Draft proposals for the 2018-19 and 2019-2020 Cobb school calendars have been released, and they will be discussed at Wednesday’s school board work session.
The two proposals submitted by the Cobb County School District administration for board consideration both include Aug. 1 start dates. Those dates are on a Wednesday for 2018-19 and a Thursday for 2019-20. This would be a departure for Cobb schools, which typically have had the first day fall on a Monday.
After some parental outcry this year, when classes began on July 31 and prompted a petition drive (previous East Cobb Newspost here), the proposed Cobb school calendars for the next two academic years would revert to starting in the first week of August, which has been the case in recent years.
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 school board adoption of the calendars is expected at their Oct. 26 business meeting.
The work session (full agenda packet here) on Wednesday begins at 8:30 a.m. in the board room of the CCSD Central Office, 514 Glover Street. The meeting also can be seen live on Comcast Cable Channel 24 and Cobb edTV.
Because of rainy weather, the Cobb County School District-Marietta Marching Band Exhibition scheduled for tonight at McEachern High School has been pushed back to Oct. 23.
The Wheeler, Sprayberry and Lassiter bands were scheduled to take part in the event, which also has an Oct. 16 slate at McEachern that includes the Kell, Walton and Pope bands.
Here’s more from the CCSD on the exhibition, which includes guest performances from the Kennesaw State and UGA band.
The Sage Woodfire Tavern Windy Hill (3050 Windy Hill Road) opened for business last month (previous East Cobb Newspost here), but an official ribbon-cutting event is slated for Oct. 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The ribbon-cutting was rescheduled; the special guests include District 2 Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott, CBS 46 Meteorologist Ella Dorsey and former Georgia Bulldog/Miami Dolphin Randy McMichael.
“Our priority is to insure that our guests feel like an honored visitor in my family’s home,” said James Liakakos, President of Sage Woodfire Tavern restaurants.
After the ribbon-cutting, the restaurant will re-open to the public for normal dinner service at 3:30 p.m.
Sage Woodfire Tavern Windy Hill has a general dining room capacity of 250 and a private dining room that seats 70 for business meetings, family celebrations and other special uses.
Restaurants in the Powers Ferry Road area have had a tough go in recent years. The Sage Woodfire Tavern is located in the former Houston’s Restaurant space that’s been vacant since early 2013.
Down the street, Sal Grosso’s and TGI Friday’s have been closed; only Rose & Crown Tavern, which opened in 2010, remains in that vicinity.
What has changed is the arrival of SunTrust Park, which is drawing restaurants to the area, not just to The Battery complex adjacent to the stadium.
At a town hall meeting in August (East Cobb Newspost here), East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott said he was reviewing operations at the East Cobb Government Service Center to find cost savings.
That was in response to a proposal by East Cobb’s other commissioner, JoAnn Birrell, to close the East Cobb Library (which didn’t happen when the commission adopted the FY 2018 budget a couple weeks ago), and due to a $21 million budget gap.
The review has been complete, and Ott said on Friday that he is proposing a restructuring of the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road) that he will present formally at a commission meeting Tuesday.
In his weekly e-mail newsletter, Ott said he is recommending to close the business office only at the government center (where you pay property taxes and water bills and apply for business licenses).
Everything else will remain open—the Cobb police and fire precincts, the community rooms and the tag office. In his proposed changes, Ott wants to transfer the services provided at the business office (except for the water bills) across the hall to the tag office. Here’s what he’s sharing with the public for now:
“As a result of discussions between staff and Carla Jackson, Cobb County Tax Commissioner, those services will be available in the tag office. So, if you pay your property taxes or renew your business license at the government center you will still be able to just in a different location. Some have expressed concerns about potential lines and wait times. This year when I renewed my vehicle registration there were only three people in the line so I don’t anticipate long lines after the restructuring.  “The only service which will not be available at the tag office is paying your water bill. Currently, there are approximately 150 people using that service which makes it hard to justify $200,000 in expenses. Additionally, everyone can pay their water bill online if they don’t want to mail in their payment.
“As you can see, for most in East Cobb the restructuring will mean little change.”
There is a proposal at Tuesday’s commission meeting to divert nearly $95,000 from the government service center operations to fund increased operating expenses of the soon-to-open Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center.
The agenda item (pp. 238-240) includes the addition of one full-time and five part-time staff for the new facility, which is replacing the East Marietta Library and is slated to open in December. There also are four new staff positions listed under the Cobb Parks and Recreation budget for cultural center operations.
The commissioners did not include funding for the new library when they adopted the budget, saying they would return to resolve the issue this month. The transfer of $94,491 from the government service center budget would make the proposed new library funding total $284,227 for FY 2018.
The 9th annual Oktoberfest takes place Saturday at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. (East Cobb News file photo)
Fall is officially here, and it’s starting to look—and feel—like it. Fall festivals, homecoming football games and a special rendition of a Broadway classic are all on tap in East Cobb weekend events, and there’s so much more.
Football Friday: It’s homecoming for the Pope Greyhounds and Walton Raiders, who kick off their games at 7:30 p.m. Lassiter is home to Roswell in a big region game, and both schools are observing Breast Cancer Awareness Month and a new program at Lassiter to provide education and support for suicide prevention efforts. Wheeler and Sprayberry are on the road, and Kell has the week off;
Fall School Festivals Get Started: October is a big month for school festivals, which are held by PTAs and foundations to raise funds for a variety of school programs. This Friday, the Sedalia Park Elementary School Fall Festival & Art Show (2230 Lower Roswell Road) runs from 5-8 p.m., and we’ll have more news about other school festivals as the month goes on;
Run for Habitat: Bright and early Saturday (about 7:30 a.m.), Mt. Bethel UMC (4385 Lower Roswell Road) will hold its Habitat Run fundraiser, with proceeds going for the church’s 9th Habitat for Humanity project. There will be award winner trophies, live music, a silent auction and refreshments, and race day registration starts at 6:30 a.m.;
Oompah, Brats and Beer: Oktoberfest is in its 9th year at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (2922 Sandy Plains Road), from 10 a.m to 7 p.m. Saturday, and as Lutherans celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Traditional German food and drink, Polka music, face-painting, horseshoes, a petting zoo and a church tour are all on the schedule once again. Overflow parking is next door at the Skip Wells Post Office;
Take a bow, please: CenterStage North and The Mountain View Arts Alliance are teaming up for another run of a Broadway (and in this case Hollywood) favorite, starting Friday and continuing through Sunday and again next weekend. “The Rainmaker” starts at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at The Art Place-Mountain View (3330 Sandy Plains Road);
Pumpkin Patches in full swing: 3 East Cobb Methodist churches are having their pumpkin patch sales all October, and they’ve got some special events coming up soon. The proceeds from the sales at East Cobb UMC, Mt. Zion UMC and St. Andrew UMC benefit church activities and get the Halloween season off to a festive start. We’ll be posting Halloween events at this link all month; please send your event so we can include it (e-mail address listed below).
Did we miss anything? Do you have anything to add? By all means, let us know, and we’ll post your information. Submit what you’ve got to calendar@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll get it up toute de suite.
Thanks for reading East Cobb News, and have a great weekend!
Proceeds from the East Cobb UMC Pumpkin Patch support the Boy Scouts Troop 435. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
A few of the Methodist churches in the area are just now receiving their pumpkin supplies as the Halloween season approaches. East Pumpkin Patches are underway at three of the usual locations through Halloween Day, on Oct. 31.
At East Cobb UMC (2325 Roswell Road), the pumpkin patch is open from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The proceeds support Boy Scout Troop 435, and for more information you can visit the troop’s website and Facebook page. In addition to a basic pumpkin, suitable for pie-making and jack-o-lantern carving, the East Cobb UMC spread also has the following:
“Pie pumpkins, wee bees, red, green, and grey Indian, warted pumpkins, small, big, and bigger, captains, and just good ol’ carving pumpkins. Oh . . . and a carving contest where you can enter to win the $10,000 national prize.”
At Mt. Zion UMC (1770 Johnson Ferry Road), the patch is open from 12 p.m.-7:30 p.m. weekdays and 9:30 a.m.-7:3) p.m. on Saturday, through Oct. 31. On Oct. 14, the church is holding a Party in the Patch from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. with trick or treats, games, and a lunch for purchase. That event is sponsored by the Mt. Zion Youth Group and Evangelism Team.
The following week, on Oct. 21, Mt. Zion is holding a Movie in the Patch from 7:30 p.m.-10 p.m. featuring “Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin” and “Hocus Pocus.” Bring chairs and a blanket; popcorn and lemonade are provided and no RSVP is required.
At St. Andrew UMC (3455 Canton Road) the “Pumpkin Church” patch hours are from 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 12-8 p.m. Sunday.
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We’re just getting started with our compilation of Halloween events, leading into the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year Holiday seasons.
If you have events you’d like to share with the East Cobb community—holiday or not—we’ll be glad to post them. E-mail us at calendar@eastcobbnews and we’ll add them to our calendar listings. Feel free to send photos, flyers and of course contact information as East Cobb News aims to make our calendar listings the best around!
You can also send breaking news and news tips anytime—check out our submission guidelinesfor more information.
On Friday Lassiter High School (2601 Shallowford Road) will embark upon a new effort to provide information to and support for students regarding issues about suicide prevention.
That program, “Sources of Strength,” begins at 7:30 a.m., with teachers and staff offering support with signs bearing positive messages and handing out purple-colored doughnuts to students as they arrive for the school day.
Sources of Strength is a nationwide non-profit organization providing support and education for youth and teen suicide prevention and awareness efforts.
Purple is the official color of organizations devoted to suicide prevention and on Friday night, the awareness campaign continues at Lassiter’s home football game against Roswell. The Trojans will kick off against the Hornets at 7:30 p.m., and Lassiter officials have invited their Roswell counterparts to join in a show of support for the program.
A total of 45 Lassiter students, teachers, administrators, counselors and other staff underwent training in the Sources of Strength program to learn help-seeking behaviors and promote connections between peers and caring adults.
Last month a 16-year-old Roswell High School student was found unconscious near the school ground and later died in a suspected suicide.
Lassiter is also observing Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, and is asking fans attending the football game to wear pink clothing in a “Pink Out.” Staff will toss out pink and purple confetti at the game.
Nearly 50 East Cobb businesses were represented Wednesday at the 2nd East Cobb Business Association Expo at the Olde Towne Athletic Club.
In addition to receiving business cards, brochures and other items for “swag bags,” attendees at the expo engaged in a relaxed and informal networking event.
Attendees purchased raffle tickets for giveaways, with the proceeds going to the ECBA’s upcoming public safety appreciation dinner (previous East Cobb News post here).
The ECBA is also offering year-end membership specials ($95 for 2018, with free membership for October, November and December 2017). The deadline to sign up is Dec. 31. For information contact ECBA Membership Chair Pam Oldaker at pam@powerofpam.com or 770-354-0243.
The ECBA expo’s corporate sponsors were Olde Towne Athletic Club and Brand Bank, and the following businesses had tables:
Jim Harris of Money Concepts hands out door prizes, with the proceeds from raffle tickets benefitting the ECBA’s Public Safety Appreciation Dinner. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
Cobb Financial Planners
Money Concepts
Movie Tavern
WellStar East Cobb Health Park
East Cobb Travel
Vann Whipple Milligan, P.C
Restor-It
Your Tax CFO
Aegis Alarm & Integration
Fidelity Bank
Houston Hall Publishers
Thrive Wellness Center
Mozley, Finlayson & Loggins, L.L.P.
Bethea Insurance Group
Atlanta I.D.
Erickson Technical
Atlanta Communities
Pam Oldaker Real Estate
Seniors Helping Seniors
Astrology Source
Innova Brain Rehabilitation
J & M Roofing
TC Productions
Carpet For Less
Saint Leo University
Wine Shop at Home
Online Technology Associates
Allstate Greg Cavellier Agency
The Solana East Cobb
Minuteman Press
And Thou Shalt Read
Reinhardt University
Farmers Insurance
East Cobber magazine
The Current Hub magazine
North American Health Plans
Honest-1 Auto Care
State Farm Ron Sprouse Agency
Zija International
The East Cobb Business Association holds monthly luncheons, after-hours networking and other events and is involved in various community projects. The next luncheon is Oct. 17 at Indian Hills Country Club (registration here).
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today (Oct. 4) applauded committee passage of legislation he cosponsored to continue the state Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP, for five years.
The bipartisan Keeping Kids’ Insurance Dependable and Secure Act, S.1827, also transitions CHIP to its traditional federal-state partnership over time and provides additional protections for low-income children and flexibility for states.Â
During his opening remarks, Isakson reiterated his commitment to ensuring payments to safety-net hospitals are extended before the end of the year. Isakson highlighted the negative impact to Georgia hospitals if payments to disproportionate-share hospitals that treat uninsured patients in Georgia are reduced. Under the current Affordable Care Act law, payments to safety-net hospitals are now eligible to be cut unless Congress acts to keep the payments at current levels.
“In Georgia, that’s going to be a loss of $780 million over seven years to our most needy hospitals,” said Isakson. “It’s going to mean people most in need of health care are not going to have it there. The [Affordable Care Act’s] promise was that everyone would be insured, so disproportionate-share payments would be withdrawn.”
These safety-net hospitals receive some federal funding through Medicaid and CHIP for accepting low-income patients, but Obamacare would begin withdrawing these payments in 2018 under the flawed premise that all individuals receiving hospital care would have insurance.
“Our experience has found that not to be true,” said Isakson. “These hospitals are treating people and not being compensated, and if we continue to reduce DSH [disproportionate-share hospital] payments, we’ll see that many hospitals that are open today will not be open. So I will be working between now and the end of the year, hopefully with all of you, to extend the [current] DSH payments for two more years, at least until 2018 and 2019.”
At today’s committee vote on the CHIP legislation, Isakson filed two amendments to the Keeping Kids’ Insurance Dependable and Secure Act to extend DSH payments for 2018 and 2019 and to provide greater fairness for hospitals in states such as Georgia that have a high uninsured population. Although the amendments could not be attached to the CHIP measure under the Finance Committee’s rules, Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, committed to working in the weeks ahead on extending other health care programs with expiring authorizations.
The Keeping Kids’ Insurance Dependable and Secure Act, passed the Senate Committee on Finance by a voice vote and now moves to the full Senate for consideration.Â
The Keeping Kids’ Insurance Dependable and Secure Act would:
Extend the Children’s Health Insurance Program funding through fiscal year 2022;
Maintain the federal matching rate at current statutory levels through fiscal year 2019, change to 11.5 percent for fiscal year 2020, and return to a traditional matching rate for fiscal years 2021 and 2022;
Create protections and flexibility under the maintenance-of-effort provision.Â
Carrie Bartelme, George Bartelme, Fore the Cure co-chair Kathy Bovey Bartelme and co-chair Chad Bartelme at the 2016 event. (Submitted photos)
For the third year, the Fore the Cure Golf Tournament will take place Oct. 30 at Indian Hills Country Club, and donations and sponsorships are being sought.
The day-long event—which will be held rain or shine—is a fundraiser for the Atlanta-based It’s The Journey, a non-profit that promotes breast health and funds breast cancer programs.
Fore the Cure was started in 2015 by East Cobb residents Kathy Bovey Bartelme and her friend Helen Hvizdak, who were were looking for a local breast cancer organization to support.
“We love that It’s The Journey is a small organization making a big impact in our community,” Bartelme said. “They have raised $13 million since 2002 to support everything from breast exams, to biopsies, to research, all right here in Georgia. As a breast cancer survivor, it meant a lot to me find an organization that was helping the women and men in my community in meaningful, tangible ways.”
Fore the Cure has raised $96,000 in its first two golf outing events, and last year 164 people took place.
The Oct. 30 event starts with registration at 8 a.m. and a shotgun start at 9:30 am. The cost is $125 per person and includes cart, 18 holes of golf, lunch, and prizes for golf challenges.
Individual, foursome, and corporate sponsorships are available as well as donations for the silent auction and in-kind gifts. In previous tournaments, players have consisted of both members/non-members of Indian Hills as well as men and women.
There will also be a silent auction, which is open to the public to attend. Items for auction include golf packages, sports memorabilia, original artwork, themed gift baskets, and more.
For information and to register, click here for a sign-up flyer with details that include sponsorship packages, handicap scores and more.
Marietta Police said Tuesday they apprehended a suspect wanted for a shoplifting incident in Cherokee County and who dragged a police officer there outside a retail store.
Amy Ridge, of Marietta, was arrested Wednesday afternoon near Barnes Mill Road and Merritt Road, according to Marietta Police.
Woodstock Police said Ridge has been charged with aggravated assault on an officer, shoplifting, fleeing and attempting to elude and other charges, and is in the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center.
Police said they received a call Wednesday afternoon of a shoplifting at a Kohl’s store in Woodstock. According to police, the suspect was in her car when an officer approached. He was hit by a car door as she fled and was treated on the scene for minor injuries, according to police.
The Cobb Planning Commission is recommending approval of a rezoning that would create a major commercial complex on the site of the former Mountain View Elementary School.
Although some nearby residents were seeking a delay, the commission voted 5-0 on Tuesday for a plan (packet item here) that would change the zoning category on Sandy Plains Road from R-20 (many schools are zoned on residential land) to CAC (community activity center).
The 13.8-acre development would include seven separate buildings for restaurants, retail shops, banks and a grocery store. The complex, which would exceed 100,000 square feet, is being developed by Brooks Chadwick Capital LLC of East Cobb and Jeff Fuqua, a private developer.
Residents living in the adjacent Hunters Lodge neighborhood were concerned about the reduction of the hill on which the former school sat affecting their sight lines, and some were opposed because they say the area already has enough businesses of the kind being proposed.
But Trish Steiner of the East Cobb Civic Association said the organization voted unanimously to support the rezoning.
“We realize this is difficult for the neighbors to accept change,” she said. “However, we believe this application is appropriate.
Kevin Moore, an attorney for the applicants, said a full site plan hasn’t been completed because of possible changes in the final building design, depending on what businesses locate there. He said he couldn’t divulge which specific businesses are interested in the new development.
“When they sign the lease, that’s when things get set in stone,” Moore said. “We’re confident where we are with the placement of the buildings.”
Moore said the developer’s agreements to provide several buffers—50 feet of undisturbed buffers, a landscape buffer and a wall—will not change.
Those stipulations are final, he said: “We wanted to be transparent up front . . . to show the guardrails” between the development and the neighborhood.
Planning commission member Judy Williams, who represents District 3, said she also understands the opposition, but “the community has changed since the subdivision was built. I think they came up with a good plan.”
The Cobb Board of Commissioners will decide that case on Oct. 17.
Several municipalities and a special election to fill a vacant Georgia State Senate seat are on the Cobb 2017 elections ballot. The deadline to register is next Tuesday, Oct. 10 for the Nov. 7 elections.
The elections include the Ward 7 race in the City of Marietta, which contains a sliver of East Cobb. 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.
East Cobb also contains some of Marietta’s Ward 6, but that election was cancelled because only one candidate, current council member Michelle Cooper Kelly, qualified to run. Here’s the full notice of cancellation, including East Cobb-area precincts that will not be open on Nov. 7.
Here’s a list of qualified candidates in running in Marietta municipal elections.
Voters already registered and who live in those areas don’t have to do anything. Those wishing to sign up who haven’t done so can complete the process by clicking the Georgia Secretary of State’s website.
Other Cobb cities with elections include Austell, Kennesaw, Powder Springs and Smyrna.
There are no Cobb, state or federal elections this year for East Cobb voters, aside from the special state senate election.
The front portion of residential property at Lower Roswell Road and Bermuda Drive that’s up for higher density rezoning. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
Tucked away on a cul-de-sac street off Lower Roswell Road, not far from the clatter of the East Cobb Pipeline Project and featuring some lush and ample residential elbow room, lies the Bermuda Drive neighborhood.
More formally it’s known as the Carter subdivision, named after the homebuilder who constructed nine ranch-style homes on big lots in the early 1960s. This was just before East Cobb went from rural to suburban, and as developers were still maintaining something of a pastoral atmosphere for new properties.
Several residents have been there nearly as long as the subdivision (located just across Lower Roswell from Holy Family Catholic Church), and some are related to one another. To say that the Bermuda Drive neighborhood is a tight-knit one is an understatement.
“It’s a community, not just a street,” said Elaine Dover, who’s lived in her home on Bermuda Drive for 44 years.
Yet like many East Cobb neighborhoods, Bermuda Drive isn’t immune to a rapid, explosive new wave of residential building that emphasizes density over just about anything else. When a 2.172-acre tract of land at the entrance to her community was proposed for rezoning, Dover and her neighbors were concerned.
R-15 communities are nearby, but not contiguous, to the Bermuda Drive neighborhood.
The rezoning (here’s the agenda item information) is being sought by Rabin Dayani, an established developer in the area. He wants to change the current R-20 zoning to R-15 to build five two-story homes on the land.
Dayani wants not only bigger houses (with a minimum of 2,500 square feet) than what’s on Bermuda Drive, they also would be on higher density land than what’s nearby. He could build four homes on the land under the present zoning category, which would have been fine with the Bermuda Drive neighborhood.
According to the Cobb zoning staff (which is recommending denial), the land was initially zoned for two lots in 1959.
When Dover and others spoke in opposition to the rezoning Tuesday before the Cobb Planning Commission, they used word “precedent” often. It’s a word that has come up frequently in recent East Cobb zoning cases, as residents have seen higher-density many residential and commercial projects proposed near their communities. Some have been approved, others have not, but in so many cases, the battle that’s being fought is quite often over precedent.
Even if it’s a difference over one house, as is the case in the Bermuda Drive neighborhood.
Developer’s rendering of five homes with access to Bermuda Drive. Current zoning would allow up to four homes.
“We feel it will set a precedent in this area,” said Jill Flamm of the East Cobb Civic Association, who also spoke in opposition before the planning commission. “R-20 is suitable for new development in this area.”
Dover submitted a petition to the planning commission, saying that reducing density from R-20 would open up the Bermuda Drive neighborhood “to a negative precedent.”
The planning commission—which is an advisory board appointed by the Cobb Board of Commissioners—agreed, and voted to deny Dayani’s proposal by a 5-0 vote. Mike Terry, the planning commission chairman who represents District 2 in East Cobb, said at first he didn’t think the rezoning would draw much opposition. But he heard plenty from Bermuda Drive homeowners, and read excerpts from e-mails he’s received.
Terry said the neighbors aren’t anti-growth, but favor “smart” growth that complies with the land use plan and isn’t dramatically out of step with existing residences.
“They’re not saying don’t build here, but let’s leave the current zoning and build four quality homes,” Terry said. “I think four will be fine, but five is out of character. We need to protect the character of the neighborhood.”
Terry encouraged Dayani to revise his proposal before before Cobb commissioners have the final say on Oct. 17.
Ever wanted to learn more about local businesses in East Cobb, especially those that are involved in community activities?
The East Business Association expo takes place Wednesday, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Olde Towne Athletic Club (4950 Olde Towne Parkway), and is free for the public to attend.
It’s the second year for the event, which kicked off in 2016 at the WellStar East Cobb Health Park.
Local businesses purchase tables with information, demonstrations, goodie bags and other items for visitors to take with them. Although there is no charge to the public for the expo, registration is recommended and can be done online at this link.
The expo, which also includes a networking event, will have drawings, giveaways, free food and more. A portion of the proceeds from the expo will go toward the ECBA’s public safety appreciation award dinner later this month (previous East Cobb News post here).
The ECBA, which meets monthly and has other networking events, incorporates public and community service projects into its mission. The luncheons take place the 3rd Tuesday of each month at Indian Hills Country Club. For more information, visit the ECBA website.
Josh Taylor of Cobb EMS and Steve Hammond of the Cobb Police Department. Photo submitted by Cobb Chamber of Commerce.
Several Cobb public safety personnel were recognized Monday by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce at its annual Public Safety Appreciation breakfast.
Public safety staffers from Cobb EMS, sheriff’s and police, in addition to those from various city public safety agencies, were honored.
Two winners of the chamber’s Award of Merit are Josh Taylor of the Cobb Emergency and Medical Services Department and Steve Hammond of the Cobb Police Department. This award goes to recipients who, through their “acts of courage, demonstrat[e] genuine care and concern for the citizens of the community and go above and beyond the call of duty, often resulting in a life being saved. Taylor and Hammond formed a Tactical First Aid Department in 2012 to improve medical care for wounded individuals at crime and accident scenes. Here’s the Chamber’s description of how this program has evolved:
“The Tactical First Aid Program provided the department with the training and equipment needed to treat extremity wounds, penetrating chest trauma and airway obstructions. In 2013, Capt. Taylor began conducting training sessions to prepare the department for usage. Today, the program is fully operational and all Cobb County Police Officers receive this lifesaving training, are receiving CPR and basic medical training and are using these radical practices to save lives daily.
“Since the program’s inception, there has been a 74 percent survival rate when officers utilize the training and equipment provided by Capt. Taylor and Det. Hammond. Today, 23 citizens are alive because of the foresight, dedication and teamwork of Capt. Taylor and Det. Hammond to develop such a lifesaving, essential program.”
Mark Blesener of Cobb EMS was given the Medal of Valor, which goes to an individual for an act of bravery in a life-threatening situation. Here’s the story behind that:
Mark Blesener, Cobb EMS. Photo submitted by Cobb Chamber of Commerce.
“For the past 10 years of his life, firefighter Mark Blesener has committed himself to serving the Cobb community and keeping it safe. All 10 of those years have been served with the Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services. Blesener is known for his professionalism and fearlessness. On September 18, 2016 Blesener responded to an emergency response call of a hypothermic woman on the Chattooga River in Rabun County. When Blesener, along with others from the unit, arrived at the scene by helicopter, he was lowered to the rock where the affected woman was, assisted her into the rescue basket and quickly wrapped her in warm layers. Once safely in the helicopter, the woman was given medical attention.
“Blesener is commended for his bravery and bold response to this dangerous and daring rescue. Because of his quick thinking and fearlessness, that woman’s life was saved that day and she has made a full recovery.”
As part of Public Safety Appreciation Month in Cobb County, the East Cobb Business Association is holding a dinner for Cobb Police Precinct 4 staff this month. Fundraising is continuing, and if you’re interested in helping out, here’s a previous East Cobb Newspost explaining their efforts.
After being delayed from consideration last month, a proposal to redevelop the former Mountain View Elementary School site into a mixed commercial complex will be heard Tuesday by the Cobb Planning Commission.
The meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor meeting room of the Cobb BOC Building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta. The meeting can be seen live on CobbTV (Comcast Cable Channel 23) or live-streamed on the Cobb government website (link here).
The zoning application Z-053-2017 (link to packet item here) is being submitted by Brooks Chadwick Capital, LLC, which is proposing to convert the 13.8-acre site on Sandy Plains Road near Shallowford Road from residential (R-20) to CRC (community retail center). Brooks Chadwick and Jeff Fuqua, a private developer, are planning a facility that would include retail shops, banks, restaurants and possibly a supermarket.
Their plans call for 103,000 square feet of developable commercial space and around 600 parking lots.
The reason the land is zoned residential is because that’s the zoning category for most school properties. The sale of the land to the developers by the Cobb County School District is contingent upon rezoning.
In the zoning application, Brooks Chadwick indicated the proposed commercial complex would have daily opening hours as follows:
6 a.m. to 2 a.m., for the restaurants;
7 a.m. to 12 a.m. for the grocery store;
7 a.m. to 10 p.m. for retail.
The Cobb zoning staff is recommending approval, with the following conditions:
a deceleration lane for each entrance on Sandy Plains Road;
installing a flashing yellow arrow for left turn movements at the existing signal;
developer contribute 100 percent of the cost for traffic signal modifications;
keeping inter-parcel access between the development and Mountain View Community Center.
Another major rezoning application in East Cobb is being delayed again. That’s an application by SSP Blue Ridge, LLC, which wants to rezone 21 acres at the northwest intersection of Terrell Mill Road at Powers Ferry Road for a commercial and residential development anchored by a Kroger superstore (agenda packet here).
First submitted in July, Z-012-2017 is being continued by Cobb zoning staff until November (previous East Cobb News story here).
Here’s the full agenda packet for Tuesday’s meeting. The Cobb Board of Commissioners zoning hearing is Oct. 17.
Official U.S. Health and Human Services Department portrait of Tom Price.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price resigned on Friday afternoon following reports that he spent several hundred thousand dollars at taxpayers’ expense flying charter planes, sometimes for personal as well as government business.
Price is a Roswell Republican who represented East Cobb in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2006 until his appointment in February by President Donald Trump.
He is the first Trump cabinet member to step down from his position, although the administration has been unsettled by several firings and resignations within high levels of the White House staff.
Price served less than eight months in that role. He was succeeded in Congress by Karen Handel, who won a June special election against Democrat Jon Ossoff in what’s been regarded the most expensive U.S. House race in history.
Last week Politicofirst reported about Price’s plane travel, leading off with a government-funded trip to St. Simons Island, on the Georgia coast, for a medical conference. In all, Politico reported, Price took at least 26 trips on charter aircraft, which are far more expensive than commercial planes.
On Thursday Price said he would partially reimburse the federal government for his plane usage, which included military aircraft, reportedly after Trump expressed displeasure with the news.
Price, who also served in the Georgia State Senate, was an orthopedic physician before his political career in Washington.
A former House Budget Committee chairman, Price was the lead administration official in charge of White House efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and which has run into Republican opposition in the Senate.
The latest East Cobb recipients of the National Blue Ribbon Schools designation by the U.S. Department of Education are Dodgen and Dickerson middle schools.
The two feeder schools into Walton High School are among 342 schools nationwide and the only two schools in the Cobb County School District to be honored for 2017.
For Dickerson, it’s the second time it’s been named a Blue Ribbon School, which has been given out since 1982. Dodgen’s addition makes it 17 different East Cobb schools that have been so honored (see the list at the bottom of this post).
So what, exactly, is a Blue Ribbon School, and what does a school have to do be named? Like the other winners this year and in the past, Dodgen and Dickerson are “exemplary high performing schools,” as measured by overall academic performance, including test scores, closing achievement gaps in school subgroups and other factors.
The Blue Ribbon Schools summary sheet for Dodgen also details a high participation rate in music programs and the school’s 2016 designation as being the best in Georgia in the Scholastic Summer Reading Program.
Here’s Dodgen principal Dr. Loralee Hill, in comments provided by the CCSD:
“This recognition is the result of our vision to allow students to grow academically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially through service and leadership. Our teachers and staff are committed to providing our students with rigorous and challenging opportunities that will allow them to gain the knowledge and skills to be successful in their next phase of life. This honor truly belongs to everyone associated with Dodgen Middle School.”
At Dickerson, a school-wide Lead by Example program transcends academics to include social and emotional interactions and relationships between students, teachers and staff. Here’s principal Carol Brink’s reaction:
“The Blue Ribbon Award is truly an honor and a shared celebration both in our district and our school community. However, I must say that at the heart of this celebration is truly the focus and commitment of our students and teachers who lead by example by putting forth their very best every day!”
Both of the above links contain more information about Dodgen and Dickerson, including their application statements for the Blue Ribbon Schools designation, including demographics, special programs and more.
Here’s a longer roster of all the Blue Ribbon School winners from East Cobb:
2016: Mt. Bethel Elementary School;
2013: Tritt Elementary School;
2011: Timber Ridge Elementary School;
2009: Hightower Trail Middle School;
2008: Mabry Middle School;
2007: Walton High School;
2003: Dickerson Middle School;
2001: Shallowford Falls Elementary School;
2000: Lassiter High School;
1996: Sprayberry High School;
1994: Eastvalley Elementary School;
1992: McCleskey Middle School;
1990: East Cobb Middle School;
1988: Murdock Elementary School; Sope Creek Elementary School;
Earlier this month, students in the Lassiter High School band got some exciting news: They’ll be marching in Pasadena, California, on New Year’s Day 2019.
That can mean only one thing: The Tournament of Roses Parade. It will be the fifth time for Lassiter, and yes, that’s not during the current school year but for the one to follow, in 2018-19. But it’s another distinguishing accomplishment for a decorated program.
Lassiter band director James Thompson told the students at a band meeting during homecoming week:
Here’s the letter Thompson sent to the Lassiter community:
It is with tremendous joy that I announce that the Lassiter High School Marching Trojan Band has been extended an invitation to perform in the 130th annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. This distinction was only extended to 13 bands from across the globe after a rigorous application process. This marks an unprecedented fifth invitation extended to the Lassiter Band Program to perform in America’s New Year Celebration; and I could not be more thrilled.  The Tournament of Roses Parade (www.tournamentofroses.com) on New Years Day is an annual occurrence held in southern California since 1890. The tournament is a celebration and salute to community spirit, service, and a love of pageantry. The Rose Parade is marked by a 5-½ mile parade route along Colorado Boulevard through Pasadena, for an overwhelming one million spectators and a worldwide television viewing audience estimated at nearly half of a billion in over 80 countries. The opportunity to share our talents and represent our community for such a vast viewing audience is both daunting and thrilling.  Our beloved Lassiter band has gained national notoriety for its high level of achievement over the years. The fast paced, musically and visually challenging marching programs are a testament to an uncompromising commitment to excellence by our students, staff, and directors. I am filled with such joy to share our talents with the entire world. Moreover, I am appreciative to our students, staff, administration, and boosters for an uncompromising commitment to our standard of excellence. Work ethic is the hallmark of our program and is the precursor of this once in a lifetime opportunity. This invitation is a testament to the time, energy, and sacrifice paid by our students. Our Marching Trojans have worked hard to receive an occasion to showcase their talents for the world to see. In fact, to my knowledge, only the Sprayberry and Walton bands have been offered this opportunity, placing Lassiter in the extreme minority as one of the select few to perform in the Rose Parade.  In addition to work ethic, one of our most sacred traditions is service. A special thank you is in order for our senior class of 2018. Like each senior class before them, they have learned to share their knowledge in service to the youngest and least skilled among them. Each Lassiter student learns the joy of gracious giving. The class of 2018 will join the ranks of countless Lassiter band alumni who will look on with pride as “The TRADITION continues . . .” knowing that they are a part of that tradition. There is no way that we could have achieved this honor without them. We all thank you so very much.  While the details of the performance will be communicated very soon, today is cause for celebration, reflection, and joy. Happy homecoming. Take a bow Lassiter band, job well done!  Eyes With Pride,
James E. Thompson, Jr.
Director of Bands
Lassiter High School
