trash service.

But after last week’s meeting with the haulers, such a delay appears to be likely.

The code amendment proposals cover a wide range of ordinances, including major changes to the county’s short-term rental provisions, apartment inspections, smoking in public parks, and zoning.

You can read through them by clicking here.

Commissioners will also hold a second and final public hearing during their Sept. 27 business meeting at which they will vote on code amendments.

Tuesday’s public hearing comes near the beginning of the commissioners’ business meeting that starts at 9 a.m. in the 2nd floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.

You also can watch on the county’s website, Facebook Live and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.

A full agenda of Tuesday’s meeting can be found here; other items include a recognition of Cobb County government marking 25 years of having a AAA credit bond rating by Moody’s, Fitch and Standard & Poor’s.

Commissioners also will be asked to finalize the appointment of a new county economic development director and to allocate more than $3.1 million in the county’s share of American Rescue Plan Act funding for workforce development, mental health training, and an infectious disease testing project.

The majority of the proposed funds, $2.1 million, would be used to purchase transport vehicles to assist those affected by COVID-19.

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East Cobb Food Scores: Antico Pizza; Willy’s Mexicana; more

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Antico Pizza Battery, East Cobb food scores

The following Cobb food scores for the weeks of Aug. 29 and Sept. 5 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:

Antico Pizza Battery Park
2605 Circle 75 Parkway, Suite 420
September 7, 2022 Score: 81, Grade: B

Apple Spice Atlanta
2030 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 368
August 31, 2022 Score: 90, Grade: A

Wildwood Cafe
2300 Windy Ridge Road, Suite 175
August 31, 2022 Score: 100, Grade: A

Willy’s Mexicana Grill
2900 Delk Road, Suite 8
September 9, 2022 Score: 88, Grade: B

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Cobb Sheriff: Killings of two deputies ‘hurts all of us’

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Cobb Sheriff's deputies killed
Slain deputies Jonathan Koleski, left, and Marshall Ervin Jr. Photos: Cobb Sheriff’s Office

The day after two of his deputies were shot and killed trying to serve a warrant, Cobb Sheriff Craig Owens said his department remains heartbroken by the tragedy.

At a press conference Friday afternoon, Owens identified the two slain deputies as Jonathan Koleski, 42, and Marshall Ervin Jr., 38, the latter of whom was the father of two children.

Their identities were revealed after two suspects arrested at a West Cobb home following a standoff with law enforcement had their first hearings in Cobb Magistrate Court.

Christopher Golden, 30, is being held without bond after being charged Friday with two counts of felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault.

Christopher Cook 32, has been charged with eight counts of theft. He also is being denied bond after his original bail was set at $1.230.

They were apprehended late Thursday night after the deputies attempted to serve Cook a warrant for failing to appear on a theft by deception charge.

Instead, Golden emerged from the home on Hampton Glen Court, in the Cheatham Hill area, and fired on the deputies, according to police.

“This has broken the hearts of my deputies,” Owens said at the press conference at the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, which was attended by various law enforcement officials and Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid.

“It hurts all of us.”

He said he’s spoken with the wives of both deputies, and pleaded with the media to give the families “the personal space they need” to grieve.

Cobb Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer, whose department is leading the investigation, provided limited details about the shootings, both because the evidence is still forthcoming, and out of fairness.

He said that at 7:45 p.m. Thursday, Koleski and Ervin were attempting to serve a warrant and take Cook into custody in the driveway.

VanHoozer said Golden came out of the house with a weapon and was given “clear” verbal commands to drop it, but did not. Gunfire was exchanged between Golden and the deputies, both of whom, VanHoozer said, “succumbed to their wounds.”

VanHoozer said there were no other people in the home during the incident. He did not provide a description of the weapon used to shoot the deputies.

Cobb District Attorney Flynn Broady issued a statement saying that “We extend our sincere condolences and prayers to the families of the two sheriff’s deputies killed in the line of duty, the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, and the Cobb law enforcement community.”

But he refrained from further comment due to the pending investigation.

Cobb Sheriff deputy killings
Cobb Sheriff Craig Owens speaks, joined by (from left) Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, Cobb Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer, GBI Director Mike Register and other law enforcement staff.

An individual named Stacy Cook is listed in Cobb tax records as the owner of the home, and Golden is listed in jail records as living at the same address.

According to court records, Cook was sentenced in 2015 to 10 years probation after pleading guilty to burglary and theft charges that were pressed in 2012.

VanHoozer declined to comment on previous incidents when asked by a reporter.

Law enforcement officers, VanHoozer added, “do this job knowing that they may have to give their lives for this job.”

They do it “to seek justice and to prevent incidents like this from happening.”

VanHoozer and Owens thanked not only other law enforcement agencies for their support, but also from citizens in the larger Cobb community and throughout the country.

“What we saw was not just a law enforcement community come together, but we saw the community come together,” VanHoozer said, noting such responses at the shooting scene and when he later went to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.

“The sense of gratitude we saw from the community was amazing,” VanHoozer said.

Koleski joined the Cobb Sheriff’s Office in 2007, and Ervin in 2012.

According to the Officers Down Memorial Page, the Cobb Sheriff’s Office has had only one officer killed in the line of duty previously. That was Deputy Donald Terry Garrison, who died on Aug. 27, 1990 when his patrol car was struck by a speeding vehicle.

The Cobb Sheriff’s Foundation, a non-profit organization founded last year that serves Sheriff’s Office personnel and their families, has set up a donate button for its Fallen Officer Fund on its website.

“The funds that we will get will go to those families,” Foundation founder and executive director Robert Haley said at the press conference.

That includes setting up a scholarship fund for Ervin’s children, but also direct and immediate resources, including attorneys’ services.

“We are prepared to provide them with funding right now for their immediate needs,” Haley said. “We are ready to respond to this terrible, terrible tragedy.”

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3 charged at Chattahoochee NRA Sope Creek after car break-ins

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3 charged Chattahoochee NRA car break-ins

Three young adults from Florida were arrested last week near the Sope Creek parking lot of the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area on loiter prowling charges after Cobb Police said they were committing car break-ins.

Arrest warrants for Manuel Orellana, Diego Rivera and Yanara Riveros, all of Kissimmee, Fla., indicate they have been charged with loiter prowling, a misdemeanor, and possession of tools for the commission of a crime, a felony.

They are all in their late 20s and were arrested on Aug. 29, the warrants state. They remain in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on $10,000 bonds, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.

The warrants stated that between 1-1:30 p.m. on Aug. 29, the three suspects were sitting in a vehicle in the Sope Creek parking lot of the Chattahoochee NRA (3726 Paper Mill Road).

The officer who took out the warrant was in a patrol car in the parking lot, and wrote that the accused were “in a place at a time or in a manner not usual for law-abiding individuals under circumstances that warranted a justifiable and reasonable alarm or immediate concern for the safety of persons and property in the vicinity.”

The vehicle the suspects were riding in began to back out of a parking space, and someone noticed the patrol car, according to the warrants.

The vehicle, identified in the warrants as a GMC Terrain with Florida plates, then pulled into a parking spot, and the individuals went for a walk, the warrants allege.

Upon returning from the walk, the Terrain left the park but was pulled over due to what police said was a failure to maintain a lane of traffic, according to the warrants.

The Sheriff’s Office booking reports indicate the arrests were made in the Paper Mill/Terrell Mill Road area.

The warrants further states that the officer searched the vehicle after detecting a marijuana odor, and found marijuana and THC vaping cartridges.

The officer also said in the warrants that screwdrivers were found in the Terrain, as was a cylinder from a vehicle door lock.

Also discovered during the search were four gift cards, “common proceeds from entering autos,” according to the warrants.

The warrants state that the suspects gave conflicting stories on where the gift cards came from and how the tools got there, but that all three said they were in the area visiting local parks and sports arenas for “tourism.”

The warrants said that one of the suspects told police they broke into a car at another park, and also had done so in Florida before coming to Georgia.

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2 Cobb Sheriff’s deputies killed; 2 suspects arrested

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UPDATED FRIDAY 2 P.M.:

The Cobb Sheriff’s Office said Friday afternoon that the two men arrested after the shooting deaths of two deputies Thursday night will have first hearings Friday afternoon.Cobb Sheriff's Office

Officer Jeremy Blake identified the suspects as Christopher Cook and Christopher Golden, and said their hearings will be at 4 p.m. Friday in Cobb Magistrate Court.

Golden, 30, has been charged with two counts of felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault and is being held without bond, according to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office.

Cook, 32, is being booked on at least eight charges of theft by deception and theft by receiving stolen property and is being held on a bond of $1,320.

Blake said Cobb Sheriff’s Office, Cobb Police and Georgia Bureau of Investigation officials will have a press conference after the hearing to provide more details.

The names of the two deputies have not been made public as of 2 p.m. Friday.

They were shot while serving a warrant at a home on Hampton Glen Court in West Cobb Thursday evening.

Deputies were trying to serve a warrant for failure to appear on a charge of theft by deception, but no one was home, according to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office.

A vehicle then pulled into the driveway and shots were fired, the Sheriff’s Office said. An hours-long standoff ended after midnight Friday as two men peacefully surrendered.

The deputies were only the second and third from Cobb to die in the line of duty.

Cobb tax assessor’s office records show that Cook is the owner of the Hampton Glen Court home. Golden’s home address is listed at the same location, according to jail records.

UPDATED FRIDAY 1:15 A.M.:

Cobb Sheriff Craig Owens said two suspects he said “ambushed” two of his deputies Thursday were taken into custody after an hours-long standoff at a West Cobb home.

The names of the deputies have not been released pending notification of family, and the identities of the suspects also have not been revealed.

Owens said the deputies were trying to serve a warrant for failure to appear on a charge of theft by deception at a residence on Hampton Glen Drive, but no one was home.

A vehicle pulled into the driveway and gunfire ensued, according to Owens, who said the deputies were able to call for help.

One of the suspects was arrested shortly after the shootings, he said, and the other was arrested after a standoff.

Owens held a press conference shortly after midnight Friday at the Cobb Sheriff’s Office headquarters with heads of other law enforcement agencies standing by.

Cobb Police is leading the investigation.

More to come later Friday.

ORIGINAL REPORT:

The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday night that two of its deputies have been killed in the line of duty.

In a social media posting at 9 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office said the deputies were at a residence serving a warrant when they died. The message said a saw suspect is being barricaded and that Cobb Police SWAT and Fugitive Apprehension Support Team personnel are on the scene.

The location is on Hampton Glen Drive, a residential street west of Marietta in the Cheatham Hill area.

It’s off Irwin Road near John Ward Road, and law enforcement from multiple agencies are responding.

“We will release additional information, including the names of the fallen deputies, as it becomes available,” the Sheriff’s Office message said.

According to the Officers Down Memorial Page, the Cobb Sheriff’s Office has had only one officer killed in the line of duty previously. That was Deputy Donald Terry Garrison, who died on Aug. 27, 1990 when his patrol car was struck by a speeding vehicle on Roswell Street in Marietta.

This story will be updated.

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Suicide first aid workshop to take place at East Cobb UMC

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Suicide First Aid training workshopCobb Collaborative and the SAM Foundation will present Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first aid, at East Cobb United Methodist Church next week.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and the ASIST program “teaches participants to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety,” according to a release about the workshop.

The workshop is free, and is being made possible by Cobb Collaborative, a consortium of community non-profits, and the Alabama-based SAM Foundation (Suicide Awareness Means . . . ), which raises awareness of and provides training for the prevention of suicide.

It’s named after a young man who took his own life in 2002.

The workshop takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. next Thursday and Friday at East Cobb UMC (2325 Roswell Road).

Participants must be at least 16 years old and don’t need any previous formal health care training to attend.

The workshop will teach participants about how to prevent suicide by recognizing signs, providing a skilled intervention, and developing a safety plan to keep someone alive.

You can register by clicking here.

For more information, contact Julie Smith at [email protected].

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East Cobb Weekend Events: Music in the Park; Hyde Farm Tours; more

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Ebenezer Road park, Cobb parks master plan
Bring your fishing pole (and license) to Ebenezer Downs Park Saturday morning.

There’s a good chance of rain with a number of free outdoor-oriented events scheduled in East Cobb, so check weather updates before heading out.

On Friday, another weekly Electric Avenue Concert take place at The Avenue East Cobb (4475 Roswell Road) near what’s going to become the heart of the retail center’s redevelopment. From 6-8 p.m. guitarist Jeff Gillman will be performing on stage. You can bring your own tailgate chairs but coolers and outside beverages are not allowed.

The Battery Atlanta will be the venue Saturday morning for the American Heart Association’s Greater Atlanta Heart Walk. It’s free for individuals and groups to take part (although they’re asked to register) to help raise funds and awareness for improving heart health and reducing heart disease (800 Battery Avenue).

Saturday morning recreational events are on tap, with a fishing outing on tap from 9-10:30 a.m. at Ebenezer Downs Park (4055 Ebenezer Road). It’s Fish With Your Commish, District 3 Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell’s occasional series of community meetings at the area’s newest passive park. It’s also being billed as a chance to have a “Conversation With Your Cop,” as Cobb Police personnel will be on hand to talk about public safety issues. If you’re going to bring a fishing pole, make sure to bring your license too.

The monthly Hyde Farm Walking Tours led by Cobb Parks and Recreation continue Saturday at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., and give the public a chance to explore what life on an 1840s-era working farm was like. The 45-minute walks explore the Chattahoochee River and lowland forests, lush with orchards and wildlife. The walks are free; but you’re asked to register at the above link (721 Hyde Road).

Sunday afternoon marks the fall return of Music in the Park, sponsored by Friends for the East Cobb Park. The electic sounds of the Dark Star Brothers can be heard from 4-6, and you can bring chairs, blankets and food to quad by the concert shell. Other concerts in the series are Sept. 25 and Oct. 9 (3320 Roswell Road).

You can find our calendar listings in one handy place on our site. If you have events to share with the public, please e-mail: [email protected] and we will post them here.

 

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Georgia Symphony launches ‘Give Back’ community initiative

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GSO Give Back Program
Photo Credit: Chris Savas for Georgia Symphony Orchestra

The Marietta-based Georgia Symphony Orchestra has announced what it’s calling a “Give Back” initiative to award funding to music programs in metro Atlanta, specifically in local schools.

According to a GSO release, participating programs will receive 15 percent of all ticket sales associated with their organization through the 2022-23 season.

That season begins Saturday with a “Brass Splash” event. “Give Back” participants will receive their donations at the end of the season, when ticket sales are finalized. 

“We want to partner with the community to invest in local schools,” Susan Stensland, the GSO’s interim co-executive director, said in the release. “This initiative perfectly aligns with our mission to enrich our community and to instill and fulfill a lifelong appreciation for the arts.”

The GSO’s 72nd season includes nine concerts and 14 performances, including matinees, and concerts also will include the GSO Chorus and the GSO Jazz ensembles. 

For more information and for music program partnership eligibility details, e-mail [email protected] or call 770-615-2908.

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Electric vehicle charging stations installed at Parkaire Landing

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Parkaire Landing electric vehicle charging stations

A handful of public electric vehicle charging stations in East Cobb are primarily centered along Johnson Ferry Road.

The latest are at Parkaire Landing Shopping Center, where two free Volta charging stations have been installed in the corner of the parking lot closest to the East Cobb Library.

They provide a Level 2 charge, delivering 6.2 to 19.2 kilowatts, requiring a 208-240 Volt, 40 Amp circuit.

According to Evocharge, an EV charging station manufacturer, a Level 2 charge typically provides 32 miles of driving range per hour of charge, and takes an estimated 6-8 hours to fully charge.

Most electric vehicles are equipped with a Level 1 charge that provides a 1.2 kilowatt charge using a common household 120-volt circuit and provides typically four hours of driving range per hour of charge. The estimated time for a full charge is 11-20 hours.

Based in San Francisco, Volta has nearly 3,000 free EV charging stations across the country, including nearly 200 in metro Atlanta. Volta also has installed six chargers at Six Flags Whitewater and four at Town Center at Cobb.

Other EV charging stations in East Cobb charge customers to use their stations.

SemaConnect has installed two Level 2 stations at Woodlawn Point Shopping Center (1100 Johnson Ferry Road) that costs $1.50 an hour.

The same cost applies for two Level 2 chargers at the Koala Express Shell Station (1280 Johnson Ferry Road).

At Merchants Walk (1311 Johnson Ferry Road), there are two ChargePoint Level 2 chargers at the front entrance to the Kohl’s department store. The cost is $1.25 an hour.

The AAA Car Care Plus at 1197 Johnson Ferry Road has two EVGo Level 3 chargers. Those are considered the fastest chargers. An EVGo membership is required, and there are various levels of charging rates available.

Charge Hub, which helps EV drivers find charging stations, has created an interactive map. Other East Cobb-area EV stations include the Walgreens at 2975 Delk Road, the Franklin Gateway Sports Complex and GE Complex at Wildwood Office Park.

EV owners are encouraged to check with each charging station provider for availability, pricing and reservations before heading to the pumps.

More information can also be found at Drive Electric Georgia and Kelley Blue Book.

According to Axios, an estimated 30,000 electric vehicles are registered in Georgia, around three percent of all vehicles, and that number has grown rapidly.

Rivian, an electric truck manufacturer based in California, is building a $5 billion plant in Morgan and Walton counties in Georgia. It’s expected to open in 2024, and is aiming to produce 400,000 vehicles a year there and employ more than 7,500 people.

Rivian, which received more than $1.5 billion in state tax incentives in the largest industrial project in Georgia, has drawn opposition for environmental reasons, and from locals who don’t want their rural way of life to be affected.

California recently became the first state in the country to ban the production of gasoline-fueled vehicles, by 2035, and other states could follow suit.

Georgia is not among those states that have tied state laws to federal vehicle emissions standards.

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Fall break camps slated for The Art Place, Sewell Mill Library

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Fall break in the Cobb County School District takes place from Sept. 26-30, and special arts-oriented camps have been scheduled for children during that week.

They include dance camps at The Art Place-Mountain View (3330 Sandy Plains Road) called Get It! Jazz and Hip Hop Dance Camp for children ages 6-10. There’s also the Island Adventure Musical Theater Camp for children ages 6-12. Please register online or call 770-509-2700.

At the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road), there will be a Disney-themed Island Adventure Musical Theater Camp for children ages 5-12.
Register online, in person, or over the phone at 770-509-2711.

 

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