For the second month in a row, the Cobb Planning Commission has voted to hold two complex redevelopment cases in East Cobb, saying the proposals are improved but have not resolved issues over density, traffic and land use.
By unanimous 5-0 votes Tuesday, the Planning Commission is delaying the Sprayberry Crossing and East Cobb Church proposals until June, after last-minute revisions were submitted by the applicants last week.
Concerns by Cobb DOT over traffic changes at the Sprayberry Crossing proposal on Sandy Plains Road were enough for Planning Commissioner Deborah Dance and her colleagues to support another delay.
Atlantic Realty, which wants to redevelop the current blighted retail center on Sandy Plains between East Piedmont Road and Post Oak Tritt Road, dropped a proposed 125-unit apartment building for townhomes but is keeping a senior apartment building and grocery space.
The traffic changes include a proposed “offset” traffic signal into the development on Sandy Plains that would not align with the nearby Kinjac Drive intersection.
“Access is the No. 1 issue here,” planning board chairman Galt Porter said at the end of a discussion that lasted more than an hour. He also said the layout of the newly added townhomes “leaves a lot to be desired—it looks like a bowling alley.”
Porter also said making the senior apartment building—for renters ages 55 and up—from three to four stories, reflecting an increase from 125 to 172 units, is an issue.
Before that case, planning commissioners said plans by North Point Ministries for a campus of the new East Cobb Church, single-family homes and townhomes and retail at the intersection of Johnson Ferry Road and Shallowford Road are improved from the first hearing in April, but still need work.
Tony Waybright, who represents that area of East Cobb on the planning commission, said he was concerned about proposed high-density housing when the JOSH Master Plan calls for medium density residential as a transition between commercial zoning and low-density residential in the surrounding community.
“I don’t see a reason to go above” the master plan’s medium-density guidelines, he said in making his motion for another delay. The developer has not explained any hardship in making a request for high-density.
“This plan deserves a little more time,” Waybright said.
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A National Weather Service map of storms in north Georgia Monday afternoon.
Tornadoes touched down in Douglas County and other parts of metro Atlanta on Monday as heavy rains moved through the area, and will continue through Tuesday.
A tornado watch was in effect for much of the day.
A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for Cobb and much of north Georgia through 9 p.m. Monday. A flash flood warning was expected to expire by 6:15 p.m. Monday.
News reports said an EF-1 tornado with estimated winds of 90 mph touched down in Douglasville, and killed a man when trees and power lines fell on his car.
Cobb County Government there have been 23 calls for flooded roads, including along Stilesboro Road in West Cobb, and there are several reports of downed trees on roads.
The rain is continuing in heavy amounts on Monday night and is expected to pick up again on Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service forecast in Atlanta.
Rainfall amounts could total between 1-2 inches in the Cobb area during that time.
Showers and thundershowers are expected to continue through Tuesday night, with an 80 percent chance of participation.
On Wednesday, the forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of rain in the morning, with that amount tapering off to around 10 percent by early Wednesday evening.
Sunny skies will return on Thursday through the with high temperatures ranging from the low 70s to mid-80s by Sunday.
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Applications open for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund on Monday, May 3, 2021.
On March 11, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 created the $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund to provide grants for restaurants sustaining financial losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is administering the program, and will be issuing the necessary federal rules, regulations, and applications before grant funds are distributed.
Check out who’s eligible for this program. Registration for the SBA application portal will begin on Friday, April 30, 2021, at 9 am ET. Applications will open on Monday, May 3, 2021, at noon ET.
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For a larger view of the new Sprayberry Crossing site plan, click here.
Just a few days before going back before the Cobb Planning Commission, the Sprayberry Crossing developer has produced another new site plan, and it’s a major change.
Atlantic Realty is dropping plans for a 125-unit apartment building as part of the mixed-use redevelopment and is adding 62 townhomes to the 44 previously proposed.
A senior apartment building that originally called for 125 units now is proposing 172 units.
While keeping 34,000 square feet for a grocery store, the new site plan also has eliminated other retail space and green space.
The Cobb Planning Commission, an advisory body to the Cobb Board of Commissioners, voted in April to hold the application for a month. Kevin Moore, an attorney for Sprayberry Crossing, also submitted a new stipulation letter on Wednesday.
Reaction to the last-minute revisions have been mixed on social media channels devoted to the Sprayberry Crossing redevelopment issue.
Joe Glancy, creator of the Sprayberry Crossing Action Facebook page, said he’s been told “the developer made this change because they were told by Commissioner [JoAnn] Birrell last week that she would not approve the apartments.”
Participants on another Facebook group, ROD-1 Residents Against Apartments at Sprayberry Crossing (named after the zoning application number) said they’re still opposed because of the senior apartments, as well as for traffic and density concerns.
Tim Carini, a leader of that group, told East Cobb News “the new site plan still has apartments, and several other unresolved items, so we will be speaking on Tuesday.”
At the April Planning Commission meeting, Deborah Dance, Birrell’s new appointee, asked Moore if the developer would be “open to [consider] more ownership opportunities” instead of rental units.
She also said she had been getting slightly more messages opposed to the previous site plan than those in favor.
The Sprayberry Crossing case is one of two major applications in East Cobb to be held to Tuesday’s meeting.
The other, involving North Point Ministries’ request for East Cobb Church and residences at the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford intersection, also has a new site plan that was submitted last week.
That includes 59 single-family homes and 72 townhomes.
The Tuesday Cobb Planning Commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. and can be seen on CobbTV, the county’s government access channel, as well as its Facebook and YouTube channels, and on Comcast Channel 24.
The full agenda and individual items can be found by clicking here.
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On your mark, get set, go! While that’s usually how a real road race starts, this annual fundraiser hosted by the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary on May 15 will once again be a Kettle Krush 5K “Race in Place” with no running or walking even required.
Brad Nitz, an East Cobb resident and meteorologist with WSB-TV, will serve as emcee for this Facebook Live broadcast beginning at 9 a.m. on May 15.
“While The Salvation Army of metro Atlanta has been here to support our community for 131 years, that need has never been greater during the COVID-19 pandemic and still today,” said Dawn Menear, event co-chair with Cindy Theiler, both East Cobb residents. “Our auxiliary knows requests for food and financial emergency assistance from The Salvation Army continue to remain higher than pre-pandemic. That’s why SAWA’s support for this event is critical.”
The purpose of the event is to help “krush” poverty, homelessness, and sex trafficking, and support veterans and youth enrichment.
“With a Race in Place, all participants are eligible to win the race awards and special, donated giveaway prizes,” said Theiler, who is one of 30+ East Cobb auxiliary members. “We’re pleased to have Mt. Bethel UMC as our title sponsor again and hope East Cobb residents will join us for this creative fundraiser.”
To sign up for this event and be eligible for awards and prizes, go to https://www.active.com/running/virtual-events-kettle-krush-5k-2021. A drawing will be held for top overall and top masters males and females as well as individual awards in 16 age brackets from 10 and under to 80 and over. All participants will be entered into a drawing for special, donated giveaway prizes.
This year the team competition is expanded to include three categories for prizes- business, church, and individual. Special prizes will be given to the top teams with the most participants (a minimum of 10 participants are needed to be eligible). All participants will receive a special commemorative Kettle Krush 5K “Race in Place” short-sleeve T-shirt.
Entry fee is $30 if received by May 5 at 5 p.m. and $35 through May 11 at 5 p.m. Donations are always welcome. Please make your check payable to The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary, and write Kettle Krush on the bottom “for” line of your check and mail to PRRC, P.O. Box 81777, Atlanta, GA 30366.
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After being granted an alcohol license earlier this week, the forthcoming Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar location at Sandy Plains Marketplace in East Cobb is moving ahead with its opening plans.
Amy Nedwell, director of marketing for the Colorado-based gourmet burger chain, told us that opening is slated for late May to early June.
This will be the fifth Bad Daddy’s location in metro Atlanta and second in Cobb, to go with another in Smyrna.
Like the recent return of the Flying Biscuit Cafe to East Cobb (previous coverage here), Bad Daddy’s had to get final approval of its alcohol license from the Cobb Board of Commissioners.
That’s because of Bad Daddy’s proximity to the The Art Place.
The Cobb ordinance allowing restaurants serving alcohol requires them to be at least 600 feet from homes, schools, religious institutions, parks and recreation centers, day care centers, addiction treatment centers and libraries.
The Art Place is a facility of the Cobb Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, and stands 560 feet from the Bad Daddy’s space.
The Cobb Business License Division initially denied an alcohol license based on those grounds. An appeal was filed, and on April 1 the Cobb License Review Board voted 5-0 to grant a distance waiver, just as it had for Jim ‘N Nick’s BBQ at Sandy Plains Marketplace, and which is closer to The Art Place than Bad Daddy’s.
A distance waiver requires final approval by county commissioners, who passed the measure for beer, wine, liquor and Sunday sales for Bad Daddy’s on their consent agenda.
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Submitted information by the Cobb County Public Library System:
Beginning Monday, three more Cobb County libraries will re-open for Limited Service as the library system continues to expand operations throughout the community, officials say
The three facilities reopening May 3 – each known as neighborhood public libraries – are Gritters in northern Cobb at Shaw Park; Kemp Memorial in western Cobb; and Sweetwater Valley in the City of Austell’s Threadmill Complex in southwest Cobb.
This round of re-openings for limited services follows the return of in-person library hours for nine Cobb libraries in March and mid-April. Public libraries across the globe have implemented safeguards like closing the facilities to the public and limiting hours to prevent community spread of Covid-19 over the past 15 months.
The in-person limited service hours and locations of the three libraries are:
Gritters Library, 880 Shaw Park Road, Marietta 30066. Monday, 10 am – 8 pm; Tuesday – Friday, 10 am – 6 pm; and Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm. 770-528-2524.
Kemp Memorial Library, 4029 Due West Road, Marietta 30064. Monday, 10 am – 8 pm; Tuesday-Friday, 10 am – 6 pm; and Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm. 770-528-2527
Sweetwater Valley Library, 5000 Austell-Powder Springs Road, Suite 100, Austell 30106. Monday, 10 am – 7 pm; Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 am – 6 pm; Thursday and Friday, 1 – 6 pm; and Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm. 770-819-3290.
For information on Cobb library hours, programs and services, visit cobbcounty.org/library.
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The following East Cobb food scores for the week of April 26 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:
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Experience quilt art in a gallery setting. The Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center from Saturday, May 1 through Saturday, May 29, will present a show in their Gallery of 24 “Yipes, Stripes!” quilts. The Gallery is located at 2051 Lower Roswell Road, less than 2 miles east of I-75, and will be open during regular library hours: Monday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no admittance fee for the show and Covid protocols will be observed, including masks and social distancing.
This show showcases the talents of East Cobb Quilters’ Guild members and presents the art and techniques of quilting at all skill levels. It is a chance for the Guild to share their passion for fiber art and encourage membership in the Guild. The 2021 Raffle Quilt “Garden of Stars” will be on display on Monday, May 3, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and raffle tickets will be available for purchase.
All visitors will be invited to vote for a “Viewer’s Choice” from May 1 through May 22, with the winner announced for the final week, May 24 through 29.
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Thanks to Virginia Douglas, co-VP of the Kell Bands Booster Association, for the information and flyer below about the recycling fundraiser the organization is having on Saturday:
“Safely dispose of your old paints, electronics (computers, laptops, phones), metals (BBQ grills, lawn furniture, lawn equipment, scrap), as well as larger items (refrigerators, stoves, furniture, mattresses) this Saturday, 9 am to 1 pm, at Kell High School, 4770 Lee Waters Rd, Marietta. We will also have secure, while you watch paper/document shredding onsite. This event supports Kell High’s Band Program!”
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Cobb firefighters on Wednesday limited an apartment fire in East Cobb to one unit, and rescued two pets along the way.
One unit was heavily damaged and another sustained water damage at The Hills at East Cobb (1716 Terrell Mill Road), according to a department social media posting Wednesday evening.
Cobb FD said that “12 firefighting apparatus arrived on scene to fight fire, search, provide water, and evacuate residents.”
There were no injuries, and two pets were rescued. A grease fire that started in the kitchen of one of the units threatened up to nine adjacent units and 20 more units in a connecting building, according to Cobb FD.
“Most house fires start in the kitchen. Never leave food unattended and make sure your heating elements are turned off,” the Cobb FD said after the fire had been contained.
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Submitted information about a new dermal filler provider, Injectable Xpress Rx, that’s opening Friday at The Avenue East Cobb (4475 Roswell Road, Suite 1000).
The Grand Opening lasts from 10-3, and includes hourly raffles, a year’s worth of free treatments, free consultations, gift bags, refreshments and discounts on initial bookings.
Injectable Xpress Rx provides minimally-invasive aesthetic services to clients of all ages to make them look and feel their best. IXRX offers the best neuromodulators and HA dermal fillers on the market, administered by a team of Master Injectors to provide patients their best outcome. Additional services include PDO thread lifting which provides a non-surgical skin tightening or facelift procedure with immediate results for a fraction of the cost of surgical options. Injectable Xpress Rx also offers a variety of IV hydration, micro-needling, and hormone replacement therapies, as well as post procedure skin care products to keep clients looking their best.
“We are delighted to open the second Injectable Xpress Rx in the Avenue East Cobb. We feel so fortunate to serve this community, and we are thrilled to provide our golden standard service along with the best injectors,” said Randy Wright, CEO. “With the continued growth of Injectable Xpress Rx, we are looking forward to bringing clients in East Cobb a wide variety of the most popular injectable treatments, as well as newer procedures.”
Injectable Xpress Rx will be open Monday – Friday from 9am to 6pm, Saturday from 9am to 5pm, and Sunday by appointment only. To book an appointment or a free consultation with one of the IXRX Master Injectors, call 678.394.4001 or visit the website www.injectablexpressrx.com.
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The 2021 high school rankings from U.S. News and World Reporthave been released, and three schools in East Cobb are among the top 20 in the state of Georgia.
Walton High School is ranked No. 4 in the state and No. 197 across the nation, according to the rankings, which factor in a variety of academic benchmarks, including graduation rate, AP courses, college readiness and math and reading proficiency.
The data is from the 2018-19 school year, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Walton’s score of 98.9 (you can read the full report here) trailed only the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, Columbus High School and the Davidson Magnet School in Augusta.
Lassiter High School in East Cobb was ranked No. 10 in Georgia and No. 336 nationally with a score of 98.1, and Pope High School came in at No. 20 in Georgia and No. 639 nationally with a score of 96.4.
They were the highest-rated schools in the Cobb County School District, and were followed by Harrison, Hillgrove and Allatoona.
The USNWR rankings also break out the top charter, magnet and STEM schools. Walton is No. 51 in the charter rankings and No. 149 in the STEM rankings nationwide.
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We noted a couple weeks ago that the Sope Creek Garden Club is having its annual spring plant sale on April 30, which is this Friday.
You can find more on the flyer below; it’s from 8-6 at Eastside Baptist Church (2450 Lower Roswell Road), and admission is free.
The plant sale is being held rain or shine, and the forecast for the moment shows cloudy skies and temperatures reaching the high 70s on Friday, but there’s no mention of rain.
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!
Dr. Janet Memark, director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health
The director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health said Tuesday that 21 percent of Cobb’s citizens have been fully vaccinated against COVID1-19 as metrics tracking the spread of the virus continue to be encouraging.
In her weekly update, Dr. Janet Memark said that the 14-day average of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Cobb County is 242 cases per 100,000, “the lowest we have seen in a while.”
That figure is the combined PCR and Antigen tests. A two-week average of 100 cases per 100,000 people is considered high community spread.
Cobb’s current 7-day moving average of COVID-19 cases is 116.9, according to date of onset data, nearly as low as figures from last fall.
Memark said that the current test positivity rate of 4.2 percent in Cobb County is “reassuring” and that “we have averted a surge” from recent spring breaks.
“Please don’t take this as a reason to abandon all defenses,” said Memark, who regularly updates the Cobb Board of Commissioners. “We are still in HIGH transmission, we have variants that have taken over, and we have not reached herd immunity. It is easy to think this is all over, but India’s humanitarian crisis is an example of what can happen if we stop prevention too soon.”
Cobb’s 21 percent vaccination rate is in line with a statewide figure of 23 percent, and Memark said that “we need to get these numbers up higher to return back to some normalcy.”
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health’s vaccine dashboard, a total of 351,634 vaccines have been administered in Cobb County, or 46,808 per 100,000. A total of 197,803 residents have received at least one dose (26 percent), and 156,592 are “fully vaccinated” (21 percent).
Cobb and Douglas Public Health operates a free mass vaccination site at Jim Miller Park in Marietta for the Pfizer vaccine, and is accepting walk-ups. You can get more information and set up an appointment by clicking here.
On Saturday, the Atlanta Braves will be holding a free mass vaccination event (up to 5,000) at Truist Park for first doses, with the second dose slated for May 26. That’s also the Pfizer vaccine, and you must book a reservation by clicking here.
Other requirements for the Truist Park vaccination events were sent out earlier Tuesday by Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt:
Open to all individuals 16 years of age and older; individuals under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent/legal guardian
Masks are required
A photo I.D. is required
Parking will be in the Delta Deck, you will be directed into the stadium.
Second dose appointments will be scheduled during the first dose appointment – other dates/locations will be available if you are unable to make the Wednesday date at Truist Park
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Dr. Jody Ray, Mt. Bethel UMC senior pastor, is surrendering his ordination credentials and remaining with the church.
The day after announcing it was leaving the United Methodist Church, Mt. Bethel UMC filed a formal complaint against leaders in the denomination’s North Georgia Conference.
Mt. Bethel sent out out a release Tuesday morning saying a complaint had been lodged against North Georgia Conference Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson and Jessica Terrell, District Superintendent of the Central West District of the North Georgia Annual Conference.
The complaint alleges “Disobedience to the Order and Discipline of The United Methodist Church” for the reassignment of Mt. Bethel senior pastor Dr. Jody Ray. The complaint also accuses of Haupert-Johnson of “Relationships and/or Behaviors that Undermines the Ministry of Another Pastor.”
Mt. Bethel is saying that the North Georgia leaders went against stated UMC requirements (“Discipline”) to consult with congregations and pastors before making new appointments in reassigning Steven Usry of Sugarloaf UMC in Duluth to Mt. Bethel before either Dr. Ray or Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church were informed that a change in appointment was projected.
“Such notification and failure to consult denied the Committee on Pastor-Parish Relations of rights assured it by the Discipline and constitute disobedience to the order and discipline of The United Methodist Church.”
The Mt. Bethel statement on Tuesday said the complaints were filed to seek “a just resolution between the parties.”
Mt. Bethel leaders held a press conference Monday saying they were beginning the process of disafilliation from the United Methodist Church, the second-largest Protestant denomination in the United States, with more than 12 million members.
Mt. Bethel has around 8,000 members and is the largest of the 800 congregations in the North Georgia Conference.
During Monday’s press conference, Ray said he was told he was given two options when informed of his reassignment to a racial relations role within the North Georgia Conference: Accept the new position or resign.
He said he was surrendering his credentials as an ordained minister in the UMC, and Mt. Bethel is retaining him as its CEO and lead minister.
In her response to the Mt. Bethel disaffiliation decision, Haupert-Johnson said the East Cobb congregation leaders threatened to “withhold compensation, benefits and any reimbursement for a new pastor. They warned that upon his arrival the church, its ministries, and its school will ‘most certainly be unstable and likely hostile.’ “
Her pastoral letter can be found here; Mt. Bethel is providing updates on the situation here.
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They’re the board’s Democratic members who sent a letter to Cognia, the accrediting agency, in January, saying the school board’s Republican majority and school district superintendent have ignored their concerns on several academic and governance issues.
They specifically wanted the board to discuss “early literacy, educator and employee support, and board governance training,” but said they never got a reply, and the matters were never placed on the board’s meeting agenda.
The recall group, which has more than 300 people signed up, said “the actions of the 3 Cobb Board members have put our schools in a terrible place. To suggest our schools should lose their accreditation demands we recall these board members.”
One of the commenters to that group posted that they were “happy to help identify leftists who try to join the group” and another said “Bet they are DEMOCRATS!”
Sandy Burke, the group’s creator and administrator, responded that “Although they are . . . This issue goes far beyond political parties. It has been my experience that mature leaders always care more about the greater good for their community. 100% of Cobb will be negatively impacted if the schools lose their accreditation.”
The district announced the review Thursday night, and quoted Superintendent Chris Ragsdale as saying that “determinations made through a Special Review Team can negatively impact college acceptance rates, college scholarships, enrollment, funding, and educator recruitment and retention, as occurred in Clayton and DeKalb counties in 2008 and 2011. Impacts can also negatively affect a county’s economy, property values, and bond credit ratings.”
On Sunday, Davis, Howard and Hutchins took issue with parts of the district’s response.
“We find it necessary to say, contrary to what has been recently stated by the district, nowhere in Cognia’s letters does it mention ‘allegations of political disagreements’ nor ‘intra-personal (sic) behavior’ within the board of education,” they posted on their Facebook pages. “We do not know what the basis is for the district’s characterization of Cognia’s concerns. The accreditation standards under review are about the board satisfying its responsibilities, and the district adequately addressing student achievement.”
The school board has been divided largely along partisan lines over the last two years on a number of matters, including racial and equity concerns, as well as recent spending on safety products related to COVID-19.
One of Davis’ supporters commented that “accountability is often difficult to come by but it doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t happen. I applaud you for taking the necessary steps to represent your districts and to insure accountability and adherence to standards.
“You three were elected to represent and lead, not to be dismissed or silenced.”
Davis, who represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters, was elected to Post 6 in 2018, unseating Republican two-term board member Scott Sweeney. Howard also was elected in 2018 to an open seat in Post 2, which includes the Campbell and Osborne clusters.
Their elections closed the Republican majority from 6-1 to 4-3.
Davis and Howard will be up for re-election in 2022. Hutchins was elected in November to an open seat in Post 3, which is the South Cobb and Pebblebrook clusters.
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Dr. Jody Ray has been senior pastor at Mt. Bethel UMC since 2016.
Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church of East Cobb—the largest congregation in the North Georgia Conference—will be leaving the denomination.
Rustin Parsons, a lay leader of the 8,000-member church, said during a news conference Monday morning that Mt. Bethel was doing so over the North Georgia Conference’s decision to reassign senior pastor Dr. Jody Ray.
“We have begun the process to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church,” Parsons said in reading a statement in the church sanctuary.
“It’s time for us to part ways with the denomination.”
Ray also said at the news conference (you can watch it and read statements here) that he is surrendering his credentials as an ordained minister in the UMC. He will continue serving Mt. Bethel as CEO and lead minister.
Ray had been reassigned out of the ministry to a role with the North Georgia Conference staff in Atlanta involving racial reconciliation. The North Georgia Conference has 800 churches and more than 340,000 members, and every spring routinely reassigns clergy.
Steven Usry, the senior pastor at Sugarloaf UMC in Duluth, was appointed to succeed Ray at Mt. Bethel, starting in July. Usry was not mentioned at the Mt. Bethel news conference on Monday.
Parsons said that he was “dismayed” by the “abrupt” decision of Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson of the North Georgia Conference to remove Ray from Mt. Bethel.
“Despite our repeated requests to reverse course, she has refused,” he said, “or provide a reason or rationale for her capricious action.
“We have no intention of accepting another pastor.”
Ray, who came to Mt. Bethel in 2016, said he was told by Haupert-Johnson on April 5 of the reassignment, and said that her “hasty and ill-conceived action” has “undermined her credibility with the people of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church and jeopardized the health and vitality of this great congregation that is a beacon of hope and light in this community and beyond.”
He said he was not given a reason for his reassignment. In the United Methodist Church, ordained ministers are subject to what’s called the “itinerant ministry,” in which they are reassigned at the behest of the denomination.
“Unfortunately, my options were to accept the move, take a leave of absence, or surrender my credentials,” Ray said. “That’s not consultation, it is merely notification, and it violates both the spirit and letter of the covenants that bind us together.”
Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson
In a statement issued by the North Georgia Conference, Haupert-Johnson said that “while it is painful for any church or pastor to leave the denomination, there are protocols in place to allow clergy and congregations to depart. These protocols include having at least two-thirds of the congregation vote for disaffiliation and the regional governing body approving the measure.”
In a pastoral letter she issued on Monday, Haupert-Johnson said Ray hung up on the North Georgia Conference superintendent who called him about the reassignment, saying he was interested only in staying at Mt. Bethel.
With more than 12 million members, the UMC is the second-largest Protestant denomination in the United States, behind the Southern Baptist Convention.
Before the COVID pandemic, the United Methodist Church nationwide was in turmoil over a number of theological issues, including the ordination of gay and lesbian clergy.
During his sermon last week, Ray addressed his children by saying that “your Daddy didn’t bow the knee, or kiss the ring, of progressive theology. . . . which is no theology.”
In her pastoral letter, Haupert-Johnson said Ray’s sermon “cast this as a ‘hostile takeover’ by an evil, ungodly woman bishop and denigrating The United Methodist Church.
“This reckless behavior has caused a great deal of pain to the congregation and threatens its covenant with The United Methodist Church.”
She further said that Mt. Bethel leaders:
“Refused to have any meaningful conversation, and instead threatened that $3-4 million would walk out of the church if they were not allowed to deviate from the appointive process and keep their pastor. When asked to further the consultation by submitting written concerns to the Cabinet, they gave no missional reasons against the appointment. The leaders wrote that they would withhold compensation, benefits and any reimbursement for a new pastor. They warned that upon his arrival the church, its ministries, and its school will ‘most certainly be unstable and likely hostile.’ “
In recent weeks Mt. Bethel, which is more than 175 years old, has changed some of its branding, calling itself “Mt. Bethel Church” on its website and social media channels.
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A lawsuit filed by parents against the Cobb County School District for its face mask mandate has been moved to the federal court system.
The district’s attorneys filed a notice of removal on Tuesday in Cobb Superior Court, where five parents had filed their lawsuit (you can read the notice and the suit by clicking here).
A hearing had been scheduled for Tuesday before Cobb Superior Court Judge James Bodiford before the notice of removal was filed.
The suit, filed on April 9, says the district’s mask mandate and contract tracing procedures violate students’ right to privacy under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as well as the equal protection provisions of the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Another claim by the plaintiffs about “separate but equal” treatment for students unable or unwilling to wear masks is “analogous” to the Brown v. Board of Education ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954 that outlawed racial segregation in public schools, according to a filing by Brandon Moulard, the district’s attorney.
The lawsuit was filed against the seven members of the Cobb Board of Education and Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, who issued the mask mandate before the start of the 2020-21 school year, and seeks injunctive relief.
The suit has been shifted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, located in Atlanta.
In recent months some parents have been vocal about relaxing the mask mandate, and some spoke out at Thursday’s school board meeting.
One of them was John Hanson, the father of students in West Cobb schools and who is a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
“Please give families back our freedom to be treated equal when we choose not to wear a mask,” he said during a public comment period. “Please stop the toxic policy that’s infected our school district.”
Other parents asked the board and Ragsdale to consider relaxing the mandate for the next school year, but no announcement has been made about whether the policy will continue.
In its weekly COVID-19 case update on Friday, the Cobb school district announced 107 newly confirmed cases among students and staff, the lowest since early March.
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Charisse Davis represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters on the Cobb Board of Education.
The Cobb County School District will undergo a special review by its accrediting agency at the request of three members of the Cobb Board of Education, who contend the board’s majority and superintendent have ignored their concerns on several academic and governance issues.
In a release issued Thursday night, the district said that Cognia, an Alpharetta-based accreditor, will conduct the special review, which centers on three matters.
In its release, the Cobb school district said that “determinations made through a Special Review Team can negatively impact college acceptance rates, college scholarships, enrollment, funding, and educator recruitment and retention, as occurred in Clayton and DeKalb counties in 2008 and 2011. Impacts can also negatively affect a county’s economy, property values, and bond credit ratings.”
Board members Charisse Davis, Jaha Howard and Tre’ Hutchins—all black Democrats—said they sent a letter in January to the full seven-member board and Superintendent Chris Ragsdale requesting a discussion on “early literacy, educator and employee support, and board governance training,” but never got a reply.
“The continued silencing of board members who would like to not only talk about positives, but also publicly address challenges, continues. The three of us remain concerned that our governing body is not adhering to the leadership standards set forth by Cognia,” read the Jan. 21 letter by the three Democratic members, which the district included in its release.
Specifically, they wanted the board to discuss the following:
enhancing our governance training by bringing in a third party to help us navigate our differences for the sake of our students and staff
specific agenda items related to teacher and staff support and safety improvements during this pandemic
specific agenda items related to the study and expansion of targeted literacy interventions
Davis, Howard and Hutchins said in their letter to Cognia that their initial letter was completely ignored.
“While there are so many great things about CCSD, such as high SAT scores and graduation rates, we are also a district that has work to do,” their letter to Cognia continued. “We are grappling with many of the same challenges as other districts, including closing opportunity gaps for students, keeping staff and students safe, and adjusting to changing demographics. The most recent data from the GaDOE reports that over 45% of our 3rd grade students are reading below.”
The Cobb school district release also included a response by Ragsdale, who sent a lengthy letter to Cognia defending the district’s record on all three issues.
Ragsdale said he was “surprised and disappointed” to have heard about the complaints, which included others from unspecified parties.
“The communication I received from Cognia centered upon allegations of political disagreements and intra-personal behavior within the board of education,” Ragsdale wrote.
“While these are serious concerns, an unscheduled Special Review seems to be a very unusual response, particularly following the extension of our accreditation and the possible adverse effects of a Special Review to the District’s students, faculty, staff, and community. Given this, the District is taking this Special Review very seriously.”
Ragsdale said the district has met board governance training standards, but did not address the Democratic members’ request for a third-party intervention.
Of the literacy issues, Ragsdale said the Cobb school district “has successfully maintained continuity of learning and support for students through a variety of strategically planned, designed and implemented initiatives,” including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He acknowledged that “we know there is room for growth and improvement in all areas, including Board governance. To that end, we have recently appointed a new interim general counsel with deep experience in accreditation and school board governance matters.”
The board governance issues figure to loom large in the special review.
Howard and Davis—who represents the Walton and Wheeler clusters—have clashed with the board’s four white Republican matters several times in their first two years in office.
In 2019, the board majority voted to ban board member comments during public meetings after Howard made remarks about non-school issues, including local and national politics.
In November, the four Republicans approved a policy change requiring a board majority to approve board member requests to place items on meeting agendas.
In early 2019, Cognia—the successor organization to AdvancedEd and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools—extended the Cobb school district’s accreditation through 2024.
There’s not a timeline for the review, the district release said.
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