On Thursday, May 21st, The Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team held an appreciation barbeque lunch to honor local police, firemen, and EMTs. The Capital City Home Loans grilling food truck served up burgers and hotdogs with a variety of sides sponsored by other local partners. Attendees were welcome to use the “social distancing patio” to enjoy their meal or take it on the road. Event sponsors and members of the Janice Overbeck Team had a great time serving guests and appreciating them for what they do day-to-day. Additional sponsors for the event included: Arrow Exterminators, First American Home Warranty, Amerispec Home Inspection, Chick-fil-A East Lake and Perrie & Associates. Local Cobb County and surrounding area first responders, police, fire, and detective units were all invited. Lunch was also packed up and delivered to Cobb County 911 dispatch. For more information on community events at the Janice Overbeck Team office, visit: www.JaniceOverbeck.com.
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East Cobb citizens who’ve been communicating with each other and elected officials in the past week over what they claim is a sex shop coming to Johnson Ferry Road took their concerns to the full Cobb Board of Commissioners Tuesday.
Several of them asked during a public comment session at the commissioners’ regular meeting Tuesday afternoon that the county consider invalidating a business license granted for a clothing store at 1290 Johnson Ferry Road, the site a former Mattress Firm store.
As East Cobb Newsreported Monday, a business license was issued on March 11 by the Cobb Community Development Agency to 1290 Clothing Co., for a retail clothing store.
The land is zoned general commercial and would not require rezoning for a clothing store. The license was issued to Tomika Hugley.
According to state business corporation filings, Rebecca Crider, the registered agent for 1290 Clothing Co., serves in the same capacity for a number of businesses run by Michael S. Morrison, owner of the Atlanta-based Tokyo Valentino adult retail store enterprise.
“This clothing company is much more than the name implies,” said Lisa Sims, a resident of East Cobb for more than 20 years, during the commissioners’ public comment session.
Like others who spoke, she said an adult store on Johnson Ferry Road would be too close to a school (Mt. Bethel Elementary School), a major church (Johnson Ferry Baptist Church) and a number of residential areas, and it’s the type of business that’s incompatible with the East Cobb community.
Michael Morrison, the owner of the Tokyo Valentine enterprise, told East Cobb News he has not been planning to open a store in East Cobb, although he’s listed in the 1290 Clothing Co. business formation documents in January as the organizer authorizer.
His businesses include an adult retail store on Cobb Parkway at Frey’s Gin Road in the city of Marietta.
His main store, on Cheshire Bridge Road at Piedmont Road in Midtown Atlanta, has been the subject of repeated efforts by the city of Atlanta to force him to close. It’s open 24/7 and has video booths and private rooms and a daily admission charge of $20 and up.
His five other stores, including the Marietta location, sell adult books and DVDs, sex toys and accessories, smoking accessories, lingerie and related items.
Hill Wright, another East Cobb resident who addressed commissioners, claimed “there are multiple grounds for invalidating a business license,” including listing an applicant as a “strawman” as he alleged Tokyo Valentino has done with the Johnson Ferry store.
In responding to what he said were several hundred messages from constituents, Commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb said Monday that the business as proposed meets all zoning requirements.
He said citizens can organize, referring to a We Buy Gold store on Lower Roswell Road several years ago that eventually closed due to a lack of business after community opposition.
In her remarks, Sims said Morrison is “a master of navigating zoning loopholes—look at the city of Atlanta”—and if an adult store would be allowed in East Cobb “it will spread like the Coronavirus.”
Neither Ott nor the other commissioners addressed the topic during the meeting.
East Cobb News asked Ott after the meeting if the county had any recourse in invalidating a business license and he said “I’m not sure about that. Best to check with the County Attorney.”
Sims, who lives two miles from the Johnson Ferry store, told East Cobb News after Tuesday’s meeting she thinks “the unethical or perhaps illegal way the business license was applied for should be investigated.”
She said “for me, IF the store opens, I’ll be picketing out front. . . .
“I suspect our Commissioners will regret not doing more should this business open . . . as they’ll have a mess on their hands.”
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After some discussion Tuesday morning, the Cobb Board of Commissioners approved using more than $50 million of federal COVID-19 stimulus funds to help small businesses and low-income renters facing evictions.
In the case of the small business grants, a total of $50 million will be earmarked to help businesses retain employees and meet other expenses to stay open.
The proposal would limit eligible business to those with 100 employees or less and stipulated that they must own or lease commercial property for their operations in Cobb County.
But commissioner Lisa Cupid of South Cobb got her colleagues to agree to expand the criteria to those who have home-based businesses.
She also wanted to cap the number of eligible business with up to 20 employees.
Select Cobb, the development arm of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, will oversee the selection of the businesses to get the grants. Starting next Monday, more information will be available on its website about the application and eligibility process.
Select Cobb and commissioners will appoint an independent committee representing a variety of industries and business sectors to choose the grant recipients.
An equitable number of businesses will be chosen from the four commission districts, and they will be eligible for funding as follows:
1 to 10 employees – up to $20,000;
11 to 50 employees – up to $30,000;
51 to 100 employees – up to $40,000.
Select Cobb will receive $500,000 in stimulus funding to oversee the selection and distribution process.
Also Tuesday, commissioners approved spending $1.5 million of the federal stimulus funds to help tenants work out agreements with landlords for back rent in order to avoid eviction.
Star-C, an Atlanta non-profit with offices in Cobb County, will administer that funding. Under the plan, low-income apartment dwellers facing evictions would receive a “scholarship” of up to 70 percent of their overdue payment total. The remaining 20 percent would be paid by the tenant and the landlord would be asked to pay the remaining 10 percent and waive the late fee.
Cobb County has received $132 million in funding from the federal CARES Act, and earlier this month approved spending $1 million to reimburse Cobb non-profits who’ve been providing emergency food supplies.
Also on Tuesday, commissioners designated several categories to spend the rest of the money, and these are subject to change.
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Author Lance J. LoRusso announces that Hunting of Men, the first book in his Blue Mystery book series featuring detective Johnny Till has been included in the Authors Adopt Heroes program established by author Penny Reid. In this program authors of various genres are connected with medical professionals who are interested in the genre the author writes in and the author sends the medical professionals copies of their book. LoRusso was selected as an author for the mystery genre and donated copies of Hunting of Men to medical professionals who expressed interest in mystery books. The program was designed to honor the medical professionals in the frontline battling the coronavirus.
“The men and women who are treating coronavirus are true heroes and heroines putting their lives in the line daily,” said Lance J. LoRusso. “I salute them. I hope that Hunting of Men brings some enjoyment and escape from what they are dealing with when they receive the copies, I contributed.
“I am honored to have been included in Authors Adopt Heroes Program,” continued LoRusso. “I believe it is an excellent way for authors to support the heroes and heroines in this pandemic war.”
In Hunting of Men, LoRusso draws upon his diverse law enforcement background that saw him work the street, serve as a trainer, hostage negotiator, and an investigator. The book launches the career of central character, Johnny Till who will be the key character in all the Blue Mystery books. The book’s title, Hunting of Men, is drawn from Ernest Hemingway’s quote, “There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.” The mystery in Hunting of Men focuses upon a cold case murder.
Johnny Till is a force to be reckoned with as a new homicide detective for the Lawler County Police Department. As tradition demands, on his first day on the job, Till pulls a cold case file to investigate. The file in question is one that has haunted the department and community for years: the cold-blooded murder of Officer Michael Dunlap, gunned down in the black of night some twenty years earlier. Now, in order to solve the murder and heal the victims left behind, Till must reopen old wounds and retrace the final days of Dunlap’s life. The journey will lead him down a rabbit hole to a darker, more sinister conspiracy, one that threatens to steal the lives of children around the world. In order to close this cold case, Till must not only come into his new role as a homicide detective, but face his own fears to truly become a hunter of men.
Parallax, written to provide engaging as well as accurate entertainment, is a series of fictional stories based on the harsh realities faced by law enforcement officers in the performance of their duties and stories recounted to LoRusso by officers over the years. Peacemaking was LoRusso’s first entry into the world of fiction, follows the journey of a police officer, Scotty Painter, in the aftermath of a shooting.
LoRusso is a former police officer who is principal of the LoRusso Law Firm on Powers Ferry Road. He is the legal counsel for the Georgia Fraternal Order of Police and attorney for the Cobb County FOP Lodge 13 as well as a lawyer for law enforcement officers.
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Commercially-zoned property with a building that housed a Mattress Firm store at 1290 Johnson Ferry Road was purchased in February for $1.55 million (ECN photo)
A vacant retail building located in the heart of East Cobb has a new owner and is being renovated for a new use.
What that use may end up being has been the subject of a flurry of social media chatter in recent days about whether a sex shop is on the way.
Specifically, the subject of that speculation is that a new location of Atlanta-based Tokyo Valentino—with five adult retail stores in the metro area, including the city of Marietta—is replacing the former Mattress Firm store at 1290 Johnson Ferry Road, across from Merchant’s Walk.
Cobb County business license records and a pending building permit application indicate plans for a retail store at that address called 1290 Clothing Co.
That business also has registered as a corporation with the Georgia Secretary of State’s office as 1290 Clothing, LLC, and lists the same registered agent as Cheshire Bridge Holdings, LLC, the parent company of Tokyo Valentino.
Michael Morrison, the Tokyo Valentino owner who has battled the city of Atlanta and other local jurisdictions for years over his businesses, is named in the 1290 Clothing Co. business formation documents as organizer and authorizer.
But he denied he is opening a new store in East Cobb.
In a public statement issued Monday, Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott said he has received more than 500 messages from citizens about the subject, and said there is nothing the county can do if a sex shop is coming to that building on Johnson Ferry Road.
The half-acre on which it sits is zoned general commercial, the broadest of the commercial zoning categories in Cobb County, and includes most kinds of retail shops.
“Unfortunately, due to the zoning already in place on the property dating back to the late 70s, it appears that the retail shop meets all county code requirements,” Ott said in his message. “The U.S. Constitution doesn’t allow a county to come in and arbitrarily change existing zoning and/or add stipulations.”
He also said that contrary to some of the citizens’ queries he’s received, the matter will not come before the Cobb Board of Commissioners during its Tuesday regular meeting.
“That is not true,” Ott said. “There is nothing on the agenda tomorrow related to this store.”
A new business license was granted by the Cobb Community Development Agency on March 11 for 1290 Clothing Co., at 1290 Johnson Ferry Road, to an applicant named Tomika Hugley.
According to Cobb building permit records, an application for a renovation at that same address was filed on May 14 by Pembroke Real Estate Partners, LLC, in Miami.
That’s the company listed in Cobb Tax Assessors Office records as the Feb. 4 buyer of 0.53 acres and a building with 5,444 square feet at 1290 Johnson Ferry Road, for $1.55 million.
Building permit records indicate the renovation project is described as a “move-in only” for the tenant “1290 Clothing Co.” but no inspection has been conducted.
When contacted by East Cobb News Friday about whether he’s opening a store in East Cobb, Morrison said, “I have no idea what you are referring to.”
He said that “any applications that we submit for future stores have my name on them” and noted his store in Marietta, and that he was not involved with the 1290 Clothing Co. enterprise.
According to a Georgia Secretary of State’s business filing, 1290 Clothing Co. LLC was registered on Jan. 21, 2020. The filing names Michael Morrison as the 1290 Clothing Co. organizer and authorizer, with an Atlanta residential address located off LaVista Road in DeKalb County.
East Cobb News has been unable to reach Hugley or Rebecca Crider, the registered agent for the new store on Johnson Ferry Road. Crider also is the registered agent for other Tokyo Valentino businesses, including the Marietta store, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
Many of the social media comments about the new Johnson Ferry Road store have come on a Facebook group, East Cobb Moms Exchange. East Cobb News has been contacted by some members of the group and other citizens, but none could provide further information.
An online petition urging readers to contact Ott has received more than 1,000 signatures.
In 1998, the city of Atlanta first tried to shut down Morrison’s original store on Cheshire Bridge Road, which opened in 1995 and was called Inserection, because of its video booths, massage rooms and private bedrooms.
In 2014, Morrison—who served two-and-a-half years in prison for federal income tax invasion in the mid-2000s—rebranded his business Tokyo Valentino and opened new locations.
Last year Morrison opened a store in Sandy Springs, also in an abandoned mattress store building, initially saying it would be a dancer clothing store under a different name.
The city claimed the store violated its merchandising code by having more than a quarter of its square footage space devoted to adult merchandise sales.
Morrison, who also has had legal disputes with Brookhaven over his Stardust adult retail store, eventually complied in December by adding non-adult items at the Sandy Springs store, now called Tokyo Valentino.
There are two other Tokyo Valentino stores, on Northside Drive in Buckhead and on Pleasant Hill Road in Gwinnett County.
Ott said his staff visited the Tokyo Valentino store in Marietta, at 345 South Cobb Parkway, and said it’s strictly a retail store, unlike what’s on Cheshire Bridge Road.
The Marietta location sells adult lingerie, sex toys, body art and jewelry, books and DVDs, smoking accessories and novelty gifts and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.
The Tokyo Valentino store in Marietta is located at Cobb Parkway and Frey’s Gin Road, across from the Marietta Diner. (ECN photo)
Pembroke Real Estate Partners, the new owner of the 1290 Johnson Ferry Road property, is a registered corporation in Florida, and whose principal is listed as Frank Koretsky.
According to his personal website, Koretsky has added real estate investing and philanthropy to his business interests.
He has sold consumer electronics and video tapes and built up two adult video distribution companies, International Video Distribution and East Coast News, which “now exist as the largest entities in their respective industries.”
Koretsky also is a holder in adult lingerie and sex toy businesses.
On Monday Ott reminded East Cobb residents of community opposition to a We Buy Gold store on Lower Roswell Road near Johnson Ferry Road several years ago.
“There was a large outcry about that store coming to East Cobb,” he said. “Then, like now, there wasn’t anything the county could do because it met all the code requirements. That store is now an ice cream shop in large part because in a very short period it became obvious to the owners that the people weren’t interested in having that business in their community.”
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With just a couple of AP classes to complete before she could officially become a Pope High School graduate, senior Raegan Keane-Dawes wasn’t sure at first whether she’d continue on with her classes or take the grade she had when campuses closed on March 13.
She chose to pursue the former, and was glad she did.
“My grades went up,” said Keane-Dawes, who was taking statistics and environmental science classes.
As a senior, she was only on the Pope campus for a couple hours a day, having taken dual enrollment courses at Chattahoochee Tech for the last two years.
But she still missed the student camaraderie, especially with cancelled senior class events leading up to what would have been graduation this week.
“It’s been weird, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be,” she said.
“It’s just the thought that we’re all leaving, and leaving like this.”
She said she and her classmates stay in touch, but “the hardest part” is not being able to enjoy the traditional interactions that come with being a senior.
What was already a surreal experience of not seeing her friends and taking part in high school rituals took an encouraging turn on May 13, when she turned 18.
There was a family event planned, but Keane-Dawes also got to enjoy friends showing up by car for a surprise birthday drive-up in her neighborhood.
During her days at Pope, Keane-Dawes took part in the Interact Club and the French Club, and she participated in club volleyball and soccer.
She’s taking her enthusiasm for sports to Mercer University, where she plans to major in sports marketing and analytics, and is eyeing the possibility of becoming a sports agent.
Keane-Dawes said distance-learning was challenging, and not just because of the subject matter.
“It was tough, but it was manageable,” she said. “But I don’t think I learned as much.”
As she leaves Pope, Keane-Dawes said she’s especially grateful for her teachers, many of whom she finally got to see this week at the school’s graduation drive-through, waving and shouting encouragement.
“I never had a bad teacher experience with any of them,” she said.
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Delayed by the coronavirus, the 2020 Assessments will soon hit mailboxes countywide.
The Board of Tax Assessors will mail Assessment notices May 21. All owners of taxable real property will receive an assessment notice. The notice will display the Fair Market Value and the Assessed Value that will be used on their 2020 tax bill. The Fair Market Value will reflect the value of the property as of January 1, 2020.
Inquiries can be made by calling 770-528-3100 or by emailing cobbtaxassessor@cobbcounty.org.
As a safety precaution, the Tax Assessors are allowing appeals to be submitted via email for 2020. Appeals will be accepted at assessorappeals@cobbcounty.org.
All sales information can be obtained on the Assessors website at www.cobbassessor.org.
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Next Wednesday two of the three East Cobb restaurants run by Doug Turbush—Seed Kitchen and Bar at Merchant’s Walk and the Drift Fish House and Oyster Bar at The Avenue—will be reopening, but not their dining rooms.
Seed, Drift and the Stem Wine Bar adjacent to Seed have been closed entirely since March 17.
In a message issued Friday, Turbush said Seed and Drift will reopen with limited hours, from Wednesday-Sunday from 5-9 p.m., and with only takeout/pickup/delivery service available.
There are new takeout menus that have been prepared, including some offerings from Stem, with appetizers and family meals that can be ordered. A statement issued by Turbush’s publicists didn’t indicate when dining room service would resume, but he did say this:
“We have been working diligently to reopen in a way that is both safe and responsible and in the best interest of our employees, guests and community. Our entire team appreciates the support we’ve received over the last two months, and we can’t wait to be back in the kitchen and serving guests in our neighborhood again.”
Diners can call ahead starting at 12 noon at Seed at 678-214-6888 and at Drift at 770-635-7641. Delivery is available via DoorDash.
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Commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb is proposing that $50 million of the $132.6 million in federal Coronavirus-related stimulus funding the county is getting be used to help small businesses get back on their feet.
He’s proposed a spending measure to be considered at Tuesday’s regular business meeting that would call for the creation of an independent body to select the businesses receiving the assistance and for the Cobb Chamber of Commerce to administer the grants, which are provided through the federal CARES Act.
Eligible businesses would have 100 or fewer employees and may not have received previous funding from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or Small Business Administration loans available through the CARES Act.
In addition, 60 percent of the grant money for each small business must go toward hiring or maintaining employees. The businesses cannot be publicly traded and must have a primary or branch location in Cobb County.
The amount of funding selected businesses would receive including the following:
The Chamber would receive $500,000 of stimulus funds to administer the grants, which would be selected evenly across the four commissioners districts by a committee chosen by commissioners and the Chamber.
Ott also has proposed spending $1.5 million in CARES Act money for eviction relief that would be administered through Star-C Communities, an Atlanta based non-profit that works to reduce transiency in affordable housing communities.
The organization would receive $120,000 to administer the assistance program. As drawn up in the proposal, low-income apartment dwellers facing evictions would receive a “scholarship” of up to 70 percent of their overdue payment total. The remaining 20 percent would be paid by the tenant and the landlord would be asked to pay the remaining 10 percent and waive the late fee.
Those items will come up for consideration after a related measure asking commissioners to designate several categories for spending the federal stimulus funding.
They include the following:
Disaster Relief/County Preparedness
Economic Development/Business Loans
Emergency Food Program
Emergency Shelter Program
School Assistance Programs
Job Training
County Contingency
Commissioners could add and change the categories at a later time. Last week they approved the first amount of CARES Act funding, $1 million in reimbursements for non-profit agencies like MUST Ministries that have been providing emergency food aid to those in need.
This Tuesday’s meeting starts at a special time, 1:30 p.m., and this will be a virtual meeting streamed on the county’s YouTube and Facebook pages and Website as well as the Cobb TV23 public access cable channel on Comcast.
Public comment also is available and those who wish to take part by phone or computer must sign up at this link.
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Earlier this month the Cobb County School District said it would continue providing weekday student meals through the month of June.
Since the district closed to in-person classes in mid-March, those breakfasts and lunches have been given out each Monday.
But with this Monday being Memorial Day, the district said next week’s food will be distributed on Tuesday, May 26, from 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and will be provided for four days, through next Friday.
The joint effort with MUST Ministries has changed some distribution points, but East Cobb Middle School will continue to be one of those venues, as it has from the beginning.
The Cobb school district food and nutrition staff prepares the meals, which have been sent to eight schools for pickup.
The CCSD says it has provided 141,000 breakfasts and 176,00 lunches since the week of March 16, and anticipates serving 225,000 more meals through the end of June.
Funding has come through the federal school lunch program and MUST volunteers have been at the schools to make the deliveries.
Each student who needs meals (pre-K through recent graduates under 18, and newcomers) must be present for the food to be distributed via a drive-thru pickup, with participants and volunteers observing social distancing guidelines.
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Due to a crash involving a downed utility pole, all lanes are blocked at Lower Roswell Rd at Ancient Oaks Ct. If you are driving in the area, please plan an alternate route.
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2020 Cobb County School District LGE Community Service Scholarship Winner
Samuel Luong, a senior at Wheeler High School, has been named the winner of a $5,000 scholarship from the Lockheed Georgia Employees Community Credit Union.
Luong (pictured second from right in the submitted photo above) was greeted in a surprise visit at the Wheeler campus with credit union officials and school leaders as he came to pick up his cap and gown.
During his time at Wheeler, Luong has been involved in robotics, orchestra, Magnet School advisory board, student government and other activities. He’s been accepted to attend Georgia Tech.
The scholarship award was among several public events for the LGE Credit Union in recent weeks. LGE has delivered more than 500 lunches to four local hospitals and has organized a food drive to support MUST Ministries, Warehouse of Hope in Douglasville, and North Fulton Community Charities in Roswell during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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When Jared Ryley started thinking about college, even before he began attending Wheeler High School, his initial favorites were hardly surprising.
The University of Georgia and Georgia Tech topped the list, but as his high school days continued, his list expanded.
As his Eagle Scout application was being reviewed, a member of the selection council encouraged him to consider the U.S. Military Academy.
That person was a graduate of the Army’s service school in New York, and Ryley had mentioned his interests in studying engineering and pre-law.
“He said a great place to do that was West Point,” Ryley said.
“When I visited there, I met the cadets and realized I wanted to be like the people at the academy. You give up a lot, but you gain a lot.”
During the fall semester, Ryley was accepted for admission, after being nominated by U.S. Sen. David Perdue and U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath.
In late June, Ryley will get an early start, depending on when newcomers will be allowed to arrive for orientation.
He figures there’s going to a strict lockdown, as is being planned now for graduating cadets, since President Donald Trump is scheduled to give a commencement address.
Ryley was to have heard his, on Wednesday, but Cobb schools have at least postponed in-person graduation, with tentative plans for something “memorable,” possibly over the summer.
By then, Ryley will be getting for the next phase of his life.
“All I know is it’s going to be different,” said Ryley, who was a student in Wheeler’s STEM magnet school. His diploma includes a certification in civil engineering, and he was lead engineer for Wheeler’s F1 team.
At Wheeler, he also took four years of Mandarin, founded the school’s recreational ultimate frisbee team and lettered in wrestling.
In the community, he’s been a youth group board advisor at Temple Kol Emeth and worked as a first aid advisor at the Woodruff Boy Scout Camp.
But it was his experience playing for the Roswell Rebels, a youth rugby team, that he found his ultimate connection with West Point.
He liked the discipline of the sport, with 15 players to a side, and said that unlike other sports, in rugby, “every single link across the chain has to be strong, or you will fail.”
In the ethos of the Army, and as a cadet at West Point, he sees a lot of similarities he likes.
“You’re surrounded by a group of people who are motivated to do the same thing,” he said.
Since Cobb schools stopped in-person classes in mid-March, Ryley has closed the books on high school studies.
He’s spent time working out, getting ready for the phyical rigors of being a cadet, and helping around the house with projects.
At time Ryley admits to some boredom, even after polishing off a 600-page book about George Washington.
“There hasn’t been much to do in quarantined America,” he said.
He was looking forward to the graduation ceremony. “Obviously I would have appreciated walking across that stage. . . . It’s kind of disheartening, that it’s something only we [the Class of 2020 ] is going to have to go through.
“But there are so many other people who are going through far worse because of the Coronavirus,” Ryley said.
In the meantime, he’s set a daily alarm with a countdown to the days before he heads to West Point, grateful for his high school days at Wheeler, but eager for what’s to come.
“I’m going to miss my hair,” he joked, acknowledging the cadet haircut to come.
“But I’m excited when my phone goes off at 6 a.m. I’m one day closer” to embarking on his new dream.
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Earlier this week we noted that a very gradual, phased-in reopening plan was announced by Cobb County government, including public libraries, and today more details have been revealed.
Starting Tuesday, you’ll be able to use the book drops at all branches but the main Switzer branch in downtown Marietta and Windy Hill library.
Then, in June, seven branches will be open for curbside pickup of books and other materials that are on reserved holds.
They include the Mountain View Regional Library (above), the East Cobb Library and the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center.
Later in June, they’ll be among the seven branches designated to reopen to public access inside, but a specific date hasn’t been announced.
When they do open, it still won’t be “complete, unlimited public access” to the libraries, according to information the library system issued Wednesday afternoon:
“Like area restaurants offering grab-and-go take-out service, library patrons will be directed to limit visits for checking out items at the libraries during the limited services phase.
“The next time library visitors greet Cobb librarians and library workers, officials said, they should be prepared to see the staff wearing personal protection equipment (PPE), including face masks and more.”
Also on Tuesday, library staff will return to work to prepare the branches (including rearranging furniture to meet social distancing guidelines), undergo safety training and quarantining returned items in the book drops.
Those items will be quarantined for a few days before they are processed for circulation, so patrons may see them remaining on their accounts until that processing is complete. The library system has been working with Cobb and Douglas Public Health to establish safety protocols.
One other item to note: No late fees will be charged for materials that were due before the system closed in mid-March.
But if you have materials still out from that time, the due date has been extended to next Sunday, May 31.
Said Helen Poyer, the Cobb library system director:
“We will rely on everyone’s understanding and patience as we work together through the challenging, and complex, demands on all of us as we work toward expanding operations again. You can count on Cobb library workers to serve as vital ‘second responder’ heroes with all community helpers.”
More updates on reopening at www.cobbcat.org and 770-528-2320.
Send Us Your News!
If you have Coronavirus-related event changes, business openings, closings or changes to share with the public, e-mail us: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
Contact us at the same e-mail address for news about efforts to assist those in need, health care workers, first responders and others on the frontlines of combatting Coronavirus in East Cobb.
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On Saturday at Al Bishop Park in Cobb County members of the public can purchase fresh produce to support local farmers in a drive-thru farmer’s market.
The items include boxes of fruits and vegetables, either by assortment or specific items, while supplies last:
Zucchini and yellow squash
Bell peppers
Cabbage
Green beans
Cucumbers
Vidalia onions
Corn
Blueberries
Strawberries
Peaches
Diced chicken meat
Georgia Grown is the marketing arm of the Georgia Department of Agriculture and is planning future sales like this one.
Al Bishop Park is located at 1082 Al Bishop Drive SW, Marietta, located off Callaway Road and Cheatham Hill Road and near the Cobb Animal Services shelter. (directions here).
The Marietta Square Farmers Market will be reopening on May 30 at its usual weekly Saturday time, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Details are coming on safety protocols, and updates can be found here.
The Roswell Farmers and Artisan Market will reopen for walk-through shopping this Saturday, May 23, at its usual time of 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon, after providing drive-through service last weekend. The venue remains the same: the parking lot of Roswell City Hall (38 Hill Street).
You’re strongly encouraged to place an online order before noon Friday. When you show up you’ll also be asked to wear a mask and sanitize your hands beforehand. Also, only one member of a family or household is asked to do the shopping to observe social distancing protocols, and to exit the area promptly after purchase.
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If you have Coronavirus-related event changes, business openings, closings or changes to share with the public, e-mail us: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
Contact us at the same e-mail address for news about efforts to assist those in need, health care workers, first responders and others on the frontlines of combatting Coronavirus in East Cobb.
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We’re starting another updated list of business reopenings—mostly restaurants but any others—as more dining rooms start to welcome guests.
Kathyrn Brown at Willie Jewell’s Old School Bar-B-Q (2550 Sandy Plains Road) checked in to say the dining room has reopened at a reduced capacity, and that they’re staffing up for Memorial Day and catering for home graduation parties, etc.
All locations of Moxie Burger and Moxie Taco are open for dining room service for lunch only for now, also with limited tables for social distancing reasons. When you order to eat in (they encourage you to call in ahead of time), you’ll get your food and drinks in to-go containers.
Dinner hours (4 p.m.-close) are remaining takeout/curbside, and reopening “will depend largely on the success of the guidelines being followed during lunch.” The new hours are Sunday–Thursday 11 – 8; Friday—Saturday 11– 8:30.
Paradise Grille (3605 Sandy Plains Road) reopened for dinner Monday and continues takeout/curbside/pickup. The hours are 11 a.m.-10 p.m., and the kitchen closes at 9 p.m.
Fuji Hana East Cobb (1255 Johnson Ferry) has reopened for lunch (11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.) and dinner 4:30-10 p.m., takeout/delivery) 678-570-8071;
Open for dining room takeout/curbside/delivery is Hong Kong Star(4719 Lower Roswell Road), which has removed tables to meet social distancing guidelines.
Bay Breeze Seafood (2418 Canton Road) has reopened, and is offering dining room, patio and curbside/takeout service.
A restaurant that has been closed since the COVID-19 outbreak is Stockyard Burgers and Bones at The Avenue East Cobb (4475 Roswell Road), which is now open again for dining room service from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Curbside pickup and takeout service is still available.
Send Us Your News!
If you have Coronavirus-related event changes, business openings or closings to share with the public, e-mail us: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
Contact us at the same e-mail address for news about efforts to assist those in need, health care workers, first responders and others on the frontlines of combatting Coronavirus in East 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!
On Thursday, May 21st from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, The Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team will host an appreciation barbeque lunch to honor local police, firemen, and EMTs. A grilling food truck will serve lunch and attendees are welcome to use the “social distancing patio” to enjoy their meal or take it on the road.
Event sponsors, and members of the Janice Overbeck Team look forward to serving guests and appreciate them for what they do day-to-day. Sponsors for the event include: Capital City Home Loans, Arrow Exterminators, First American Home Warranty, Amerispec Home Inspection, Chick-fil-A East Lake and Perrie & Associates. Local Cobb County and surrounding area first responders, police, fire, and detective units are all invited.
Attendees are encouraged to rsvp to janiceoverbeck@janiceoverbeck.com.
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 phased reopening of Cobb library branches will begin in June with limited services. (ECN file)
Cobb County government on Monday offered a few more details about the reopening of facilities and services that have been shut since mid-March due to COVID-19.
As we noted elsewhere, the public will be able to attend Tuesday’s Cobb Board of Commissioners zoning hearing at the county office building in Marietta with social distancing guidelines in place.
This follows the full reopening of outdoor parks last week, except for playgrounds and restroom facilities. The county is “awaiting further public health guidance” in reopening those amenities, and when to allow organized sports.
Also among the new pieces of information announced today is that county summer camp programs are suspended until further notice, due to Gov. Brian Kemp’s restrictions issued last week.
Aquatic centers remain closed, and the county said today it’s targeting the first week of June for limited access at some of those facilities. They weren’t specified.
The same goes for public libraries. Next week staff will begin safety training and preparing for reopening.
Curbside services will begin at seven libraries in June, but those branches also were not specified. After the June 9 primary elections, at which some branches will serve as polling stations, those same seven library branches will have “a phased-in reopening” with limited services.
“Limited services in all remaining libraries will start in early summer,” according to the county’s message, which encouraged citizens to visit the library system’s website for further details.
Safety training and other reopening plans will take place at county senior centers during June, with “select activities” starting after the July 4 holiday.
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!
For the first time since February, the Cobb Board of Commissioners will take up a batch of rezoning and land-use cases on Tuesday.
Their regularly scheduled rezoning hearing—the third Tuesday of the month—takes place at 9 a.m. in the board’s second-floor meeting room at 100 Cherokee St. near the Marietta Square.
Unlike other recent regular business meetings, this one will be conducted in person, and not just commissioners and zoning staff, but also the public.
Here’s what the county is asking if you do show up:
“Those attending the meeting are asked to observe public health guidance that includes the wearing of masks when in the presence of others and to observe social distancing. The meeting room has been configured to meet social distancing requirements and an overflow room will be available. Those interested in a specific case will be encouraged not to enter the room until that case is called.”
For those who do not feel comfortable attending in person but still wish to comment on a specific case, a WebEx link will be provided so you can participate via audio. If you believe you would like to comment on a specific case please indicate which one and send an email to CobbPublicComment@cobbcounty.org. You will be provided a link to use and further instructions.
Anyone who might have a visual presentation to show the board should send those to presentations@cobbcounty.org as soon as possible. Include the agenda item number and description along with the attachment.
If you want to watch online, the hearing will be shown on the county’s YouTube and Facebook Live channels and website, as well as CobbTV on Channel 23 on Comcast.
The agenda is substantial, as you might imagine, given the backlog, but quite a few cases will be delayed at least to June, you can read through the agenda by clicking here.
There are more special-land-use and other business cases (site plan changes, stipulation amendments, etc.) than regular zoning cases on the agenda in East Cobb.
Among them are a delayed special-land-use request to allow for a preschool at Bethany Presbyterian Church on Sandy Plains Road (previous story here) and which is on the consent agenda.
You can look through individual agenda item filings by clicking here.
One other thing that’s different: Commissioners will be voting on zoning cases without recommendations from the Cobb Planning Commission, whose May meeting was cancelled.
The planning board’s votes are advisory but that five-member panel does a lot of the groundwork on cases.
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Over the weekend most parking areas of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area reopened, and on Monday, the final two lots, at Gold Branch and Columns Drive in East Cobb, also reopened to public access.
For the mean time, entry fees are being waived, and there are some facilities that remain closed, including restrooms, picnic areas and shelters and the Hewlett Lodge Visitor Center.
More from the National Park Service:
“While these areas are accessible for visitors to enjoy, a return to full operations will continue to be phased and services may be limited. When recreating, the public should follow local area health orders, practice Leave No Trace Seven Principles, avoid crowding and avoid high-risk outdoor activities.
“The CDC has offered guidance to help people recreating in parks and open spaces prevent the spread of infectious diseases. We will continue to monitor all park functions to ensure that visitors adhere to CDC guidance for mitigating risks associated with the transmission of COVID-19 and take any additional steps necessary to protect public health.”
Further updates will be posted on the park’s website.
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!
