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 County government sent out this message on Wednesday afternoon:
Several people have contacted Cobb’s Elections Department, saying they received text messages urging them to apply for an absentee ballot. The text messages appear to be coming from a Cobb Elections phone number and point recipients to the Secretary of State’s absentee ballot request page.
While the link is legitimate, the text messages are NOT from Cobb Elections, and the phone number is a spoof. Cobb County Elections currently does not send out unsolicited voting information via text messages.
The incident has been reported to the state, and Cobb Information Technology Services (ITS) and others are investigating.
Important Safety Tips:
Do not click on links in emails or texts unless you know the sender’s identity.
Spoof websites can look identical to the real ones. Always verify by typing the URL directly into your browser.
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!
“We really need some time to sort this out before we know what happened,” Cobb Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer said.
Calling it “a tragic incident,” Cobb Police said Wednesday morning have not filed charges in the death of a 2-year-old who was found inside a vehicle in a home near Jim Miller Park in Marietta.
Police said that officers and Cobb Fire and & EMS were called to a home on Wanda Circle late Tuesday afternoon and found the child unresponsive inside a vehicle.
Police said in a press release that the child was rushed to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital but was pronounced dead there.
While an investigation continues, police said that “there is no evidence to suggest that the child was left inside the vehicle” on purpose.
Cobb Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer said in a press briefing Wednesday morning that investigators are unsure why the boy was inside the vehicle.
“We really need some time to sort this out before we know what happened,” VanHoozer said.
“If I was in the position of the father, mother, sibling, friend, I would want a lot of grace and a lot of support.”
He said he didn’t know if criminal charges are warranted, but “we do know that support is warranted.”
VanHoozer asked for people “to be really, really careful in this heat.” He didn’t take questions.
Cobb and metro Atlanta are under heat advisories Wednesday and for the Independence Day Thursday, with temperatures in the low 90s and with high humidity.
Cobb Police Sgt. Eric Smith said anyone with information about the incident is requested to call the Cobb County Police Department Crimes Against Persons Unit at 770-499-3945.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The Cobb Board of Education next week will conduct two public hearings about the millage rate for the Cobb County School District for fiscal year 2025.
The first public hearing is next Thursday, July 11, at 11:30 a.m., followed by a second hearing the same day at 6:05 p.m., in the board meeting of the Cobb school district’s Central Office, 514 Glover St., Marietta.
A third public hearing is scheduled for the same venue on Thursday, July 18, at 6:30 p.m.
That precedes a school board general meeting at which the millage rate is set to be adopted. FY 2025 began on Monday in the Cobb school district.
Due to spending increases in the budget, however, that constitutes a tax increase under state law, since there wouldn’t be a “rollback” of the millage rate to match FY 2024 spending.
(Cobb commissioners also are holding similar hearings starting next week, since the proposed county FY 2025 budget doesn’t include a rollback rate.)
The Cobb school district, which is required to advertise the hearings as a proposed tax increase, said the rollback rate for FY 2024 would be 17.199 mills.
The tax increase, as advertised, would be 8.73 percent.
Last year, the Cobb school board rolled back the millage rate slightly, to offset rising property tax assessments. The majority of property tax bills goes for public education.
The FY 2025 Cobb schools budget includes employee pay raises of between 4.4 percent to 9 percent.
The Cobb tax digest also is formally announced in July. In April, Cobb Tax Assessor Stephen White forecast a record digest of $60 billion, following a record $55 billion in 2023.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The Cobb County Water System announced Tuesday that it is investigating three separate instances of treated wastewater being released into Lake Allatoona in the last month that didn’t meet state environmental standards.
A release issued through the Cobb government communications office said that there have been three readings of “out of specification test results” from wastewater released from the water system’s Northwest Water Reclamation Facility since late May.
A total of 7 million gallons of “out of spec” wastewater was spilled into the lake. When that happens, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division requires a public notice.
Cobb said last weekend that routine tests conducted last Thursday, Sunday and Monday revealed “out of spec” readings, and that immediate action was taken.
“The released wastewater, which was disinfected, poses no threat to our drinking water supplies. No cleanup or remediation is required,” the Cobb release said.
On Tuesday, Cobb County said the water system is continuing to determine the cause of the readings. which could come from “a contaminate introduced into the wastewater system that interferes with microorganisms used in the treatment process.
“Test results are pending, and crews are working to adjust the plant’s operations to prevent a repeat.”
Cobb is permitted to release 12 million gallons of treated wastewater daily into Lake Allatoona, the primary source of drinking water for Cobb County.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The Blackwell Farmers Market held a grand opening June 22. (St. Andrew UMC Facebook page)
The Cobb Planning Commission on Tuesday recommended approval of a land-use permit for a church in Northeast Cobb to operate a weekly farmer’s market on its premises.
A consent item on the agenda said that zoning staff recommended approval of a temporary 24-month permit for St. Andrew United Methodist Church to run the market on Saturday mornings.
The Blackwell Farmers Market features local vendors selling produce, meats, breads, baked goods and other artisanal food items in a portion of the parking lot at the church (3455 Canton Road, at Blackwell Circle).
The hours would be from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, and the agenda item stated expected business would be between 100 to 200 customers a week.
The market held a grand opening June 22 and is scheduled to continue through the end of September, with temporary 9-12 Saturday hours.
There are roughly 150 available parking spaces on the lot, and there would be no deliveries on the day of the market, according to the agenda item. Vendors bring their own food supplies.
St. Andrew said that between 3-6 volunteers oversee the market each week, and there is a dedicated manager on duty with specialized training.
According to an April 18 stipulation letter, Blackwells Farmers Market will not allow loudspeakers to be used when the market is open. Vendors also must comply with local food health regulations, and no open-flame cooking is allowed.
The church initially applied for the land-use permit in March.
“Committed to fostering a healthier, more connected neighborhood, our market thrives on providing fresh, locally-sourced foods while serving as a hub for the diverse families in our area,” the market said on its about page.
“With a dedication to offering wholesome options and supporting local growers, we aim to nourish both body and spirit.”
The Planning Commission’s recommendation goes to the Cobb Board of Commissioners, which will make a final decision on July 16.
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!
Delta Community Credit Union Logo (PRNewsFoto/Delta Community Credit Union)
Delta Community Credit Union is now accepting grant applications for its 2025 Philanthropic Fund program. For the 12th year, the annual grant program will provide financial support to organizations that share Delta Community’s commitment to helping families manage their finances more effectively; improving the physical and financial well-being of young people; or enhancing educational and career opportunities for teens and adults. As Georgia’s largest credit union with more than $8.5 billion in assets, Delta Community looks forward to distributing a total of $150,000 to 20 nonprofit organizations throughout 2025.
“It is our privilege to support and invest in programs that positively impact the lives of metro Atlanta families,” said Hank Halter, Delta Community’s CEO. “As a not-for-profit financial cooperative, we operate under the ideal of good corporate citizenship and strive to strengthen the communities where our members live and work through our own direct efforts and by partnering with organizations that share our values and sense of responsibility.”
Since launching its Philanthropic Fund program in 2013, Delta Community has invested nearly $1.2 million in more than 220 organizations that offer educational opportunities, job and career training, and medical and human services support to families and individuals in need. In addition, Delta Community invests in local communities through scholarships, school partnerships and support for chambers of commerce and civic organizations.
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!
Leadership Cobb, the Cobb Chamber’s premier leadership development program, has selected 60 new participants for the 2024-2025 class.
Founded in 1983, Leadership Cobb brings together diverse business and community leaders for a 10-month journey focused on personal and professional growth. The program accomplishes this through leadership training, teambuilding, and educational experiences highlighting our community’s greatest success stories and most significant ongoing challenges.
Congratulations to the members of the 2025 Class:
Benjamin Andrews, Advanced Technology Development Center
Eliese Bernard, Wellstar Health System
Melanie Brueggemann, Croy Engineering
Toby Carmichael, City of Acworth
Colt Chambers, The Alley Stage
Ollie Clemons, Jr, City of Austell
Elizabeth Colletti, Cobb Chamber of Commerce
Carl Crumbley, Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services
AikWah Leow, Cobb County District Attorney’s Office
Alyssa Liguori, Northside Hospital
J.D. Lorens, Cobb County Department of Transportation
BJ Martin, W&A Engineering
Jesus Martinez, Peach Tree Commercial Capital, LLC
Jenn McNeely, Delta Air Lines
Lisa Mello, LiveSafe Resources
Stephanie Meyer, Chattahoochee Technical College
Cheryl Morgan, Dobbins Air Reserve Base
Stacey Nicely, Atlanta Braves
Angela Orange, Marietta City Schools
Nehemiah Pace, Atlanta Falcons Football Club
Ashley Palmer, Cobb County State Court
Kirstin Popper, kirpop
Kevin Pounds, MUST Ministries
Troy Refuge, Refuge Law, PLLC | DTSpade Specialized Real Estate
Keisha Register, City of Marietta
Nick Rider, Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC
Rico Short, Apex Endodontics P.C
Rick Shumpert, Kennesaw Police Department
Douglas Simmons, Cox Communications
Kelli Spearman, Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP
Alina Stevens, All-Pro Pest Services, Inc
Casey Tanner, Kennesaw State University
Eric Trehern, The Home Depot
Joy Ugi, American Council of Engineering Companies Georgia
Naporsha Valentine, Allstate – Law Office of Marcus A. Blackwell
Danny Vander Maten, Cresa
Gretchen Walton, Cobb County School District
Chris Wasserman, Wasserman Talent Solutions
Chad Williams, GB’s Lake & Stable
Jen Willis, Summit Heating and Air
Nick Winbus, Dallas Smith & Company, LLC
Jennifer New, Mount Paran Christian School, and Greg Mize, The Atlanta Braves, will be Co-Chairs for the 2024-2025 program year. Joyette Holmes, Georgia State Board of Pardons & Paroles, and Eddie Wade, Croy Engineering, will be the Vice Co-Chairs for the 2024-2025 program year. The 2024-2025 class theme is “Bring It Home.”
The Leadership Cobb class of 2025’s Yearlong Presenting Sponsor is Kennesaw State University Executive MBA & MBA Programs; and Legacy Sponsors are Genuine Parts Company, Croy Engineering, Mauldin & Jenkins, Accounting Consultants of Cobb, and Johnson & Alday, LLC. For more information about Leadership Cobb, contact Kai Lawrence at 770-859-2346 or klawrence@cobbchamber.org.
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!
Round up your gear and saddle up for the annual Cobb PARKS Fishing Rodeo. You have four chances to cast your line at our fishing ponds. Catch the big one and earn bragging rights. Winners will be awarded at each event. Parents – just register the kids who are fishing, $5 per child. Bring your own gear, bait, water, snacks, etc.
All events are 9 – 11 a.m., rain or shine. Hyde Farm Park ( registration code #38598) Saturday, July 6 (East Cobb) Lost Mountain Park (registration code #38597) Saturday, July 13 (West Cobb) Ebenezer Downs Park (registration code #38599) Saturday, July 20 (North Cobb) Furr Family Park (registration code #38600) Saturday, July 27 (South Cobb)
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The Music Studio Atlanta, which has a location in East Cobb, has been named the 2024 School of the Year by Music Academy Success, the largest international coaching organization dedicated to music academy owners.
Cecilia Rowe, The Music Studio Atlanta
“We are so pleased and humbled to have been awarded with these three incredible honors in the past few weeks!” said Cecilia Rowe, owner and founder of The Music Studio Atlanta. “We have been committed to the highest quality music instruction for over three decades. I believe the unique combination of top-notch teachers, our proprietary reward curriculum and decades of experience has helped us reach this level of recognition,”
The Music Studio Atlanta was among 10 schools nationwide nominated for the Music Academy Success distinguished School of the Year award, a select group chosen from a collection of 500 national candidates. This nomination is a testament to those schools that have demonstrated exceptional performance and dedication to music education.
The Cobb Chamber also has recognized The Music Studio as one of the Top 25 Small Businesses of the Year in May.
Doctors’ honors
Dr. Arun Chervu, Vascular Surgical Associates
Four physicians from Vascular Surgical Associates rank among Atlanta’s Top Doctors in Atlanta magazine’s July issue, including one at the practice’s East Cobb location.
They include Dr. Arun Chervu, who is among the more than 1,200 physicians on the publication’s 2024 list.
Physicians are asked to nominate fellow physicians they deem the best in their field of practice. Many votes were cast honoring excellence in all fields of medicine. The featured doctors were screened and selected through the verification of licensing and review of any infractions through applicable boards, agencies, and rating services.
Chervu is a partner at Vascular Surgical Associates, PC in Marietta. He received his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at Princeton University, graduating magna cum laude, and received his Doctor of Medicine from Cornell University Medical College. He completed his surgical residency and fellowship at UCLA School of Medicine. Dr. Chervu’s hospital appointments include Wellstar Kennestone Hospital and Wellstar Cobb Hospital. He is actively involved in clinical research and is director of clinical trials for Vascular Surgical Associates.
ECBA events in July
The guest speaker at the July luncheon of the East Cobb Business Association is Tim Ashmore of Ashmore Management Consulting LLC.
The topic: “Protect Your Business. How to Avoid Employment Landmines.” The event is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 16 at Rich Hart Global Studios (2030 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 270).
The Professional Women of East Cobb will hold its monthly luncheon on July 12 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at J. Christopher’s (1205 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 115). The speaker is a group member who speaks about personal journeys in business.
The registration cost for both luncheons includes lunch.
The July ECBA Lunch & Learn event is also at the same J. Christopher’s, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on July 23. This month, an ECBA Mastermind Round Table will be held in a workshop format with group participation and opportunities to leverage the experiences of other business owners.
The Rich Hart Global Studios is the venue for the President’s Club Toastmasters meetings on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Wednesdays of each month, from 7-9 p.m.
The ECBA’s free weekly networking event is held every Friday at the IHOP (3130 Johnson Ferry Road) from 7:30-9 a.m. You pay for whatever food and drink you wish.
For information on registration fees and other ECBA events, click here.
Other Biz Association News
The East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce next meets on Friday, Aug. 8.
It’s the organization’s annual pigskin preview, featuring the head football coaches of the six public high schools in East Cobb (Kell, Lassiter, Pope, Sprayberry, Walton and Wheeler).
The breakfast event is from 7:30-9 a.m. at the Indian Hills Country Club (4001 Clubland Drive), and you can purchase tickets by clicking here.
Online registrations and refunds close on Aug. 5/
The Northeast Cobb Business Association is on hiatus until August.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The following East Cobb residential real estate sales were compiled from agency reports and Cobb County property records. They include the street address, subdivision name, high school attendance zone and sales price:
June 10
718 Trevett Way, 30062 (The Gates at Hamilton Grove, Marietta): $431,879
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The City of Marietta is the focal point of July 4 public festivities in Cobb County with its “Let Freedom Ring” parade, followed by the “4th In the Park” celebration at the Marietta Square.
More than 100 groups are taking part in the parade, which starts at 10 a.m. Thursday at Roswell Street and Victory Drive. The route continues west along Roswell Street to the Square, then heads up Cherokee Street and ends at the Cobb 911 building on North Marietta Parkway.
Marietta Police said that road closures along the parade route will begin at 9:15 a.m. Spectators are asked not to sit on the walls of the Marietta National Cemetery or stand on headstones.
Here’s the schedule for the rest of the day, also per MPD:
10:00 AM until 9:00 PM Festival in the park activities (art/craft vendors, food trucks, concession stands, carnival games and kids play areas with large inflatables etc.)
Police said the fireworks will be launched from the First United Methodist Church parking lot, which as a result of state law will be unavailable for parking the whole day.
Road surrounding the square also will be closed all day Thursday, although nearby parking decks will be available.
No fireworks can be used on the decks, nor are open alcohol containers and consumption allowed there as wll.
Some other traveling tips from police, given the traffic restrictions:
Parking will be challenging, especially with the First United Methodist Church parking lot closed. PLEASE CONSIDER USING A RIDE SHARE SERVICE.
UBER/LYFT drivers will take you anywhere, but the city has DESIGNATED an easy intersection to give YOU quick access with limited walking as well as give the drivers easy access so they can keep moving and minimize your ride costs. PLEASE use the intersection of Lawrence Street and Waddell Street as your drop off and pick up locations.
It is supposed to be ABOVE normal temperatures, please stay hydrated and plan accordingly.
Pets can NOT cool off as quickly as you can. PLEASE keep them hydrated and guard against having them standing for too long on hot pavement.
Cobb Travel and Tourism has more options, including celebrations in Acworth, Kennesaw and Six Flags.
For those wishing to set off their own fireworks, Cobb County government sent out a reminder this week that fireworks may be discharged until midnight both Wednesday, July 3, and Thursday, July 4.
Here’s more from the county about when and where you can use fireworks, and other restrictions and safety tips:
Fireworks and other pyrotechnics are prohibited at all county parks. This includes historic sites, recreational areas or state property. It is illegal to use them within 100 yards of an electric plant, water or wastewater treatment plant, gas station, refinery, electric substation, jail, helipad, hospital, nursing home or other health care facility.You must be 18 or older to purchase or ignite fireworks. It is illegal to let young children play with them.
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!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The proposed Cobb County government budget of $1.27 billion for fiscal year 2025 won’t be raising any property tax rates.
But it won’t be scaling them back, so due to rising property assessments, that constitutes a tax increase according to state law.
Following a budget presentation Tuesday afternoon at a the Cobb Board of Commissioners work session, the county announced the proposed increase, and laid out the schedule for budget and millage rate hearings in July.
The budget includes a $41.3 million increase in the general fund, mostly due to recurring expenses pertaining to raises in the step-and-grade salary structures for public safety personnel.
That represents two-thirds of that additional general fund revenue, which stems from an estimated net Cobb tax digest growth of around 6 percent.
That’s down from 2023, when the tax digest grew by more than 12 percent.
The current adopted FY 2024 general budget is $898 million, and is proposed to rise to $961 million, holding the line at 8.46 mills.
(You can read the details of the budget presentation by clicking here.)
The property tax revenues in the proposed budget are a 9 percent increase from fiscal year 2024.
The overall proposed budget includes $63.7 million in new spending, with an additional $14.7 million for the fire fund, with a proposed millage rate to remain the same at 2.99 mills.
Only five new positions would be created in the FY 2025 budget, whittled down from 382 requests for new jobs from department heads.
Also in the proposed budget is a reduction in the amount of Cobb Water System revenues to the general fund, from six percent to five percent.
Commissioners didn’t discuss the budget proposal at the work session, except to ask a few questions.
Last year, citizens pleaded with commissioners to roll back the millage rage to offset higher property assessments, citing inflation and other rising daily living expenses.
But the 3-2 vote to adopt the budget without tax rate cuts was along partisan lines, with the Democratic majority saying the additional revenues are needed to address chronic county government staffing shortages.
At a commission meeting Tuesday night, some citizens protested the FY 2025 proposed budget for similar reasons as a year ago.
“Citizens in the county are running out of money,” Marietta resident Tracy Stevenson said. “I hear it from a lot of people all the time. Nobody’s happy about it.”
He referenced a proposed stormwater fee and a transit tax referendum in November as potential additional burdens on taxpayers.
“There is no end to it—the bloodlust for the taxpaying dollar is phenomenal.”
Formal public hearings on the proposed FY 2025 budget will take place July 9 at 9 a.m., July 16 at 6:30 p.m. and July 23 at 7 p.m.
Adoption of the budget and the proposed millage rates is scheduled for July 23 at 7 p.m.
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 Police said Tuesday that an elderly man sustained serious injuries and two other people had minor injuries after a two-vehicle crash Monday on Trickum Road.
Public Information Officer Aaron Wilson said Paul Borts, 84, was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital with serious injuries in the crash, which took place at 8:48 a.m. Monday on Trickum Road at Timberbrook Trace.
Police said Borts, of a Northeast Cobb address, was driving a 2016 red Chevrolet Malibu in a southbound direction on Trickum near the intersection when the vehicle was struck by a 2023 white Chevrolet Express van, which had been traveling northbound but veered into the southbound lane.
Wilson said the Malibu spun around and the Express van traveled northbound before both vehicles came to a stop on Trickum.
The two passengers in the van, driver Edward Jural, 33, of Dunwoody, and Penny Grigalanz 47, of Marietta, an occupant, also were taken to Kennestone with minor injuries, according to police, who said an investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Anyone with information is requested to contact the Cobb County Police Department at 770-499-3987.
Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!
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!
A new voter initiative by the presidential campaign of former President Donald Trump, Trump Force 47, opened an office in East Cobb this week.
An opening event took place Wednesday at the office, located at 2440 Sandy Plains Road, Building 10.
Trump Force 47 is a canvassing effort to mobilize volunteers to get out the vote for Trump in key battleground states. A similar field office is opening this week in Woodstock, and others are rolling out in other states where the presidential race is expected to be competitive.
The statewide Trump Force 47 effort is organized by the Republican National Committee and the Georgia Republican Party.
The Trump Force 47 organization was created after Trump’s guilty verdict in a hush-money trial in New York last month. One estimate by the campaign claimed it raised $35 million after the conviction.
Trump has been lagging behind Biden’s campaign in fundraising, but a recent report says the Trump campaign now has more cash on hand.
The Cobb field office for Trump opens shortly after the Biden campaign opened a Cobb office near Kennestone Hospital in Marietta.
Georgia is expected to be a decisive factor in presidential voting, especially metro Atlanta suburbs that once were strongly Republican. The candidates held their first debate Wednesday in Atlanta in an event organized by CNN.
Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris has been campaigning frequently in Georgia in recent weeks, and polls released last week had Trump leading Biden 45-41 percent in the state.
Cobb has been a focal point, after being strongly Republican since the 1980s. Hillary Clinton and Biden have won the county in 2016 and 2020, with parts of East Cobb and West Cobb favoring Trump.
Biden defeated Trump in Georgia in 2020 by fewer than 12,000 votes, according to certified results. But Trump and some Georgia Republicans have disputed those figures, claiming election fraud.
Trump and other defendants have been indicted in Fulton County on charges of racketeering activities to attempt to illegally overturn the Georgia results.
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!
Starting July 1, the Mountain View Aquatic Center (2650 Gordy Parkway) will be closed for three months for scheduled renovations.
The work includes resurfacing pools and painting work and is part of $4.5 million in improvements to Cobb PARKS facilities in the 2022 Cobb SPLOST (Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax).
Related projects include renovations at the Cobb County Central Aquatic Center in Marietta, which is reopening July 1 after three months of renovations. The West Cobb Aquatic Center in Powder Springs also reopened in April after renovations.
The scheduled reopening for the Mountain View Aquatic Center is Oct. 1.
Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!
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!
Theodore Adams Thomas of East Cobb, a student at Walton High School, has earned the highest advancement award the Boy Scouts of America offers to Scouts, the Eagle Scout Award.
Thomas was recognized in ceremonies on Sunday, May 16, 5:00 pm at the Eastminster Presbyterian Church. A member of Troop 565 at Eastminster, Thomas is one of approximately 4 percent of all Scouts who attain the Eagle rank.
Each candidate must earn 21 merit badges and successfully complete a community, church, or synagogue-related service project to earn their Eagle; Thomas chose to improve the safety and quality of life of school children and neighbors in the Timber Ridge Elementary School zone by creating a path to school on Highway 120 frontage at the intersection of Highway 120 and Bishop Lake Road. Previously, the stretch of road was occupied by shrubbery behind a guardrail which prevented pedestrian traffic and forced anyone transiting the area to walk in the roadway on a very busy section of Highway 120/Roswell Road.
Thomas organized the removal of the shrubbery and laying a mulch path through coordination with the Georgia Department of Transportation, St. Anne’s Catholic Church, and 36 volunteers who assisted him in the labor. Thomas has served as Senior Patrol Leader, Chaplain’s Aid, and Scribe.
Honors he has received include Arrow of Light, Silver Explorer, 50-Miler, Gold Palm, and he holds the record for the mile swim at Camp Woodruff. Thomas joins other outstanding American citizens who have become Eagle Scouts, among them former President Gerald R. Ford, Jr., astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, cinematographer Steven Spielberg, and the head of the F.B.I., William Sessions.
Thomas is a member of Emerson Unitarian Universalist Congregation. He is Captain of Walton Swim and Dive, the defending 7A state champions, and active in the Engineering Honors Society, RPG Club, and E-Sports at Walton High School, where he is a Senior. He also swims with the Stingrays Swimming Club.
He is the son of Dominic and Elizabeth Thomas of Marietta and in interested in pursuing engineering and a career in military automotive technology.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The following East Cobb residential real estate sales were compiled from agency reports and Cobb County property records. They include the street address, subdivision name, high school attendance zone and sales price:
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The Cobb Board of Commissioners will be asked next week to adopt a six-month moratorium on issuing licenses for health spas in order to make possible changes to county ordinances.
An agenda item for a business meeting Tuesday night referenced “a growing problem with illegal and illicit activities at health spas including various code violations, prostitution and human trafficking.”
The agenda item (you can read it here) didn’t specify any incidents, but the proposed measure comes shortly after the county fined the owner of an East Cobb health spa for several violations and a review board approved a suspension of its health spa license.
While the state oversees the licensing of massage therapists in Georgia, local governments regulate the businesses.
According to county documents, Cobb business license compliance officials, as well as an investigator from the Cobb Police Department, inspected Peace Spa at 4994 Lower Roswell Road in April after receiving a complaint from a different agency “stating the possibility of sexual activities being offered.”
A summary of a Cobb License Review Board show cause hearing in May (you can read it here) said that the business, which has a license to run a health spa with massage services, didn’t have a state-licensed therapist or designated manager on the premises during business hours, which is required by law.
The only staff person who was there when inspectors arrived was a woman who was not included on an official list of Peace Spa employees, according to the show cause summary.
The owner, Xiangnan Zhang, is a state-licensed therapist, but had gone home temporarily. The summary said she was cited for three violations, including not filing an employee list with the county, not recording treatments provided and allowing unlicensed persons to provide massage therapy services.
(You can read the county code regulations on health spas by clicking here.)
The summary said Zhang pleaded guilty to the charges in Cobb Magistrate Court and paid the fines, and that the Cobb License Review Board voted to impose a two-week suspension of Peace Spa’s health spa license.
But the report, which said Zhang took over the business from a previous owner in January, did not detail any illicit activities. It said that Zhang apologized for the violations and said she would be hiring a licensed massage therapist to help with the business.
At their June 11 meeting, commissioners were to have considered a withdrawal of a request to review the suspension.
But that matter was pulled from the consent agenda with Commissioner Jerica Richardson saying it was to come back for a hearing.
Cobb’s proposed 180-day moratorium would follow similar action by the City of Roswell, which last year twice paused issuing new health spa licenses.
Undercover police discovered what they alleged was a network of prostitution and human trafficking activities at several health spas, and the city council voted to close seven of them during the moratorium.
An AJC news report indicated the health spas in Roswell were “operating without valid licenses and had either been previously closed or changed ownership as a way to continue operating illegally.”
In the agenda item for Tuesday’s meeting, Cobb Community Services Director Jessica Guinn said that “this is a serious concern for the protection of the health, safety and welfare of the public. Community Development and Public Safety have determined that the illicit health spa establishments are evading code and law enforcement; therefore, a temporary moratorium will provide a necessary opportunity to review the Cobb County Code to enhance regulations and strengthen protections to the public by suspending any health spa applications and further reviewing this regulatory process.”
You can read the proposed resolution for the moratorium by clicking here.
The agenda item is on the commission’s consent agenda; the meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta).
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!
Hyde Farm Park ( registration code #38598) Saturday, July 6 (East Cobb)
