Submitted information from Kids Care, a youth-oriented community service and volunteer organization that’s sending “Kindness Cards,” notes of appreciation to local COVID-19 frontline workers:
To date, 400 Kindness Cards of encouragement and thanks have been collected by KIDS CARE & given to Cobb County Hospital Staff, Fire, EMS, Police & 911 Dispatch Personnel during this challenging time.
Please bring your home-made offerings of “Thanks” to any of the business locations listed on our website as a Kindness Card Drop Off Location. We will be collecting Kindness Cards for a few more weeks.
In addition, email jannd@forartssakeusa.com, your message and a greeting card with your written message will be delivered to a Frontline worker for you.
FYI: There is an East Cobb dropoff location, at the entrance to Williams-Sonoma store at The Avenue East Cobb (4475 Roswell Road, Suite 800).
You can drop off cards there from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday curbside, weather permitting. During inclement weather the box will be placed under the store awning.
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With clear blue skies and temperatures near 80 degrees, quite a few East Cobbers found some some open space at the Wellstar East Cobb Health Park Saturday afternoon to watch the Navy Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds flyover honoring frontline COVID-19 workers.
They began their metro Atlanta excursion flying from Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, then down along I-75 before looping back up through Sandy Springs and Roswell, and then on to the city of Atlanta and eventually to Newnan.
The entire flight didn’t take long, and it helped to be very close to the flight path. The planes were barely visible from this point in East Cobb as they reached their turn-around point in Roswell, and only a trace of their booming sounds could be heard.
Roswell resident Robert Davis lives virtually underneath the flight path, and he tagged us on the Instagram video below, taken as the planes screeched overhead:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_sd3MJB-iF/
While Davis didn’t have to leave home, those at the health park lingered for a while afterwards, enjoying some fresh air—while practicing social distancing—at the end of the seventh week since the Coronavirus crisis shut down so much of daily life.
The nearby East Cobb Park, like many in the county, remains closed—locked up, actually—although a few other passive parks and trails reopened last week.
Another good crowd was also on hand to watch the flyover from the spacious parking lot at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, the venue for what would have been the Taste of East Cobb today.
That event, like so many others through the spring and summer, was cancelled.
While some businesses are gradually reopening again—there were a good number of cars at shopping centers like Merchant’s Walk—it’s far from being what it would normally be on a splendid spring weekend.
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Saturday would have been the Taste of East Cobb festival, but like many special events in the community, it’s among those postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19.
The latest is the Noshfest, a Jewish food, music and cultural celebration that’s been held on the Labor Day weekend at Temple Kol Emeth.
Earlier this week, Noshfest organizers sent out word that their 10th annual festival will be pushed back to the spring of 2021.
No specific dates were mentioned for now. Last month it was announced Noshfest would be moved up to Aug. 22-23.
The Marietta Greek Festival was to have been held May 15-17 at Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, but is being cancelled altogether this year.
Other spring festival casualties in East Cobb included the Northeast Community Egg Drop at Sprayberry High School, as well as the Cobb Master Gardeners plant sale and expo and spring home garden tour. Both of those were planned for April.
A number of other major spring and summer events around metro Atlanta are being called off or pushed back, including the Peachtree Road Race.
The July 4 event, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, will now take place on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26.
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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.
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Employees at Frenchie’s Modern Nail Care in East Cobb prepare for a new way of doing business. (ECN photos)
When she opened her nail salon in the Shallowford Falls Shopping Center last August, Rhoda Gunnigle told customers that “We Love Clean.”
That’s the slogan for Frenchie’s Modern Nail Care, and Gunnigle, as a newly-minted franchisee of the national company, earnestly meant to live up to it.
She’s had to stress that message even more, and have her staff take even greater hygiene measures, as her shop reopened Friday after a six-week closure due to the Coronavirus crisis.
Frenchie’s East Cobb owner Rhoda Gunnigle goes over new safety measures with her staff.
Salons like hers were allowed to open last Friday by Gov. Brian Kemp, but Gunnigle wanted to take extra time to train her staff to meet extensive new requirements.
She also wanted to gauge the willingness of customers to patronize a business in a “personal touch” industry that’s been caught in the crossfire over how much reopening should be allowed as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a toll.
“We have some [customers] who have been so supportive,” Gunnigle said Thursday, taking a break from final preparations. “And there are others who are not ready yet, and that’s understandable.”
Georgia’s reopening has been criticized in national media and by public health officials, and Gunnigle said she understands the concerns.
But she has her own. Like many business owners, she filed right away in March for federal relief under the Paycheck Protection Program, and earlier this week finally got the loan money. Under the PPP, employers must spend at least 75 percent of the money on payroll, or the loan will not be forgiven.
Gunnigle said she’s going to use all of it to pay her employees, while she scrambles to pay her landlord and meet other financial obligations. She got a six-month reprieve on her Small Business Association loan she used to start the business, and that’s helped.
Frenchie’s employees were busy cleaning and disinfecting nearly every surface of the salon before it reopened.
She said she’s glad she waited to reopen at least for a few days, and understands why some people don’t want to get their nails done, or hair cut, for now.
“But if you wait until it’s too comfortable, it may be too late,” Gunnigle said, speaking from a business owner’s perspective.
“How can you wait while while expenses pile up? With the rent due, I didn’t feel I had much of a choice.”
Frenchie’s is doing a slow reopening, available for now only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and by appointment only.
She’s not allowing walk-ins, and anyone coming through the front door—even the mailman—is asked questions about international travel, possible exposure to the virus, and more.
Gunnigle is acting as the front desk receptionist, using only three staffers at a time, instead of the typical six. They all must wear masks, which are optional for customers.
Guests must wash their hands and practice social distancing. Clear plastic screens shield customers and employees alike.
After guests leave following a “touchless checkout,” the area where they sat, including their chairs, is fully disinfected. Disposable items are promptly tossed away.
Gunnigle said she’s going beyond the state-issued mandates, including those from the Georgia State Board of Cosmetologists and Barbers, which also regulates nail salons. She feels confident that she and her workers are as prepared as they can be.
She says that “I feel as safe in here as I do at home” and understands that some may think that getting a manicure isn’t the most important thing in the world right now. “But there are people who want to come back the safe way.”
Cobb commissioner Bob Ott stopped by Intrigue Salon, which also has reopened on Johnson Ferry Road (Photo courtesy Intrigue Salon).
Owner Jeff South also was waiting for delivery of Synexis, which is described as a “biodefense technology to mitigate infectious microorganisms.”
It’s similar to the technology used to clean and disinfect schools, hospitals and restaurants. Synexis produces hydrogen peroxide in the same physical state as the oxygen and nitrogen in the air, and the molecule is known as Dry Hydrogen Peroxide (DHP).
South said his salon is the first in the world to to install Synexis, and that it’s effective against airborne and surface viruses, bacteria and fungi.
Intrigue also is limiting customers to only those with appointments. Customers must also wear masks, and although gloves are optional their hands must be washed.
They also will be asked health questions by stylists, who are sanitizing chairs and their work stations after every customer, who will have a clean cape and clean tools.
Intrigue also is not blow-drying hair for now, but is offering a free serum treatment before guests leave.
Those measures, like those undertaken by other salons, are a blend of hygiene and the pragmatism prompted by social distancing.
While a number of “personal touch” businesses are waiting a while longer, Rhoda Gunnigle of Frenchie’s says “we can’t stay home forever. The economy cannot continue to be shut down.”
Among her first customers this weekend is her mother, who lives in the North Georgia mountains and whom she hasn’t seen for nearly two months because of social distancing.
As a business owner who felt the initial shutdowns nearly cast a fatal blow to her enterprise, Gunnigle said “I’m still not out of the woods.”
Reopening her nail salon—if only for a few days at a time, and far from full operations—”is a risk, but as a business owner you have to take some risks.”
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The joint effort between the Cobb County School District and MUST Ministries to provide student meals to those who need them will continue into the summer.
The district announced Friday that it would extend food distribution of weekday breakfasts and lunches that began in March, when schools were closed due to the Coronavirus crisis.
East Cobb Middle School is one of eight sites in the Cobb district that has been a pickup point for those student meals.
“What most people don’t know about distributing food to students is local taxpayer dollars aren’t spent on food for students, Federal dollars are. These eight sites were selected because they allow us to be reimbursed by the Federal government, many of our schools across Cobb don’t allow for that option,” Cobb schools chief operations officer Marc Smith said in a statement issued by the district.
Pre-K students, rising kindergartners, recent graduates under 18, and new students to the district are eligible to receive the food, which is handed out by MUST volunteers at the designated schools each Monday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The students must be present in order to receive the food.
More than 217,000 meals have been distributed thus far, according to the district, which estimates that another 225,000 meals will be provided the next couple of months.
While the Cobb schools summer vacation goes until Aug. 1, the school district’s fiscal year 2021 budget takes effect July 1.
Normally the district and Cobb school board would be working on the new fiscal year budget in April and May. However, they cannot because the Georgia legislative session was suspended before the state budget, including education funding appropriated to school districts, was finalized.
A date to resume the legislative session hasn’t been announced, but some leading lawmakers are suggesting mid-June at the earliest, when Georgia’s extended public health emergency is due to expire.
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The retail center’s management on Friday released a partial list of its tenants who’ve opened up their doors, with this caveat:
“The well-being, health and safety of you and the community is our #1 priority. We recommend all guest adhere to the CDC and the State of Georgia’s guidelines when visiting.
“Please note some retailers remain closed at this time while others hours vary. We recommend that you contact your favorite retailer for their current hours and any restrictions they may have in place (curbside pickup, appointment only etc.) prior to visiting.”
The stores that are open now include the following, and they include some that have stayed open:
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In a note that went out Thursday to “our valued readers and advertisers,” publisher Cynthia Rozzo said she decided to “go dark” due to “the turmoil that COVID-19 has caused over the past few weeks.”
She said that on May 1, “we will then evaluate the situation and determine if a June/July print edition will be viable.” East Cobb News has left a message with Rozzo seeking further comment.
The EAST COBBER, which she founded in 1993, is published 11 times a year, with a combined June-July issue. Each issue typically runs from 44 to 52 pages and includes community news and information and focuses advertising on specific types of businesses, including restaurants, private schools, pets and home and garden.
Most of the magazine’s advertisers are small, local businesses, especially in personal care and home and lifetstyle sectors, as well as financial institutions, dentists and restaurants.
Rozzo wrote in her note Thursday that “we don’t take the health risks of COVID-19 lightly, and you shouldn’t either. But we also recognize the impact that these restrictions are having on our economy.”
Rozzo said her publication will continue to provide “useful and relevant information” on its social media platforms and her weekly newsletter also will continue. “Advertising opportunities are available to those businesses that want to maintain their brand awareness.”
The EAST COBBER sponsors a community parade and festival in September.
Across the country local news publications and magazines have been deeply affected by the economic fallout from the Coronavirus crisis.
Depending heavily on advertising and in an industry that’s been in deep decline for nearly two decades, some newspapers have shuttered altogether, and others have laid off and furloughed staff and cut the number of days they publish.
Last month, The Marietta Daily Journalreduced its print edition from seven to five days a week, and is on a Tuesday-Saturday publishing schedule.
“It’s becoming increasingly clear that a larger portion of our audience turns first to our digital products,” the paper announced April 8, writing that ” a new set of circumstances brought on by the coronavirus pandemic hastened a change.”
The MDJ had taken down its paywall after the COVID-19 crisis began, but that went back up Friday.
Rozzo had planned a Pet Palooza event with the McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA May 17 but that has been cancelled.
Rozzo also started the EAST COBBER parade that is held each September along Johnson Ferry Road and includes a community festival at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church. She did not mention the status of that event in her note on Thursday.
Rozzo, an Ohio native, is a former East Cobb Citizen of the Year and in 2018 was named the first Business Person of the Year by the East Cobb Business Association.
“Let there be no doubt, we will be back, and we look forward to the time when we can share that with each of you,” she said in her note.
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If you look up in the sky early Saturday afternoon you’ll see (and hear) military planes screeching by.
They’re not taking part in formal exercises but instead are the Navy Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds, taking part in a salute to COVID-19 first responders.
Earlier this week, an America Strong event took place over New York City and Philadelphia.
The tentative start time for the Atlanta flyover is 1:35 p.m. Saturday, as the planes begin in Cobb, around Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, and will circle back up over Sandy Springs, Roswell and a sliver of East Cobb before heading down to Atlanta and eventually to the Newnan area.
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The shelter-in-place order Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp extended once already will be expiring right before midnight Friday.
As the clock strikes midnight, and as April gives way to the month of May, most Georgians will be free to roam about their communities a bit more.
In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, Kemp said he’s still urging citizens to stay at home as much as possible and to observe social distancing practices and wear masks when they go out.
Here’s a summary of his new order, which details provisions for businesses that are open, who must remain in shelter-in-place and criteria for currently closed businesses to reopen by May 13.
He thanked citizens for heeding advice to stay home, “affording us time to bolster our health care infrastructure and flatten the curve.
“We were successful in these efforts, but the fight is far from over,” Kemp said.
As of noon Thursday, Georgia had reported 26,155 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 Coronavirus, with 1,120 deaths and 5,156 hospitalizations. Of the latter, there were 1.171 intensive care admissions.
In Cobb County there are 1,599 cases and 91 deaths, with 464 hospitalizations.
Georgia has a population of 10.6 million people but has conducted only 149,000 tests for the virus.
That’s when statewide a public health emergency was due to expire. However, Kemp on Thursday said he would extend that order through June 12.
Under that order, elderly citizens (aged 65 and older) and “medically fragile Georgians” must continue to follow shelter-in-place rules.
Kemp said extending the public health emergency is also being done to continue testing for the virus, begin contact tracing and provide for adequate emergency response operations.
Senior living, nursing-home and long-term care facilities will be ordered to follow “enhanced infection control protocols” through June 12.
“My decisions are based on data and advice from health officials,” Kemp said. “I will do what is necessary to protect the lives and livelihoods of our people.”
Kemp’s actions to allow some personal touch businesses and restaurants to reopen in the last week has generated plenty of controversy.
On Thursday, Dr. Karen Landman, an Atlanta-based writer and epidemiologist, wrote in an op-ed piece in The New York Times that Georgia’s reopening, the first by a state in the country, has been mishandled.
She accused the governor of using selected data to guide his decision and said overall numbers are still too high.
“It’s not just about having favorable data, or even enough testing,” she wrote. “It’s about having the right infrastructure to assess it and ensure sustained decreases in cases.”
Mull, who now lives in Brooklyn, talked to health experts and small business owners in the state, including Sabra Dupree of Kids Kuts Salon in East Cobb, and concluded that “Georgia’s brash reopening puts much of the state’s working class in an impossible bind: risk death at work, or risk ruining yourself financially at home.”
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Motorists heading south along Johnson Ferry Road can see a steady stream of signs as they pass the Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. Paul.
From the church’s driveway at the intersection of Bishop Lake Road to its back parking lot, the intermittent signs read “Don’t Give Up!” (and its Spanish equivalent, “No Te Rindas,”), “You Are Not Alone,” “One Day at a Time” and “You Got This!”
(In the background of the first and last photo is Mt. Zion United Methodist Church.)
The messages are meant to comfort during the Coronavirus crisis, but they also extend to part of the broader ministry of St. Peter and St. Paul. The church conducts a monthly food box pickup event in conjunction with There’s Hope for the Hungry, a North Georgia ministry that also includes Mt. Zion and Noonday Baptist Church as participating congregations in East Cobb.
Those in need can pick up a free box of food can come to St. Peter and St. Paul (1795 Johnson Ferry Road) on the first Tuesday of each month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The next pickup event is this coming Tuesday, May 5.
Tom Martin, head of service ministries at St. Peter and St. Paul, said the food distribution program started in early 2019. When visitors come by, they’ll get a box with enough food to feed a family of four for two weeks.
The church also has provided voluntary spiritual counseling sessions for those needing help getting back on their feet. Martin said that won’t be happening in May because of the COVID-19 situation, and food distribution also will be done in accordance with social distancing guidelines.
On Tuesday, those picking up food are asked to pull into the main driveway and follow signs to the back of the church. Once there, they’ll receive a food voucher and delivery of the food box in their trunks, without having to leave their vehicles.
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Got a story tip, photo or other news item about East Cobb? Send it to us and we’ll share it with the community. E-mail: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
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With Georgia’s shelter-in-place order expected to expire later today, and as selected businesses are allowed to reopen, we’re updating what’s opening and what’s staying closed for now in East Cobb.
We’ll be adding to this during the day, so let us know your status. E-mail us: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
Williamson Bros BBQ on Roswell Road has been fully closed, but announced this morning it’s open as of today for drive-thru service only, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Call 770-071-3201 to order in advance. They’ve been testing this approach at other locations and the dining room is still closed.
Chicago’s Steak and Seafood, at Shallowford Corners, had been closed completely but is now resuming dining room service for dinner. Proprietor Mark Zwolak said during the closure the restaurant underwent a full deep cleaning and some renovations and is taking extra safety precautions, including use of “a non-contact infrared thermometer to screen the temperatures of our employees and patrons.”
A few doors down, East Cobb Tavern is reopening Monday and will be open from 3-8 p.m. for dining room and curbside service. It was open only a few weeks after being rebranded from Keegan’s Pub, and has been closed completely since mid-March.
The Eggs Up Grill, also at Shallowford Corners, has been fully closed for a couple of weeks, after trying pickup/takeout/delivery. Management announced Wednesday the dining room is reopening in seven days, after saying over the weekend it would hold off despite the governor’s reopening plans. “We will be adhering to all safety guidelines for social distancing, sanitation etc. We look forward to get back to serving the community we so love! It has been too long!” was Wednesday’s message.
On Monday, Suburban Tap reopened its dining room and will allow only 10 patrons per square foot and dining parties of six people or less per table. Salad bar and buffet service are discontinued for the time being.
Most restaurants in East Cobb that are open are limiting their operations to pickup/takeout/delivery for now, even though they could open their dining rooms on Monday.
Hair and nail salons, barber shops and other “personal touch” businesses were allowed to open on Friday, and a few are doing so (more in-depth on a few of those in another post) very gradually.
Nancy’s Salon on Johnson Ferry Road said Wednesday it would be reopening on May 12. The day before, on May 11, Zeba Hair Salon is reopening at Merchant’s Festival.
Some pet-related businesses have closed and a few will be opening up again soon. Haven, The Dog Spot is aiming for a May 11 “business almost as usual” reopening date, and has detailed its safety protocols.
Likewise at Hot Dogs, Cool Cats at Paper Mill Village, a pet spa and grooming boutique that also is shooting for May 11 to open back up.
Most of the gyms and fitness centers in East Cobb that also have been allowed to reopen remain closed, at least for now, and are offering virtual classes.
Some medical offices are starting to reopen. One is East Cobb Foot and Ankle Care, which is requiring all patients to wear masks or a face covering and will be checking temperatures.
Carwash USA at East Cobb Crossing is reopening on Thursday, but in a limited mode. No more than two customers will be allowed in the indoor waiting room at any given time, although there is outdoor seating as well.
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Cobb District Attorney Joyette M. Holmes asks community members to help provide hope to Livesafe Resources by stocking the shelves for victims of domestic violence, as part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
While pandemic precautions have strained our community and locked many into violent homes, Marietta-based liveSAFE Resources remains at work, caring for domestic-violence survivors and performing sexual-assault exams.
Help is available for anyone suffering abuse in an intimate relationship. liveSAFE Resources’ 24-hour crisis line is 770-427-3390, and they are on the web at www.livesaferesources.org
This ‘Stock the Shelves’ event is hosted by the Cobb DA’s Office as part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. Events have been extended and moved online this year as a result of current health guidelines.
First designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week increases general public awareness of, and knowledge about the wide range of rights and services available to people who have been victimized by crime. The theme for 2020 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is “Seek Justice, Ensure Victims’ Rights, and Inspire Hope.”
For additional information about 2020 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week activities or about victims’ rights and services in Cobb County, please contact the Victim Witness Unit in the DA’s Office at 770-528-3047 or visit our website at www.cobbda.com.
For information about national efforts to promote 2020 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, please visit the Office for Victims of Crime website at www.ovc.gov.
The National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators is a non-profit organization that represents the 56 state agencies that distribute money from the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Crime Victims Fund to more than 4,000 direct victim assistance service providers. The money in the Crime Victims Fund comes from fines collected from offenders convicted of federal crimes and not from U.S. taxpayers.
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Right before the Coronavirus crisis prompted government, school and business closures, the Cobb Community Development Agency issued its Johnson Ferry-Shallowford master plan recommendations and made them available for public comment for a month.
That month, of course, was dominated by the Coronavirus response, and county government has been in limited operations mode.
Last week the agency sent out another notice that the master plan proposal, and related documents, would be available for public review until May 27.
There’s also a storymap that’s been put together that runs through all the components of the two-year study, which includes land use, transportation, housing, demographics, stormwater and sense of place.
The future land use map of the JOSH area, which currently has nearly 27,000 residents. Light areas are low-density residential.
That information was compiled from feedback at town hall meetings and surveys. The agency uses the phrase “small area plan” in reference to this particular project, but the process has been similar to the Johnson Ferry Design Guidelines and the Powers Ferry Master Plan in East Cobb in recent years.
There’s a lot of material to cover in the “JOSH” report (the draft was released last summer), and we’ll highlight below a couple of areas that generated the most interest.
Here’s staff commentary from the land use section:
“Throughout the community engagement process, it was apparent that preservation of the low-density nature of the area was a reoccurring theme. Most of the JOSH study area is built-out, however, there are pockets of large tracts that could potentially be developed in the future. Whether they are CUVA tracts or underdeveloped properties, the community desires that the character of the existing neighborhoods does not change by virtue of what is developed around them.”
As a result, most of the related documents lay out potential future development that’s not much different from what exists now.
Low-density neighborhoods like Chimney Lakes comprise the vast majority of residential development in the “JOSH” area.
The staff also put together several scenarios for public feedback regarding the redevelopment of the area around Maddox Lake, at the southwestern corner of the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford intersection.
That’s a 30-acre assemblage for rezoning that went before the Cobb Board of Commissioners as a proposed townhome and single-family residential development before the request was withdrawn in early 2017.
The options presented in the JOSH storymap include redevelopment as a community park and stormwater management facility, with multi-family residential and some retail and restaurant space (see the map below).
The transportation recommendations call for improving intersections in a number of places, including Johnson Ferry-Shallowford, Shallowford-Wesley Chapel, Shallowford-Mabry and creating a roundabout at Hembree Road and Lassiter Road.
The “sense of place” suggestions include design guidelines along Johnson Ferry and Shallowford that would include streetscape amenities including decorative street lights and pedestrian lights, unified landscaped medians, wider sidewalks and street furniture.
The study also suggests the creation of a “community based stakeholder association” that would consider citizen ideas and collaboration on new development and design.
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The Cobb Chamber, in partnership with web developer DynamiX, has launched a redesigned COVID-19 resources site for business owners, community leaders and anyone impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Covidsupport.cobbchamber.org includes resources and information on the CARES Act federal stimulus, reopening guidelines, upcoming Cobb Chamber webinars and learning opportunities, a list of companies that are currently hiring, among many other resources. The redesigned site also promotes businesses and initiatives, including the donation-driven Operation Meal Plan, Cobb Shops To Go, Thank a Healthcare Hero, and more. The website also provides up-to-date content as news develops and as needs are realized throughout our community.
“The Cobb Chamber has been focused on providing resources, advocacy and support to help our businesses and community through this difficult time,” said Sharon Mason, Cobb Chamber President & CEO. “With the redesign of our COVID-19 website, we’re able to take our support one step further by helping you quickly find the resources you need. We will continue working with our many partners and our Economic Recovery Taskforce to drive initiatives that will lead to our community’s recovery.”
One of the core tenants of the Cobb Chamber’s mission is to aid entrepreneurs and small businesses—and drive community and economic development. By hosting a wealth of resources on a single lightweight, responsive site, the Chamber can offer a one-stop-shop experience for every sector of the community that has been impacted by COVID-19.
DynamiX, a Kennesaw-based web design company, built out the site free of charge for the Cobb Chamber. Aiming to highlight organizations standing up for their employees, community and other businesses, DynamiX provided covidsupport.cobbchamber.org as a public service to the Cobb Chamber in order to promote positivity and awareness in their community.
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Coloring book contestants Olivia and Caitlin Silva of Marietta.
Submitted information and photo:
Kennesaw-based architectural firm CROFT & Associates has launched a Quarantine Coloring Book that turns client renderings into coloring pages for kids and adults.
“We thought it would be a fun way to lift spirits and boost morale,” said Stacey Chapman, Vice President, Corporate Strategy at CROFT. “Our architects and graphic designers loved repurposing the renderings. It meant a lot to them to know that their work would now be a source of joy and inspiration.”
CROFT selected renderings of community mainstays it has designed in recent years, such as fire stations, community centers and churches. To add to the educational component, each coloring activity offers fun facts about the building and the role it plays in the community.
The series began with CROFT’s rendering of a local fire station. Artists were encouraged to share finished pieces on social media and tag their own neighborhood fire station with a message of thanks.
“We wanted the coloring book to be entertaining, educational and uplifting,” addedChapman. “We saw it as a way to foster connection and celebrate community, especially those in our community who are getting us through these challenging times.”
How to Participate: The downloadable coloring pages are available on CROFT’s website and Facebook page. Coloring artists can submit their finished works into the CROFT Quarantine Coloring Book Competition. Completed artwork can be submitted via CROFT’s Facebook (@CroftandAssociates) or Instagram (@croftandassociates) pages or by email to schapman@croftae.com. Artists are encouraged to use the hashtag #CROFTColors.
All entries must be received by noon Fridays. Winners are selected weekly. The prize is a kid’s architecture kit consisting of a sketch pad, colored pencils, an architectural scale and architecture book.
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Lassiter High School’s 2019 graduation ceremony at Kennesaw State University.
Some high school principals in the Cobb County School District had sent out word in recent days about seniors picking up caps and gowns in hopes of having graduation ceremonies.
They told those members of the Class of 2020 that they were still waiting to hear the final word from the district about whether some form of commencement exercises would take place.
That decision has been released, and it’s not what anyone wanted to hear: There won’t be “in-person” graduation ceremonies in May, as had been scheduled.
A brief unsigned, undated note on CCSD letterhead went out to the “Cobb Schools Community” that due to continuing public gathering and other guidelines due to the Coronavirus crisis, those graduation events will be “postponed.”
The message said that regardless of what public health measures may be in effect in the near future, “we do know we will recognize and honor the graduating class of 2020 in a memorable way.”
Further details, the note said, will be announced by June 1, and that “virtual and in-person graduation alternatives are being considered.”
One of the Cobb principals who’s been regularly communicating graduation possibilities is Dr. Chris Richie of Lassiter High School.
On Sunday, his message to that school community said that “the District has indicated to principals their desire to have a traditional ceremony, but the ceremony may not look the same as it has in the past.”
Most Cobb high schools have had their graduations at the Kennesaw State University Convocation Center. Some, like Wheeler, have held commencement in their gyms.
East Cobb News contacted the CCSD’s communications department for further details about graduation, including possible alternatives, but a spokeswoman repeated the message issued below.
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A request from Cobb non-profits for $1 million in county funding for emergency food aid during the Coronavirus crisis got an extra push Tuesday from pastors.
Several members of the clergy told members of the Cobb Board of Commissioners that food needs for those thrown into chaos and in many cases out of work in the last few weeks is greater than ever.
The Cobb Community Foundation has made the $1 million request on behalf of various non-profits around the county, and lined up a variety of speakers to plead for the assistance.
At a work session on Monday, Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce said he would delay the request after objections from Commissioner Keli Gambrill over how to determine those needs.
At Tuesday’s first regular board meeting in nearly a month—partially via teleconference—Boyce also said the delay was necessary for the county attorney to draw up a document stating how the food would be distributed if commissioners approve.
Some speakers were phoning in and others were present.
“We’re seeing people who don’t know how to ask for food because they’ve never done it before,” said Rev. Roger Vest of First United Methodist Church of Powder Springs.
“They are looking simply to survive.”
His church is among those in the South Cobb area that’s been seeing a major increase in the number of people seeking food, whether it’s at churches or via other non-profits.
Dr. Ike Reighard, pastor at Piedmont Church in Northeast Cobb and the CEO of MUST Ministries, said his non-profit’s Food Rapid Response Program has provided more than 227,000 meals since it was formed six weeks ago.
In addition, more than 16,000 people have been fed already this year, compared to more than around 10,000 in all of 2019.
“That’s how rapid the growth has been for people who need food,” he said.
MUST will be conducting its 25th summer lunch program for students in Cobb and Cherokee counties, feeding around 5,000 children a day, a project Reighard estimates will cost around $750,000.
Rev. John Hull, senior pastor of Eastside Baptist Church in East Cobb, told commissioners that at the Mosaic Church in Marietta, an Eastside ministry located on Austell Road, more than 500 boxes of food are being picked up every week, as are “hundreds of snack lunches” for students.
But the needs for food will continue to increase as the summer months approach. Some of the issues he’s facing, Hull added, are about preparing and serving warm meals for those in need, providing meals for seniors with special dietary needs and getting food to those who can’t get to grocery stores or other distribution points.
“We are going to be in this for the long haul,” Hull said.
He also referenced the work of the Noonday Association, which comprises nearly 130 churches in Cobb and metro Atlanta that provide general assistance to those in need.
Howard Koepka of the Noonday Association said the amount of food his non-profit is providing “three to four times” what it had been before the crisis.
Excess food provided by grocery stores is no longer being provided due to supply chain disruptions and stores not having some food available since the crisis.
He also said donations made to the non-profit also are down.
Cobb Chamber of Commerce CEO Sharon Mason also phoned in to urge the commissioners to provide the funding. Even after the worst of the crisis is over, she said, “Cobb’s most vulnerable populations will continue to be hit hard.”
Boyce said there will be a special-called meeting to take up the funding request, but he did not give a date, saying only it will be “sometime in the very near future.”
He said he wants to have “something to take to the board in a format that they can vote on.”
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Three East Cobb high schools—Walton, Lassiter and Pope—are listed among the best in Georgia in the latest U.S. News school rankings.
The annual public high school rankings were released last week (here’s the top of the Georgia list) with Walton 5th in the state, Lassiter 11th and Pope 24th.
Nationwide, those rankings are 187th, 321st and 702nd, respectively.
Wheeler comes in at No. 56 statewide, Sprayberry is at No. 70 and Kell No. 121 in Georgia.
The scores are based on a variety of data, including graduation rates, math and reading proficiency, Advanced Placement offerings and what U.S. News calls a College Readiness Index.
The rankings, in fact, are strongly skewed toward college-bound academic programs, and heavily favor those with ample AP course offerings. There’s no inclusion of vocational or other career-ready programs in the rankings.
The four schools in Georgia listed above Walton are all specialty schools: the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, the Davidson Magnet School in Augusta, Columbus High School and the DeKalb School of the Arts.
All of them have higher or comparable AP participation rates to Walton’s 71 percent. Lassiter’s rate is 70 percent, and Pope’s is 55 percent.
U.S. News data also includes racial and ethnic minority enrollment figures, and details on economically disadvantaged students.
Georgia comes in at No. 22 in the state-by-state rankings.
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Walton has won nine state titles in the last 10 years and has 14 championships overall.
Fitzgerald, who teaches English at Walton, was named the MaxPreps national prep volleyball coach of the year when the Lady Raiders were crowned that organization’s national champions.
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Atlantic Residential, which has made some changes to its mixed-use proposal, also sought feedback from the community. Here’s a link to the questions and responses between the developer and members of Sprayberry Crossing Action, a Facebook group of nearby citizens.
The mixed-use proposal includes a number of changes from last fall’s site plan revision, including a national grocer, apartments, senior living and townhomes, retail shops, co-working space and a community greenspace centered by a town green.
The latest renderings show four-story buildings throughout the development.
Many of the concerns revolve around the number of apartment units. The latest revision reduced those units from 195 to 177, but one of the questions asked if there might be “a greater focus on senior and owned townhomes,” but the response was as follows:
“The current plan is optimized for the intended uses due to the requirements of the grocer location and the fixed position of the cemetery, so there are constraints on how much flexibility that we have in the site plan.”
Atlantic Residential said the proposed rents would range from $1,400 to $2,100 a month (one- and two-bedroom units, respectively) and start at 700 square feet. The same price range is being proposed for the senior apartments.
Other concerns about the project include traffic, and Atlantic Residential said an updated traffic study is in progress, and is estimated to be available to the public in 45 days:
“It is our belief that peak traffic generated by the proposed development will be materially less than traffic generated by a retail center permissible under the existing zoning.”
The Sprayberry Crossing land is on a Cobb County redevelopment list that would be eligible for tax abatements, but Atlantic Residential said it would not be seeking them.
The developer needs to get rezoning from the Neighborhood Shopping designation to an unspecified mixed-use classification.
At the Sprayberry Crossing Action Facebook group, leader Joe Glancy said neither he nor any of the group administrators could see the submissions or the developer’s replies.
The tentative timeline for the redevelopment calls for demolition and site work in the first quarter of 2021 and construction ending in the fourth quarter of 2022.
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