Gritters Library to close June 17 for reconstruction of new site

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Gritters Library reopening
The Gritters Library branch opened in Shaw Park in 1973, funded by the county’s first library bond issue.

In less than a month the longstanding Gritters Library branch in Northeast Cobb will be closing for good.

The Cobb County Public Library System announced the closing date on Thursday, two months after the Cobb Board of Commissioners finalized a $9.8 million contract for a rebuilding of the branch that’s also to include the Northeast Cobb Community Center.

The final day of service for Gritters is Saturday, June 17, with the doors shuttering forever at 5 p.m.

Both facilities are located at Shaw Park, and the new building will more than double in size from the present Gritters, to around 15,000 square feet.

Gritters patrons will be served by the Mountain View Regional Library (3330 Sandy Plains Road) during the closure. An estimated opening date for the new facility has not been announced.

Gritters opened in November 1973 in Shaw Park, built with funding from Cobb’s first library bond issue (that bond issue also funded the East Marietta Library, which was replaced by the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center in 2019).

But as the surrounding community has grown—the library system estimates Gritters serves a population of 62,000 and nearly a dozen schools—the tiny branch has been overloaded.

The Gritters rebuild project was included in the 2016 Cobb SPLOST, with $6.8 million originally budgeted for the library and $1.2 million for the community center. Initially plans called for renovations, but county officials later determined that a complete rebuild was needed for the aging, outdated branch.

There was a groundbreaking event for the new Gritters in late 2021 after Cobb received a $1.9 million capital outlay grant from the Georgia Public Library Services.

But construction costs have soared since then, and efforts to start construction appeared to have stalled last fall, with a $2.5 million shortfall.

In March, county staff proposed filling that gap with $1 million in funding from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, $1.2 million for the community center from the 2022 SPLOST Shaw Park Repurpose project, and $719,000 in savings comes from 2011 SPLOST library projects and fiscal year 2023 library system capital projects.

Gritters will serve as a hub for CobbWorks workforce development programs. The ARPA funding included a $3.7 million earmark for CobbWorks, which was planning to expand into Gritters beforehand.

In addition to CobbWorks, Gritters has partnerships with the Northeast Cobb Business Association, SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) and nearby higher educational institutions.

Gritters Library project to proceed
The new Gritters facility will house a library, the Northeast Cobb Community Center and workforce development, job skills and lifelong learning programs.

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East Cobb Weekend Events: Greek Festival; Garden Tour; more

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Marietta Greek Festival

One of East Cobb’s most savory events—the Marietta Greek Festival—headlines a full weekend of community events and activities.

The Greek Festival, which is sponsored by and takes place at Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church (3431 Trickum Road), is a celebration of Greek food, faith and culture (full info here).

In addition to tasty dishes and dancing, there will be church tours, games for kids and adults and a marketplace. Proceeds benefit church projects and community charities.

Festival hours are 4-10:30 Friday, 11-10:30 Saturday and 11-4 Sunday. Admission is $5; 12 and under are free. There’s limited parking on-site, but shuttles will be running from between Simpson Middle School (3340 Trickum Road), Mountain View Elementary School (3151 Sandy Plains Road) and the Church of Latter-Day Saints (3155 Trickum Road, Friday and Saturday only).

There’s some rain in the forecast Saturday, but it shouldn’t dampen the Cobb Master Gardeners Spring Home Garden Tour, which will feature five homes in East Cobb for self-guided tours, as well as the Jean and Elwood Wright Environmental Education Center. (2661 Johnson Ferry Road).

The tours will go on rain or shine; costs range between $21-$25 and admission is free for ages 17 and under.

Pet owners can enjoy discounted services for cats and dogs on Sunday at the Good Mews Animal Foundation Microchip and Vaccination Clinic. The hours are 10-4 at the shelter (3805 Robinson Road) with costs ranging from $10-$25.

You’re asked to book an appointment online by clicking here before you stop by; for information e-mail vaxclinic@goodmews.org.

Also on Sunday, it’s the spring concert of the Cobb Wind Symphony, an all-volunteer orchestra that will perform at 6 p.m. at the Lassiter High School Concert Hall (2601 Shallowford Road).

The show is themed “Dance, Dance, Dance” and pieces include symphonic dances from “Fiddler on the Roof” and works by Duke Ellington, the Beach Boys, Whitney Houston and Glenn Miller.

The cost is free but donations are accepted.

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East Cobb Food Scores: Cafe Rivkah; Mezza Luna; more

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Cafe Rivkah, Taste of East Cobb

The following food scores have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:

Cafe Rivkah
2100 Roswell Road, Suite 2104
May 17, 2023 Score: 93, Grade: A

Garrison Mill Elementary School
4111 Wesley Chapel Road
May 16, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

Kincaid Elementary School
1410 Kincaid Road
May 15, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

McCleskey Middle School
4080 Maybreeze Road
May 15, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

Mezza Luna Pasta & Seafood
2100 Roswell Road, Suite 2198
May 16, 2023 Score: 81, Grade: B

Sprayberry High School
2525 Sandy Plains Road
May 15, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

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Cobb judge rules Methodist churches can have disaffiliation votes

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Ga. Methodist churches sue to restore disaffiliation process
Mountain View UMC in East Cobb is one of the plaintiffs suing the North Georgia Conference.

A Cobb Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday that nearly 200 congregations in the United Methodist Church’s North Georgia Conference can proceed with disaffiliation votes.

The ruling by Judge Stephen Shuster came after an emergency hearing in a packed courtroom.

A total of 186 member churches of the North Georgia Conference filed a lawsuit in March against the denomination’s regional body after it initiated a “pause” on the disaffiliation process.

More than 70 North Georgia Conference churches left the UMC last summer after going through the disaffiliation process, following a high-profile legal dispute with Mt. Bethel Church that led to the East Cobb congregation’s departure in a $13.1 million settlement.

(You can read the lawsuit here.)

The North Georgia Conference said the pause was needed to quell “misinformation” about the disaffiliation process.

The United Methodist Church has been roiling in division for several years on a number of social and cultural issues, including human sexuality and other theological issues.

The plaintiffs filed for the emergency hearing due to the North Georgia Conference’s upcoming annual convention, June 1-3, at which disaffiliation is expected to be a major topic.

The conference has 800 congregations, including several in East Cobb.

One of the plaintiffs, Mountain View UMC, located at Jamerson Road and Trickum Road, had requested a disaffiliation vote after holding a discernment period last fall, with church members hearing the pros and cons of leaving the denomination.

But the church said that vote was denied by Bishop Robin Dease, who succeeded former Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, who issued the pause before leaving in December for another UMC post in Virginia.

East Cobb News has left a message with Mountain View UMC seeking comment.

The North Georgia Conference said Wednesday that it “is exploring our opportunity to appeal” and was still waiting to receive Shuster’s full court order before deciding further action.

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Cobb school board scheduled to adopt FY 2024 budget

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The Cobb Board of Education will hold a final public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2024 operating budget Thursday before voting on adoption later in the evening.Campbell High School lockdown

A public budget forum will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the board room of the CCSD central office (514 Glover St., Marietta), followed by a vote at the board’s voting meeting at 7 p.m.

Last month Cobb County School District Chris Ragsdale proposed a $1.4 billion budget (detailed numbers here) that includes a slight millage rate decrease, from 18.9 mills to 18.7 mills, due to rising property tax assessments.

Full-time employees would receive salary increases between 7.5 percent and 12.1 percent, and the Cobb school district would hire an additional 11 officers for its police department, which currently has 70 officers. 

If approved, the millage rate reduction would be the first change in the general fund property tax rate for the Cobb school district in nearly 15 years.

The 2024 fiscal year begins July 1. 

The school board will meet at 2 p.m. in a work session that includes an update on the Cobb school district’s demographics.

An executive session follows the work session. Agendas for the public meetings can be found by clicking here.

At the evening session, the recognitions will include the boys soccer team at Lassiter High School, which won the Georgia High School Association Class 6A state championship.

The open meetings also will be live-streamed on the Cobb County School District’s BoxCast channel and on CobbEdTV, Comcast Channel 24.

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Cobb strategic plan draft makes exclusionary zoning reference

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East Cobb real estate outlook
Most subdivisions in East Cobb were developed on property that allows only single-family residential use. ECN file. 

The draft of the Cobb County Five-Year Strategic Plan was released last week, and the second of two public hearings before the Cobb Board of Commissioners is scheduled for May 23.

The plan, which will help set county government policy and goals from 2023-2028, recommends strategies “for achieving success indicators,” as the study’s consultants have phrased it, that for the most part are not very controversial.

But one of those recommendations under the housing category could prove to become a subject of interest as the county continues to gather feedback.

The plan’s three “success indicators” for housing include aiming for an “adequate quantity and availability of housing types.”

One of the recommended strategies under that section is to develop a process to “evaluate and adapt land use policies that promote exclusionary zoning and inhibit a variety of housing options across the County.”

Exclusionary zoning is the practice of allowing only certain kinds of zoning categories in certain areas, and has come up frequently in communities across the country—especially suburban ones—in regard to affordable housing in recent years.

Shortly after the Biden Administration took office the White House issued comments about exclusionary zoning  along similar lines, saying that such practices “drive up housing prices, poorer families are kept out of wealthier, high-opportunity neighborhoods. This, in turn, leads to worse outcomes for children, including lower standardized test scores, and greater social inequalities over time.”

Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid has mentioned affordable housing frequently, including at a contentious town hall meeting last summer in East Cobb when she said that “people who work here should be able to afford to live here.”

In recent years, a number of local and state governments have acted to limit or ban exclusionary zoning, as it has been described by some activists as racially and economically discriminatory.

Such bans have been approved in California, and there’s a proposal in New York state to do the same. Similar measures also have been adopted in Minneapolis and Arlington, Va.

There’s no such language suggesting or proposing a ban in the Cobb strategic plan draft, which goes onto to recommend that other strategies to address affordable housing include setting a countywide housing mix goal, and to ensure that a proposed Unified Development Code, should that be approved, “enable a variety of housing types.”

Atlanta became the first city in Georgia to ban exclusionary zoning in 2017, and a year later Brookhaven created an “inclusionary” zoning code and outlawed short-term rentals.

Housing data included in the strategic plan draft indicates that Cobb has a median gross rent of $1,367 a month and a nedian home value of $263,150.

The strategic plan draft was prepared by Accenture LLP, which the county is paying $1.45 million. A proposal to provide another $285,000 and a time extension was dropped last month by commissioners, who said they would hold extra meetings and feedback sessions instead.

The plan is designed to give policy makers a long-term (10- to 20-year) vision for meeting those future service needs, in addition to the more immediate 5-year range.

The draft submitted by Accenture includes seven topic, or “strategic outcome” areas—community development, economic development, governance, housing, infrastructure, mobility and transportation and public safety.

The public can comment on the strategic plan by e-mailing: StrategicPlan@cobbcounty.org.

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Post Oak Tritt Road subdivision rezoning request withdrawn

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The Power-Jackson Cabin is one of the last one-room log cabins in Cobb dating back to the 1840s. Photo: David Seibert for Historical Marker Database

A week after the Cobb Planning Commission voted to hold a subdivision request on Post Oak Tritt Road that drew community opposition, the applicant has withdrawn the proposal without prejudice.

Attorney Parks Huff asked for the withdrawal in a letter dated May 12 to the Cobb Zoning Office, but didn’t specify a reason, other than referring to “issues raised during the pendency of the application.”

East Cobb News has left a message with Huff seeking more information.

A request by Kenneth B. Clary, the landowner, to rezone 13.38 acres at 4701 Post Oak Tritt Road near McPherson Road for homes adjacent to the Clary Lakes subdivision was first made last fall, but didn’t get a first hearing until April.

The Cobb Planning Commission voted for a continuance then, after Clary sought rezoning from R-30 to R-15, and with nearby residents concerned about responsibility for repairing two dams on the lake.

The Cobb Zoning office recommended an R-20 designation, which would allow 18 homes.

But historic preservation activists also had issues with the rezoning. The site includes the Power-Jackson Cabin, one of the last one-room log structures left in Cobb County.

It dates back to the 1840s, and the Cobb Landmarks Society wanted the applicant to pay for relocation expenses to the Hyde Farm property in East Cobb.

Also at the April hearing, preservationists mentioned a cemetery on the site that Clary’s representatives said they weren’t aware of.

At the May 2 Planning Commission hearing, Jimi Richards of the Cobb Cemetery Preservation Commission cited a book about the early history of Cobb County (up to 1932), indicating a young mother, part of the Power family, died there nearly 140 years ago giving birth, and she is buried there with her baby twins.

He asked for the delay for the applicant to hire an archaeologist, per county code, to conduct a survey to discover if, and where, they may be resting.

Joe Ovbey, who lives in an adjacent home on Post Oak Tritt, said his family has known the Clarys for decades.

“I’ve been shown where those graves are for many years,” he said earlier this month.

The planning commission motion to hold the case included provisions for a community meeting between the applicant and nearby residents, a third-party analysis of the possible graves and further addressing dam and stormwater issues.

When an zoning applicant withdraws a request without prejudice, it can refile at any time. Cases that are denied or that are withdrawn with prejudice cannot be refiled for at least a year.

Post Oak Tritt zoning case delayed
The nearly 14 acres owned by Kenneth B. Clary at Post Oak Tritt and McPherson roads (inside the blue lines) is located just east of Tritt Elementary School.

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East Cobb man sentenced for shooting at neighbors, police

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An East Cobb man who engaged with a standoff with police and shot at officers and neighbors in a 2020 incident was given a 35-year sentence, the Cobb District Attorney’s office said Tuesday.East Cobb man sentenced shooting at police

The DA’s office said Donald Terry Welborn, Jr., must serve the first 18 of those years in prison in a sentence handed down by Cobb Superior Court Judge Ann Harris.

In a news release, the DA’s office said Welborn, now 60, pleaded guilty to nine counts of aggravated assault on police officers, three counts of aggravated assault on civilians and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Welborn was arrested by Cobb Police on Sept. 22, 2020, at a home on Kingsley Drive in the New Castle neighborhood off Post Oak Tritt Road after a standoff lasting several hours.

According to police, Welborn’s wife and daughter reported that Welborn began shooting inside the home around 5:30 a.m., saying he was intoxicated, and struck a ceiling fan and a ceiling.

Police arrived and closed off the neighborhood. They said said the women escaped the home unharmed, but Welborn remained inside, firing at two nearby homes.

When police reached the home, according to the DA’s office, officers tried to talk him into coming outside, but he initially refused, and began shooting at them “with multiple firearms over a short period of time.

“Officers had to duck behind vehicles as projectiles whizzed by their heads, striking treetops, the asphalt roadway, and houses,” the DA’s office release said.

The Cobb Police SWAT team took over the scene and Welborn surrendered peacefully after several hours.

The DA’s office said the investigation also determined that one of neighbors, a family with two parents and two children, “hid in a closet, terrified, for hours during the standoff.

“One bullet from a high-powered rifle struck their aquarium located in their living room, killing the fish and flooding the area. In total, detectives located 68 spent shell casings of various calibers, 32 guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.”

Welborn was indicted in May 2021 by a Cobb grand jury after his attorney unsuccessfully tried to get him transferred to a mental health court.

Cobb court records indicate that one of the women, Susan Welborn, was Welborn’s wife, but they had been separated. She filed for divorce in Cobb Superior Court on the same day of the shootings.

Court records show that those proceedings are continuing.

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East Cobb residential real estate sales, April 24-28, 2023

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Chimney Lakes, East Cobb real estate sales
Chimney Lakes

The following East Cobb residential real estate sales between April 24-28, 2023, were compiled from agency reports:

April 24

4109 Avid Park, 30062 (East Haven, Walton): $939,000

2226 Rockwood Drive, 30067 (Freywood Estates,Wheeler): $315,000

4043 Penhurst Drive, 30062 (Penhurst, Walton): $868,000

1790 Danforth Drive, 30062 (Sewell Farms, Walton): $827,500

317 E Claiborne Court, 30066 (Piedmont Hills, Sprayberry):,$295,000

4488 N Slope Circle, 30066 (Highland Pointe, Lassiter): $715,000

4491 Windsor Trace, 30066 (Windsor Oaks, Lassiter): $505,000

4455 Reef Road, 30066 (Lamplighter Cove, Kell): $403,200)

4815 Hampton Farms Drive, 30068 (Hampton Farms, Walton): $769,000

1797 Belshire Court, 30075 (Chimney Lakes, Lassiter): $660,000

April 25

1656 Millhouse Landing, 30066 (Spencers Mill, Kell): $650,000

2114 Hadfield Court, 30062 (Charrington, Pope): $780,000

177 Mechelle Lane, 30066 (Piedmont Hills, Sprayberry):$485,000

3030 Waterfront Circle, 30062 (Waterfront, Pope): $415,000

3361 Alexis Court, 30062 (Carrington Place, Sprayberry): $415,000

3483 Winter Chase Drive, 30062 (Winter Chase, Pope): $315,000

3813 Loch Highland Parkway, 30075 (Loch Highland, Lassiter): $420,000

3950 Philmont Drive, 30066 (Philmont Estates, Sprayberry): $365,000

800 Richmond Hill Drive, 30068 (Yorkshire Hills, Walton): $572,000

2855 Tynewick Drive, 30068 (Glenbrook, Walton): $636,000

3341 Trails End Road, 30075 (Carriage Lakes, Pope): $800,000

April 26

2447 Lizdionne Loop, 30062 (Manor Estates, Sprayberry): $799,000

1687 Holcomb Lake Road, 30062 (Holcomb Lake, Sprayberry): $560,000

1899 Wilkenson Crossing, 30066 (St. Charles Square, Sprayberry): $515,000

1972 Clearwater Drive, 30067 (Hamby Acres, Wheeler): $305,000

116 Indian Trail, 30068 (Sewell Manor, Wheeler): $355,000

2201 Deep Creek Drive, 30068 (Pioneer Woods, Wheeler): $450,000

689 Honeybear Lane, 30068 (Cobb Estates, Wheeler): $425,000

1048 Mitsy Hollow Drive, 30062 (Mitsy Forest, Walton): $582,900

1130 Hershey Drive, 30062 (Hershey Woods, Walton): $352,000

2154 Camberley Place, 30062 (Cambridge Park, Sprayberry): $526,000

2949 Summitop Court, 30066 (The Summit at Sweat Mountain, Lassiter): $1 million

307 Declaire Way, 30067 (Lafayette Square, Walton): $725,000

1544 Cedar Bluff Trail, 30067 (Cedar Bluff, Wheeler): $285,000

April 27

458 Piedmont Road, 30066 (Wasson Farms, Sprayberry): $600,000

2248 Rosemoore Walk, 30062 (Rosemoore at Harper Woods, Sprayberry): $528,000

241 Pine Valley Road, 30067 (Atlanta Country Club, Walton): $2 million

231 Pine Valley Road, 30067 (Atlanta Country Club, Walton): $6.755 million

108 Woodlawn Drive, 30067 (Sanders Fields Estates, Walton): $2.59 million

3220 Birchfield Trace, 30068 (Indian Hills, Walton): $675,000

381 Greenfield Trace, 30068 (Indian Hills, Walton): $638,000

3015 Robinson Road, 30068 (Cobb Estates, Wheeler): $439,900

1528 Monarch Drive, 30062 (Glen Crest, Sprayberry): $657,000

3100 Casteel Road, 30062 (Pope): $490,000

36 Alicia Court, 30062 (Heartwood, Pope): $517,000

3251 Hembree Court, 30062 (Hembree Hills, Pope): $425,000

4169 Liberty Trace, 30066 (Windsor Oaks, Lassiter): $588,000

4785 Jamerson Forest Parkway, 30066 (Jamerson Forest, Kell): $225,000

2276 Turtle Club Drive, 30066 (Turtle Rock, Lassiter): $330,000

5094 Viking Walk, 30068 (Lake Fjord, Walton): $633,000

4650 Ponte Vedra Drive, 30067 (The Columns at ACC, Walton): $1.378 million

4570 Huntridge Drive, 30075 (Huntridge Estates, Lassiter): $580,000

April 28

3640 Sope Creek Farm, 30067 (Sibley Forest, Wheeler): $870,000

2134 Threadneedle Lane, 30062 (Village Green at East Cobb, Sprayberry): $684,900

156 Vintage Club Circle, #32, 30066 (Village Club Condos, Sprayberry): $400,000

3329 Keenland Road, 30062 (New Kent, Pope): $847,700

4466 Outpost Court, 30075 (The Outpost at Garrison Oaks, Lassiter): $1 million

868 Saints Drive, 30068 (St. Andrews Park, Walton): $1.5 million

3863 Streamside Drive, 30067 (Waters Edge, Walton): $1.9 million

3649 Sope Creek Farm, 30067 (Sibley Forest, Wheeler): $738,150

739 Terrell Crossing, 30067 (Old Paper Mill, Wheeler): $880,000

600 Grove Parkway, 30067 (Timberlea Lake, Wheeler): $504,000

219 Rhodes Drive, 30068 (East Valley Estates, Wheeler): $420,000

3628 Ashley Estates, 30068 (Ashley Estates, Wheeler): $575,000

1164 University Drive, 30068 (Princeton Walk, Walton): $699,000

1771 Canton Hills Circle, 30062 (Canton Hills, Pope): $395,000

1798 Hasty Road, 30062 (Hasty Acres, Sprayberry): $440,000

4024 Jordan Lake Drive, 30062 (Walden, Pope): $760,000

3161 Oak Springs Way, 30062 (Oak Creek Estates, Sprayberry): $473,000

1272 Worley Drive, 30066 (Shaw Woods, Sprayberry): $470,000

2939 Lowe Way, 30068 (Brookhaven, Sprayberry): $408,000

643 Embry Lane, 30066 (Addison Heights, Sprayberry): $369,980

4121 Barberry Drive, 30075 (Hedgerow, Lassiter): $645,500

3591 Hawfinch Court, 30075 (Hedgerow, Lassiter): $640,500

3477 Chastain Glen Lane, 30066 (Chastain Glen, Sprayberry):$435,000

3629 Centerview Drive, 30066 (Noonday, Sprayberry): $360,000

3884 Rock Mill Parkway, 30062 (Rock Mill, Lassiter): $526,000

3955 Benton Way, 30062 (Woodbine Station, Lassiter): $377,771

4293 Parish Trace, 30066 (Windsor Oaks, Lassiter): $679,001

5161 Timber Ridge Road, 30068 (Walton): $1.12 million

52 Bridle Lane, 30068 (Riverside at Mulberry Farms, Walton): $615,000

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Summer art camps set for The Art Place, Sewell Mill Cultural Center

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The two Cobb Department of Parks, Recreational and Cultural Affairs facilities in East Cobb with summer art programs are continuing registration.Sewell Mill Cultural Center summer art camps

Some classes are close to filling up for camp slots in June and July, and those parents wishing to sign up their children can check availability and costs by clicking here.

The Art Place-Mountain View (3330 Sandy Plains Road) is calling its summer programs “The World Tour Art Camp,” which start June 5 and conclude on July 28.

The age groups range from ages 6-18, and explore art history, music and dance across continents and geographic regions of the world.

There are special cabaret camps, camps for wheel pottery, 3D sculpture and manga and anime drawing.

At the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road), the theme is “The Great Create,” with a variety of classes in painting, pottery and performing arts.

The format includes two half-day camps that combine for an all-day experience and occasionally will include non-art field trips, activities and outdoor play.

The Art Place summer art camp

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Tommy Nobis Center raises $300K at 25th annual gala luncheon

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Submitted info and photo:Tommy Nobis Center 25th gala

Tommy Nobis Center, a Marietta-based nonprofit that helps individuals with disabilities enter or return to employment, hosted its 25th annual Galaxy of Stars luncheon on Friday, April 28, 2023 at the Georgia Aquarium’s Ocean Ballroom.

The event brought together corporate leaders, community supporters, and friends to honor the impact of Tommy Nobis Center’s programs, celebrate its participants, and raise much needed funds to support growth of programs.

This year’s Galaxy of Stars theme was Celebrating Resilience & Hope. Masters of Ceremonies, WSB-TV Anchors Wendy Corona and Linda Stouffer kicked off the event followed by a welcome and comments from President & CEO Dave Ward. Students enrolled in The Academy at Tommy Nobis Center’s inaugural class took the stage to thank the event sponsors and attendees for their support and several participants throughout the room shared their stories.   

“This year’s event was absolutely amazing,” said CEO Dave Ward. “Words can’t describe how inspiring it is to hear directly from our participants and their families about the impact of TNC’s programs in their lives.”

Tommy Nobis Center presented four awards to recognize the hard work and dedication of outstanding individuals who have contributed greatly to building inclusive communities where employment success is possible.

The award winners included:

Tommy Nobis Rising Star Award – Presented to Pamela Martinez, a Tommy Nobis Center employee at HUD in Denver, CO. Pamela has faced many obstacles in her lifetime but her persistence and determination along with a great sense of humor has carried her through. Despite multiple challenges including breaking her neck in a car accident and battling cancer, she has always found a way to carry on. She has excelled during her six years as administrative assistant and has recently been hired by HUD as a GS12 Service Support Specialist. She is an overcomer, and her life is a portrait of resilience and hope. 

Community Champion Award – Presented to Roger Brathwaite, a disability champion and accessibility leader who is currently the ServiceNow Accessibility Program Manager at Accenture. Having survived two strokes before the age of 50, Roger has gone on to found The Young and the Restless of Atlanta, a state-wide support group for the brain injury community and he serves as vice-chair of the Brain Injury Association of Georgia Board of Directors. He has not only shown resilience and hope personally but has used his experience to support and inspire others.

Family Member Advocate Award – Presented to Manya Parker, the parent of a daughter with autism. Manya has been a fierce advocate for her daughter, Darby, working tirelessly to ensure that she receives the support she needs to reach her full potential. Darby has participated in Tommy Nobis Center’s programs and has been accepted into The Academy at Tommy Nobis Center in the fall. Manya also served as a parent advisor through Parent to Parent of Georgia and substitute taught primarily in elementary special education classes for ten years. 

Lifetime Achievement Award – Presented to Doug Hertz, Chairman and CEO of United Distributors, Inc. Doug has been a driving force in metro Atlanta since becoming President and CEO of United Distributors in 1984. He has immersed himself in the civic and philanthropic community and contributed his expertise to advance the missions of many organizations. He is Chairman of Camp Twin Lakes, a camping facility he founded in 1989. The camp is designed for and serves nearly 10,000 special needs children and adults annually. Doug is a past Chairman of the Board at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, a past Chairman of the Georgia Research Alliance and the Woodruff Arts Center, and a past director of Georgia Power Company. He also serves as a trustee for the Marcus Foundation and the Holly Lane Foundation. The Atlanta Business Chronicle has consistently named him as one of Atlanta’s 100 most influential individuals.

The event that raised a record $300,000 to directly support programs and services for people with disabilities was sponsored by Cobb EMC Foundation, WSB-TV, and Miller Family Foundation and Rachel & Ben Miller. A recording of the event can be viewed at https://tommynobiscenter.org/galaxy.  

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East Cobb Democrat announces candidacy for Cobb school board

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Laura Judge, the parent of two Cobb County School District students and a local political activist, said Friday she will formally announce her campaign for the Cobb Board of Education next week.Laura Judge, Cobb school board candidate

Judge, a Democrat, issued a release late Friday saying that the official kickoff event will take place next Wednesday at Tin Lizzie’s Cantina at The Avenue East Cobb.

She’s running for the Post 5 seat currently held by four-term Republican David Banks, and that includes the Walton, Wheeler and Pope high school clusters.

(Here’s her campaign website.)

As we reported last month, Judge filed a declaration of intent to run form with the Cobb Board of Elections, but that doesn’t obligate her to launch a campaign.

“I’m excited to announce my candidacy for the Cobb County School Board,” Judge said in her release on Friday.

“While our East Cobb schools are some of the best in not only the county, but the state and nation, community members still have questions regarding financial decisions, literacy concerns, school safety, and discipline issues.”

She said that “while I appreciate that the incumbent Mr. Banks has dedicated close to 16 years of service, it is time for a change that will bring in a knowledgeable and dedicated parent that represents the community.”

Banks told East Cobb News last month he hasn’t decided on whether to seek another term.

John Cristadoro, a Republican with two children in the Walton cluster, announced his candidacy for Post 5 seat.

Judge, who’s also a parent in the Walton cluster,  has been a visible figure at Cobb school board meetings over the last two years, speaking at public comment sessions, primarily about school safety and financial issues.

She’s a member of Watching the Funds-Cobb, a citizen group that has been critical of Cobb school district spending decisions, as well as Moms Demand Action, which advocates for gun safety. Judge is an education adviser in the “cabinet” of Cobb District 2 Commissioner Jerica Richardson.

Judge and her husband run a digital content marketing company.

Banks is part of 4-3 Republican majority on the school board. Three of those GOP seats will be on the ballot in 2024.

The primaries are scheduled for next May.

Judge’s kickoff takes place next Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Tin Lizzy’s (4475 Roswell Road, Suite 1510).

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JOSH developer to ask for higher impervious surface limit

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Ashwood Atlanta site plan 3.14.23
A revised site plan for a 77-home subdivision on Johnson Ferry Road at Waterfront Drive. For a larger version click here.

The developer of a residential subdivision included in the East Cobb Church rezoning in 2021 will ask Cobb commissioners Tuesday to raise the threshold for impervious surfaces for that development.

It’s included as an Other Business item at the commission’s monthly zoning hearing, and it was continued from last month at the request of the applicant (agenda item here).

Johnson Ferry Road LLC attorney Kevin Moore asked last month for additional time. He represented North Point Ministries, which will be building the East Cobb Church facility at the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford intersection.

Below that, and below a declared flood plain as well, Ashwood Atlanta will be building 77 single-family detached homes on 19 acres zoned RA-5.

The residential portion of the rezoning case was the most contentious, with some in the community insisting the density proposed at the time (44 townhomes and 51 detached homes) was too much, for traffic and stormwater reasons.

Zoning approval included limiting impervious surfaces in the subdivision to 40 percent. Moore will be asking to raise it to 45 percent with the additional runoff “designed into the retention area,” and that “would help to accommodate development consistent with the area,” but there was no further elaboration.

Citizens serving on a plan review committee said they wanted the final plan to get as close to the 40 percent stipulation as possible.

Initial clearing and grading work has been underway at the site for a few weeks, including the relocation of Waterfront Drive.

The zoning hearing hearing begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta), you can view the full agenda and individual case files by clicking here.

You also can watch on the county’s website and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.

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Georgia changes English teaching standards from Common Core

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Georgia Milestones end-of-course tests
Improving third-grade reading proficiency in Georgia has been a major factor in revising English and Language Arts standards.

The Georgia Department of Education has approved new standards for the teaching of English and language arts that remove what’s left of Common Core standards.

For the next two years, K-12 teachers in ELA will be trained to teach to the new standards, which will formally go into effect by 2025 and will be incorporated into Milestones testing.

According to a Georgia DOE release, the standards “are intentionally designed to provide a strong literacy foundation beginning in the early grades, including the addition of a specific Foundations domain throughout the K-5 standards.”

They’re built around a concept called the “science of reading” and emphasize phonics in the earlier grades.

In 2022, only one-third of Georgia third-graders were regarded as proficient or better in Milestones testing.

In the Cobb County School District, more than 73 percent of third-graders were reading at or above grade level in the Milestones results.

Some elementary schools in East Cobb had among the highest percentages of third-graders surpassing proficiency levels of reading, at 90 percent or higher. But others struggled, including Sedalia Park (65.9 percent), Powers Ferry (62 percent) and Brumby (52 percent).

The standards come four years after an initiative was announced by Woods and Gov. Brian Kemp to phase out Common Core standards that have been in place since 2015.

The release said the new standards were developed with a broad base of input from educators, parents, business leaders, and others, and “feature built-in learning progressions across grade spans and within grade-level concepts, allowing teachers to remediate or accelerate learning as needed.”

The mathematics curriculum was changed two years ago to remove Common Core standards (details here).

The Georgia DOE issues a survey (results here) and began accepting public feedback on the ELA standards in November and issued another public response period in March.

“Knowing that early literacy is essential to all future learning, the standards place a strong emphasis on the fundamentals in the early grades,” Woods said in the release.

For more information on Georgia DOE curriculum standards, click here.

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Funding approved for design contract for Ebenezer Downs Park

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Ebenezer Road park, Cobb parks master plan

Cobb commissioners on Tuesday approved a design contract for Ebenezer Downs Park.

By a 5-0 vote, they approved spending $238,450 for Pond & Company, an architectural and engineering firm in Peachtree Corners, to do the work.

“Long time coming, we’re all excited,” commissioner JoAnn Birrell said in making the motion to approve the contract. “Let’s get started.”

Pond & Company recreational projects include the Mableton Town Square, the West End BeltLine Trail in Atlanta and Atlanta BeltLine Corridor design.

Ebenezer Downs Park sits on 18 acres on Ebenezer Road near Canton Road and includes a lake, which has been used for recreational fishing, including Cobb PARKS fishing rodeos.

The park’s master plan for a passive park also include a lakeside pavilion, walking trails, a playground and a 30-space parking lot. One of the former homes on the site would be used for small events, including wedding receptions and private parties, and public restroom facilities would be built.

Included in the design contract are cost estimating, bidding assistance and construction administration services.

The county purchased the property in 2018 with proceeds from the 2008 Cobb Parks Bond referendum.

Funding for the design and construction comes from the 2022 Cobb SPLOST (Special Local-Option Sales Tax), with a cap of $3 million.

A construction timeline hasn’t been announced; a contract for construction will require separate approval by commissioners.

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‘Vast majority’ of Cobb homeowners facing higher assessments

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Cobb equity report

The “vast majority” of Cobb County homeowners will be getting higher property tax assessments this year.

That’s what Stephen White, the chief appraiser for the Cobb Board of Tax Asessors, said this week as his office begins sending out assessment notices.

As we noted in a previous post about a projected 13 percent increase in the Cobb tax digest, much of that is due to a “red-hot” real estate market.

A related factor in determining the assessment of a home is the relative value of home sales in a neighborhood or area.

In an interview with Cobb government public information officer Ross Cavitt (video below), White said those assessments are going out by the end of this week and early next week.

Of more than 240,000 residential properties his office has assessed, White said around 180,000 of them will have higher assessments than 2022, when Cobb had a record tax digest of $50 billion.

Since 2018, White said the average home sale in Cobb has grown by around 50K a year, from $289K to $453K in 2022.

“The market has been really, really hot, so the increases can be rather large,” White said.

He encouraged homeowners to go to the Cobb Tax Asessor’s website to look at home sales in their area, “and that will help you feel if our value is appropriate or not.”

The assessments are valued at what the assessor’s office thinks a home could have been sold for on Jan. 1, 2023.

“The value you’re receiving for your assessment in May, we’re looking at sales that occurred in the 2022 calendar year,” White said.

Some home sales have tapered off in early 2023, and the state is offering some tax relief in the form of a one-time reduction in assessment value of $18,000 for most tax levies.

Cobb Tax Commissioner Carla Jackson said that’s called the Property Tax Relief Grant, and for property owners in unincorporated Cobb that grant would be applied to what they would pay for the county general fund and fire fund and Cobb County School District taxes.

The Cobb Board of Education next week is expected to adopt a fiscal year 2024 budget with a proposed millage rate cut.

The school millage rate produces the largest portion of a Cobb homeowners’ property tax bill, and those age 62 and over (except in the city of Marietta) can apply for a senior exemption from paying school taxes.

White said homeowners who wish to appeal their assessments have 45 days to do so from the mailing date, and the deadline to do so is included in their assessment.

He said around 1-2 percent of homeowners appeal their assessments.

Those appeals are reviewed by his office, which issues a recommendation to the Cobb Board of Tax Assessors, an appointed body that decides those appeals should be changed or not.

“If they’re still unhappy, they can go to the Board of Equalization, which would be later on in the year,” White said of the citizen-appointed body that is the ultimate venue for property tax determinations. It is separate from the tax assessor’s office and members are chosen by members of a Cobb grand jury.

Property tax bills will be mailed in October, after appeals are determined and when the Cobb County fiscal year 2024 budget has gone into effect.

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East Cobb Food Scores: Zeus Greek Street Food; Moe’s; more

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Zeus Greek Street Food, East Cobb food scores

The following food scores have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:

Davis Elementary School
2433 Jamerson Road
May 5, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

Eastside Christian School
2450 Lower Roswell Road
May 10, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

Keheley Elementary School
1985 Kemp Road
May 4, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

Kell High School
4770 Lee Waters Road
May 4, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

Mt. Bethel Christian Academy
4385 Lower Roswell Road
May 12, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

Moe’s Southwest Grill
2022 Powers Ferry Road, Suite E
May 1, 2023 Score: 91, Grade: A

Zeus Greek Street Food
2022 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 130
May 5, 2023 Score: 82, Grade: B

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Cobb Library Foundation to hold ‘Booked for the Evening’ gala

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The Atlanta Country Club in East Cobb is once again the venue for the Cobb Library Foundation’s annual “Booked for the Evening” fundraising gala.Cobb Library Foundation gala

It’s set for Friday, June 9, and the guest speaker is author Patti Callahan Henry, the author of 16 historical and contemporary novels, and a podcast host featuring her novels.

She is the recipient of The Christy Award Book of the Year, The Harper Lee Distinguished Writer of the Year and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year.

A resident of the Birmingham area, her latest novel, “The Secret Book of Flora Lea,” was recently published, and is a New York Times bestseller.

It’s the story of a woman who discovers a rare book that has connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II.

The subjects of some of her previous novels include Florence Nightingale, C.S. Lewis and the 1838 shipwreck of the Pulaski off the coast of Savannah

The honorary chairman of the event is Gary Miller, CEO and President of Greystone Power.

The gala takes place from 6:30-10 p.m. on June 9 and tickets may be purchased by clicking here.

The Cobb Library Foundation provides support for the Cobb County Public Library System. For information e-mail: cobblibraryfoundation@gmail.com.

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East Cobb bookstore to hold launch event for ‘mom’ novel

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East Cobb bookstore launch event

With Mother’s Day coming on Sunday the East Cobb bookstore Bookmiser will hold a launch event for a mom-oriented novel.

Jennifer Golden is the author of “Anonymous Mom Posts,” and on Saturday she’ll be at at Bookmiser (3822 Roswell Road) from 1:30-3 p.m.

Mimosas and treats will be served, and you can click here to register.East Cobb bookstore launch event

Goldin is a Miami native and an audiologist by training and has done some writing on the side. Now a Dunwoody resident, this is Goldin’s first novel. Here’s what the story is about:

“Laura Perry is fed up with the snarky attitudes of the moms who post on the Hamilton Beach Moms’ social media page. She hopes the new anonymous posting feature will remind this community they are here to support each other. She enlists her friend, Gabriella, to be a co-moderator. While Gabriella is intrigued by the page, she wonders if the virtual interactions are doing more harm than good. She and Laura hatch a plan to organize an in-person fundraising event, hoping to help the moms connect in real life.

“But, as the moms start to reveal their secrets anonymously, irreverent comments pour in, and the page ignites with controversy. With the in-person event approaching, will one mom’s plan for revenge bring the entire community to the brink?!”

Author website: AuthorJeniferGoldin.com.

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Cupid, public commenters spar over ‘State of Cobb’ comments

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State of Cobb address
“I feel bad for those who think this is Cobb County,” Cupid said in reference to certain public commenters who speak at Board of Commissioners meetings.

Continuing tensions between Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid and some public commenters who have been speaking at public meetings boiled over again this week, following her remarks delivered at her annual State of Cobb address.

Near the end of that speech last Thursday (you can watch the video replay below; her speech begins around the one-hour mark), Cupid took aim at citizens who have been critical of her tenure, as well as media coverage.

“I’ve got more important things to do than to sit here and read a gossip column about what people think the BOC is doing,” she said. “Or to get my panties in a bunch when people come and criticize us during public comment. We have lives to help, we have a county to move forward, we have agencies to run.”

Those comments came after several references to what she said was political polarization in Cobb since she and a black female Democratic majority on the five-member commission was elected in 2020, claiming that “I have never seen boards of commissioners treated the way we are.”

Cupid said that “what happens if someone comes to Cobb and opens up the paper? Or goes to a BOC meeting? They might think we’re bass-ackwards. I’m serious! That’s not who we are.”

She encouraged citizens who agree with her “All in Cobb” theme to sign up to comment at meetings.

But some of the frequent commenters she’s sparred with had their own response at Tuesday’s commission meeting.

East Cobb realtor Pam Reardon said that “I wish that we could get away from calling people racists, which unfortunately the chair did.”

Reardon, who’s been active in Cobb Republican politics and supported East Cobb cityhood, argued that what Cupid is objecting to are political differences.

“When we come to this podium and talk, we are adamant about our values and the way we want our government to run,” said Reardon, who has been a critic of county budget, tax and spending priorities, as well as high-density zoning.

State of Cobb address
Pam Reardon

“We are not racists. We are just having a different point of view. . . . We cannot be ‘One Cobb’ if we have a commissioner who is dividing us.”

She also opposes a 30-year transit tax referendum next year that Cupid is floating, saying “we do not want MARTA in Cobb” because crime will increase.

Another regular to that podium, Leroy Emkin, read from a blistering column in Spotlight South Cobb News that called Cupid’s speech a ‘State of Contention Address.’

That publication was founded Shelia Edwards, a black Democrat who lost to current Post 4 commissioner Monique Sheffield in 2020 in the campaign to succeed Cupid.

Edwards, who has been highly critical of Cupid on a regular basis, said in the column about the State of Cobb address that “an evening with Cupid would not be complete unless she introduced race to defend or complain about whatever is going on with her. This time it was credited for the unfair criticism she gets on her leadership. The chairwoman said the attacks on her administration were unprecedented and implied they were racially motivated.”

After hearing Emkin read those remarks, Cupid said that “I’m trying to think when I mentioned race at all. I find it odd to be impugned as a racist by those who bring up race more than I do.”

The political insider column in the Marietta Daily Journal concluded Wednesday by saying that “We don’t know if Chairwoman Cupid’s reference to ‘gossip column’ was directed at Around Town, but we can admit that over the years we’ve been called much worse.”

Cupid is scheduled to appear in East Cobb later this month, as the featured speaker at the May 31 meeting of the East Cobb Civic Association.

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