Wheeler High School Fall 2017 Senior Projects program needs community judges

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Next Thursday, the Wheeler High School Fall 2017 Senior Projects program will be presented and they need what they’re calling “community judges” to help rate those projects.

This is a pretty big affair, according to the judge signup page—formal attire and dinner included. Wheeler High School Fall 2017 Senior Projects

The judges need to show up at the school (375 Holt Road) 5 p.m., with a short training period and the meal, followed by the presentations at 6 p.m. It’s over by 9 p.m.

Thus far they’ve got 136 of 150 needed judges confirmed, and you can sign up right on that link. You don’t have to have any previous training; that will be provided as mentioned above when you arrive.

For information contact Vicki Massey, the community judge coordinator, at: Vicki.massey@cobbk12.org.

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EAST COBB RESTAURANTS UPDATE: Black Swan Tavern, La Novia Taqueria now open

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Black Swan Tavern

Two new East Cobb restaurants we’ve been mentioning in recent weeks finally opened their doors this week.

The Black Swan Tavern (1401 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 128, Merchants Festival Shopping Center), the first Cobb location for the Dunwoody Restaurant Group, is open for lunch and dinner daily, serving up traditional English pub fare, salads, sandwiches and a robust beer menu. Black Swan Tavern

La Novia Taqueria (255 Village Parkway, Paper Mill Village, Suite 330) is open for dinner daily and is the newest venture from the Moxie Burger ownership group, which operates the original location nearby in Paper Mill Village.

Both new places are located in spaces that have seen a number of restaurants come and go. The Black Swan Tavern is where Churchill’s Pub operated for many years. La Novia Taqueria is in space that once was Caffe Fortunato and Valenti’s.

They also are attempting to fill a gap menu-wise. The only other pub-style restaurants in East Cobb are Keegan’s on Shallowford Road at Johnson Ferry Road, and the Rose & Crown Tavern on Powers Ferry Road.

The taqueria concept is getting another go in East Cobb after the closure of Cheeky Taqueria at The Avenue (where Tin Lizzy Cantina is located now). The Taqueria Tsunami group based at the Marietta Square is making plans to convert the old Caribou Coffee location on Johnson Ferry, and recently opened a location in Sandy Springs.

The Taqueria Tsunami group of restaurants also includes Stockyard Burgers and Bones, which is slated to open next spring at The Avenue.

Here’s what the management The Black Swan Tavern says it’s trying to convey with its atmosphere:

“We believe in ‘snugness not smugness’ and want you to feel that this is part of your neighbourhood and after all we all need our ‘local’!”

The hours are 11:30 a.m.-1 a.m. Monday-Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m. Friday-Saturday and 12:30 p.m.-midnight Sunday. Phone is 678-401-5286.

La Novia Taqueria is open 5:30- 9 p.m. seven days a week, phone 678-903-5858. The Moxie Burger group, which has a second East Cobb location on Shallowford Road and another in Roswell, is also stressing the “neighborhood gathering place” theme, ” . . . a place where families and friends of all ages can eat, drink, visit, and relax together.”

The dinner menu features 10 taco variations, including duck and chorizo, and there are soups, salads, full plates, a children’ menu and a drink menu with a variety of margarita options.

 

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Georgia State Senate special election runoff features two Democrats

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A Georgia State Senate seat that includes a small part of East Cobb is heading for a runoff, and two Democrats remain.

Jen Jordan, an Atlanta attorney, got 5,860 votes, or 24 percent, in the special election “jungle” primary in District 6. In the Dec. 5 runoff, she will face Jaha Howard, a Vinings dentist, who got 5,398 votes, or 22 percent.vote logo

Their all-Democratic runoff means the Republicans will lose a seat in the Senate. Incumbent Hunter Hill resigned from the long-held GOP seat, which covers some of Cobb, Buckhead and Sandy Springs, to run for governor.

The East Cobb portion of the district includes an area along Powers Ferry Road. In voting in that precinct, Terrell Mill 1 (Eastvalley Elementary School), Howard got 55 votes (52 percent) to 36 for Jordan (34 percent).

There were municipal elections Tuesday in Austell, Kennesaw, Marietta, Powder Springs and Smyrna, and a few of those races will have runoffs.

Those Dec. 5 runoffs will wind down a busy and dramatic election year that featured the nationally-watched 6th Congressional District special election won by Republican Karen Handel over Democrat Jon Ossoff.

Handel strongly carried Republican-heavy East Cobb, getting 58 percent of the vote.

East Cobb voters also elected a new state senator in Kay Kirkpatrick, a Republican and retired orthopedic surgeon, who succeeds Judson Hill. He ran for Congress and is contemplating a bid for Georgia Insurance Commissioner in 2018.

That will be one of many elections on the ballot next year, as statewide and legislative offices will be decided, in addition to Congressional seats and some state and local judgeships.

There will be a contested election for the District 3 Cobb Board of Commissioners seat in Northeast Cobb held by JoAnn Birrell. Tom Cheek, a civic activist who filed a lawsuit last year against Cobb County and filed an ethics complaint against former Chairman Tim Lee over the Atlanta Braves stadium vote, has announced his intention to run in the Republican primary.

Cheek, who resided in West Cobb, recently moved into the District and has set up a campaign website. Birrell, who is in her second term, has had a fundraising event this fall.

Two East Cobb posts on the Cobb Board of Education will also be on the ballot. They are currently held by Republicans Scott Sweeney of Post 6 (Walton and Wheeler high school districts) and David Chastain of Post 4, which includes the Kell and Sprayberry districts.

 

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EAST COBB REAL ESTATE: Home in new Stone Hall Estates sells for $1.4M

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2815 Stone Hall Drive, East Cobb real estate

The following deeds for recent residential East Cobb real estate sales were filed with the Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s Office Real Estate Department last week. Among the transfers were a $1.4 million sale of a five-bedroom, six-bathroom home covering 6,397 square feet on Stone Hall Drive, in the new Stone Hall Estates community off Roswell Road, between East Piedmont Road and Old Canton Road.

According to the subdivision’s website, home prices in the 18-home neighborhood, which is still under construction, start at $1.3 million.

The addresses are in Marietta ZIP Codes, unless otherwise indicated:

Oct. 30

428 Indian Hills Trail, 30067, $499,000; Lamarro Ventures, LLC to Joan and Michael Myler

3591 Lassiter Road, 30066, $315,000; Wayne Smith to Daniel and Mary Benjamin

5003 Meadow Lane, 30068, $149,000; Mary Ayewoh to Olga Sakharov

2875 Laureate Court, 30066, $330,000; Patrick Abbott to Joel and Wendy Fox

1426 Waterford Green Drive, 30068; Glenn Wilensky to Paul Hartley, $640,000

1315 Timberland Drive, 30067; Ryan Hunt to Paula Hidalgo and Serge Sautre, $465,000

301 Rolling Rock Road, 30067; Barbara Bryant to John and Tiffany Harran, $640,000

270 Pine Valley Road, 30067; Julie McLean to George and Deborah Judd, $875,000

1850 High Trail, Atlanta 30339; Coe Bockmier to Sirva Relation Credit, LLC, $1,000,000

2300 Salem Drive, 30062; Adrian Bairn to Andrew Talman, $265,000

3010 Waterfront Circle, 30062; Mahlon Gregersen to Ryan Gregersen, $275,000

5201 Tealing Drive, Roswell 30075; Marshall Birbrager to Isak and Mandri De Villiers, $460,000

3924 Dunbarton Way, Roswell 30075; Amy Kline to Katherine Ingram, $381,000

3371 Paxton Court, 30066; Obirazilda Almeida to Oscar Cardena, $215,000

1190 Little Acres Place, 30066; Billie Moyer to Christian Albury and Warda Boughilta, $200,000

2592 Bavaria Court, 30062; Lynn Bodenstein to Rodney Bernot, $220,000

Oct. 31

3609 Longfellow Trail, 30062; John and Dawn Hartert to Chad and Sara Taylor, $330,000

1515 Blackwell Road, 30066; Robert Pierson to Craig Forte, $259,900

4935 Surrey Drive, Roswell 30075; Lisa Goodson to Madeline Rodriguez and Ramses Negron, $240,000

2994 Bonaire Glen, 30066; Eric Lundhagen to Mary and Noel Trusty, $517,000

2309 Leacroft Way, 30062; Eric Anderson to Terrence McGovern, $262,000

1431 Cameron Glen Drive, 30062; Kazuhiro Abe to Elroy and Viomy Bell, $432,000

874 Hyde Road, 30068; Henry Klausman to Changill Won, $679,000

1563 Cloverdale Drive, 30067; JB Red Door LLC to Carol Shepherd, $173,000

2238 Winslow Cottage Circle, 30062; Village Green at East Cobb LLC to Mary and James Muster, $469,700

2794 Staunton Drive, 30067; Philip Maske (trustee) to AJ and Kristin Nardone, $185,000

704 Coventry Township Lane, 30062; Clairece Brown to Johnny Myers, $187,500

2563 Willow Field Crossing, 30067; Oaks at Powers Ferry BFP, LLC to James Holcomb Jr. and Jordan Holcomb, $324,000

3361 Shallowford Green Drive, 30062; Robin McMillen to Roan and Riquette Brown, $336,000

Nov. 1

2829 Colleton Drive, 30066; Betty Gurley to Thomas and Myra Reddick, $240,000

1659 Broussard Way, 30066; Kathleen Kavanaugh to Joshua Abels, $313,000

2604 Sunny Lane, 30067; Timothy O’Rourke and Kathleen Dishman to Michael Mondragon, $182,500

4725 Outlook Way, 30066; Roger Millikan to Eric Martinez, $435,000

4620 Jamerson Forest Parkway, 30066; David Smith to Laura Morris, $221,000

969 Brentwood Drive, 30066; Amanda Newman to Georgette Blay, $244,900

2701 Fernvalley Road, 30066; Peggy Pilgrim to Rudy and Dolores Alvarado, $212,000

4527 Mystique Way, Roswell 30075; Ronald Lee to James and Sandra Findlay, $740,000

2815 Stone Hall Drive, 30062; AM & S Enterprises Inc. to Michael and Karen Sileck, $1,413,148

1321 Merrifield Lane, 30062; Andrew Ward to Gregory Brennan and Amanda Wolfe, $361,500

1884 Dior Drive, 30062; BRS Better Neighborhoods Inc. to Linet Montalvan, $237,000

Read more

East Cobb senior living home worker indicted for death of resident

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Sunrise at East Cobb, East Cobb senior living home

A Cobb County grand jury has returned murder and other indictments against a Powder Springs man charged with the death of a resident of an East Cobb senior living home.

Landon Jean Pierre Terrel was arrested in August after Adam Bennett, 91, died after being found badly beaten at the Sunrise of East Cobb facility (1551 Johnson Ferry Road.)

According to media reports, Bennett suffered broken ribs, a lacerated kidney and a punctured lung. He died after being taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, and Terrel was later charged with felony murder and aggravated battery.

The indictments against Terrel, which were posted late last week by the Cobb District Attorney’s Office, include felony murder, elder neglect and elder abuse.

Terrell is being held without bond at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.

Other East Cobb-related indictments from last week include the following:

  • David Sutton Meredith, of Autumn Leaves Lane, 4 counts of child molestation and aggravated child molestation (held without bond);
  • John Joseph Geng Jr., of Water Wheel Court, 2 counts of methamphetamine or amphetamine trafficking, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (held without bond).

 

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East Cobb woman shot and killed by police after making threats

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East Cobb woman shot by police
Cobb Police blocked access to Robin Hood Lane after an officer-involved shooting of a woman who later died. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

Cobb Police said Tuesday afternoon that three officers shot a woman at her East Cobb home after she threatened them while they responded to a suicide call.

The woman, whom police said made an “overt action” with a handgun toward the officers, was transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital and later died.

Cobb Police spokesman Sgt. Dana Pierce said the woman’s name has not been released and that an investigation will be conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is customary in an officer-involved shooting.

Pierce said the Cobb emergency communications center received a 911 call at 12:22 p.m. Tuesday for a home on Robin Hood Place, located off Hood Road and near Roswell Road. He said the call was due to suicide threats.

Four officers arrived at the home and found a 32-year-old woman inside, according to Pierce.

He said the woman left through the front door and returned inside, “and at one point made an overt action” with a handgun, threatening the officers. Three of the four officers then shot her, Pierce said.

The officers were not injured, and Pierce would not elaborate on the woman’s threatening action, saying that’s part of the GBI investigation.

Pierce said the woman’s three-year-old daughter was unharmed, and was with a family member at the time of the incident.

Pierce said this was not the first time police have been called to the home for similar reasons. “We have been at this residence before,” he said. “There’s a history here.”

He didn’t immediately have the dates of those previous incidents.

There was a heavy police presence on Robin Hood Lane.

Pierce said that in addition to the GBI, the Cobb internal affairs division is also investigating the shooting.

 

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East Cobb Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service emphasizes youth community service

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East Cobb Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service

Community service has always been a strong component of the East Cobb Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service held at Temple Kol Emeth.

This year, it’s the featured theme, especially as it pertains to youth, when this year’s service takes place next Thursday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. Kol Emeth is located at 1415 Old Canton Road.

“Dare to Do!” is the theme of the 13th annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service, which will include a special interfaith effort involving Center for Children and Young Adults, a non–profit agency in Marietta providing services for homeless, abused, neglected and at-risk youth.

More than a dozen faith communities in and around East Cobb will take part in the service, which includes music, reflections and post-service fellowship, refreshments and writing on the “Wall of Words.”

The service is free and open to the public, and attendees are asked to bring non-perishable food items to be donated to MUST Ministries.

Carpooling also is encouraged, and overflow parking will be available across the street from Kol Emeth at Eastminster Presbyterian Church (3125 Sewell Mill Road).

The following faith communities will be taking part:

  • Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
  • The Art of Living Foundation
  • Baha’i Faith Center for Learning
  • East Cobb Islamic Center
  • East Cobb United Methodist Church
  • Emerson Unitarian Universalist Congregation
  • Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta
  • Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
  • Interfaith Community Initiatives
  • Islamic Center of Marietta (Al-Hedaya)
  • Temple Kol Emeth
  • Masjid Al-Muminum
  • Pilgrimage United Church of Christ
  • Roswell Community Masjid
  • Sikh Educational Welfare Association
  • Gurudwara Sahib
  • St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church
  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
  • Transfiguration Catholic Church
  • Unity North Atlanta Church

Northeast Cobb residential proposals highlight Planning Commission agenda

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Wigley Road rezoning, Northeast Cobb residential proposals
An old farm-style house on Wigley Road. (East Cobb News file photo)

Last week we wrote about two rezoning applications for Northeast Cobb residential proposals that go to the heart of density disputes.

Those two items are part of a larger agenda to be heard by the Cobb Planning Commission Tuesday that includes other similar applications in the area.

The meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the 2nd floor boardroom of the Cobb BOC Building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta.

The Cobb zoning staff is recommending denial of a proposal to squeeze nearly three single-family units an acre, or 51 homes in all, on 26 acres on Keheley Drive, near Keheley Road and Keheley Elementary School.

That case, Z-74 (agenda item packet), is being opposed by nearby residents, who live in lower-density homes.

The zoning staff initially recommended denial of Z-71 (agenda item packet), which would rezone 13 office and low-density residential acres for higher-density residential for a 45-unit subdivision on Hilltop Drive and Hilltop Circle, off Canton Road.

The rezoning would allow for nearly three and a half units an acre, a density staff said would not be suitable, since lower-density housing surrounds the land. Homes in the adjoining Addison Heights neighborhood are zoned for only 1.5 units an acre.

A number of variances would also be required, as would improvements to Hilltop Drive and Hilltop Circle, which are both described in the staff analysis as “substandard” streets.

However, that case has been continued to December.

Two parcels of land once belonging to the Wigley family in and around Sweat Mountain were scheduled to be heard Tuesday, but one of them, Z-56 (agenda item packet), also is being delayed to December.

That application would rezone 55 acres of undeveloped land plus an old Wigley family home on either side of Wigley Road, north of Summitop Drive, for a single-family subdivision with more than 80 homes. This is the third time the application is being continued.

A nearby application, Z-69 (agenda item packet), would rezone 12 acres at Wigley Road and Jims Drive for 19 homes, and zoning staff is recommending approval with numerous conditions.

The following East Cobb items are included in the Other Business category and will be heard by the Cobb Board of Commissioners Nov. 21:

  • OB-55, by Feroz Ali, a revised site plan for vacant property at 1445 Powers Ferry Road to redevelop a gas station and convenience store adjacent to the Valencia Hills condominium community;
  • OB-57, by St. Clair Holdings, a site plan amendment for 12 high-density residential lots at 1149 Woodlawn Drive, in the Woodlawn Commons neighborhood.

Another major East Cobb zoning case that had been scheduled for November will be heard next month. That’s for the proposed Terrell Mill Towne Center at Terrell Mill and Powers Ferry that will include a Kroger supermarket anchoring shops, restaurants and residential units.

That application goes before the planning commission Dec. 5.

 

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Cobb schools closed Tuesday for local elections, special State Senate race

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Because of Tuesday’s elections, Cobb schools will be closed for classroom and other extracurricular events.

The Cobb County School District calls this a “student holiday,” and it will also be a professional learning day for teachers and staff. Cobb schools closed

Municipal elections are taking place across Georgia, including Marietta (whose schools will be open) and other Cobb cities.

There also is a special election being decided on Tuesday to fill a Georgia State Senate seat that includes a small portion of East Cobb. Here is a sample ballot for that race, which includes five Republicans and three Democrats.

A portion of the Powers Ferry Road corridor, below Terrell Mill Road, is located in the State Senate 6 district. That seat has been vacated by Hunter Hill, who is running for Georgia governor.

The candidates are Republicans Leah Aldridge, Matt Bentley, Kathy Eichenblatt, Charlie Fiveash and Leo Smith and Democrats Jaha Howard, Jen Jordan and Taos Wynn.

The district (map) includes most of Smyrna and the Cumberland area of Cobb and portions of Buckhead and Sandy Springs.

East Cobb’s Eastvalley Elementary School (2570 Lower Roswell Road), will serve as a polling station in the Terrell Mill 1 precinct for the state senate race. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Turnout is expected to be light.

 

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The Art Place employee named customer service award winner

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Pat Bell, a maintenance technician at The Art Place-Mountain View for 13 years, was named the Cobb County Customer Service Award recipient for the third quarter. Here’s more about Pat (pictured in the green shirt) from the Cobb Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department: Pat Bell, The Art Place-Mountain View

He has assisted  hundreds of patrons including directors, light techs, instructors, students, children and seniors. Every interaction Pat has with a patron is genuine and customers love how he is always willing to help. He is responsible for indoor maintenance including a black box theatre, pottery studio, 5 multi-purpose art classrooms, gallery, dressing rooms, conference room and offices. Pat also handles all landscaping and general grounds keeping. With theatre groups, he hangs their theatre curtains and backdrops as well as assisting with light and sound needs and anything else that our user groups may require. Pat is the lead on any set construction that is needed for our in-house productions. Just last year he completed a set for ‘The Wedding Singer,’ ‘Five Women Wearing the Same Dress’ and ‘A Seussified Christmas Carol.’ “

A rainy end to Daylight Savings Time in East Cobb

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Daylight Savings Time
Westbound on Roswell Road, near East Lake Shopping Center. )East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

Rainy weather, including some late-afternoon rain showers, ushered out Daylight Savings Time in East Cobb on Saturday.

The change to Eastern Standard Time, which went into effect at 2 a.m. Sunday, provided an extra hour. But that also means it’s going to get darker earlier.

Temperatures will remain summery for the rest of the weekend and into early this week. Rainy and overcast weather will continue for most of the week, with highs in the mid-to-late 70s through Wednesday.

Temperatures will drop by Wednesday, with highs only in the mid-60s and into the mid-50s on Thursday. Lows will fall to the mid-to-high-50s by the end of the week, with partly sunny weather in the mid-60s by next weekend.

PHOTOS: 32nd annual Lassiter Craft Fair

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Lassiter Craft Fair

More than 100 vendors selling holiday gifts, ornaments and decorations and a wide variety of crafts were spread out in the gymnasium and cafeteria Saturday for the first day of the 32nd annual Lassiter Craft Show.

It’s among the first of the many local gift and craft shows during the holiday season; check our holiday-related calendar listings for more (Send your holiday items to: calendar@eastcobbnews.com).

Lassiter Craft Fair
Lamps made of beer and wine bottles. East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker

The fair, which continues at the school (2601 Shallowford Road) Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., is a fundraiser for the Lassiter Band programs. In addition to Christmas-oriented items, local vendors were selling novelties, handbags, toys, clothing, gift items, handbags, jewelry, quilted materials, towels and kitchenwares, soaps and candles and more.

Admission is free, and there also are concessions and a bake sale, as well as Lassiter Band and other gear for purchase, with proceeds also going to the band programs.

 

 

Lassiter Craft Fair

 

Lassiter Craft Fair

 

Lassiter Craft Fair

 

Lassiter Craft Fair

 

Lassiter Craft Fair

 

Lassiter Craft Fair

 

Lassiter Craft Fair

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Community Garden planned at East Cobb’s Hyde Farm

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Hyde Farm

From Cobb County Government:

The Hyde brothers were the last in a long line of family farmers in what was rural East Cobb County. The Hyde property, located at the end of the road named for them, Hyde Road, runs off Lower Roswell Road. It is now owned by Cobb County government who have allocated a piece of land and have partnered with the Cobb Master Gardeners to create the brand new Hyde Farm Community Garden. The space is completely fenced with irrigation available and will be comprised of 40 garden plots measuring 4 ft. by 8 ft. each.

“It will be a fantastic space for our community! We believe community gardens really connect people to their food, their land and each other,” says Master Gardener Randy Threatte.

Plots will be filled with excellent planting soil from SuperSo Soil3 and will be ready for planting winter crops and herbs around Thanksgiving. Plots are available to rent at a cost of $50/year for a 12-month growing season from March 1 through February 28. The first gardeners renting will get an added advantage of an additional free 3 months as the first rental year will run from November 2017 through February 2019. Two handicap accessible raised beds are available as well as two beds with priority to veterans. Reservations may be made on a first come first serve basis by contacting Master Gardener Randy Threatte at 404-431-3112 or threatte@bellsouth.net. Educational gardening and seed starting classes will also be held at the property – free and open to the public.

East Cobb football update: Pope, Kell join Walton in state playoffs; Lassiter waits

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Pope football, East Cobb football

There will be at least three East Cobb football teams in the Georgia High School Association state playoffs next week.

There could be a fourth, Lassiter, which lost to Etowah Friday night and could be selected for an at-large berth in Class AAAAAAA.

Walton clinched the Region 7-AAAAAAA title Friday with a 42-37 win at home over Woodstock, giving the Raiders a perfect 10-0 record in the regular season.

That’s only the third time in Walton school history that has happened. The Raiders will play at home next Friday in the first round of the state playoffs against North Cobb.

East Cobb football
Tab Griffin of Pope, Brett Sloan of Kell and Daniel Brunner of Walton have led their teams into the state playoffs as first-year head coaches. (East Cobb News file photo)

Kell lost to Hiram 52-37 at home but still clinched a playoff berth in the Class AAAAA playoffs. The Longhorns, who finished 5-5 in the regular season, will play at Flowery Branch.

The most unlikely East Cobb football story this season is Pope High School, which had won just three games in the past two seasons. The Greyhounds got off to a sluggish start, losing their first three games.

Pope came into Friday’s game against Northview on a two-game losing streak, but rolled to an easy 41-22 win to qualify for the state playoffs for the first time since 2012. The Greyhounds will take a losing record—4-6—into next Friday’s Class AAAAAA first round game at Dacula.

Lassiter could have cemented a playoff berth in Class AAAAAAA but lost at Etowah 29-20 to finish the regular season with a 6-4 record. The Trojans await word on whether they’ll be selected as an at-large team.

The three East Cobb football teams that have clinched playoff spots also have something else in common. They’re coached by first-year head coaches, which was one of the leading storylines heading into the season.

Walton’s Daniel Brunner had been an assistant for the Raiders and was elevated to head coach after Mo Dixon resigned to take a coaching job in south Georgia. Another Walton assistant, Brett Sloan, was hired to succeed Derek Cook at Kell.

Tab Griffin’s task at Pope was considered the biggest job of all. He was a former Greyhounds player and Pope graduate who was hired in the summer after coaching at Mt. Paran Christian School.

Two other East Cobb teams ended their seasons Friday on a down note. Sprayberry, also coached by a first-year coach, former Yellow Jackets player Brett Vavra, lost to Sequoyah 38-28 and finished 2-8 on the year.

So did the Wheeler Wildcats, a playoff last year who lost 51-37 to Pebblebrook.

 

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EAST COBB FALL PHOTOS: The look, if not always the feel, of autumn

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Gant Quarters Drive, East Cobb fall photos
Gant Quarters Drive, off Lower Roswell Road

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 Drive, Weatherstone, East Cobb fall photos
Willow Glenn Drive
Hampton Lake Drive, East Cobb fall photos
Hampton Lake Drive
Indian Hills Parkway, East Cobb fall photos
Indian 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.East Cobb Park, East Cobb fall photos

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.

 

EAST COBB WEEKEND EVENTS: Lassiter Craft Fair and holiday markets; baby fair; community piano; and more

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Lassiter Craft Fair, East Cobb Weekend Events

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 Piano, East Cobb Weekend Events
    “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.

Have a great weekend!

East Cobb schools pace county results in 2017 CCRPI test scores

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Timber Ridge Elementary School, East Cobb schools, CCRPI
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:

  • Overall achievement comprising 50 percent (based on Georgia Milestones Assessment System);
  • 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).

Students at all three K-12 levels are tested, and the full state CCRPI results are available at the Georgia Department of Education website.

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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Dodgen and Dickerson recognized for National Blue Ribbon school status

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Dodgen and Dickerson

In late September both Dickerson and Dodgen middle schools were named National Blue Ribbon Schools by 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 teachers Rebecca Johson, Tara Thieme, Jackie Roche, Jennifer Attard, Maureen McLaughlin, Megan Lankes, Natalie Cornwell and 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.

Dodgen and Dickerson

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 teachers Maureen McLaughlin, Megan Lankes, Natalie Cornwell, Duane Perozzi and Drew Starnes. 

Black Swan Tavern opening delayed to next week

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Black Swan Tavern

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!”

Projected Cobb budget deficit for FY 2019 grows to $30 million

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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.

Mike Boyce, tax millage increase
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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