PHOTOS: Temple Kol Emeth Noshfest celebrates Jewish food, music & culture

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Temple Kol Emeth Noshfest
Attendees of all ages enjoyed dancing to “Hava Nagila” at Noshfest Sunday. (East Cobb News photos and slideshow by Wendy Parker)

The first of the two-day Temple Kol Emeth Noshfest took place under beautiful skies Sunday, as one of East Cobb’s biggest Labor Day holiday weekend events got underway.

Noshfest continues on Monday, and Labor Day in East Cobb also includes the Holy Smoke BBQ and Festival, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Johnson Ferry Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road). Details here for what’s on tap.

The Noshfest celebration of Jewish food, music and culture included exhibitors, especially local artists, merchants and other businesses.

Noshfest

Noshfest

Noshfest

Noshfest

Noshfest
The festivities included the 2nd annual Noshfest bagel-eating contest.
Alex Guthrie, Noshfest
In addition to traditional Jewish folk music, The Alex Guthrie Band was among the featured acts. He’s a Lassiter HS grad whose group sports an acoustic and blues-infused sound.

More sights below from the Noshfest, which continues Monday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Temple Kol Emeth is located at 1415 Old Canton Road. Parking is available across the street at Eastminster Presbyterian Church.

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‘Fierce Fibers’ exhibit opens Thursday at The Art Place-Mountain View

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The Art Place
“Tree That Witnesses Day and Evening,” by Hellene Vermillion, part of the Fierce Fibers exhibit that opens Thursday at The Art Place

The September art exhibit at The Art Place-Mountain View  (3330 Sandy Plains Road) is entitled “Fierce Fibers.” It opens on Thursday, Sept. 7, with a reception from 7-9 p.m., and continues through Sept. 28.

In addition to the above work, by Hellene Vermillion, the other participating artists are Sharon Serrano Ahmed, Leo Edwards, Rebecca Reasons Edwards, Molly Elkind, Virginia Greaves, Deb Lacativa, Danielle Morgan, Devon Pfeif and Sandy Teepen.

The deadline for artists to have their work displayed in 2018 exhibits at The Art Place is Sept. 22.

The online application form has all the details; while artists are not charged to exhibit their work, The Art Place retains a percentage of what artists sell from their work displayed there.

Here are the categories of items being sought for 2018 exhibits:

  • Ceramic-Wheel or Hand Built Pieces
  • Original Digital Illustration
  • Collage Textiles
  • Oils/Acrylics
  • Graphite/Watercolor
  • Book Illustration
  • Metals and Objects

Call The Art Place at 770-509-2700 for more information about Fierce Fibers and the 2018 exhibitors application.

Cobb government offices closed on Labor Day

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We know this goes without saying, but Cobb County Government is reminding the public that all of its regular offices are closed on Monday, Sept. 4, for Labor Day, including libraries. County parks will be open, but all offices and libraries will reopen on Tuesday with their normal business hours.

WSB-TV journalist Ross Cavitt recommended for Cobb County communications director

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Ross Cavitt
WSB-TV photo

This just in from Cobb County Government: County Manager Rob Hosack is recommeding the hiring of WSB-TV newsman Ross Cavitt as the new county director of communications.

Cavitt, an East Cobb resident, covers Cobb and northwest Atlanta communities for WSB. “Ross will be a great asset to the county,” Hosack said in a statement. “He is an award-winning journalist and will bring a great amount of knowledge and expertise.”

Here’s more about Cavitt in the county release, which indicates that the Cobb Board of Commissioners is scheduled to approve his hiring on Sept. 12. If confirmed, he will start on Sept. 18 and replace Sheri Kell, who left earlier this year:

Ross Cavitt has more than 30 years in television news, 23 of those at WSB in Atlanta. He has covered some of the biggest stories in north Georgia and has won numerous awards including regional Emmys for “Spot News” and “Live Reporting.” His 2013 coverage of the Adairsville tornado garnered a regional Edward R. Murrow Award. For much of the last decade, Cavitt has been the WSB Bureau Chief in Cobb County where he covered notable stories including the murder cases involving Ross Harris and Lynn Turner.

Here’s more on Cavitt from his official WSB biography.

EAST COBB WEEKEND: Labor Day festivals; football rivalries; live music & more

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Holy Smoke Festival
’50s Chevies and other classic cars will return to the Holy Smoke BBQ Festival on Labor Day at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

The sun’s out, after a couple of rainy (but much-needed) days, just in time for a packed and extended Labor Day holiday weekend calendar of things to do in East Cobb.

Friday’s got the busiest schedule, with all six East Cobb football teams in action, including a couple of backyard rivalry games. Kickoff for all games is 7:30 p.m.:

  • Walton (2-0) at Pope (0-1): The Raiders are in the Top 10 and face a young Greyhounds test in their first hostile environment. Pope is also aiding victims of Hurricane Harvey by asking those attending the football game to bring water bottles to donate. There will be collection bins located through the stadium;
  • Kell (0-1) at Lassiter (2-0): Another all-East Cobb battle and a non-region treat pits two teams that reached the state playoffs last season, and look like they have the goods to contend again;
  • Sprayberry (1-0) at Kennesaw Mountain (1-0): The Yellow Jackets won their season opener and play on the road for the first time;
  • South Cobb (1-1) at Wheeler (1-1): The Wildcats return home after their first win of the season at Centennial; don’t forget the Wildcat Nation Food Truck tailgating event that begins at 5:30 p.m. in the East Cobb Middle School parking lot. The proceeds will benefit the work of the ECMS and Wheeler PTSAs and foundations.

If you’d rather stay indoors while relaxing and dining (or just rockin’) to good music, there’s a good variety to choose from at several East Cobb restaurants and bars:

  • At Chicago’s Steak and Seafood (4401 Shallowford Road), the Tom Olsen Trio plays jazz favorites tonight, with Retrograde performing from the folk rock and acoustic genre Saturday. Both are from 7-10 p.m. at the SpeakEasy Lounge;
  • At Suburban Tap (1318 Johnson Ferry Road), the acoustic-Americana sounds of the Poverty Level band rev up at 10 p.m. Friday, after the prep football games are over;
  • The Wing Cafe & Tap House (2145 Roswell Road) has a high-energy rock lineup planned, with Band X performing party style Friday and Saturday, from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. each night;
  • The traditional weekend fare of dueling pianos is on tap Friday and Saturday at Red Sky (1255 Johnson Ferry Road) starting at 9; and there’s live music also starting at 9 on Friday at the Rose & Crown Tavern (1391 Powers Ferry Road).

The Good Mews Animal Shelter (3805 Robinson Road) is pitching in with Hurricane Harvey relief, serving as a dropping-off point for pet food and litter Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. They say no other items should be donated, and the goods collected are part of a PALS Atlanta effort to help out with dogs and cats affected by the terrible storms and flooding in Texas.

And finally, for the Labor Day weekend festivals. Luckily, they’re scheduled so that you can enjoy them both without missing much at all:

Noshfest
Dancing at last year’s Noshfest. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
  • The Noshfest at Temple Kol Emeth (1415 Old Canton Road), takes place Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free with two canned goods to be donated to MUST Ministries, food and drink tickets range from $1-$4 and can be purchased on-site, as you go. The Sunday lineup includes a cooking demonstration from the General Muir restaurant, a bagel-eating contest and live music from The Alex Guthrie Band (named after East Cobb’s own young music sensation) and Israeli dancing; Monday’s finale winds down with the Nu-Grass Americana sounds of The Chip McGuire Band;
  • On Monday, the Holy Smoke Festival returns to Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition to BBQ meals served up by Williamson Bros. ($6 a plate), there will be a classic car show, live music, a Skydivers parachute jump team, and before all that gets underway, at 5K run and tot trot starting at 9 a.m. Admission is free.

Check out our full East Cobb News calendar listings for more events, this weekend and beyond. Did we miss anything? Do you have an item to share with the public? Contact us, and we’ll post it here! Send an email to: calendar@eastcobbnews.com.

Thanks for getting in touch, and have a terrific Labor Day holiday weekend!

Volunteers needed for Saturday goal-post painting at Kell HS

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We just got this from Chip Oudt at the Kell Touchdown Club. If you can help, they’d appreciate it, and sunny skies and mild temperatures (highs in the low 80s) are in Saturday’s forecast:Kell Logo

We need 3 people to volunteer to help paint the goal post on Saturday September 2nd at 3:30 PM. Don’t worry, we have a Lift so we’re not going to dangle you out there on a ladder. We will need people who are not afraid of heights. With enough help we should be able to knock this out in a day (or a week). Seriously, I have been told by the paint manufacturer that he has painted two goal post in 4 hours just by himself. (We will see). Of course you will get volunteer time!  All paint and rollers are supplied so we just need you. Email Chip Oudt at chipoudt@gmail.com if you are available and willing to help.

New Cobb police chief responds to officer incidents, vows to change training, community policing methods

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Mike Register, Cobb Police Chief
“We’re having some challenges,” Cobb Police Chief Mike Register told the East Cobb Civic Association Wednesday. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

Mike Register brought several pages of prepared remarks to Wednesday’s East Cobb Civic Association meeting as he aimed to lay out his vision as the newly named Cobb Police Chief.

After detailing his long career in the military and his return to the Cobb PD after serving as Clayton County Police Chief, real-time matters intervened to punctuate Register’s desire to make significant changes in the way officers are trained and how they deal with the public.

An hour before Register’s ECCA address at the East Cobb Library, WSB-TV reported that Lt. Greg Abbott, a 28-year Cobb PD veteran, had been placed on administrative leave after a dash-cam video revealed him making racially charged remarks to a female passenger riding in a car pulled over on a traffic stop in July 2016.

According to what was heard on the video, the white woman reached for her cell phone as Abbott approached, making a reference to police shootings. He said to her: “Remember, we only kill black people. We only kill black people, right?”

In the WSB-TV report, Abbott’s attorney said the officer’s comments were not taken in their proper context, claiming he was trying to defuse the situation.

Register, who succeeded retired chief John Houser in June, told the ECCA gathering that the officer’s comments were “hurtful,” and were “inappropriate in any context and not indicative of the values we’re trying to instill in the Cobb Police Department.”

At one point during his ECCA appearance, Register was summoned out of the room for a few minutes by County Manager Rob Hosack.

UPDATED, 4 p.m. Thursday: At a news conference on Thursday, Register and other county officials said Abbott would be terminated, adding that “it’s not the kind of decision we make lightly.”

On Tuesday, Cobb Police had to respond a WSB-TV report, based on a body-cam video, of an officer shooting at an unarmed teen eight times last November. That officer had already announced his resignation, and the Cobb District Attorney’s office recommended no charges.

Register said the video of that incident prompted him to call for changes in the Cobb PD regarding use of force and firearms training (The suspect’s lawyer is planning a lawsuit, according to the WSB-TV report).

After the second incident, Register admitted in his ECCA remarks that “we’re having some challenges.”

Read more

East Cobb Civic Association gives nod to Taqueria Tsunami site plan proposal

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Taqueria Tsunami East Cobb

A follow-up to the story we reported here Monday about a proposed Taqueria Tsunami in East Cobb going up in the old Caribou Coffee/Einstein Bagel space on Johnson Ferry Road: It’s gotten a recommendation of conditional approval by the East Cobb Civic Association.

During its monthly business meeting Wednesday, the group voted to recommend approval of a site plan amendment being proposed on behalf of Fork U Concepts, the Marietta company that runs the six-restaurant Latin-Asian fusion concept chain, but with some stipulations.

Those recommendations include the district commissioner (Bob Ott) signing off on building renderings for the new restaurant, a landscaping plan for the property and front signage, none of which have been submitted to the Cobb Zoning Department.

The 0.70-acre tract at 1275 Johnson Ferry Road has been vacant since Einstein Bagels left in 2015. The land was first zoned for commercial use in 1978 as a Krystal fast-food restaurant (Caribou replaced it in 1995 and closed in 2013).

Amor Design Group, an architectural design firm submitting the application, wants to revise the site plan to remove the drivethru window used at the former Caribou location, in order to increase parking. The proposal calls for a parking expansion to 42 spaces that would include restriping.

The ECCA, which represents more than 90 homeowners associations and other individuals, is a citizens group that provides advisory opinions to the Cobb Planning Commission and Cobb Board of Commissioners on zoning and land use cases. While it wields no official power, its influence is frequently considered (Ott is a former ECCA president), especially when community opposition arises.

One other thing to note about the Taqueria Tsunami case: It’s considered “other business” in Cobb zoning parlance since it’s a site plan amendment proposal, instead of a pure rezoning matter.

Therefore, this case doesn’t need to go before the Cobb Planning Commission and instead will be heard by the Cobb Board of Commissioners on Sept. 19.

A zoning case that was on next Thursday’s Cobb Planning Commission agenda but that has been continued until October is the proposed redevelopment of the former Mountain View Elementary School (Z-053-2017). The nearly 14-acre tract would be converted into a mixed-use complex of restaurants, grocery, retail, banking and other commercial uses.

According to Jill Flamm of the ECCA, the applicant, Brooks Chadwick Capital LLC, is asking for more time to work with the community.

She also briefed ECCA members on other zoning and land use cases that have no new information to report. They include another high-profile September case, proposed by Lidl Grocery (OB-016-2017) to redevelop the Park 12 Cinema on Gordy Parkway, and a proposal by S & B Investments to add a drivethru window at the Starbucks Coffee location near Paper Mill Village, at 31 Johnson Ferry Road (OB-028-2017).

The ECCA has recommended denial of the Lidl Grocery application and supports the Starbucks addition.

Also on Wednesday, the ECCA voted to hold an application by Blair Waldron to amend a site plan for 1.28 acres on the north side of Roswell Road, just west of East Piedmont Road, to allow for a 16,000-square-foot medical and dental office building.

The land is located between a Bank of America branch and the East Cobb United Methodist Church. The proposed building would house Waldron Dentistry, which is currently located at 3020 Roswell Road, near Old Canton Road.

Flamm said no renderings have been submitted, and there are 34 pages of stipulations to consider. Much of that stems from a litigation settlement in 1999. Here’s the file information on OB-041-2017 from the Cobb Zoning Department, which hasn’t done a staff analysis for the application since it came in after the Aug. 4 commenting deadline.

Before Cobb population reached 750k, East Cobb eclipsed 200k mark

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East Cobb ZIP Code map

Earlier this month, the Atlanta Regional Commission released updated county-by-county population updates, including Cobb County surpassing the 750,000 mark.

That’s a growth of more than 12,800 new residents in Cobb County in the last year, and up from 727,521 at the mid-decade U.S. Census update in 2015.

It was during that update two years ago that the ZIP codes making up East Cobb essentially passed 200,000 for the first time. This area, which spreads a little beyond the understood place-name identity of East Cobb (especially west of Interstate 75), includes 26 percent of the current Cobb population.

ZIP code 30062, located in the heart of East Cobb, has more people than Marietta, Cobb’s largest city.

If the East Cobb-area ZIP codes were incorporated, their present population of 205,763 would constitute the second-largest city in the metro region behind the city of Atlanta. (The subject of East Cobb cityhood has come up occasionally over the years, most recently when former Cobb Commission chairman Bill Byrne was vying for his old job in 2012. His “City of East Cobb” proposal went nowhere.)

The ARC calculations didn’t get granular below the county level, but we wanted to dig a little deeper and found the following breakdown of East Cobb-area ZIP codes at Georgia Demographics:

  • ZIP Code 30062: Population 65,206; Whites 69.5%, Blacks 13.3%, Hispanics 8.4%; Median household income $88,063; Average age 39.9 years old;
  • ZIP Code 30066: Population 52,930; Whites 73%, Blacks 10.2%, Hispanics 8,2%; Median household income $80,766; Average age 41 years old;
  • ZIP Code 30067: Population 47,556; Whites 49%, Blacks 31.1%, Hispanics 10.2%; Median household income $51,088; Average age 33.1 years old;
  • ZIP Code 30068: Population 32,068; Whites 76.6%, Asians 8%, Blacks 6.2%; Median household income $98,786; Average age 44.1 years old.

The Roswell ZIP Code 30075 includes the extreme northeast portion of Cobb County, or about 8,003 residents of the 54,858 population of the ZIP Code. The Georgia Demographics data didn’t make any county splits, but 30075 overall breaks down as follows: Whites 74.4%, Blacks 11.4%, Hispanics 7.2%; Median income $102,258; Average age 42.3 years old.

The useful City-Data.com site has even more demographic breakdowns by ZIP code, including median home cost, education levels, tax, pension and charity information, and more.

For 2040, the ARC is projecting Cobb’s population to be at 885,062, an increase of 157,541 people since the 2015 Census update.

Good Mews collecting Harvey donations through Saturday

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The East Cobb no-kill Good Mews cat shelter is helping PALS Atlanta collect food and litter donations for animal victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. Here’s the message Good Mews is sharing with the community: Good Mews

From 10-3pm daily through this Saturday, Good Mews (located at 3805 Robinson Rd in Marietta) will be a drop-off point for food and litter donations for the furriest victims of Harvey. This drive is organized by PALS Atlanta – Pets Are Loving Support. We will be accepting ONLY dog food, cat food and cat litter on their behalf—no other items, please! Thanks to PALS for organizing this effort!

U.S. Rep. Karen Handel holding town hall teleconference tonight

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Newly elected Congresswoman Karen Handel (R-Roswell) is holding her first town hall meeting tonight, but it’s in teleconference format and is restricted only to 6th Congressional District constituents. U.S. Rep. Karen Handel

The teleconference, which lasts an hour, starts at 7 p.m. and there’s an online sign-up form that’s required to be filled out to participate.

Earlier this month, Handel spoke on federal and Congressional issues at Cobb commissioner Bob Ott’s town hall meeting at the East Cobb Library (East Cobb News coverage here).

Lassiter clerk honored as Cobb schools classified employee of the year

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Alice Brown, Lassiter High School
Lassiter High School clerk Alice Brown with Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale (Photos submitted by Cobb County School District)

Alice Brown, a clerk in the Pupil Personnel Office at Lassiter High School, was one of several individuals named Classified Employee of the Year by the Cobb County School District for 2017.

Brown was the honoree at the high school level and was recognized at a special luncheon for the recipients Tuesday at Roswell Street Baptist Church in Marietta.

Classified employees are non-teachers: administrative assistants, custodians, paraprofessionals and staffers in the school district’s main office.

The following information was submitted by CCSD about Brown, who also was joined by her family members at the luncheon:

Despite all she does for Lassiter High School as a clerk, Alice Brown is still humble, according to her principal.

“She does an exceptional job working at Lassiter. She is [at school] every single day,” said Dr. Chris Richie as he congratulated Brown on being named High School Level CEOTY. “She is very diligent, keeping accurate records of everything our students do. We are extremely proud of her. She is great with staff members.”

Alice Brown, Lassiter High School

Lower Roswell Road water main construction work continues tonight

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East Cobb Pipeline Project, Lower Roswell Road
Lower Roswell Road at Indian Hills Court, where pipeline construction is nearing completion. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

Around 4:30 p.m. today Cobb DOT announced there will be night construction of the East Cobb Pipeline project tonight along Lower Roswell Road between Ancient Oaks Court  and Indian Hills Trail, just east of the Sope Creek Bridge.

The work is scheduled from 7 p.m. tonight until 5 a.m. Wednesday and traffic will be down to one lane along that 0.8-mile stretch of Lower Roswell.Lower Roswell water main construction

It’s part of the final phase of the water main installation, and when we drove by there earlier this afternoon, you could see the project was tantalizingly close to being done. Less than a hundred feet of water main installation remains, as crews work primarily around the bridge area on Lower Roswell on either side of Sope Creek.

Weekday traffic is reduced to one lane between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., with crews alternating passage, as has been the case since the project began in late 2015.

Temporary paving of this final stretch of Lower Roswell is expected to take place next week, followed by final resurfacing by Cobb DOT. For more information, call the East Cobb Pipeline Project hotline at 770-514-5301.

Sage Woodfire Tavern announces September opening for Windy Hill location

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Sage Woodfire Tavern Windy Hill

More East Cobb restaurant news, following Monday’s posts about Loyal Q/Sugar Benders and a proposed Taqueria Tsunami in the Johnson Ferry corridor: the new Sage Woodfire Tavern location at Windy Hill Road and Powers Ferry Road is opening next week.

The hiring process is underway, and social media accounts have been started (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) for the new restaurant, located in the old Houston’s space at 3050 Windy Hill Road.

According to the office of Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott, a ribbon-cutting and open house reception for invited guests is scheduled for next Thursday, Sept. 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with service to the public starting at 4 p.m.

This will be the third Sage Woodfire Tavern location, along with Alpharetta and Dunwoody. It’s located in restaurant space that has been vacant since Houston’s at Wildwood closed in Jan. 2013.

That’s also in a Powers Ferry corridor that’s been challenging for restaurants in recent years. TGI Friday’s and Sal Grosso are among the more notable casualties, along with Houston’s. An exception is the Rose & Crown Tavern, which opened in 2010 at 1391 Powers Ferry Road, just north of the new Sage Windy Hill.

The opening of nearby SunTrust Park earlier this year has been a magnet for new eateries located in The Battery, adjacent to the new stadium for the Atlanta Braves, and in the surrounding area.

The Infinite Dining Group which runs the Sage Woodfire Tavern also operated the Sage Social Kitchen & Bar in East Cobb, which closed in April after being open for only a few months. Previously the location of Chequer’s and Houlihan’s, that space in the Merchants Festival Shopping Center (1401 Johnson Ferry Road) remains vacant.

Across the parking lot, the Black Swan Tavern is preparing for opening with a date yet to be determined (previous East Cobb News coverage here). A liquor license approval is still pending.

Wildcat Nation community food truck event returns for Wheeler football

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Wheeler food truck

Press release:

On Friday, September 1, 2017, East Cobb Middle School PTSA and Foundation, Wheeler High School PTSA and Wheeler Football Booster Club are collaborating to present the 2nd Annual WILDCATNATION Community Food Truck Night!

This year’s diverse offering of food trucks – The Blaxican, Bollywood Zing, The Mad Greek, Righteous ‘Que BBQ, Mac the Cheese, Waffle House, Saporito’s Pizzeria, Cherry on Top Delights, and King of Pops – are sure to please everyone in the family.  

Our first Food Truck Night was a huge success, with #WILDCATNATION represented by students & their families from all Wheeler feeder schools and attendees from all over the East Cobb!  #WILDCATNATION invites the community to kick off the Labor Day holiday weekend in Wheeler’s parking lot at 5:30PM, prior to the Wildcat’s game against the South Cobb Eagles. It’s Jr. Wildcat Night for the Wildcat Football Program and Food Truck Night will benefit the four local school organizations. The Food Trucks will be set up at 5:30 so you can get some great food and then stay for the game at 7:30!

“The ECMS PTSA and Foundation are excited to co-host this fundraising event that involves the whole Wheeler community,” says Sandy Welfare, co-president of the ECMS PTSA. “We look forward to seeing people from all over East Cobb come out for a fun evening.”

“We are hoping this tailgate will encourage Wheeler football fans to gather earlier and create an atmosphere full of Wheeler pride,” says Kelly Feddersen, President of the Wheeler Football Booster Club.

Cobb schools to release early on Wednesday

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Just a reminder that the Cobb County School District is releasing students early on Wednesday for teacher in-service training, and at the halfway point of the first team of the school year. The release times are as follows:

  • 11:30 a.m.—High School;
  • 12:30 p.m.—Elementary School;
  • 1:30 p.m.—Middle School.Cobb County School District

The CCSD is asking parents to contact their local schools if they have questions about the early release.

After students return next week following the Labor Day holiday weekend, the first progress reports of the school year will be issued, for elementary and middle school students, on Wednesday, Sept. 6.

Taqueria Tsunami restaurant eyed for former East Cobb Caribou Coffee location

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Caribou Coffee East Cobb, Taqueria Tsunami

An early check into a really busy September Cobb zoning calendar (especially in East Cobb) revealed this agenda item: the growing, Marietta-based Taqueria Tsunami Latin-Asian fusion restaurant concept may be headed this way.

An application in the “Other Business” section, OB-039-2017, has been filed by Amor Design Studios on behalf of Fork U Concepts, which runs six Taqueria Tsunami locations, including the Marietta Square, Roswell, Woodstock, Athens and soon in Sandy Springs.Caribou Coffee East Cobb, Taqueria Tsunami

The East Cobb location would be at 1275 Johnson Ferry Road, where Caribou Coffee and an Einstein Bros. Bagels operated side-by-side.

Caribou Coffee closed in 2013, and Einstein Bros. Bagels followed in 2015.

The Cobb Planning Commission will hear the application next Thursday, Sept. 7.

Amor Design Studios, an Atlanta architectural design firm, has filed a site plan amendment which states the following intent:

“Fork U Concepts would like to improve the property by deleting the drive-thru [of the former Caribou store] and increasing the number of parking spaces by restriping the parking lot.”

The proposed site plan changes (below, click to see larger image) call for 42 total spaces, 32 of them standard-sized spaces. The total land size for the building and parking is 0.70 acres.

Taqueria Tsunami East Cobb site planThere’s no preliminary staff zoning analysis for the moment since the application was filed on Aug. 15, after the Aug. 4. deadline for comments.

Some major East Cobb redevelopment proposals are also on the September calendar, and we’ll have more in forthcoming posts:

  • Z-053-2017, by Brooks Chadwick Capital, LLC, which would rezone the former Mountain View Elementary School location on Sandy Plains Road for a retail, restaurant, bank and grocery store development;
  • OB-016-2017, by Lidl US Operations, LLC, to tear down the Park 12 Cinema on Gordy Parkway and build a Lidl grocery store, a proposal that’s been delayed several times (see previous East Cobb News story) and has community opposition;
  • Z-012-2017, by SSP Blue Ridge, LLC, to rezone 21 acres northwest intersection of Terrell Mill Road and Powers Ferry Road for a mixed commercial and residential development anchored by a Kroger grocery story. This application also has been continued.

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EAST COBB RESTAURANT NEWS: Loyal Q opens; Sugar Benders to welcome Cafe at Pharr soon

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Loyal Q and Brew

Loyal Q and Brew (website; Facebook page) opened Aug. 17 at the Parkaire Landing Shopping Center (4880 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 850, between Sellars Goodyear and Ted’s Montana Grill), once it got a distance waiver from the Cobb BOC to serve alcohol.

The barbecue concept, which specializes in smoked meats, was started by two former Taco Mac executives, ex-CEO Bob Campell and ex-chief operating officer Susie Addo.

Loyal Q is open for dinner only during the week (Mon-Thur 5pm-10pm; Fri 5pm-midnight) and serves lunch on the weekends (Sat 11am-midnight; Sun 11am-10pm). Phone: 678-921-0456.

Down the road at Paper Mill Village, longtime Sugar Benders Bakery owner Veronica Estrada has put up a sign indicating the forthcoming arrival of a Cafe at Pharr location that will share space with her business (255 Village Parkway, Suite 240-A, just around the corner from Camp’s Kitchen).

She’s estimating the new joint location will open in mid-September. Cafe at Pharr, which specializes in gourmet salad and sandwich lunch fare (here’s the menu), has been expanding around metro Atlanta from its original site in Buckhead. This will be its first location in Cobb County.

Sugar Benders Bakery

Bids go out for construction of Mabry Park; opening projected for late 2018

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Mabry Park
The Mabry Park Master Plan calls for an overlook bridge over the pond, with trails leading up to and surrounding the water on all sides.

The Friends of Mabry Park couldn’t wait to break the news this week that construction bids have been issued by Cobb County government for the development of the 26.5-acre tract on Wesley Chapel Road at Sandy Plains Road that’s been the subject of a years-long effort. On the group’s Facebook page was this message on Thursday:

This is truly an exciting time. All the blood, sweat and tears from sooo many in the community is finally paying off!

The construction time line estimate is approximately 12 months. So we’re looking at later in 2018 before we can enjoy the park, but compared to the time it’s taken to get to this point it’s almost like we’ll be cutting a ribbon tomorrow!

Here are the details: The county sent the bids (officially called request for proposals, or RFPs) last Friday, Aug. 18, with advertising for potential contractors continuing through Sept. 8. All bids are due by Sept. 14.

More information below about the process for bidding and awarding a contract comes via commissioner JoAnn Birrell. Her district no longer includes Mabry Park (it’s now in Bob Ott’s District 2) but it’s a project that she has championed for years. Here’s how the Cobb Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department is explaining the steps and timetable:

“If there is a responsive and responsible low bidder, the Parks team will send the bid to the Board of Commissioners in early October and request that they award a contract. It will take several weeks to obtain all of the required bonds, insurance, immigration affidavits and related documents for a complete contract. Pending any issues, construction should be underway in early 2018. Mabry Park will be under construction for about a year.

The entrance from Wesley Chapel and the roadway into the park will be the first item that needs to be completed. This will allow construction equipment to access the main park property. Although it depends on how the bids come in, the Parks team is confident that the construction funding will support installation of the roadway and all utilities, parking lot, storm water management and water quality features, restroom/maintenance building, most of the pavilion structures, repairs to the dam, and limited dredging of accumulated sediment in the lake. A variety of other features are included as alternates in the bid documents and will be approved as the budget allows.”

Birrell dug the first few scoops of dirt last year during a groundbreaking ceremony at Mabry Park, but that’s as far as it’s gone. Still, that was a big step following stalled attempts to get the park developed during the recession.

The county purchased the land in 2008 with around $4 million funding from the 2006 Cobb parks bond issue, but hadn’t budgeted anything for development into a park.

The Mabry Park Master Plan (PDF here and map below) was completed in 2011. Even after steep budget cuts during the recession meant no money for the park, or even to build the road into the future park area, the Friends of Mabry Park persisted. The group staged a “Mabry Park Preview” in the fall to give residents something to keep hoping and lobbying for.

Many did, including the Friends group, and advocacy from the Cobb Parks Coalition benefitted the Mabry Park effort. The development project costs an estimated $4.25 million, with the funding coming from the 2016 SPLOST approved by Cobb voters.

Mabry Park Master Plan

UPDATED: Motorist dies after East Cobb accident, confrontation with police involving Taser

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Roswell Road at North Marietta Parkway, East Cobb traffic
Cobb DOT photo of Roswell Road at South Marietta Parkway shortly before the ramp reopened early Friday morning.

UPDATED, 2:25 P.M.: The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said what turned out to be a deadly confrontation between a motorist and Cobb Police early Friday morning at a traffic accident scene in East Cobb involved the use of a Taser.

According to a GBI statement issued shortly after 2 p.m. today, the male driver of a white Dodge Caravan, which was heading westbound on Roswell Road, passed a marked Cobb Police car at an excessively high rate of speed.

Police tried to stop the Dodge Caravan, then pursued his vehicle, which then slammed into another car on the ramp to the South Marietta Parkway. The GBI said the driver of the Dodge Caravan “became combative and fought with officers” who had arrived at the accident scene. During the confrontation, one officer utilized his Taser, according to the GBI, and “the subject became unresponsive. He was transported to the hospital where he died.”

According to the GBI statement, the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting an autopsy on the deceased man, whose identity has not been disclosed.

The GBI said several officers received minor injuries during the struggle but did not require medical attention. The driver of the other vehicle involved in the accident was hospitalized with minor injuries, according to the GBI.

The GBI continues to investigate the post-crash incident, while the Georgia State Patrol probes the accident. The GBI will turn over its findings to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.

ORIGINAL REPORT, POSTED 1:32 P.M.: Cobb Police said one person died early Friday following a collision involving two cars on the ramp connecting Roswell Road and the South Marietta Parkway in East Cobb.

The accident happened at 12:46 a.m., according to police, and the ramp was closed until around 7:30 a.m.

According to a statement from Cobb Police, the male driver of a white Dodge Caravan traveling westbound on Roswell Road passed a Cobb Police officer in a marked patrol car at a high rate of speed.

When the driver entered the ramp to South Marietta Parkway, the Dodge Caravan hit another vehicle in the curve, police said.

When they arrived at the accident scene, officers from Cobb Precinct 4 struggled with the Dodge Caravan driver, who was arrested and later transported to a hospital, where he died, according to the Cobb Police statement.

Cobb Police have not identified the man who died.

The accident remains under investigation and is being conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia State Patrol.