East Cobb PTA names 2023 Margie Hatfield scholarship winners

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East Cobb PTA 2023 Margie Hatfield scholarship winners
From L-R: Dhanya Naik, Wheeler High School PTSA; Steven Brown, Walton PTSA; Mrs. Margie Hatfield; Kinsley Brennen, Pope High School PTSA; Shraya Patel, Lassiter High School PTSA; Amanda Tubbs, Kell High School PTSA. Not pictured: Sebastian Jean Francois, Sprayberry High School PTSA. (East Cobb Council PTA)

The East Cobb Council PTA named its 2023 recipients of the Margie Hatfield Scholarship on Thursday at its general meeting at Walton High School.

Hatfield is a former ECC PTA president, and nearly 200 such scholarships have been awarded in the organization’s signature awards program bearing her name.

A $1,000 scholarship is awarded to one student at each of the six high schools in the East Cobb area that “honors the dedication and years of service given by Mrs. Hatfield to the youth of our council. In recognition of her volunteer involvement, the ECCC PTA Margie Hatfield Scholarship Fund awards deserving seniors who have made significant contributions to the community.”

The scholarship requires not only academic success, but asks that students “take on leadership roles within the community and service-based programs during their high school years.”

The 2023 recipients were selected from 25 applicants:

  • Amanda Tubbs, Kell High School, who is bound for the University of Georgia with plans to major in interior design;
  • Shraya Patel, Lassiter High School, who plans to attend Georgia Tech, studying management information systems;
  • Kinsley Brennen, Pope High School, who’s been accepted to Mississippi State University to study elementary education;
  • Sebastian Jean Francois, Sprayberry High School, who will be pursuing a degree in computer science at Cornell University;
  • Steven Brown, Walton High School, who will enroll at the University of Alabama with an intended major in business;
  • Dhanya Naik, Wheeler High School, who will be going to Georgia Tech to study biomedical engineering.

The East Cobb Council PTA is a non-profit made up of 35 PTA organizations to enrich the education of students. The ECC PTA also conducts a Reflections Art Contest, organizes community activities and raises funds for academic programs at its member schools.

Its business partners include MissQuito, Cyclebar East Cobb, My Ideal College, School of Rock East Cobb, Peace Love & Pizza; Mathnasium, Cactus Car Wash and East Cobb Tutoring Center.

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NE Cobb zoning cases spark historic preservation efforts

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NE Cobb rezoning historic preservation efforts
The McAfee House, which was a Union general’s headquarters during the Civil War, would give way to a car wash at the intersection of Bells Ferry Road and Barrett Parkway. (Cobb Landmarks)

Two homes built in the 1840s—a decade after the creation of Cobb County—have stood the test of time.

The Power-Jackson Cabin on Post Oak Tritt Road and the McAfee House at Bells Ferry Road and Barrett Parkway have been the subject of considerable attention by historic preservation interests for a number of years.

But they stand on property being eyed by developers in areas of Northeast Cobb where there’s little undeveloped land remaining.

Two current rezoning cases will likely determine the fate of those historic buildings.

On Tuesday, the Cobb Planning Commission will hear for a second time a proposal to develop a subdivision on the Post Oak Tritt property after voting to hold it at their April hearing (case filings here).

In addition to community opposition for density and stormwater issues, the subject of the Power-Jackson Cabin is also a consideration.

It’s regarded as one of the last one-room cabins left in Cobb from that era, and is literally falling apart.

At the April Planning Commission hearing, an attorney for the applicant said the building is “uninhabitable” and urged for its relocation.

In a stipulation letter to the Cobb Zoning Office dated Monday (you can read it here), attorney Parks Huff said his client would provide Cobb Landmarks, a local historic preservation non-profit, access to the cabin “for research purposes” and to make it available for relocation or for preserving parts of the building.

In response to a message from East Cobb News, Cobb Landmarks executive director Trevor Beemon said his organization would like to relocate the Power-Jackson Cabin to Hyde Farm off Lower Roswell Road.

That’s where another 1840s-era cabin, the Power Cabin, has been preserved, and where another cabin in the Power family also sits.

A rezoning case on land where the McAfee House is located was to have been on Tuesday’s Planning Commission agenda.

It was the homestead of farmers Eliza and Robert McAfee, and was used as a Union Army general’s headquarters after the seizure of the Big Shanty during the Civil War. It also served as a field hospital after an 1864 engagement near what was called McAfee’s Crossroads.

Huff, also the attorney for that applicant, has asked for a delay to June (see case filings here).

His client is Tommy’s Express by Northgate, which wants to build a car wash on the two-acre site that’s across from Bells Ferry Elementary School and near a retail center with a Publix and a Barnes & Noble.

The Medford Family Limited Partnership, which owns the land, has wanted to sell for several years. Cobb Landmarks has been in talks since 2019 to find a way to relocate and preserve the land, but acknowledged that despite the designation of an historical marker (there’s also one at the Power-Jackson Cabin) “the house and land are not protected through local zoning or historic designation.”

Those discussions, with the landowner and potential developers, have not been successful, but Beemon said Thursday that efforts would continue “with the developer and a private individual to relocate the home to Marietta for restoration and use as a residence.”

Another East Cobb case that’s been delayed and that also won’t be heard Tuesday is a request to build a new standalone Starbucks at Paper Mill Village.

Garvis Sams, the applicant’s attorney, asked this week for another continuance, to July.

The Cobb Planning Commission 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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East Cobb Food Scores: China House; Shish Kabob Grill; more

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China House, 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:

China Great Wall
1860 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 302
April 21, 2023 Score: 87, Grade: B

China House 
1050 E. Piedmont Road, Suite 142
April 21, 2023 Score: 94, Grade: A

Bells Ferry Elementary School
2600 Bells Ferry Road
April 26, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

J.J. Daniell Middle School
2950 Scott Drive
April 26, 2023 Score: 99, Grade: A

Rocky Mount Elementary School
2400 Rocky Mountain Road
April 26, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

Shish Kabob Mediterranean Grill
2060 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 280
April 25, 2023 Score: 80, Grade: B

Timber Ridge Elementary School
5000 Timber Ridge Road
April 26, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

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Walton, Wheeler students named National Merit Scholarship winners

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Tianyue Xu of Walton High School and Angie Zhu of Wheeler High School are among the initial group of National Merit Scholarship recipients for the Class of 2023.East Cobb National Merit Scholarship Program

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation made the announcements Wednesday in the category of corporate-sponsored scholarships.

Those scholarships went to more than 800 seniors across the nation and are funded by corporations, many of them employing the parents of the students.

The specific scholarship amounts were not revealed, but they typically range between $1,000 and $10,000.

Xu, whose listed probable career field is law, is the recipient of a State Farm Companies Foundation scholarship.

Zhu, who has listed finance as a probable career field, received a National Merit Norfolk Southern Scholarship.

Several more scholarship winners will be announced through the rest of the spring. Here is the criteria, as per the National Merit Scholarship program:

To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship, Semifinalists had to fulfill requirements to advance to Finalist standing. Each Semifinalist was asked to complete a detailed scholarship application, which included writing an essay and providing information about extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions. Semifinalists also had to have an outstanding academic record, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, and earn SAT® or ACT® scores that confirmed their qualifying test performance. From the Semifinalist group, over 15,000 met Finalist requirements.

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Taste of East Cobb finalizes 2023 restaurants, participants

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Taste of East Cobb returns
The Woodlawn Square Chick-fil-A is a returning participant at the Taste of East Cobb.

Last month we posted about the 22 restaurants that will be featured at the Taste of East Cobb on May 6, and the festival organizers over the weekend rolled out the final lineup of other vendors, sponsors and participants.

The restaurants are the following:

  • 101 Bagel Cafe; Alumni Cookie Dough; Belen de la Cruz Empanadas & Pastries; Cafe Rivkah; Cajun Meat Company; Camps Kitchen and Bar; Chick-fil-A Woodlawn Square; Clean Juice; Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar; Green Coyote Cantina; Jacobs Java Cafe; Kona Ice of Cherokee; McCray’s Tavern; Mediterranean Grill; New York Butcher Shoppe & Wine Bar; Righteous ‘Que; Schmoo.Pies; Seed Kitchen & Bar; Smallcakes; Sterling Estates East Cobb; Summit Coffee; Twisted Taco Express; Vanilla Café e Gelato

And here are the vendors—businesses and organizations providing information about what they do:

  • AAA The Auto Club Group; Altitude Trampoline Park; Apricot Lane Boutique; Blingle of Marietta; Chopt Creative Salad; Club Pilates Merchants Walk; Cobb County Department of Transportation; Cobb County Public Library; Cobb County Republican Party; Cobb County School District Transportation Dept.; Dermatology & Surgery Specialists of North Atlanta; Detail Tech – East Cobb; Discover Greater; East Cobb Tutoring Center: H.M. Patterson & Son Canton Hill Chapel; Homeless Pets Foundation; Kelly + Co; Langley Family Chiropractic; Life Transformed Christian Counseling; Misty Med Spa & Skin Rx; Mosquito Shield; Our Pal’s Place; PeakZen Yoga; Primerica; Providence Veterinary Clinic; Sold By Danielle; The Sunshine House; White Tiger Martial Arts

A variety of sponsors also will have booths at the festival, including East Cobb News—our first time doing this, and we’re really excited about it:

  • PLATINUM—Custom Disposal Service, Inc.; Johnson Ferry Baptist Church
  • GOLD—Atlanta Tent Rentals (no booth); Atlanta United FC: East Cobb City Lifestyle magazine; East Cobb News; East Cobber magazine; Harry Norman Realtors East Cobb Office; Hometown Indoor Billboard Network; Jason Esteves – State Senate; Lamar Advertising (no booth) Nia Pediatric Dentistry; Pigtails & Crewcuts: Haircuts for Kids (no booth)
  • SILVER—Atlanta Falcons; Bath Planet; Big Frog Custom T-Shirts of Marietta; Blue Penguin Car Wash Marietta; Cactus Car Wash Marietta; Camps Kitchen and Bar; Cobb County Democratic Committee; Credit Union of Georgia; Green Coyote Cantina; Plasker Family & Performance Chiropractic

The Taste of East Cobb will take place May 6 at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is the major fundraiser of the Walton Band Parent Association, which supports Walton HS band programs.

Some of those bands will be performing live music throughout the day, and there will be a kids’ zone, a silent auction of merchandise and a “Best of Taste of East Cobb” voting competition.

As you may have seen on the East Cobb News website and our newsletter, there’s a special ticket sale for advance bulk purchases of food (20 or more) through May 4. Admission to the festival is free as is parking in the south lot of the church.

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Powers Ferry ES students take part in March reading challenge

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Powers Ferry ES reading challenge
Bottom row L to R : Rashida Lee-Walker, Assistant Principal; Donna Evans, East Cobb UMC; Sarah Alwardt, 5th Grade Teacher
Back row standing L to R: Kathy Culbertson, Media Specialist; Sandy Perry, Kiwanis Club of Marietta Golden K; Jim Perry, Past President KCMGK; Aimee Mendel, Past President KCMGK; Rosie Teague, VP KCMGK; Linda Bonstein, East Cobb UMC; Elayna Wilson, Principal Powers Ferry ES and John Kone, President KCMGK

Submitted information and photo:

On April 14th, 2023 through a cooperative effort of the staff from Powers Ferry Elementary School, volunteer members of the East Cobb United Methodist Church and members of the Kiwanis Club of Marietta Golden K (KCMGK), winning 5th grade students received special certificates and books as they were rewarded for meeting the “March Reading Challenge.”  Following the presentation ceremony, the students were treated to snacks and an “Amazing  Readers” engraved cake for dessert!

Quite an accomplishment indeed and one student boasted he read over 30 books!! … GOOD JOB STUDENTS!

“I don’t know who was more thrilled” one of the volunteers exclaimed, “the 5th graders who won the certificates or the adults (Kiwanis club members and East Cobb First UMC volunteers) who provided all the goodies for the winners.” In any event, everyone is extremely proud of the accomplishments of the students.

The amazing thing about the reading challenge is that, at the beginning of the school year, 42 percent of the students were reading below the basic level. At mid-year, this number was reduced to 29 percent for a dramatic improvement! 

Each child completing the challenge got a book to keep and a certificate showing that this is sponsored
jointly by East Cobb United Methodist Church, as a Partner in Education, and the Kiwanis Club of Marietta Golden K as a part of its Student Leadership Program. 

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Additional funding, time requested for Cobb strategic plan

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Cobb Republican commissioners contest meeting minutes

Cobb commissioners will be asked Tuesday night to approve extra funding and a time extension for an outside consultant to complete a strategic plan for county government.

The Cobb County Manager’s office is seeking an additional $285,000 and eight weeks for Accenture LLP to develop the five-year strategic plan, which was approved by commissioners last fall.

The cost of the contract at the time was $1.45 million, and a draft plan was presented to commissioners last week.

But according to an agenda item, more time and money are needed after commissioners wanted the plan to be made public and discussed at a town hall meeting, and for final tasks to be completed.

‘Given the contract with Accenture has recently expired, funding and an eight-week time extension are required to accomplish additional tasks, including community engagement, and synthesizing the data,” the agenda item states.

Accenture is a management and professional services consulting firm that assigned several of its staffers to the Cobb strategic plan project.

Here’s what Accenture presented to the county in order to finish the job, which would include a revised draft plan, more public feedback and final publication.

The vote to approve the consultant was a party-line 3-2, with Democrats in favor and Republicans against.

JoAnn Birrell and Keli Gambrill objected to the cost and questioned the need for such a study, which was designed to give policy makers a long-term (10- to 20-year) vision for meeting those future service needs.

Also on Tuesday, commissioners will honor the state championship basketball teams from Wheeler and Kell high schools and will recognize East Cobb’s Temple Kol Emeth synagogue on its 40th anniversary.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta). You can read through the full agenda 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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Cobb commissioners to be briefed on housing, economic development

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Johnson Ferry-Shallowford master plan

The Cobb Board of Commissioners will hold a work session Tuesday afternoon for briefings on the county’s housing assessment and economic development initiatives.

The work session starts at 1:30 p.m. at the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta).

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

The housing assessment was compiled by the Atlanta Regional Commission “to get an understanding of current housing inventory, availability, and needs which can serve as a tool to inform the County in considering future housing goals and policy,” according to an agenda item.

Earlier this month, Cobb Tax Assessor Stephen White projected county tax digest growth in 2023 to be 13 percent, increasing due to rising average home sale prices. Last year, the average home sale in Cobb was nearly $453,000.

The economic development initiatives will be presented by Sabrina Wright, who was named the county’s economic development director last year.

You can view the full agenda by clicking here.

Commissioners will hold a regular meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the same venue and with the same viewing options. That meeting agenda can be found here.

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Legislative leader to speak to East Cobb Civic Association

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State Rep. Sharon Cooper, a Republican from District 45 in East Cobb, is the featured speaker at the East Cobb Civic Association‘s monthly meeting on Wednesday.East Cobb Civic Association logo

The meeting takes place at 7 p.m. at Fullers Park (3499 Robinson Road), and is open to the public.

Cooper, the chairwoman of the Georgia House Public Health Committee, is expected to review the recently concluded 2023 legislative session.

The East Cobb Civic Association is an all-volunteer organization of around 9,000 homeowners that influences development in the community by getting involved in zoning and code matters, as well as transportation, community service and other issues.

The meetings are held the fourth Wednesday of each month and include a discussion of and recommendations on zoning cases to be heard by the Cobb Planning Commission and Cobb Board of Commissioners.

Upcoming zoning cases include a rezoning on Post Oak Tritt Road for a subdivision near Clary Lakes, and replacing the current Starbucks at Paper Mill Village with a larger coffee shop in a standalone building.

Those cases have been delayed several months and are tentatively scheduled to be considered in May.

The ECCA opposed a decision last week by Cobb commissioners to allow for a King’s Hawaiian restaurant at Shallowford Road and Gordy Parkway.

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East Cobb residential real estate sales, April 3-7, 2023

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East Cobb real estate sales, Indian Hills
Indian Hills

The following East Cobb residential real estate sales between April 3-7 were compiled from agency reports:

April 3

4509 Chattahoochee Way, 30067 (Chattahoochee Plantation, Walton): $1.05 million

1662 Terrell Ridge, 30067 (Terrell Ridge Condos, Wheeler): $269,000

473 Salem Woods Drive, 30067 (Salem Ridge, Wheeler): $299,000

564 Greystone Trace, 30068 (Indian Hills, Walton): $1.430 million

2549 Stoney Brook Lane, 30062 (Holly Springs North, Pope): $385,000

2147 Mainsail Drive, 30062 (Autumn Lake, Sprayberry): $408,500

1955 Enchanted Woods Trail, 30066 (Enchanted Woods, Sprayberry): $585,000

2252 Ravenwood Trail, 30062 (Ravenwood, Kell): $313,587

1226 Lake Colony Drive, 30068 (Lake Colony, Walton): $645,000

3081 Rio Montana Drive, 30066 (Rio Montana, Sprayberry): $310,000

521 Shannon Drive, 30066 (Addison Heights, Sprayberry): $575,000

April 4

727 Somerset Court, 30067 (Covered Bridge, Wheeler): $241,500

1413 Old Virginia Court, 30067 (Salem Ridge, Wheeler): $365,000

250 East Valley Drive, 30068 (Eastvalley, Wheeler): $320,250

130 Willow Glenn Drive, 30068 (Weatherstone, Wheeler): $510,000

2200 Meadow Wood Court, 30062 (Meadow Wood, Walton): $395,000

2866 Colleton Drive, 30066 (Colleton Plantation, Sprayberry): $401,000

4782 N. Inlet Drive, 30066 (North Landing, Kell): $295,000

April 5

2372 Addison Road, 30066 (Addison Heights, Sprayberry): $343,500

2658 Stoney Creek Road, 30067 (Covered Bridge, Wheeler): $269,000

463 Indian Hills Trail, 30068 (Indian Hills, Walton): $685,000

1770 Donald Drive, 30062 (Hasty Acres, Sprayberry): $435,000

921 Richmond Hills Drive, 30068 (Yorkshire Hills, Wheeler): $610,000

April 6

3811 High Green Point, 30068 (Indian Hills, Walton): $493,000

671 Oakhurst Drive, 30066 (Oakhurst, Sprayberry): $299,000

1992 Claiborne Court, 30062 (Cambridge Park, Sprayberry): $547,000

2231 Sims Drive, 30066 (Heatherwood, Lassiter): $330,000

4801 Converse Court, 30062 (Chadds Walk, Pope): $775,000

April 7

3010 Balearic Drive, 30067 (Valencia Hills, Wheeler): $350,000

284 Ivy Green Lane, 30067 (Ivy Green, Wheeler): $284,000

1987 Clearwater Drive, 30067 (Cayuga Forest, Wheeler): $363,000

3983 Sentry Walk, 30068 (Indian Hills, Walton): $695,000

2270 Tourney Drive, 30062 (Sandy Plains Estates, Sprayberry): $390,000

3468 Winter Wood Lane, 30062 (Country Crossing, Lassiter): $415,000

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East Cobb boy wins grand prize at Cobb Gem and Mineral Show

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East Cobb boy Cobb Gem Show grand prize winner

Carson Konopelski, age 5, recently was named a grand prize winner at the Cobb County Gem and Mineral Show.

He lives in East Cobb and his entry at the show was a carcharocles megalodon, or “big tooth” shark.

Reader Heather Webb-Singh tells us the extinct shark’s tooth is seven inches long, indicating that it was a megalodon mammal between 45 and 50 feet long.

Carson, the son of Bob and Cindy Konopelski, donated his big tooth to his school of choice, the STEM lab at Rocky Mount Elementary School, and presented it to principal Dr. Cheri Vaniman.

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Credit Union of Georgia to give away reusable totes on Earth Day

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The first 25 members who come to any branch of the Credit Union of Georgia on Saturday will receive a free reusable tote bag to mark Earth Day.

The Cobb-based financial institution said in a release that this year’s theme is “Together We Can Invest In Our Planet.”

Local branches are located at 1020 Johnson Ferry Road in East Cobb.

For more click here.

Credit Union of Georgia Earth Day tote bags

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Kell Touchdown Club to hold football ‘Lift-A-Thon’ fundraiser

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The Kell Touchdown Club is holding its annual “Lift-A-Thon” fundraiser May 10, with proceeds going to purchase equipment and pay for team camps and meals and other components of the football program.Kell football games cancelled

Donations are accepted by pledging per-pound amounts that selected players will be lifting in the weight room for the event. Flat-rate donations also will be accepted.

The Kell Touchdown Club is having another fundraiser next month, the 10th annual Longhorn Golf Classic on May 18 at Eagle Watch Golf Club in Woodstock.

Proceeds also benefit the Kell Touchdown Club’s support of the Longhorn football program.

On June 9, the Longhorn 7 on 7 Shootout will take place at Kell.

The Longhorns will begin their 2023 season as usual in the Corky Kell Classic with a home game Aug. 16 against Parkview.

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Walton baseball team to open state tournament at Marietta HS

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The Walton High School baseball team was to have opened the first round of the Georgia High School Association Class 7A state tournament Saturday at its temporary home field at the East Cobb Baseball facility near Kell High School.Walton baseball state tournament venue change

But due to a full schedule of East Cobb Baseball games there this weekend, the Raiders will be playing at Marietta High School instead.

They’ll still be the home team against South Forsyth in a Saturday doubleheader with games at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

A third and decisive game in the series, if necessary, will take place at East Cobb Baseball on Monday at a time to be determined.

Walton, which is 19-11 this season, has been playing the last two years at East Cobb Baseball while a new facility is under construction near campus.

Cobb County School District officials had hoped it would be ready for the 2023 season, but the facility was reconfigured due to neighborhood concerns about noise and lighting.

They also will be constructing a pedestrian path and bridge from the main campus to the new sports complex—which includes courts for the Walton tennis teams—for safety reasons.

The former Walton baseball field on campus was converted for the Walton softball team, which along with the tennis teams played home competitions at Terrell Mill Park when the school’s new classroom building was being built.

Walton HS sports complex pedestrian path

Grading has been completed at the new Walton baseball facility, and foundational construction supplies have been delivered to the site.

Also on Saturday, the Pope High School baseball team will be opening its defense of the Class 6A state championship at home against Apalachee. The doubleheader starts at 2 p.m.

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East Cobb Food Scores: Chili’s; Panera Bread; Rio Steakhouse; more

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East Cobb food scores; Chili's Bar and Grill

The following food scores for the week of April 17 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:

Brazil Pizza
279 Powers Ferry Road, Suite B
April 19, 2023 Score: 96, Grade: A

Chili’s Bar & Grill
4111 Roswell Road
April 19, 2023 Score: 90, Grade: A

Faith Lutheran School
2111 Lower Roswell Road
April 17, 2023 Score: 91, Grade: A

Lassiter High School
2601 Shallowford Road
April 20, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

Mountain View Elementary School
3151 Sandy Plains Road
April 20, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

Panera Bread
4475 Roswell Road, Suite 1350
April 20, 2023 Score: 87, Grade: B

Rio Steakhouse and Bakery
1275 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 230
April 17, 2023 Score: 83, Grade: B

Sedalia Park Elementary School
2230 Lower Roswell Road
April 17, 2023 Score: 100, Grade: A

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East Cobb women lead Salvation Army Kettle Krush fundraiser

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East Cobb Kettle Krush volunteers
(L to R) Mary Allphin, Dawn Menear, Tonya Cheek and Cindy Theiler pose with The Salvation Army’s Captain Kettle.

 Submitted information:

The Salvation Army’s Women’s Auxiliary’s Kettle Krush 5K run/walk annual fundraiser is going strong – thanks in part to four East Cobb women who are leading its efforts for the sixth consecutive year. The organization – that includes many women from East Cobb – is nearing the $500,000 mark in net proceeds over its five-year history.

The women – Dawn Menear, fundraiser chair; Tonya Cheek, SAWA president; Mary Allphin, SAWA vice president; and Cindy Theiler, communications chair – are striving through this year’s event on May 20 in Marietta Square to exceed that total. The event’s purpose is to help The Salvation Army “krush” poverty, homelessness and human trafficking while supporting youth enrichment and veterans in metro Atlanta.  Funds raised support Salvation Army programs, services, and initiatives in the metro area, including in Cobb County.

“We strive annually to increase our participation and dollars raised as well as awareness of all The Salvation Army in metro Atlanta does to support our community,” said Menear. “We hope to exceed last year’s record of 500+ participants.”

“Since taking over this event six years ago from The Salvation Army, SAWA has been able to provide The Army with financial support for many initiatives, programs, and services, including replacing bunk beds at The Salvation Army’s Red Shield Shelter to help homeless veterans, providing funding to fight hunger through the Annual Can-a-thon, helping the Boys and Girls Clubs with youth enrichment through summer day camp, and supporting the capital campaign to renovate Red Shield Shelter,” said Theiler, who chaired the first race for SAWA. “When Covid hit, we knew The Salvation Army needed funds more than ever so we did a Race in Place live broadcast on Facebook for two years to continue our annual fundraising. The community really supported our efforts those years.”

For more information about the event, including registration, click here.

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$1M pedestrian bridge approved for Walton HS sports complex

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Walton HS sports complex pedestrian path

Walton High School is visible in the background from a construction site for a new field for the school’s baseball teams.

Tennis courts at the new Walton athletics facility at Pine Road and Providence Road have been completed and are in use.

Connecting the latest addition to the Walton campus to the main facilities on Bill Murdock Road is the final piece of a long process of overhauling most of the school’s facilities.

It’s also proven to be challenging.

The baseball field was reconfigured in the design stage after nearby residents were concerned about noise and lighting issues.

Walton HS sports complex pedestrian bridge
Cobb DOT won’t be realigning the Pine-Bill Murdock intersection.

Safety and traffic considerations also have factored in. Cobb DOT was planning to realign and straighten out the intersection of Bill Murdock and Pine Road, but that project has fallen through.

The school district also tried to get Cobb DOT to increase pedestrian crosswalks, but Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said that was a “no go.”

Last week, the Cobb Board of Education approved spending $1 million for a dedicated raised pedestrian bridge, a project included in the Cobb Education SPLOST V.

The construction contract was awarded to Lewallen Construction Co. on Bells Ferry Road, and details of the project are still being worked out. The expected timeline is to begin construction this summer and finish in December.

When Cobb DOT announced the Pine-Bill Murdock plans last spring there wasn’t a set price tag.

“Originally, the design was going to have students, teachers, parents, everybody who parks at the school walk all the way up Bill Murdock, cross it, then walk all the way up Pine Road,” Ragsdale said during a board work session last Thursday.

“We know high school kids. They’re not going to make that journey on the sidewalk. We had to provide a safer path that we knew kids would take.”

Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt told East Cobb News that Cobb DOT and the school district “agreed last year on a more cost-effective option over a realignment.”

The path will include a sidewalk along Bill Murdock, with the bridge traversing a creek located in a flood plain area near the intersection.

School board member David Banks, whose post includes the Walton attendance zone, said the Pine-Bill Murdock intersection is dangerous.

“That curve is a very high-level safety concern,” he said. “You’ve got to find some way of slowing people down where they can see around the curve because those students, they’re not always going to look.

“The people who live around Walton, they know the danger. We need to find ways to to minimize this,” he said, suggesting the school district consider a crosswalk in the future.

Walton HS sports complex pedestrian bridge

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Lassiter HS senior accepts appointment to U.S. Naval Academy

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Luke O’Malley, a senior at Lassiter High School, has accepted an appointment to enroll in the the U.S. Naval Academy.Luke O'Malley, Lassiter student accepts U.S. Naval Academy appointment

He also had received an appointment to to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, but has opted for the USNA and will be joining the Class of 2027 for I-Day in Annapolis, Md., at the end of June.

His parents, Brian and Shelley O’Malley, are Naval Academy graduates and retired Navy veterans. She was a Navy aviator and Delta Air Lines pilot. His older sister, Lauren O’Malley, was a swimmer at Lassiter and also attended the Naval Academy.

A football player at Lassiter, Luke O’Malley was a 2021 finalist for the Atlanta Falcons Man of the Year, which is given to prep athletes who “make a positive difference on the field, in the classroom and in the community.”

His career ambitions include being a Navy or Marine pilot after graduating from college.

The service academies have a 5-year service commitment after graduation.

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Walton HS Winter Guard reaches finals of world championships

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Walton Winter Guard reaches world championships finals

The Walton High School Winter Guard team recently competed in the finals of the Winter Guard International World Championships in Dayton, Ohio.

Thanks to Christopher Johns, Walton’s associate band director, for the information and the photos.

The WGI is a competition for color guard teams that in Walton’s category included more than 140 teams. The Walton students were among 20 groups to reach the finals in the Scholastic A Class, and the only team from Georgia to get that far, finishing in 13th place.

The Walton Winter Guard, which is a part of the Walton Band program, finished the season prior to that undefeated and was named the Scholastic National A Champions in the Southern Association for Performing Arts competition circuit.

The Walton Winter Guard is led by coach Scott Beck and staff members Jordan Casey, Jenn Cunningham, Stephanie Stewart, Adam Sage, and Michael James.

Team members include Laylah Gaines, Abigail Martin-Hoster, Sarah Musau, Emily Balado, Jordyn Sewell, Hailey Klim, Rowen Black, Victoria Markey, Katherine Parfenov, Olivia Reilly, Quinn Reilly, Madeleine Hodges, Misora Furuya, Olivia Nice and Lejla Hadzic.

Walton Winter Guard reaches world championships finals

Walton Winter Guard reaches world championships finals

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Cobb commissioners approve King’s Hawaiian site plan request

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King's Hawaiian rezoning request approved
Final revisions to King’s Hawaiian plans include turning a mural inward, permitting right-in, right-out traffic access only and maintaining a 40-foot buffer (at right) adjacent to Harrison Park.

Despite some community opposition, the Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a site plan at a busy Northeast Cobb intersection for a King’s Hawaiian fast casual restaurant.

By a 4-1 vote, and with some final revisions, commissioners granted the request by Stein Investment Group to construct a 3.200-square foot restaurant with parking and a double drive-thru at the northwest intersection of Shallowford Road and Gordy Parkway.

The applicant received rezoning in 2021 for a self-storage facility on a portion of land that was once the GTC Cobb Park 12 movie theater, and asked to develop the remaining 1.14 acres for a restaurant.

The case was first proposed last summer and has been delayed and continued several times (you can read the case file here).

The restaurant would be the first King’s Hawaiian locations in metro Atlanta, and would include an outdoor patio area.

King’s Hawaiian was founded in Hilo, Hawaii, in 1950, as a bakery known for its signature sweet rolls.

Now based near Los Angeles, the company opened a major bakery and warehouse near Gainesville in 2011, where most of its products are made.

They are sold at grocery stores and through other restaurant franchises, including Arby’s.

There are two King’s Hawaiian locations near company headquarters in Torrance, Calif. (here’s a menu for the original restaurant) and the parent company also is opening another restaurant concept, Hello Hilo, near Gainesville.

As in a rejected rezoning case for the same land in 2017 for a proposed Lidl grocery store, nearby residents said the restaurant would cause too many traffic and safety issues.

The King’s Hawaiian would be open from early morning hours—contributing to the commuting and Lassiter High School traffic rush—until 10 p.m. at night.

A double drive-thru, said Highland Park resident Denise Fissel, would increase the chances of people in vehicles “rushing to get in and out” and said the restaurant proposal is “too intense” for the property.

Jason Linscott of Stein Investment Group said the traffic plan for the restaurant reduces traffic in the area by 40 percent from the movie theater, but didn’t provide specifics.

Fissel countered that “those are your numbers, not ours,” and said the project “is not like a theater.” She noted that the other fast-food restaurants in the area—Wendy’s, Taco Bell and Chick-Fil-A—are all accessed within shopping centers, and not directly on major roads.

The East Cobb Civic Association also opposed the application, especially a proposed reduction of a 40-foot barrier between the back of the property and the adjacent Harrison Park tennis courts.

Stein Investment Group wanted to cut into that buffer by 36 feet for parking and the drive-thru lanes.

But District 3 commissioner JoAnn Birrell, in making a motion to approve the application, scotched any reduction of that buffer, saying “it would set a precedent. It was put in place for a reason” when the property was rezoned in the 1980s.

She acknowledged that a restaurant that size on such a small amount of land “is rather intense” but her motion included several other stipulations, including last-minute letters and recommendations from parties on both sides of the matter.

Garvis Sams, the attorney for Stein Investment Group, said that maintaining the 40-foot buffer “impinges on the development. It will cause a considerable re-engineering.”

Birrell’s other conditions include maintaining a treeline along Gordy Parkway, between the property and the entrance to Harrison Park, “in perpetuity,” allowing for dead or damaged trees to be removed.

Other conditions include recommendations from the Gordy Architectural Control Committee and the formation of a landscaping committee, and Birrell would sign off on the final site plan as well as landscaping plans.

Construction hours for the restaurant would be limited from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday with no Sunday work permitted.

The restaurant hours would be from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

The only voted against was from commissioner Monique Sheffield of South Cobb, who said she thought the project was too intense.

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