East Cobb News

Walton HS mock trial team finishes 3rd in state competition

March 26, 2021 3:31 PMMarch 26, 2021 11:25 AM by Wendy Parker

Walton HS Mock Trial team

Submitted information and photo:

The 2021 Georgia Mock Trial State Finals Tournament was held last weekend and Walton High School’s team made it to the final four, ultimately placing third in the state out of 99 teams. Co-led by Superior Court Judge Jason Marbutt and local attorney Bill Atkins, along with Chris Sprague, an administrative judge with the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board and attorney Petal Walker, Walton’s team finished with a 9-1 record, only losing in its final round to the eventual champion.

“Mock trial is a great way for kids to learn about our court system,” Judge Marbutt said. “More importantly, it’s a great way for kids to learn about themselves. They have to stand their ground in legal disputes, control their emotions amidst disagreement and remain calm even when things don’t go how they expect. Being able to be in an actual courtroom enhances the experience for the kids, and I was happy I could offer a safe space for them.”

Teams are six-12 competing students who present one side of the case each round, being assigned to either the plaintiff or defense. Students on the Walton High School team are Jenny Krakowski, Elise Johnson, Grace Hardy, Piran Terlesky, Andrew Lee, Mika Dennerline, Sanya Kaushal, Gryffin Crowder-White, Collin Marbutt, Sarah Hardy and Omar Inan.

The 2021 mock trial season operated differently this year due to the pandemic. Instead of a single Saturday of competition, teams used Zoom to compete virtually in rounds held throughout the week and weekend over the course of seven weeks. Instead of competing the traditional way by regions, all teams competed in a statewide competition. Prelim rounds began the weekend of Jan. 30, followed by mid-level rounds in early March. The top 32 teams from the mid-level round then moved on to compete in the state finals tournament last weekend.

During the 10 rounds of competition, Jenny Krakowski won six Best Attorney awards, Elise Johnson won three Best Attorney awards, Gryffin Crowder-White won three Best Witness awards, Sarah Hardy won a Best Witness award and Omar Inan won a Best Witness award. Only one attorney and one witness can win an award each round.

This tournament is hosted by the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar.

Pope Band to hold recycling event Saturday at NE Cobb YMCA

March 26, 2021 1:01 PMMarch 26, 2021 8:56 AM by Wendy Parker

Pope Band recycling day

If you’ve got recyclables you want to get rid of, Saturday’s the day.

The location has been changed from the Pope High School parking lot due to COVID-19 restrictions and will take place between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Northeast Cobb YMCA (3010 Johnson Ferry Road).

The hotlink can be found here, along with a complete list of what you can bring by—and what they’re not accepting. The per-car donation is $10, and there are additional fees for paint.

East Cobb cityhood effort revived; new services proposed

March 26, 2021 12:13 PMMarch 25, 2021 7:50 PM by Wendy Parker

Another effort to create a city out of East Cobb is being revived by the state lawmaker who introduced a bill in 2019.

But a group called the Committee for East Cobb Cityhood is proposing what it calls a “city lite” set of services.

State Rep. Matt Dollar will be proposing legislation to create a city of East Cobb not only with different services, but some new boundaries.

That bill has not yet been introduced, but Cindy Cooperman, a volunteer for the cityhood committee, told East Cobb News that Dollar will be doing so before the Georgia legislative session ends next week.

In the previous legislation in 2019, the proposed services were police, fire and community development.

For this legislation, the proposed services are zoning, code enforcement and parks and recreation.

Cooperman said the group includes some of the same individuals as the previous cityhood effort, including David Birdwell, Joe Gavalis, Owen Brown and Jerry Quan. Newcomers include former Cobb Board of Education member Scott Sweeney and Mitch Rhoden, CEO of Futren Hospitality, a real estate developer that oversees Indian Hills Country Club.

The group has a new website and will be conducting a new feasibility study, which is required for cityhood legislation.

The previous map included most of Cobb Commission District 2 in unincorporated areas of East Cobb, and was being expanded to include more than 100,000 people.

The proposed new map would include areas south of Shallowford Road and east of Old Canton Road and encompasses a population of 55,000.

The new bill, map and services reflect public feedback during the 2019 cityhood effort, which included several town halls and a debate, she said.

“East Cobb is a thriving suburban area. It is at risk of over-development as we have seen in neighboring communities,” states a message on the cityhood group’s homepage. “We want to preserve all the great parts of East Cobb and grow the community engagement and people, not grow the tax base.”

The touted benefits of cityhood are community control over land-use planning, preventing forced annexation and increasing home values.

East Cobb cityhood, the committee said in a release, “has the benefit of addressing residents’ primary concerns to preserve the positive attributes of East Cobb while protecting it from over-development, encroachment from urban sprawl, and the containment of unmanageable increases in traffic congestion. East Cobb residents are largely satisfied with Cobb County’s other core services.”

More FAQs on the new website can be found here.

The renewed East Cobb effort comes on the heels of legislation proposed to form a city of Lost Mountain in West Cobb, also with “city lite” services focused around land use and development.

But Cooperman said the West Cobb movement wasn’t what prompted another attempt to incorporate East Cobb. There’s “a lot of the same rationale” as the 2019 effort, but said the reconstituted cityhood committee will be seeking more public feedback and engagement.

“East Cobb residents can expect to be engaged in the process. Their feedback from 2019 is incorporated into the refreshed plans,” Sweeney was quoted as saying in the release. “We are committed to community engagement and transparency in the process to explore the merits and feasibility of forming a city.”

The initial cityhood leaders did not divulge the names of some of those involved and didn’t face the public before Dollar’s bill had been filed. They raised money to hire legislative lobbyists, but never revealed the funding sources.

After holding two contentious town hall meetings in the spring and fall of 2019 and a debate with a group in opposition, the cityhood group announced at the end of that year it would not pursue legislation.

Cityhood bills in Georgia must be introduced in the first year of a two-year legislative cycle before being considered in the second. The bills call for referendum to be voted on by voters within a proposed city boundary.

That legislation also needs a Senate sponsor. In 2019, State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick said she received plenty of negative feedback from citizens about cityhood, and other state and county elected officials also expressed opposition.

Cooperman said the engagement process this time around will involve contacting homeowners associations and other community groups.

“There’s going to be community engagement every step of the way,” she said.

East Cobb Republicans vote for Ga. elections overhaul bill

March 25, 2021 7:54 PMMarch 25, 2021 4:22 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb absentee ballots

UPDATED:

The Georgia Senate approved SB 202 in a 34-20 party line vote. Republican State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick voted in favor, and the bill has been signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp.

ORIGINAL STORY:

The four Republicans representing East Cobb in the Georgia House voted in favor of a bill on Thursday that would make sweeping changes to state elections laws.

It’s one of two omnibus elections bills that were up for votes in the Georgia General Assembly, with the 2021 legislative session drawing to a close.

Both bills, written by Republican lawmakers, would add identification requirements for mailed ballots, restrict the use of absentee ballot drop boxes, require more advanced voting across the state and shorten runoff elections.

The legislature also has oversight of proposed changes to election rules by the Secretary of State and state elections board.

Provisions in initial bills to scrap no-excuse absentee voting and Sunday voting were taken out of the omnibus bills, called the Election Integrity Act of 2021.

The House vote on SB 202 Thursday (you can read it here) was 100-75, along mostly partisan lines. GOP Reps. John Carson, Sharon Cooper, Matt Dollar and Don Parsons, who represent East Cobb districts, voted with the majority.

The only Democrat with an East Cobb constituency, Mary Frances Williams, voted against.

In Cobb County, 16 drop boxes were located around the county for absentee ballots. But the legislation would limit those drop boxes to early voting locations only while the polls are open.

Also, anyone requesting an absentee ballot would have to do so no later than 11 days before an election, and the Secretary of State would not be able to send out unsolicited absentee ballot applications, as was done in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another provision of the bill would forbid anyone from providing food and water for people standing in line to vote.

The Senate was scheduled to take up SB 202 as well as the other omnibus elections bill, HB 531 (you can read it here). There are two legislative days left, with the session set to end March 31.

In a vote on an earlier elections bill, SB 241, Republican State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick of East Cobb was excused. She was only one of three GOP senators who did not co-sponsor the legislation, which was opposed by Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan.

After last year’s elections prompted major wins for Democrats—including the presidential race and both of Georgia’s U.S. Senate races—the Republican-led legislative session has been dominated by elections bills.

In many races, absentee votes went overwhelmingly for Democratic candidates, while Republicans did better with advanced and election-day in-person voting.

Some Republicans charged election fraud, especially in the presidential race, which Democrat Joe Biden won by less than 12,000 votes.

Democrats and voting-rights groups have blasted the omnibus bills as examples of voter suppression.

But Republicans say overhauls are necessary to restore integrity and trust in elections.

Related coverage

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!

Chestnut Ridge Christian Church to open sanctuary for Good Friday

March 25, 2021 3:15 PMMarch 25, 2021 12:08 PM by Wendy Parker

Chestnut Ridge Christian Church Good Friday

Submitted information:

Chestnut Ridge Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will open its sanctuary for Good Friday, April 2, 2021, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the community to drop in. COVID-19 precautions will be followed, including requiring masks and spacing the chairs in the sanctuary. The sanctuary will be open for a quiet and reflective time of prayer. The church will provide individual reflections on Bible stories during Jesus’ last week, focusing on who is speaking and who is staying silent.

There will also be space for a community response to the question “What breaks God’s heart?” Let’s take time to listen to each other and to sit with sorrow.

Chestnut Ridge is an Open and Affirming congregation that celebrates the spirital gifts and human dignity of all God’s children. You can see more details about the Good Friday event at chestnutridgechristianchurch.com/good-friday-2021.

Related stories

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!

Cobb Master Gardeners to hold annual garden tour May 22

March 25, 2021 2:50 PMMarch 25, 2021 8:41 AM by Wendy Parker

Cobb Master Gardeners garden tour

Submitted information and art:

The Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County, Inc. (MGVOCC) are holding their 18th Annual Garden Tour on Saturday, May 22, 2021 from 10 am – 5 pm in the East and Central Marietta area. Tickets are $15.00 in advance and $20.00 on the day of the tour. Children 17 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased online at www.cobbmastergardeners.com beginning April 1. Masks required.

Learn and be inspired. The Tour features five (5) gardens, including four private gardens and one community garden. All the private gardens have been painstakingly managed by their owners, four of whom are Master Gardeners. They range in size from a small lot “Urban Oasis” to a nine-acre “Estate.” The Reconnecting Our Roots Community Garden is maintained and supported as a volunteer project by MGVOCC volunteers.

“Unlike other garden tours, our tour focuses on education as much as “stopping to smell the roses,” explains this year’s Chair, Bill Lovelace. “Our docents, most of whom are Master Gardeners, are there to point out the features and challenges of each garden and to answer your gardening questions. We not only showcase the beauty of nature in both shade and sun but give you ideas and information you can apply to your own yard. Free UGA publications will be available. We hope you join us on May 22.”

The Tour is held rain or shine, and tickets are non-refundable. Masks are required. Social distancing will be maintained. For more information, garden descriptions and maps, please visit: https://www.cobbmastergardeners.com

Established in Cobb County in 1980, the Cobb Master Gardeners are trained volunteers who help homeowners, businesses and organizations engage in research-based horticultural practices. They do this through the Cobb County Cooperative Extension Service and University of Georgia. Cobb County has more than 200 active Master Gardener volunteers who donated 15,396 hours in 2020 and 22,472 hours in 2019.

For gardening questions, contact the Master Gardener Help Desk at 770-528-4070.

Sprayberry Crossing rezoning subject of virtual presentation

March 24, 2021 3:38 PM by Wendy Parker

Sprayberry Crossing virtual presentation

Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell is inviting the public to hear a virtual presentation about the Sprayberry Crossing rezoning case that’s scheduled to be heard in April.

Her event is next Wednesday, March 31, from 6-7 p.m., and anyone interested in attending must register by clicking here.

“This will be a presentation by staff to answer questions and address analysis and recommendations,” she said during remarks at Tuesday’s commissioners meeting.

“This will not be a public interaction meeting,” said Birrell, adding that persons wishing to have questions answered should e-mail her at joann.birrell@cobbcounty.org. Questions will be sent to “appropriate staff for response. . . Please put ROD-1 virtual meeting 3.31.21 in the subject line when submitting questions.”

That’s the case number assigned to the repeatedly delayed redevelopment of a blighted shopping center at Sandy Plains Road and East Piedmont Road (The agenda item overview can be found here; here is the staff analysis.).

The latest continuance was issued earlier this month by the Cobb Planning Commission. The developer, Atlantic Realty, continues to make changes to its site plan.

Whiile many area residents have wanted the blighted shopping center redeveloped for years, others have opposed the proposed 125 apartments. Sprayberry Crossing also would include 125 senior living apartments, 44 townhomes, 36,000 square feet of retail (mostly for a Lidl grocery store) and 8,000 square feet of office space.

Joe Glancy of the Sprayberry Crossing Action Group, which has pushed for redevelopment, said Wednesday he and fellow group leader Shane Spink have put together what they’re calling the Sprayberry Crossing Design Review Committee that met with the developer last week.

The committee includes nearby residents with experience in site plan design. Among its objectives are to improve community green space features and regard a family cemetery included on the property “as a cherished community and historic site.”

Glancy said the committee “is not advocating for county zoning approval of this project” but would advocate the “very best possible development IF the development is approved.”

More about that can be found here.

The Cobb Planning Commission is scheduled to hear the request on April 6 and the Cobb Board of Commissioners on April 20.

Timetables TBA for Eastvalley ES, Walton HS sports projects

March 24, 2021 1:32 PMMarch 24, 2021 12:30 PM by Wendy Parker

1495 Pine Road house, Walton HS campus expansion — *A former home site on Pine Road will be the new home for Walton HS softball and tennis teams. (ECN file)*

We’ve been getting occasional questions from readers in recent weeks about the status of upcoming projects for a new Eastvalley Elementary School campus and a new softball and tennis complex at Walton High School.

We checked with the Cobb County School District, whose spokeswoman told us this week that “we do not have projected timelines for either of those projects.”

They’re both slated to be built with funding from the current Cobb Education V SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax). That’s a projected $797 million that’s being collected through the end of 2023.

Some of the initial projects underway with SPLOST V revenues are replacement projects for Harmony Leland Elementary School and King Springs Elementary School in Mableton and the new Susan Todd Pearson Middle School in Smyrna.

Eastvalley Elementary School will be relocated to the former campus of East Cobb Middle School on Holt Road, across from Wheeler High School.

An architect for the Eastvalley project was approved by the Cobb Board of Education last February, right before the COVID-19 pandemic, at a cost of $1.6 million. The project is expected to cost $31.6 million.

At the same time, the school board approved spending $5.6 million to acquire property near the Walton High School campus for new facilities for the Raiders’ softball and tennis teams.

The land acquisitions come to more than 18 acres on Bill Murdock Road, Pine Road and Providence Road, and don’t include the cost of construction.

Walton’s softball and tennis teams were displaced in 2014 for the school’s new main campus building, and they have been playing home competitions since then at Terrell Mill Park.

The school board threatened a taking by eminent domain of 15 acres on Pine Road in November 2019 after gender equity issues arose under the federal Title IX law. While the Walton baseball team has been playing on campus, the softball team was not.

Last month, Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale announced that the district would be seeking a sixth SPLOST referendum in November.

A district spokeswoman said this week that “all details about the ED-SPLOST VI referendum will be available once the District has listened to the community and staff to determine needs in each of our schools.”

Three East Cobb principals to retire at end of school year

March 24, 2021 12:48 PMMarch 24, 2021 8:34 AM by Wendy Parker

At last week’s Cobb Board of Education meeting the retirement of three principals at East Cobb schools was announced, effective at the end of the current school year.

They are Susan Hallmark of Addison Elementary School, Lynn Hamblett of Murdock Elementary School and Laura Montgomery of Hightower Trail Middle School.

The retirements of Hallmark and Hamblett are effective June 1; Montgomery’s retirement begins on July 1.

They’re the among the first principals in the district to announce their retirements.

Their replacements have not yet been determined; when there are staffing changes at the principal level or above, the school board makes final decisions on those moves.

The district said last week that 98 percent of employees have renewed their contracts for the 2021-22 school year. A virtual hiring fair is ongoing now as the district seeks to fill more than 750 teaching slots in a hybrid learning program that will include expanded online options.

All Georgia adults eligible for COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday

March 23, 2021 7:48 PM by Wendy Parker

Georgia COVID vaccine eligible — *To read the latest Cobb and Douglas Public Health COVID briefing, **click here**.*

Starting on Thursday all Georgians ages 16 years and older will be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines through the state Department of Public Health.

Gov. Brian Kemp made the announcement Wednesday.

More than 3.2 million vaccines have been distributed in Georgia since January, including more than 182,000 in Cobb County.

Dr. Janet Memark, director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health, said Tuesday that some vaccine appointments will be opened on Wednesday at her agency’s website for those in the current eligible groups, including people 55 and over, health care workers and first responders.

In a briefing to the Cobb Board of Commissioners, Memark said vaccine supplies would be coming to the state by the end of the week, and urged adults to get vaccinated.

“If we had flu vaccines that are this good, that would be awesome,” she said, mentioning the hesitancy of some people to get the vaccine.

She said even if people aren’t feeling symptoms, getting vaccinated can help slow the spread of asymptomatic transmission.

“This is what’s getting us to herd immunity,” Memark said. “We all have to do this together as a community to make this work.

Citizens do not have to get vaccinated in their county of residents. Memark said Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta has become an increasingly popular place to get vaccinated (you can book an appointment online here), and has been administering more than 6,000 tests daily.

She said the Georgia Department of Public Health website contains information on “super sites” controlled by the Georgia Emergency Management Association.

While Cobb’s COVID-19 metrics continue to fall, she said the rate of community spread remains high. The current 14-day average of 244 cases per 100,000 people is the lowest it’s been since the fall, but 100 cases per 100,000 is considered high community spread.

Cobb has had more than 72,000 cases since March 2021 and 891 confirmed deaths.

Cobb and Douglas Public Health is continuing to provide free COVID testing at various locations in the county, including Eastwood Baptist Church (1150 Allgood Road). More dates, times, location and sign-up information can be found here.

Attorney for East Cobb murder defendant seeks continuance

March 22, 2021 4:00 PM by Wendy Parker

Jake Horne, East Cobb shooting victim, East Cobb man indicted murder — *Home contractor Jake Horne died after being shot on a job at an East Cobb home in March 2019.*

The attorney for an East Cobb man charged with murdering a home contractor in March 2019 and badly wounding another worker is seeking a continuance in his upcoming trial.

Larry Epstein, now 71, has been ordered to go on trial in Cobb Superior Court in April, when jury trials are allowed to resume following lengthy COVID-19 delays.

But David Willingham, Epstein’s lawyer, filed a motion on Thursday seeking to delay the trial until August so his client can be vaccinated for COVID-19.

Judge Ann Harris issued an order on March 12 for Epstein to appear in person for his trial. Last week she also called for a psychiatric evaluation. In December, Willingham filed a motion seeking a plea of mental incompetence.

Willingham said in his motion last week that Epstein has not been offered an opportunity to be vaccinated at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, where he has been in custody for more than two years. During his incarceration, Willingham said, Epstein has faced several health issues and has been hospitalized twice.

Epstein is “in a high-risk category for complications should he contract COVID-19,” Willingham said in his motion. He said his client is “ready, willing, able and eager” to be vaccinated and develop antibodies “before he is physically compelled to be present in a public court room with a jury of his peers—strangers from the community whose exposure to COVID-19 and overall health, including the health of others, the Court has no way to properly vet.”

Judges and court staff have been eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine since last Wednesday.

Read the stories

Epstein was indicted in May 2019 for murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm while committing a felony in the death of Jake Horne, 21 of Kennesaw, and the shooting of Gordon Montcalm, then 37, of Buchanan, Ga.

They were finishing up their job as electrical contractors at Epstein’s home in the Wellington neighborhood off Johnson Ferry Road on March 6, 2019 when Cobb Police said Epstein shot them with a .220-caliber handgun, according to his indictment.

Police sealed off the neighborhood on Wellington Lane after getting a call for a possible active shooter, deploying SWAT units and its mobile command center to the scene.

Epstein surrendered peacefully a short time later, after Horne and Montcalm were rushed to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, police said at the time.

Horne was pronounced dead the following day from a gunshot wound to the head. Montcalm was shot five times and faced a long recovery.

During a court hearing in March 2019, police said video surveillance camera footage indicated Epstein was enraged about his pets being harmed, although they said couldn’t find any evidence of that.

In his December motion, Willingham said Epstein has a history of mental illness and suffers from paranoid delusions, including telling family members he tried to commit suicide in jail “when in fact he had not.”

Harris’ order calls for the psychiatric evaluation to indicate “whether or not the accused had the mental capacity to distinguish right from wrong” and “whether or not the presence of a delusional compulsion overmastered the accuser’s will to resist committing the alleged act.”

On Monday, Cobb deputy chief assistant district attorney Jesse Evans filed a motion to prevent the defense from introducing expert psychiatric witness testimony, saying it hasn’t received an expert report in timely fashion. Evans asked the court to impose an April 5 deadline for that report.

Willingham didn’t reference Epstein’s mental health matters in his motion for a continuance last week. He said that given the chance for further COVID-19 and other delays, his client “understands this case may not occur until well after August 2021.”

2021 Taste of East Cobb cancelled; Taste of Marietta delayed

March 22, 2021 1:31 PMMarch 22, 2021 12:15 PM by Wendy Parker

Taste of East Cobb

Food festival update:

The organizers of the Taste of East Cobb announced recently that the event is being cancelled for the second year in a row due to continuing COVID-19 safety protocols.

The fundraising event for the Walton High School band programs is now slated for May 2022.

Last year the Taste of East Cobb was initially delayed to last fall, then to May 2021.

This year’s the Taste of Marietta, which was scheduled for late April, is being rescheduled to Oct. 24, according to the Marietta Visitors Bureau, which organizes the event.

In a release issued Monday the MVB said that “the safety and health of the community, vendors, artists, guests, and staff is the festival’s top priority. The Marietta Visitors Bureau will be monitoring and following recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Governor Kemp’s Executive Orders.”

Another major event in East Cobb already has been canceled for September. For the second year in a row, there will not be an EAST COBBER Parade and Festival for the same reasons.

LAZ Parking hiring at Truist Park for 2021 Atlanta Braves season

March 22, 2021 1:14 PMMarch 22, 2021 8:08 AM by Wendy Parker

Submitted information:

LAZ Parking is holding hiring events for the 2021 Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball season at Truist Park in Cobb County. The remaining events will be held at the park:

10 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday, March 24

10 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday, March 25

10 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday, March 26

9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, March 27

Masks are required at all times and social distancing rules apply. Temperature checks at check-in. Truist Park is located at 2605 Circle 75 Parkway, Atlanta. For more information, contact Scott Fielder at sfielder@lazparking.com or Michael Craig at mcraig@lazparking.com. More information about the company can be found at lazparking.com.

Chattahoochee River trails management plan seeks public input

March 24, 2021 12:47 PMMarch 20, 2021 1:24 PM by Wendy Parker

Submitted information:

The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (Chattahoochee River NRA) launched public commenting on a preliminary strategy for improving the park’s trail system.

Initial public commenting on the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Preliminary Trails Management Plan will open from March 15 to April 15, 2021, and include opportunities to submit written comments and participate in public meetings.

“We are pleased to offer this opportunity for the public to provide early input on the future of the park’s trail system,” said Acting Superintendent Elisa Kunz. “We’ve used what we have heard from our trail users in the past and designed a system that should be both more sustainable and more enjoyable, but we now need feedback from the public and our stakeholders on our effort. This feedback helps us know if we are on the right track, and where improvements might be needed.”

Two virtual public meetings to discuss the trails plan and answer questions about the project will take place on Thursday, March 25 at 6:30 p.m. (ET), and on Friday, March 26 at 1:30 p.m. (ET). Links to join the virtual meetings may be accessed on the project website at parkplanning.nps.gov/CRNRA_Trails. During the virtual meetings, National Park Service staff will explain the plan process, showcase methods for public comment, and answer participants’ questions. The meeting presentations will be identical and interested parties are encouraged to attend the time most convenient.

Chattahoochee River NRA has developed two methods for submitting plan comments online. Written comments may be submitted by visiting parkplanning.nps.gov/CRNRA_Trails and selecting “Open for Comment” on the left menu bar and selecting “Preliminary Trails Management Plan.” There is also a second online platform that provides an interactive option for viewing trail proposals and an opportunity for the public to up

Written comments may also be submitted by mail to:

National Park Service Denver Service Center

Attn: CRNRA Trails Plan / Charles Lawson 1

2795 West Alameda Pkwy Denver, CO 80228

Written comments on the initial phase of the plan must be submitted online or postmarked by April 15, 2021 to be considered. Additional opportunities for commenting and public engagement will be offered throughout the project.

About the Trails Plan Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Preliminary Trails Management Plan

Within the park’s boundary are approximately 65 miles of pedestrian and mixed-use trails. Most of the existing trail system consists of legacy social trails, relict roadbeds, and utility corridors predating the park’s establishment in 1978. These legacy trails were never intentionally designed for a positive trail experience. They lack connectivity to neighboring trail systems while potentially degrading water quality through erosion runoff and impacting plant habitat. Many of the existing trails are also difficult and costly to maintain.

To help address the issues, the National Park Service is developing a plan for design and maintenance of an improved pedestrian and multi-use trail system for the entirety of the Chattahoochee River NRA. After working with trail users and professional trail designers, the park has developed a set of preliminary trail design proposals for each of the park’s 15 land units.

The preliminary designs aim to improve the visitor experience on trails, improve the sustainability of the park’s trail system, and improve its connectivity to planned and existing regional trail systems – including the proposed Chattahoochee RiverLands Greenway (chattahoocheeriverlands.com).

The preliminary management strategies include programmatic actions, which would apply parkwide, and specific trail designs for each unit of the park. The unit-specific trail designs are best understood by reading the descriptions and viewing the maps in the Preliminary Comprehensive Trails Plan available for download on the project website (parkplanning.nps.gov/CRNRA_Trails).

After public comments are received, park staff will adjust the proposed strategies, as necessary, before developing the complete Trails Management Plan. There will be another opportunity to comment on the plan once it is in full draft.

Cobb schools detail learning options for 2021-22 school year

March 19, 2021 5:43 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb schools learning options 2021-22

A mixed system of in-person and virtual learning options for the 2021-22 Cobb County School District’s academic year includes an “exclusive” virtual program and a five-days-a-week instructional calendar for both.

The Cobb Board of Education heard more details Thursday from district officials, including Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, who said “virtual is here to stay” and not just in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic that has prompted online instruction for the last year.

More details will be provided Monday at the district’s Cobb Learning Everywhere vertical. Also starting Monday, registration for grades 6-12 will get underway and lasts through April 1.

Ragsdale and Chief Academic Officer Jennifer Lawson presented grade-level plans that include an “exclusive” online learning environment for grades 6-12.

For students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade, there will be local school-based online learning. Ragsdale said many of those options will be “school by school specific,” with no singular district-wide program.

The plans also call for some online elementary learners from several schools in a geographic cluster to be taught by a singular teacher. That model is designed for semester and year-long enrollment.

Registration for PreK-5 starts April 19 and continues through May 1.

High school learners will have a block schedule and supplemental classes. Those high school and middle school students in the virtual option will be enrolled through the Cobb Online Learning Academy.

Most online learners will be taught by full-time teachers certified in online teaching. For online high school students who wish to be enrolled through their home high school, they can learn independently through the district’s Cobb Virtual Academy.

The district is in the process of filling more than 750 teaching positions for the next school year, and is conducting a virtual job fair later this month.

“This is good stuff, this is cutting edge stuff,” Cobb school board chairman Randy Scamihorn said at Thursday’s learning options presentation.

“We have a fantastic staff that can make this happen.”

East Cobb food scores: Brazilian Bakery; Roll On In Sushi; more

March 19, 2021 4:27 PMMarch 19, 2021 12:17 PM by Wendy Parker

Brazilian Bakery, East Cobb food scores

The following East Cobb food scores for the week of March 15 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:

Brazilian Bakery Cafe
1260 Powers Ferry Road, Suite A
March 15, 2021 Score: 91, Grade: A

Jameric
3349 Canton Road, Suite 201
March 17, 2021 Score: 81, Grade: B

Marco’s Pizza
2986 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 100
March 19, 2021 Score: 100, Grade: A

Roll On In Sushi & Burrito Bowls
1100 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 365
March 19, 2021 Score: 98, Grade: A

Starbuck’s Coffee
3629 Sandy Plains Road
March 19, 2021 Score: 92, Grade: A

Taco Bell
2971 Shallowford Road
March 19, 2021 Score: 96, Grade: A

Cobb school board hires Atlanta law firm on interim basis

March 20, 2021 1:39 PMMarch 19, 2021 9:48 AM by Wendy Parker

Clem Doyle, Cobb schools legal counsel — *Clem Doyle*

UPDATED, SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1:40 P.M.

The school board voted Saturday to hire the Atlanta law firm of Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough to represent the Cobb County School District on an interim basis.

The vote was 6-1 with board member Jaha Howard against, saying he wanted more time to process the recommendation from Supertintendent Chris Ragsdale.

Howard made a motion to delay the decision, but it failed 1-6.

Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough provides legal services to the Atlanta and Fulton school systems and will start work with Cobb immediately.

ORIGINAL REPORT:

After voting to terminate its association with its longtime law firm, the Cobb Board of Education on Thursday announced it would hold a special called meeting on Saturday to consider recommendations for interim legal counsel.

By a 4-3 party line vote, the board voted to end its association with Gregory, Doyle, Calhoun & Rogers of Marietta, but did not explain why.

During its Thursday work session, board member Jaha Howard asked whether the matter could be discussed publicly, but was told it would be done in executive session.

After that executive session, the board held a voting session, with Howard, Charisse Davis and Tre’ Hutchins, the board’s Democratic minority, opposing the measure to seek new legal counsel.

There was no further discussion during that meeting.

A late addition to the board’s meeting agenda indicated only that “the Cobb County School District requires legal counsel with resources allowing it to consistently, reliably, and timely respond to the District’s complex legal needs. The increasingly complex legal environment requires solutions incorporating policy guidance, governance training, intergovernmental cooperation, and external accreditation services.”

On Saturday at 10 a.m., the board will hold a special called meeting, for which Superintendent Chris Ragsdale “is directed to identify law firms possessing the expertise, size, experience, and capacity to immediately and competently serve as interim general counsel for the Cobb County School District.”

That meeting can be seen by the public on the district’s website.

The agenda item also states that the board has a year to identify a permanent legal counsel, and that Gregory, Doyle, Calhoun & Rogers will provide assistance during the transition.

Partner Clem Doyle is present at board meetings and executive sessions, serving as a parliamentarian and conducting public comment sessions.

He also did not speak about the decision to change legal services on Thursday.

The decision comes as the Cobb school district is the subject of a preliminary investigation by the Cobb District Attorney’s office into school equipment and technology purchases, and as a citizens’ financial watchdog group has been scrutinizing and publicly critical of some of that spending, including for COVID-19-related safety supplies.

East Cobb parent wants Cobb schools to drop mask mandate

March 18, 2021 4:31 PMMarch 18, 2021 2:01 PM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb parent drop mask mandate — *Amy Henry was a leader pushing for in-person learning in Cobb schools last fall.*

An East Cobb woman who has four children in public schools said the Cobb County School District’s student mask mandate should be dropped after teachers get vaccinated.

Amy Henry, who has two children at Walton High School and two others in grade school, said at a Cobb Board of Education work session Thursday that “we’re putting on a show and denying our children in the process” by requiring students who attend classes in person to wear masks at all times.

“They need to have a normal childhood,” Henry said. “We’re teaching them that they’re dirty. We’re creating a fearful environment that for these kids cannot be normal.”

While several school districts in metro Atlanta make masks optional for students, Cobb is among those that requires mask-wearing for students, teachers and staff on campuses.

Henry said “there’s no data that says kids are spreading” the COVID-19 virus.

COVID-19 case rates in the Cobb school district have been steadily dropping in recent weeks, but the district does not break down those figures between students and staff.

Teachers in the Cobb school district are eligible to get vaccinated through Cobb and Douglas Public Health. Optional vaccinations took place on Wednesday and more are scheduled for next week and two dates in April.

Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale initially planned to “encourage” but not require mask use at the start of the school year. But after ordering schools to start all-online, Ragsdale said masks would be required when students returned to campus in October.

They have been mandatory ever since, although efforts by Cobb school board members Charisse Davis and Jaha Howard to make them part of the student dress code were unsuccessful.

Henry was a leader of a group called “Let Parents Choose” that advocated for in-person schooling. After the all-virtual decision was made, she enrolled her younger children in private schools, and they now attend Sope Creek Elementary School.

She told East Cobb News in an August interview that she initially supported measures such as mask-wearing, “but at some point we have to ask what kind of damage we’re doing to kids in the long run.”

On Thursday, Henry told board members she still hasn’t been able to visit her kindergartener’s classroom due to COVID-19 restrictions.

This is a virus, she said, “with a 99.97 percent survival rate.” She suggested that those parents and students who have concerns over the virus can choose the virtual option.

Board members don’t respond to public commenters. Later in the work session, Ragsdale said no decision had been made about whether masks will be required for next year.

He was asked by Davis during a discussion about virtual learning options. Ragsdale said the Cobb school district will “continue to follow the guidance” of Cobb and Douglas Public Health.

“At this point in time, we’re not able to say either way,” he said.

For the spring semester, around 66 percent of the Cobb County School District’s 107,000 students chose in-person learning.

In January, after the deaths of three teachers due to COVID-19, several teachers and parents pleaded with the Cobb school district to return to all-virtual. They also scolded Ragsdale and board members David Banks and David Chastain of East Cobb for not wearing masks.

Another parent who spoke at Thursday’s work session, John Hanson, told board members that students “should have a choice to wear a mask just like everyone in this room has a choice.”

Cobb schools go remote Thursday due to severe weather threat

March 17, 2021 6:38 PM by Wendy Parker

The Cobb County School District said late Wednesday afternoon that Thursday classes will be remote due to impending severe weather.

The district said in a release at 6:20 p.m. that the decision was made “to protect students and staff who would be traveling to school during the worst weather conditions.”

The National Weather Service in Atlanta issued an advisory Wednesday afternoon indicated that a severe thunderstorm system making its way through Mississippi and Alabama was expected to reach Georgia overnight, and in metro Atlanta in particular between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. Thursday.

“We often talk about the safety of Cobb students and staff being our highest priority. Avoiding the dangers associated with severe weather when students are riding buses and staff are driving to work is an example of that priority,” the district statement said.

The severe weather advisory includes the possibility of tornadoes, high winds and hail as well as flooding.

There have been tornado warnings in most of Alabama and Mississippi on Wednesday, and reports of hail.

A tornado warning was in effect late Wednesday afternoon in Birmingham and central Alabama, and a confirmed tornado in Chilton County, Ala., near Montgomery.

Severe weather threat for Cobb includes overnight storms

March 17, 2021 4:11 PM by Wendy Parker

Updating yesterday’s story about stormy weather moving in:

The National Weather Service Wednesday afternoon issued a hazardous weather outlook that includes severe thunderstorms overnight, including the possibility of tornado weather.

The outlook, issued shortly before noon, calls for heavy rains across much of north and western Georgia, starting Wednesday night and overnight into Thursday morning.

That threat includes Cobb and metro Atlanta, generally from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday.

The NWS Atlanta office said that “the primary risk will likely be with an area of storms pushing eastward late tonight into Thursday morning. The main threats will be tornadoes (some of which could be significant or longer tracked), damaging winds over the primary risk will likely be with an area of storms pushing eastward late tonight into Thursday morning.

“The main threats will be tornadoes (some of which could be significant or longer tracked), damaging winds over 60 mph, large hail, and flash flooding. mph, large hail, and flash flooding.”

Georgians are being asked to prepare to move to safety, including signing up for alerts, finding a safe place in their homes

A tornado watch was issued for much of Mississippi and Alabama Wednesday afternoon, and there are some portions of Alabama under a tornado warning.

That storm front is expected to move into Georgia and metro Atlanta later this evening. Here’s the NWS briefing.

Cobb County government issued the following information shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday:

“Cobb EMA will be monitoring the system, and we do have a robust network of tornado sirens in the county. However, you should not rely on these sirens as a warning device in your home because in tree-laden Cobb County these sirens can often be hard to hear inside a house.

“Cobb DOT has crews on standby tonight to respond to any reported storm damage or road closures and to deal with isolated road flooding that could occur.

“If conditions are dangerous before sunrise, please avoid venturing out on the roads.”

Wednesday’s low is expected to be in the high 50s, with the chance of storms dropping to 50 percent by Thursday afternoon and highs in the high 60s. Lows will be in the mid 40s as the storms clear through.

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!

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