After another unusual weather week—wet and wintry conditions over the weekend, followed by temperatures in the high 70s—East Cobb fall photos look like they could encompass all four seasons.
Willow Glenn DriveHampton Lake DriveIndian Hills Parkway
The best barometer is typically East Cobb Park, where balmy, sunny weather drew out a nice late Friday afternoon crowd, including some young boys playing catch—both the football and baseball varieties.
All seasons—sports and weather—are converging on this first weekend of November, which will remain warm, with high temperatures in the high 70s. There is the chance for rain, and low temperatures in the 60s.
If you’ve got photos you’d like to share with the East Cobb community—of the weather, a school, or church or organizational event—please feel free to send them, and we’ll post them.
Email us at: editor@eastcobbnews.com and please add any identifying information you have. To send news tips and other information, check our submission guidelines.
Halloween is over, November has begun and with it the earliest of two months of holiday-related activities. East Cobb weekend events through Sunday include ongoing holiday markets, a maternity and baby fair, two pet-related events and the unveiling of a new community piano.
Check out our full calendar listings for more, this weekend and beyond, but here’s whats highlighted for the next few days:
Lassiter Craft Fair (2601 Shallowford Road), runs 10-5 Saturday and Sunday, with more than 100 booths featuring handmade crafts and products and includes a bake sale and other concessions to benefit the Lassiter Band;
Mt. Bethel UMC Ribbons and Holiday Handcrafted Market (4385 Lower Roswell Road), is from 9-4 on Saturday, with more than 50 vendors, face painting for kids, a bake sale and lunch, with proceeds benefitting the church’s missions;
Good Mews Holiday Decor Market (1860 Sandy Plains Road) continues Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 12-6 and every weekend through Dec. 17, to benefit the shelter’s programs to rescue, nurture and adopt homeless cats and kittens;
Pet Events: An adoption day is Saturday from 9-12 at Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team (2249 Sewell Mill Road), to benefit the Homeless Pets Foundation; from 10-3 Sunday Good Mews is holding a vaccination and microchip clinic at its facility (3805 Robinson Road), and they do encourage you to make an appointment;
“Tommy” is getting tuned up to be played at Egg Harbor Cafe.
On Saturday at noon, the latest community piano, courtesy of Play Me Again Pianos, will be unveiled at Egg Harbor Cafe (4719 Lower Roswell Road); it’s the second such piano in East Cobb (see our posts here and here for more); “Tommy” will remain at the restaurant, just as “Sunny” sits under the upper gazebo at East Cobb Park;
If you’re expecting a child or recently had a baby, the WellStar East Cobb Health Park (3747 Roswell Road) is holding a Baby and Maternity Fair Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. that includes medical information from health providers, vendors and more, and it’s free;
Football finales: The regular season is coming to a close Friday with Walton already having secured a playoff spot, and with Kell, Lassiter and Pope still in the hunt; Sprayberry and Wheeler will be concluding their seasons for sure. The Raiders, who also have earned a home playoff game, can go for a 10-0 regular season against Woodstock at Raider Valley.
Did we miss something? Do you have a calendar item to share? Please let us know, and we’ll post them to our full calendar listings. E-mail calendar@eastcobbnews.com.
CCRPI scores at Timber Ridge Elementary are up almost 18 points from 2015.
Seven East Cobb schools surpassed the maximum scores in the latest CCRPI test results released Thursday by the Cobb County School District.
The CCRPI—which stands for College and Career Ready Performance Index—is a state accountability measure that gauges overall achievement results and how schools are preparing students for the next level of education.
The CCRPI is formulated on a 100-point scale as follows:
Student progress totaling 40 percent (Milestones results from year to year);
The remaining 10 percent related to closing the achievement gap (between the 25 percent lowest-performing students in a school or district compared to all Georgia students).
At the elementary school level, Timber Ridge (100.5), Murdock and Sope Creek (100.3 each) led all of Cobb, earning what’s referred to as “challenge” points in such categories as improved results among subgroups of students and innovative measures at a school, the so-called Exceeding the Bar (ETB) score.
Three Cobb middle schools, all in East Cobb, also exceeded the 100 mark: Dickerson (103), Dodgen (101) and Hightower Trail (101.5).
At the high school level, Walton’s score of 101.1 led the county as well. The high school achievement score includes graduation rates.
Cobb’s overall CCRPI score of 82.9 was higher than the statewide average of 75. For the high-scoring schools in East Cobb, those results were among the best in Georgia.
Timber Ridge’s score of 100.5 not only was a gain of 5.8 percent from 2016, but it’s one of the highest in the state (Lake Windward, in north Fulton County, topped out at 104.5). Timber Ridge scored 47.1 on achievement, a perfect 40 in progress, and earned 3.4 challenge points.
In a statement, Jeffrey Castle, the Timber Ridge principal, attributed his school’s results to “a supportive parent community, engaged students and motivated, highly-capable teachers who have the education of the whole child as their main priority.
“Our focus last year was on progress, with implementation of computer-based reading intervention programs, and on intentional delivery of rigorous instruction and congruency among curriculum, assessments and instruction.”
All but two of the 21 East Cobb elementary schools had higher scores than 2016, but the drops by Kincaid and Sedalia Park were slight.
The biggest jump was at Powers Ferry, with a score of 72.3 representing a 14.5 percent increase from a year ago, the fourth largest boost among Cobb elementary schools.
Although the achievement score at Powers Ferry was 26 and its progress was at 37, the school reported a score of 8.3 (out of 10) in closing the achievement gap.
In a release, Cobb schools said that measuring year-to-year progress in 2017 is not exact because of some minor changes to how the CCRPI is formulated. At all levels, science and social studies were removed as indicators in the progress and achievement gap categories.
Elementary Schools
2017 Score
Change from 2016
All of Cobb ES
80.5
+4.8
Addison
93.0
+5.3
Bells Ferry
89.3
+7.5
Blackwell
86.2
+6.8
Brumby
67.8
+7.1
Davis
87.5
+2.4
East Side
96.3
+4.5
Eastvalley
93.5
+5.8
Garrison Mill
96.8
+1.5
Keheley
88.7
+2.6
Kincaid
89.9
-0.9
Mt. Bethel
96.4
+1.4
Mountain View
99.7
+7.8
Murdock
100.3
+6.2
Nicholson
88.5
+11.2
Powers Ferry
72.3
+14.5
Rocky Mount
97.4
+5.0
Sedalia Park
68.9
-0.1
Shallowford Falls
88.0
+1.0
Sope Creek
100.3
+6.1
Timber Ridge
100.5
+5.8
Tritt
96.8
+6.0
Middle Schools
2017 Score
Change from 2016
All of Cobb MS
82.0
+2.2
Daniell
77.9
-2.1
Dickerson
103.0
+4.3
Dodgen
101.0
+1.4
East Cobb
79.2
+3.6
Hightower Trail
100.5
+2.9
Mabry
91.3
0.0
McCleskey
82.5
-0.3
Simpson
89.9
+3.2
High Schools
2017 Score
Change from 2016
All of Cobb HS
87.3
-0.9
Kell
85.8
-6.4
Lassiter
99.9
0.7
Pope
92.9
-6.5
Sprayberry
86.7
-2.0
Walton
101.2
-1.2
Wheeler
90.3
+1.7
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In late September both Dickerson and Dodgen middle schools were named National Blue Ribbon Schoolsby the U.S. Department of Education.
Last week the Cobb Board of Education formally recognized the administrators and teachers at both schools.
Dickerson and Dodgen were among 342 schools nationwide earning the Blue Ribbon designation, and they’re among 17 East Cobb schools so named since the award began in the early 1980s.
In both group photos the school board members and Superintendent Chris Ragsdale are in the back row. The Dickerson staff, in the photo above: Dr. Carole Brink, principal; Sandra Alford, assistant principal; and teachersRebecca Johson, Tara Thieme, Jackie Roche, Jennifer Attard, Maureen McLaughlin, Megan Lankes, Natalie Cornwelland Drew Starnes.
In the photo below, the Dodgen staff in the front row: Dr. Loralee Hill, principal; Gary Jackson, assistant principal; Sheri Dennard, Teacher of the Year, 8th grade lead and math teacher; Marlo Sharp, French teacher; Tonia Martin-Gatlin, counselor; and Tricia Eoff, counseling office clerk.
Dickerson also was recognized by the school board for recently being named recipient of an Award of Excellence in Physical Education by the Georgia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.
Those recognized by the school board included Dickerson physical education teachersMaureen McLaughlin, Megan Lankes, Natalie Cornwell, Duane Perozzi and Drew Starnes.
We mentioned over the weekend that the opening for the Black Swan Tavern (1401 Johnson Ferry Road, in the Merchants Festival Shopping Center) was set for Thursday.
But that’s not going to happen, as health inspection delays and scheduled fundraisers this weekend are pushing back the opening into early next week. From the tavern’s Facebook page: “It’ll probably be Tuesday but we are pushing for Monday. Cheers and our apologies!”
A startling new figure was tossed out at the Cobb Board of Commissioners retreat earlier this week: a projected Cobb budget deficit of around $30 million.
The commissioners met in Austell Monday and Tuesday to get an early start on the fiscal year 2019 budget, a month into fiscal 2018, which they had to balance with $20.8 million in contingency funding.
Cobb Commission chairman Mike Boyce. (East Cobb News file photo)
They discussed a wide variety of budget priorities and options, but made no decisions. The rise in the budget deficit projection is attributed to an increase in health care costs, among other expenses.
“We’re basically nine or ten months ahead of where we usually are when it comes to developing a budget for this county,” Cobb Commission chairman Mike Boyce said in a statement Tuesday. “Today we’ve done something that hasn’t been done in the past as far as having something in October for a fiscal year that starts ten months from now.”
Boyce said the information and perspectives offered at the retreat will assist in formulating a budget proposal by early next year.
He said he will schedule town hall meetings around the county next spring, similar to what he did this summer with a proposed property tax millage rate that was ultimately rejected by the commissioners.
The Cobb government fiscal year budget runs from Oct. 1-Sept. 30, and commissioners set the millage late late in the budget process, in August.
Commissioners voted not to raise the millage rate this year, including East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott and JoAnn Birrell.
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A home on Keheley Drive, right across the street from a proposed high-density residential development. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
The community around Keheley Elementary School maintains something of a tucked-away feel, with winding country-style roads, lushly wooded areas and a mix of single-family home styles on generous lots.
This part of Northeast Cobb still feels like it has some elbow room. If you travel westbound on Keheley Drive, close to where it intersects with Keheley Road, and look off to the right, you’ll see a thick scrub of land that drops down behind trees. A dirt path provides an opening into nearly 26 acres of land.
There are two homes, one built in 1910 and another in 1957, at 4351 and 4371 Keheley Drive, on land that’s otherwise designated for conservation use. The acreage is located within the floodplain and stream buffer associated with Rubes Creek.
That’s where an East Cobb luxury home developer wants to build 51 single-family homes (site plan at left). A request to be heard next week by the Cobb Planning Commission (agenda item packet) is seeking a higher density use than the surrounding neighborhoods.
David Pearson Communities, Inc. has applied for rezoning from R-20 to R-12, which would allow up to three units per acre. Nearby homes are zoned either R-20 or R-15, and there’s plenty of visible community opposition.
Small yellow signs with red lettering pop up intermittently along Keheley Drive and Keheley Road, in front of homes and neighborhood entrances:
The Keheley Lake Drive entrance to the Lakewood Colony neighborhood.
“Save Keheley! No Rezoning.”
The parcel in question is in the hands of the estate of Collene Ruggles, who died in 2016.
The Ruggles land previously came up for zoning in 2007, from R-20 to R-15, but it sits undisturbed today, in an area that’s encountering some of the same density issues that have been increasing in East Cobb.
Not far away in Northeast Cobb, land belonging to the estate of another longtime family property owner is also going before the Planning Commission for higher-density zoning.
EAH Acquisitions, Inc., is seeking rezoning from R-30 to R-15 to build 19 homes on 12. 29 acres at the northwest corner of Wigley Road and Jims Road. The titleholder is the estate of Dorothy Henrietta Wigley, who also died in 2016. She was a member of the Wigley family that was a major property owner, including Sweat Mountain and much of the present-day Mountain View area.
The only remaining structure on the Wigley property, which is proposed to be developed into a single-family subdivision.
While the Wigley application got a recommendation of approval with conditions from the Cobb zoning staff—since R-15 zoning is in effect in nearby and adjacent communities—the Keheley case did not.
In fact, the zoning staff analysis strongly recommends denial of the request. David Pearson Communities wants to build homes with at least 2,500 square feet of space on small lots. Among the variances would be to reduce the distance between residences to 10 feet from the minimum 15 feet.
Not only are other homes in the area not as densely packed, but according to Cobb zoning staff, 12 of the 51 lots in the proposed site plan don’t meet the minimum code required area above the floodplain.
The Ruggles property on the west side of Keheley Drive.
The Cobb zoning staff also pointed out that the rezoning request doesn’t conform with the Cobb County Comprehensive Plan, since the Ruggles property is designated as being in a Low-Density Residential area (LDR), or no more than 2.5 units an acre.
The Cobb Planning Commission meets Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 9 a.m. in the 2nd floor boardroom of the Cobb BOC Building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
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A Cobb County government aerial photo of the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center, taken earlier in October. The new branch opens Dec. 4.
The opening of the new Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road) is still a little more than a month away—Dec. 4—but there’s a full slate of activities for the first month that’s already been scheduled.
James Mitchell of the library staff has passed along a schedule of what’s coming up in December, and it features a wide variety of events: from writers and filmmakers meetups, classic film screenings, a photography class, a music enrichment session with the conductor of the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, concerts, a regular Open Mic night and more.
That’s because the $10.6 million Sewell Mill Library goes far beyond books to include study and training rooms, a conference room, dedicated children’s and teen spaces, a community room, an art gallery and classrooms, an outdoor amphitheater and a black box theater.
We’ve posted these events to our full calendar listings; you can click on the links below for the full event information:
Writers Groups: Meeting every Tuesday at 6 p.m., these groups can include any genre or focus. The first meeting is Dec. 5;
What Does An Orchestra Conductor Listen To?: Tim Verville, Music Director of the Marietta-based Georgia Symphony Orchestra, shares his musical tastes, which venture far beyond classical in two sessions on Dec. 8;
The films of French director Jean-Luc Godard will be featured Dec. 9 in the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center’s first Great Directors Series installment.
Great Directors Series: The work of legendary filmmakers will be explored every other Saturday for adults only, starting with Jean-Luc Godard and Akira Kurosawa on Dec. 9 and 23 respectively;
Making Comics Workshop: Local comic artists Carlos Perez and Ananya Vahal will lead adults and teens 14 in a Dec. 9 workshop with limited space. Registration is recommended;
The Private Pageant Concert: Marietta electronica/dance/rock musician Tim Exit performs his mixed-genre show at the library’s Black Box Theater on Dec. 9;
Open Mic Night: Starting Dec. 12, musicians of any genre are welcome in the Black Box Theater;
Classic Movie Thursday: This weekly series starts with an Alfred Hitchcock flick on Dec. 14, followed by John Wayne, John Ford and Michael Curtiz in December. You’re invited to bring food and drink to enjoy with the film;
Filmmaking Meetup: Writers, directors and actors of all kinds are welcome at the first meetup on Dec. 19.
We’ll have more details on the opening of the library when they become available.
This reminder: If you were a patron of the East Marietta Library you can pick up materials ordered on hold at the Switzer Library in downtown Marietta or another branch of your designation.
If you checked out materials at East Marietta branch that are due, those also can be dropped off at any Cobb library system branch.
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 very cold, wet and wintry weekend for Halloween events has passed, and temperatures are already rising to an autumn feel as November approaches.
To start the week off is tonight’s Cobb-Marietta Marching Band Exhibition (7 p.m. at McEachern High School), including the bands from Lassiter, Sprayberry and Wheeler. This part of the extravaganza has been delayed twice before by rain, but it’s clear today, and it should be in the low 50s tonight. Admission is $5.
Here’s what else is coming up in East Cobb through Thursday:
Most Halloween-related events were over the weekend, but at Powers Ferry UMC (245 Powers Ferry Road), they’re having a Trunk or Treat event on Halloween night, Tuesday, Oct. 31. It lasts from 6-7:30 p.m., and little trick or treaters are asked to wear their customes; in addition to candy, they’ll also be serving hot dogs;
Wednesday is Nov. 1, which for Roman Catholics is more than just the start of the month. It’s All Saints Day, a solemn Christian festival also known as All Hallows Day, and all three East Cobb parishes will be having special services. At Holy Family Catholic Church (3401 Lower Roswell Road), there’s a Tuesday vigil at 6:30 p.m., and Wednesday masses at 9 a.m., 12 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., the latter two are bilingual and a Spanish Holy Hour respectively; at the Catholic Church of St. Ann (4905 Roswell Road), the services Wednesday are at 6:30 a.m., 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., with an All Souls mass Thursday at 7 p.m.; at Transfiguration Catholic Church (1815 Blackwell Road), a Spanish-language mass on Tuesday starts at 7 p.m., with Wednesday services at 12 p.m., 4 p.m. (children’s mass) and 7 p.m.;
The Page-Turners Book Discussion Group meets on Wednesday at the Mountain View Regional Library (3320 Sandy Plains Road), and the book this month is “Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles. If you’d like to read up for the December session, the club is giving you some latitude: Choose a biography of Abigail Adams and prepare to talk about it on Dec. 6;
Stretch into November with Yoga for Seniors, Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at the East Cobb Library (4880 Lower Roswell Road); registration is required for this event that’s part of the library’s continuing wellness program series;
Later on Wednesday, the East Cobb Library will hold another Family Fun Time event from 3:30-4:15, and is for children of all ages. Wednesday’s topic will a celebration of American Indian Heritage Month. The event is free, but all children must be accompanied by an adult;
After school on Wednesday is another installment of the Gritters STEAM Team series at the Gritters Library (880 Shaw Park Road). From 3:30-4:30 students from K-5 can learn about geodosic domes. Experts deliver the lessons and the kids engage in hands-on activity;
The Gritters Drama Club is newly formed and is working toward a performance on Nov. 18 at the Mountain View Regional Library. The group meets the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month from 3:30-4:30, and is aimed at students for 4th and 5th graders. The club leader is theater connoisseur and Gritters staff member Olivia McCurley. Registration is required.
Did we miss something. Do you have a calendar item to share? Let us know? Send us your listings to calendar@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll post it.
Although the match was competitive, the Georgia Class 7A finals were really never in doubt Saturday at Marietta High School. The Walton volleyball team won its third consecutive title, defeating Etowah by scores of 25-16, 25-16, and 25-21.
The Lady Raiders finished the season with a 41-1 record, losing only to a team from California.
The Walton players this season are: Katie Crocker, Sam Jones, Caroline Cheney, Meg Froemming, Gabby Gonzales, Reilly MacNeill, Molly Pember, Jordan Rush, Riley Spurlin, Phoebe Awoleye, Madison Morey, Kendall O’Brien, Katie Strickland, Catherine Cheney, Julia Davis, Emery Dupes, Ashlyn Goolsby and Chandler Parker. Coach: Suzanne Fitzgerald.
The Pope softball team won one game at the Georgia Class 6A softball finals in Columbus, defeating Evans Thursday on a no-hitter by freshman Hallie Adams. However, the Lady Greyhounds fell to Allatoona (the eventual state champions) and Houston County and finished 5th with a record of 31-5.
The Pope players this season are: Gracie Kittrell, Hannah Dodd, Sydney Sheahan, Jodie Smith, Leah Higginbotham, Hannah Rogers, Carolyn Deady, Kyla Smith, Lea McFadden, Trinity Pizutti, Zoe Laneaux, Mary Deady, Hallie Adams, Kami Smith, Maura Foreman, Rachel Pearle, Lela Landry, Morgan Herman, Min Brookshire, Bailey Chapin, Abby Rocco, Taylor Henson, Alyssa Eman, Kaitlyn Wells. Coach: Chris Turco.
FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: With only one week left in the regular season, only Walton has clinched a state playoff spot from East Cobb. The Raiders stayed unbeaten (9-0) with a 42-21 win over Etowah. Walton will have senior night on Friday against Woodstock. In other football games Friday:
Lassiter inched closer to a playoff berth by beating Cherokee 31-0. The Trojans (6-3) have to visit Etowah Friday; a win means they advance, and they could play a home playoff game.
Kell moved to 5-4 and within reach of a playoff spot with a 21-12 win over Woodland. The Longhorns are tied for second in Region 7, Class 6A, and play Cass on Friday;
Pope fell to 3-6 with a 45-17 loss to Centennial; the Greyhounds conclude their season Friday at home against Northview;
Sprayberry is now 2-7 following a 35-21 loss on senior night to Creekview; the Yellow Jackets play their last game of 2-17 on Friday at Sequoyah;
Wheeler‘s senior night also was spoiled by Westlake, which won 48-27; the Wildcats, who are 2-7, close out on Friday at Pebblebrook.
Lake Michigan in the distance as seen from Columbia College, site of the LION conference, in Chicago’s South Loop. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
As you’re reading this, I’m packing up from a few days from a cold, very breezy Chicago to return to Atlanta, which I understand has had some wet, wintry weather this weekend as well.
I’ve been in the Windy City attending the national conference of LION Publishers, which is a five-year-old organization devoted to helping publishers of local online news organizations grow and sustain business models that in turn help them serve their communities.
I am new to LION as I am new to launching East Cobb News. What I’ve learned here about building a news service, selling advertising to local businesses, using the latest technology to report the news and practice journalism in an authentically community-focused way will be invaluable as I continue to develop East Cobb News into an indispensable source of news and information.
I know that sounds ambitious, but I’ve surrounded myself with some ambitious, hardy people at this conference, some who launched their sites years ago, in the wilderness of newspaper layoffs and without any road map. They have been true inspirations to me this weekend.
Local news has been particularly hard-hit by the downturn in the media industries, and yet there was an encouraging spirit of optimism at this conference about the possibilities for reviving it. One of the big stories coming out of the LION Conference was the awarding of a $250,000 grant by the Democracy Fund, a non-profit, to help people like me get our footing in this online news space.
The grants that will be awarded will help publishers with the business and advertising sides of their operations, which is welcome news. As Howard Owens, the publisher of The Batavian in upstate New York, a LION founder and a true pioneer in this field has written, we need more investment in developing sustainable news businesses than anything else.
The existing “legacy” organizations—newspapers, television and radio and other media—cannot or will not do this. They are in the midst of massive technological and generational change, and in some cases are fighting to survive. Believe me, I have experienced a lot of this at previous places of employment.
Many of them have never really embraced the need for change, much less embarked upon significant innovation to reach readers and advertisers where they went to long ago. Too many insist on “scaling” with top-down, cookie-cooker approaches that don’t really connect with their communities. Worse, some have become complacent because they don’t have serious competition.
One of the missions of LION is to foster grassroots, independent voices in local news. We’re not just trying to fill the gaps left behind by other media, we’re trying to replace it with something more relevant to our fellow citizens. As someone who grew up in East Cobb, and who worked for a variety of corporate and non-local media companies, this is very important. The theme of the conference has been “Keeping It Real,” and that’s a big part of what I have in mind for this site.
When I get back home, I’ve got so much more to unpack—besides my suitcase—that I learned here in Chicago, and that I am eager to implement for East Cobb News.
It’s been a good week back home, too, as our traffic, social media, newsletter subscriptions and other metrics keep growing. I appreciate all of you who have supported this site and continue to share what you read here with others.
I’ve heard some good things from some of you about what I’m trying to do here, and I really do appreciate that. I want this site to serve your news, information and local business advertising needs, and I promise I will always be all ears. Please feel free to contact me at wendy@eastcobbnews.com or 404-219-4278.
Chairman Mike Boyce’s proposed millage rate increase was shot down by his fellow commissioners in August. (East Cobb News file photo)
After a contentious year of haggling over the property tax millage rate and the fiscal year 2018 budget, Cobb commissioners are spending Monday and Tuesday on a retreat to figure out future plans for handling spending concerns.
Chairman Mike Boyce and the four district commissioners will be meeting at the Threadmill Complex in Austell for a day-and-a-half of meetings and discussions. Last month the board adopted a $403.4 million FY 2018 spending plan that included the use of $20 million in contingency spending.
The county is facing another $20 million deficit for fiscal year 2019.
“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll get there,” Boyce said in a statement issued Friday. “What I’m trying to do is bring in a process where we as a Board collectively knows what the issues are then the Board gives me some guidance on how to build this budget.”
The budget battles also sparked conflicts between East Cobb’s two commissioners. JoAnn Birrell suggested closing the East Cobb Library. Bob Ott, whose district includes the library, proposed closing another library in his district and making organizational changes to the East Cobb Government Service Center.
Ultimately, the commissioners voted to close no libraries but delayed funding additional staff for the new Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center until after the budget was adopted.
East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott voted against a millage rate increase, and vowed not to do so to balance the FY 2018 budget. (East Cobb News file photo)
For similar reasons this week, commissioners also delayed a vote to approve a construction contract for Mabry Park.
The Sewell Mill Library and Mabry Park cases center around one of the main items on the retreat agenda: Funding recurring operational and maintenance costs for facilities approved through the SPLOST (Special Local Option Sales Tax).
Northeast Cobb residents have waited for a decade for a passive park in their community, and Boyce and Ott in particular pledged that Mabry Park would be built. They also were adamant that new policies for funding continuing expenses have to be ironed out.
It’s a seemingly perplexing position for Cobb commissioners to be in, given that Cobb reported a record tax digest this year of $33 billion.
In the first big test of his administration, Boyce didn’t get enough support from commissioners to raise the property tax millage rate. His proposal to boost the rate 0.13 to fully fund the 2008 Cobb Parks Bond Referendum was voted down 3-2, with only South Cobb commissioner Lisa Cupid in support.
Boyce, who defeated incumbent chairman Tim Lee last year, pledged to support parks funding. But the Cobb Parks Coalition issued a statement before the millage rate vote saying fulfilling the referendum didn’t require a tax increase.
At a heated town hall meeting in July at the East Cobb Senior Center, many residents spoke out against a tax hike, which Ott and Birrell also opposed.
Boyce, who is a first-time elected official, issued a comment at that meeting that has been a common refrain at times during his first year in office.
“I have to pay for what your commissioners passed last year,” Boyce said. “It’s a bill that’s come due.”
Stockyard Burgers and Bones is moving into the former Brixx pizza space at The Avenue East Cobb (East Cobb News file photo).
Earlier this fall East Cobb News reported on plans to open a Taqueria Tsunami restaurant at the old Caribou Coffee/Einstein Bros. Bagel location on Johnson Ferry Road. As it turns out, the owners of that Marietta-based Latin-Asian fusion chain also have their eyes on expanding their Stockyard Burgers concept to East Cobb.
Scoop OTPis reporting that Fork U Concepts is planning an early 2018 opening for Stockyard Burgers and Bones at The Avenue East Cobb, in the former Brixx pizza location.
It’s the latest development in a flurry of news about forthcoming East Cobb restaurants. Last week we reported that La Novia Taqueria, operated by the Moxie Burger ownership team, is hiring for its new spot at Paper Mill Village.
Fork U Concepts has been gradually expanding its various restaurant brands in recent months in metro Atlanta. The company got and received a zoning stipulation from the Cobb Board of Commissioners to remove the drivethrough at the former Caribou Coffee and restripe the parking lot to expand availability to 42 spaces for Taqueria Tsunami, which is expected to open in March.
Stockyard Burgers and Bones first opened on the Marietta Square and has expanded to Vinings and soon will open in Sandy Springs. East Cobb will be its fourth location.
Taqueria Tsunami also began on the Marietta Square and has expanded to Woodstock, Athens, Roswell and Simpsonville, Ky. and also is planning an opening soon for Sandy Springs.
The Black Swan Tavern has been gearing up for opening at the Merchants Festival Shopping Center (1401 Johnson Ferry Road, in the old Churchill’s Pub space), since the summer. The owners from Dunwoody Restaurant Group announced Thursday that it also is beginning the hiring process, and that “the doors open next week.”
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East Cobb-based Keller-Williams agent Janice Overbeck (second from right) of the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team recently handed over a $25,000 check to the ALS Center at the Department of Neurology at Emory University and director Dr. Jonathan Glass (center).
The money was raised through her non-profit, JO Gives. Here’s what she has to say about the reason for the fundraiser:
“Some of you may not know that my dad suffered from ALS. This past week, we had the pleasure of presenting Dr. Glass with our annual donation towards his research for a cure at Emory. Our employees can tell you with the profits we make, we pour back into the business, and that is why it has grown so quickly.
That is God’s blessing. And in turn, we are able to give to our three worthy charities through JO Gives, Inc. This makes us happier than any material possessions could bring. Thank you to everyone who has supported our mission by buying and selling homes with the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team, referring people to us, and supporting our fundraising activities.”
The Walton volleyball team will find a familiar foe on the other side of the net Saturday when the Lady Raiders attempt to win their third consecutive Georgia High School Association state championship.
Walton faces Region 4AAAAAAA rival Etowah at 6:30 p.m. in the finals at Marietta High School (1171 Whitlock Road). The Eagles have been one of the better teams in the state all season, with a 43-6 record, and they haven’t dropped a set in the state tournament.
But they’ve been no match for Walton (39-1), which has twice beaten Etowah by 3-0 scores, including the region tournament in October.
In fact, the Lady Raiders haven’t lost to a team from Georgia since 2014. Their only loss this season came in an Arizona tournament in late September to a team from California.
Here’s something else that illustrates just how dominant Walton, a longtime volleyball dynasty in Georgia, has been this season: The only other sets they’ve dropped also came to out-of-state teams.
Walton is also doing this with with only two seniors seeing regular playing time. Team leaders Gabby Gonzales, Riley Spurlin, Caroline Cheney, Reilly MacNeill and Jordan Rush are juniors.
The Pope volleyball team reached the Class 6A semifinals, but was ousted on Wednesday by defending state champion Harrison.
The Lady Greyhounds had their best finish since winning their last state title in 2011, going 33-9. While two of Pope’s top offensive players, Samantha Walters and Danielle Bissel, are seniors, there is plenty of talent returning. As a freshman, Stella Dees was second on the team with 284 kills.
In the Class 6A softball tournament in Columbus, Pope split opening-round games on Thursday. In the opener, Hallie Adams pitched a no-hitter as the Greyhounds defeated Evans 2-0. However, they lost to Cobb County rival Allatoona 1-0 in Thursday evening and move to a losers bracket game Friday afternoon, meeting Houston County at 2 p.m.
It wasn’t quite unanimous, but close. The Cobb Board of Education Thursday voted 6-1 to adopt Cobb school calendars for the 2018-20 academic years after a brief discussion.
Scott Sweeney
The board didn’t make any changes to the calendars proposed by Superintendent Chris Ragsdale (see charts below). The first day of school for each of the next two years will begin on Aug. 1, and will include regularly scheduled breaks that have been the case in the last few years.
The “balanced” calendar had been the subject of strong board and community division in recent years, but not for this calendar scheduling cycle.
The only vote against was Scott Sweeney of Post 6 in East Cobb, who repeated comments he made at a recent work session that a large number of messages he’s received (63 percent) were in favor of a delayed start to the school year.
He also cited other issues, such as extracurricular activities, that are affected by a balanced calendar, and said he hasn’t received any evidence of academic improvements based on the adoption of a balanced calendar.
Connie Jackson of the Cobb County Association of Educators repeated the organization’s support of the balanced calendar and urged the board to use the adopted calendars to serve as a template for future years.
Also on Thursday, the board accepted the resignation of Mary Elizabeth Davis, the Cobb County School District’s Chief Academic Officer. She has been named the new superintendent for Henry County public schools.
Adopted 2018-19 Cobb school calendar
Adopted 2019-2020 Cobb school calendar
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Don’t need much of a drumroll introduction for what’s coming up over the next few days. The East Cobb Halloween events calendar is absolutely loaded (and if we’ve missed your event there’s still time to let us know. E-mail calendar@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll post it!). So many trunk or treat events, assorted fall festivals and a new spooky event that may become a bonafide tradition: The Pope Dead Band Running 5K. Pope also has a Haunted Theater presentation of “The Dollhouse” to ramp up a frightening selection of Halloween-themed events
Trunk or Treats galore: Kicking off Friday at 6 at Addison ES, and including similar events for kids at St. Catherine’s Episcopal on Saturday, Wesley Chapel UMC on Sunday and on Halloween itself, at Powers Ferry UMC;
Run for Your Haunted Lives: A 5K run at night? In the spirit of Halloween, that’s what the Pope High School Marching Band has put together from 7-9 Saturday at the Mountain View Aquatic Center (2650 Gordy Parkway): The Pope Dead Band Running 5K, and you can show up in a costume or regular running attire. The proceeds raise funds for the band, which says it needs to replace Bessie, its aging equipment truck. Race-day registration begins at 6 p.m.;
Terrifying dollies: The Pope Haunted Theater gets into the spirit of Halloween with presentations of “The Dollhouse” Saturday and Sunday at $6, after two previous shows this week;
Get Your Pumpkin Carving On: Once you get your pumpkin, bring it on by the Mountain View Regional Library (3320 Sandy Plains Road) from 2-3 on Saturday for a carving event. It’s ideally for kids K-5 to enjoy, but you can come by even if you’re older;
Shopping for the kitties: With Halloween near, it also means it’s time for the Good Mews Holiday Décor Market, which starts Saturday at the Sandy Plains Exchange Shopping Center (1860 Sandy Plains Road, at Scufflegrit Road). The hours are 10-6 Saturdays and 12-6 Sundays, and the sale continues through Dec. 17. The proceeds benefit the Good Mews programs to care and place homeless cats for adoption, and they’re taking gently-used items on-site on Saturday until 3 p.m.;
All the way to state: The high school football season is winding down, with only two games left. Walton has already clinched a state playoff berth, and Lassiter and Kell have the best chances of joining them. But the biggest high school sporting events this weekend involve the young ladies of East Cobb. On Saturday, Walton attempts a three-peat in the Class 7A state volleyball finals against Etowah (6 p.m., Marietta High School, 1171 Whitlock Ave.). In Columbus, the Pope softball team is competing in the Class 6A softball finals, which got underway Thursday. We’ll be posting updates on these events as we get the results, so keep checking back for the latest scores;
Piedmont Church Fall Festival: Sunday will be an all-day and all-night of activities at the Piedmont Church (570 Piedmont Road). Sunday morning services will be followed by a family fall festival from 6-8, including pumpkin painting, a petting zoo and food. The event is free and open to the public.
Check out our full calendar listings page for more things to do this weekend and beyond. Did we miss something? Have an event you’d like to share with the East Cobb community? E-mail your calendar listing to: calendar@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll post it ASAP! Here’s more information on how to send your news to East Cobb News!
The Wheeler High School band, marching in the East Cobber parade in September (East Cobb News file photo).
Weather has twice postponed the Cobb-Marietta Marching Band Exhibition this month, and now a new date has been set and the weather should be just fine: This coming Monday, Oct. 30.
The exhibition starts at 7 p.m. at the Walter Cantrell Stadium at McEachern High School, 2400 New Macland Road, Powder Springs.
Monday’s exhibition includes bands from three East Cobb high schools: Lassiter, Sprayberry and Wheeler. Also scheduled to perform are the bands from Hillgrove, McEachern, Osborne and South Cobb.
Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students, and only cash is accepted.
A reminder that the Cobb school calendar for the 2018-20 academic years are slated for adoption tonight.
It’s the last item on the Cobb Board of Education’s regular meeting agenda. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the board room of the Cobb County School District Central Office, 514 Glover Street, Marietta. (here’s a link to the full agenda).
Earlier this month, the board discussed Superintendent Chris Ragsdale’s proposed calendars for the 2018-19 and 2019-2020 years, which would both start on Aug. 1 (previous East Cobb Newspost here).
While there hasn’t been the contentious reaction from school parents or on the board as in previous news, East Cobb school board member Scott Sweeney noted at the work session that he gets a lot of feedback from parents who want a later starting date.
Both proposed calendars have generally the same scheduled breaks—late September in the fall, mid-February in the winter and early April in the spring—as well as the usual Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year’s holiday breaks.
For the 2018-19 proposed calendar, the last day of school would be May 22, and for 2018-19, the final day would be May 20 (The full calendar proposals are attached at the bottom of this post).
Also tonight, the school board will formally recognize both Dickerson Middle School and Dodgen Middle School, which were recently named National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education (previous East Cobb Newspost here).
The board also will honor Dickerson, which was recently given an Award of Excellence in Physical Education by the Georgia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.
A little bit of an editor’s note: I’m in Chicago, attending the LION Publishers conference through the end of the week.
The full name of the organization is the Local Independent Online News Publishers, of which East Cobb News is a member. I joined LION the day I started East Cobb News in July, because it’s a great resource for newcomers to news entrepreneurship like myself.
For nearly three days, around 200 of us will be learning about how to build and sustain local news businesses, supporting the journalism we do with measures to develop revenue streams, master the latest technology and better engage with our readers and communities.
I’ll still be posting stories here over the next few days, so don’t hesitate to contact me with calendar items, news tips, event coverage and photos and questions at wendy@eastcobbnews.com. I might not be able to respond or post right away, because the conference schedule is packed with so many things I need to learn to continue to improve East Cobb News.
This is a new thing that many of us are embarking upon, doing online news similar to how local and small-town newspapers evolved a century or so ago. They were started by people in their communities, and covered only their communities.
While I’ve lived in East Cobb a good deal of my life and have been a journalist for a very long time, I’m new to the business of running a news site. I have a lot of ideas in my aim to make East Cobb News an indispensable source of news, events and information for this community.
But I need to learn from those who have been successful in what one of those publishers refers to as “locally sourced news.” With the holidays just around the corner, I’m especially eager to shift into a higher gear as I develop East Cobb News, and with the support of so many of you. Enjoy the rest of your week, and please stay in touch!
