Cobb Police said Monday a motorist was killed Saturday night in a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 75 at Terrell Mill Road.
Sgt. Wayne Delk said in a release that the male victim, who has not been identified pending notification of next of kin, was the driver of a gray 2012 Nissan Maxima that was stopped in a southbound lane of I-75 at 6:18 p.m. Saturday.
The Nissan was struck by a silver 2008 Toyota Tacoma from behind, and both vehicles were pushed to the left shoulder, according to police.
Police said the driver of the Nissan was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital and died of injuries. No information on the status of the other driver was provided by police in the release.
Cobb Police said an investigation into the crash is ongoing and that anyone with information should call 770-499-3987.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Garvis Sams, an attorney for Stein Investment Group, wrote to Cobb zoning officials this week that his client needs more time to work with representatives of the Gordy Tract advisory committee for its recommendation.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners will meet Tuesday for their first zoning hearing of 2023.
Included on the consent agenda are plans by Lidl to build a freestanding grocery store at Canton Road at Piedmont Road.
That proposal got a favorable recommendation earlier this month from the Cobb Planning Commission.
Stein Investment Group wants to build a fast casual King’s Hawaiian restaurant on a portion of the former GTC Cobb Park 12 Cinema site on Gordy Parkway at Shallowford Road (case file here).
Cobb commissioners voted in 2021 to approve Stein’s plans for a self-storage facility. Last fall, Stein officials proposed building a 3,200-square-foot restaurant with 29 parking spaces on an existing parking lot on the property.
Another case to be heard Tuesday is a proposal to build a self-storage facility at Delk and Terrell Mill Roads that has drawn community opposition.
Several other East Cobb cases also have been delayed and will not be heard on Tuesday, including a proposal to build a two-story Starbucks at Paper Mill Village. That case has been continued to March.
The commission zoning hearing begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta), and a summary and consent agenda can be viewed by clicking here.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Kell High School was among the East Cobb schools earning AP honors in the humanities and STEM programs.
All six high schools in East Cobb have been named Advanced Placement Honor Schools by Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods.
They are among 273 high schools in 97 districts from across the state, and the honors are based on eight categories from the results of 2022 AP courses and exams, according to a Georgia Department of Education release.
“The number of AP Honor Schools increased by more than 14 percent, which serves as a testament to our commitment to expand opportunities for Georgia students, including in advanced and accelerated coursework,” Woods said in the release. “I sincerely congratulate each of this year’s AP Honor Schools on their achievement.
The Georgia DOE has listed below the categories and descriptions; we’ve included the East Cobb high school name in bold:
Schools with at least 30 percent of AP exams taken by students who identified as African American and/or Hispanic and 30 percent of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or higher.
Schools with a minimum of five students testing in each of the following AP categories: one ELA course, two history/social science courses, one fine arts course, and one world language course.
Schools with at least 20 percent of the total student population taking AP exams and at least 50 percent of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or higher.
AP STEM Schools (Kell, Lassiter, Pope, Sprayberry, Walton, Wheeler)
Schools with a minimum of five students testing in at least four AP STEM courses. (AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP Physics C, AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles)
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The Cobb Board of Education Thursday voted to extend the contract of Superintendent Chris Ragsdale for another three years, to 2026.
The board voted 4-2-1 after meeting in an executive session. The four Republicans voted in favor, while Democrats Tre’ Hutchins and Becky Sayler were opposed. Democrat Nichelle Davis abstained.
The split vote has reflected recent partisan differences on the board.
Until three years ago, extending the contract of Ragsdale, who has been in the job since 2015, has been unanimous.
Republican member Randy Scamihorn read from a list of recent accomplishments of the Cobb County School District, saying that under Ragsdale there has been “steady improvement and stability” across the district.
Those include student performance metrics, a variety of academic initiatives and continued support from voters for the Cobb Education SPLOST.
But Hutchins, who represents Post 3 in South Cobb, said while he thinks the district is “in the right place at the right time . . . I would like it to translate across the county, especially in Post 3.”
Sayler, who was elected in November to Post 2 in Smyrna, said she was voting against because of a clause in Ragsdale’s contract that would allow him to leave his position with full pay if a special panel determines he’s been “harassed” or “embarrassed” by school board members.
That was part of a revised contract the Republicans on the board approved in late 2021, over the objections of the Democrats.
“I’m unclear what that means,” Sayler said, adding she wasn’t comfortable not knowing that as a board member “what I can do or say” about Ragsdale.
Also on Thursday, the school board voted 4-3 to approve a strategic plan for the district for 2023-28, the first since the COVID-19 pandemic.
That vote also was along partisan lines, with the dissenting Democrats saying that while they like the objectives, they didn’t think the plan had sufficient tools to monitor progress.
“My concerns continue to be a lack of clear, measurable outcomes,” said Davis, who is in her first term from Post 6 in Smyrna. “Is this our best? Are we doing everything we can?”
Scamihorn responded that “we do measure what we’re doing. We’re the best, and the data shows that.”
He wasn’t more specific, but said the board is regularly updated on literacy rates and other objectives that have been included in previous strategic plans.
A strategic plan, he said, is to “set the direction and show reports as we get there.”
The board also voted unanimously to approve construction contracts for classroom additions at Dickerson and Dodgen middle schools in East Cobb, and to purchase 59 replacement school buses with air conditioning.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
A soccer kickabout on the front quad is a frequent activity at East Cobb Park.
East Cobb Park was formally dedicated in June 2003 as the first public-private partnership for a park in Cobb County.
The all-volunteer, non-profit group that worked with Cobb County Parks, the Friends for the East Cobb Park, was founded four years before that, from an initiative of the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.
The “Charter Leaf” members represent notable East Cobb individuals, businesses and other organizations. A cluster of special stones on the ground around it also contain the names of financial contributors, as do names emblazoned on park benches.
By almost every measure, East Cobb Park has been a spectacular success and increasingly popular, as citizens and groups frequent its 13 acres as the area’s first passive park.
But as the park is set to mark its 20th anniversary this summer, the volunteers organization that stages concerts and other special events is looking for a few more volunteer hands to help out.
The Friends for the East Cobb Park is seeking new members, not just to donate time and money, but also to help take a more active role in plotting out the future of the park.
“Our mission is to enhance the community experience,” Friends president Kurt von Borries said in a recent interview with East Cobb News. “It’s the best cultural asset we have in East Cobb.”
He said the Friends group currently has around 60 members, and there’s no specific target for growth, just to add “as many as we can.”
The group, which relies 100 percent on donations, spent $20,000 last year to replace the front playground fencing.
Cobb PARKs provides most of the maintenance, including recent repairs along the Sewell Mill Creek streambank extending to Fullers Park, and citizens wishing to book a pavilion also go through the county.
The Friends group handles special events and what he generally calls cultural programming.
There are limits on what it can do, von Borries said, because of parking and restroom facilities.
When planning for a concert, he said, the estimated cap is around 150 people, although that figure is often exceeded.
“There’s nowhere to expand,” he said.
Attracting vendors also is a challenge because any money they make above costs goes to the Friends group.
Raising funds through individual sponsorships poses other issues. All 47 park benches, Borries said, have been dedicated, and they’re not adding any more for the time being due to supply chain issues.
“We’re out of room” for additional revenue opportunities in that regard.
The Friends group also sells sponsorships for newly planted as well as existing trees in the park.
The organization is seeking out additional corporate sponsors, in addition to Wellstar Health Systems, which makes a donation for Music in the Park, a series of spring and fall concerts, and the Holiday Lights celebration in December.
Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, a long association with the East Cobb Civitan Association, which raised funds for the park through its Wine and Vine event, has come to an end.
That’s diminished what’s available in the Friends’ banking account, which von Borries said is generally healthy and that “we can do some things.”
The desire to do more things has spurred some new creative approaches as the group shores up its financial resources, including borrowing from its foundation to help fund the playground fence.
Von Borries, who’s also a member of the Rotary Club of East Cobb, said plans are in the works with that organization to stage two family-friendly movies—one in spring and the other in the fall—on a big screen at the concert shell.
“We’re excited about that,” he said.
Streamlining the process for membership renewal is another task the Friends group is undertaking. Getting automatic notices online that can be paid electronically is a top priority.
Members can renew or join at various levels, starting with the $25 “garden leaf supporter” category to $1,000 as a “diamond leaf” sponsor, either at a monthly or annual rate.
They also can donate at custom levels and in honor or memory of someone. All contributions are tax deductible, since the Friends group is a 501(c)(3) organization.
Volunteer opportunities are across the board, from events and marketing to fundraising and creek clean-up activities.
Von Borries said a clean-up has been tentatively scheduled for May 6, and the Friends group also wants to hold a member appreciation event in the near future.
“It’s my wish that it will be stylish to say that you’re a supportive member of East Cobb Park,” he said. “How we can get there, we haven’t yet figured that out.”
East Cobb Park Events in 2023
Music in the Park: April 2, April 16, April 30 and May 21, Sept. 17, Oct. 1, Oct. 15, and Oct. 29; all 4-6 p.m., free
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The Cobb County School District announced Thursday a new program in which it would pay tuition costs for teachers seeking advanced degrees.
During a Cobb Board of Education work session, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale proposed a program in partnership with the University of West Georgia starting that would start this fall, with dedicated online instruction of up to five semesters for 500 select educators.
The program is called Georgia’s BEST (Building Educators’ Success Together), a teacher retention initiative Ragsdale presented to the board, saying West Georgia officials approached the district about the program.
West Georgia would discount the full cost of the degree programs, and in his proposal Ragsdale to spend $500,000 in district surplus funds to craft a proof of concept proposal, which also will include some certificate programs.
The board voted unanimously (7-0) in support of the program.
“It is that rare opportunity to offer a win-win-win opportunity,” Ragsdale said in prepared remarks. “This is one of the most important things we can do for our teachers.
“This is letting our teachers see that we are putting our money where our mouth is.”
Board member David Chastain of East Cobb made the motion to accept the proposal and authorize the spending, getting emotional as he spoke.
His late father was an educator in Atlanta public schools and was working on a graduate degree when he passed away.
“My mother’s nursing supervisor made more money than my father,” Chastain said. “This is a fantastic opportunity.”
Post 5 board member David Banks noted that for many teachers, pursuing a graduate degree has been unaffordable,
“Now there aren’t any excuses,” Banks said, adding that the program will give opportunities to people they never had.”
Ragsdale said that the costs of post-graduate education for teachers have been going up substantially, and is among the biggest obstacles to retain teachers.
He said teachers who get master’s degrees from public universities in Georgia average nearly $30,000 in debt, and that figure is around $70,000 for those obtaining doctorate degrees.
Private university debt is even higher, at nearly $80,000 for master’s programs and $135,000 for doctoral degrees, according to Ragsdale.
A few provisions of the Georgia’s BEST program would require teachers who earn graduate degrees to stay with the Cobb school district for at least three years.
Some teachers already with advanced degrees also would be hired as part-time education professors for the program.
Ragsdale said that if the pilot program is deemed a success, it could be renewed and expanded.
Cobb officials say 70 percent of educators in the district have advanced degrees, and that those with master’s degree and typically earn higher salaries.
According to the current academic year salary schedule, a Cobb teacher with five years of experience earns an estimated $6,874 more per year with a master’s degree than a teacher with a bachelor’s degree alone.
The difference rises to $8,786 per year after 10 years, and at 20 years of service, the difference is more than $10,000 per year, according to Cobb school district data.
“We are excited to partner with Cobb Schools to help educators increase their earning potential and strengthen their ability to help students succeed. We are confident that UWG’s advanced degree programs will help Cobb Schools achieve its goal of recruiting and retaining top talent while empowering Cobb educators with the knowledge and training relevant to Cobb students,” Mike Dishman, West Georgia’s college of education dean, said in a statement issued by the Cobb school district.
He told the board after the vote that the Georgia’s BEST program could be as transformational in state education “as the HOPE scholarship program.”
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Cobb Police said $15,000 was stolen from a BP station on Canton Road in a Jan. 29 armed robbery.
Two men have been arrested for what Cobb Police said were two gas station armed robberies in the Northeast Cobb area in late January.
According to an arrest warrant, Shawn Jason Glover, 29, of Kennesaw, drove a getaway vehicle in both incidents, on Jan. 25 at a Shell Station on Ernest Barrett Parkway and on Jan. 29 at a BP station on Canton Road.
Glover was arrested Wednesday on two counts of armed robbery and two counts of aggravated assault and is being held without bond at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.
His warrant states that at 7:23 a.m. on Jan. 25, Glover was behind the wheel of a black 2010 Hyundai Tucson with another passenger in the vehicle, Larry Daniels, 34, of Acworth, who went inside the convenience store at the Shell station at 465 Ernest Barrett Parkway.
Police said in the warrant that Daniels was wearing black clothing, a dark mask and black face paint when he approached a store employee, then aimed a handgun and demanded money.
According to police, Daniels received $4,860 in cash, then left with Glover as they drove away from the scene.
That process was repeated on Jan. 29 at 7:18 p.m. at the BP station at 3190 Canton Road, police said. Daniels left the Tucson with Glover behind the wheel, entered the convenience store with dark clothing and a dark mask, the warrant states, then threatened an employee with a gun and demanded money.
The warrant said Daniels left the store with $15,000 in cash and returned to the Tucson, with Glover driving them away.
Booking reports indicate that Daniels was arrested on Jan. 31 and he is being held without bond, also at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.
He also was charged with two felony counts each of armed robbery and aggravated assault and is facing additional charges from last year, including theft by taking and identity theft fraud, according to jail records.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The following food scores for the week of Feb. 13 have been compiled by the Cobb & Douglas Department of Public Health. Click the link under each listing for inspection details:
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
A rendering included in the zoning application for apartments on the current site of a Kroger on Powers Ferry Road.
As a new Kroger superstore is being built on the former site of Brumby Elementary School, plans are in the works to redevelop the current supermarket site nearby on Powers Ferry Road.
WC Acquisitions LLC has filed plans with the City of Marietta to build more than 300 apartments and 6,000 square feet of retail space on the current 4.8-acre site for Kroger (1122 Powers Ferry Road), which opened in 1982.
The developer’s attorney, noted Cobb zoning lawyer Garvis Sams, has applied seeking rezoning from community retail commercial to the mixed development category.
The application (you can read it here) is scheduled for its first hearing March 1 before the Marietta Planning Commission.
The apartment building would have 322 units and five stories, and in the application Sams said that the conceptual plan includes new landscaping and two courtyards.
He also said that a traffic study completed for the application “finds that traffic levels will at least remain constant once built, if not be improved. In this sense, the proposed development meets the purpose and intent of the parcel’s mixed-use zoning designation.”
The proposal said 65 percent of the apartments would be one-bedroom units, and 35 percent would have two bedrooms. The building also would have 7,000 square feet of residential amenities.
Sams wrote that the existing Kroger site is not a “redeemable retail location” due to its age and condition and that there are other supermarkets nearby, including a Publix across the street.
He said the area “is in need of a quality housing product offered at relatively affordable prices.”
Kroger opened in 1982 at Powers Ferry and Delk roads and will be relocating to Marketplace Terrell Mill.
Parking includes a proposed deck for the apartments with 485 spaces, and 27 spaces for retail.
“Adequate parking is provided for the retail component and therefore satisfies code requirements; however, parking for the residential component may be of concern,” application states.
That’s a ratio of 1.5 spaces per unit, when the Marietta city zoning code calls for one space per multi-family unit.
“The 485 spaces. . . is slightly more generous. It can be said, therefore, that the amount of parking anticipated is within range of what code prescribes,” Sams wrote.
Kroger will be closing the 50,000-square-foot site once the new superstore opens at Marketplace Terrell Mill, a mixed-use development that also includes a large apartment building in unincorporated Cobb.
That project was described as transformational for the Powers Ferry corridor when Cobb commissioners approved rezoning in 2018.
The new Kroger store is expected to be completed in March and will comprise 90,000 square feet as well as a gas station.
The Marietta Planning Commission will meet March 1 at 6:30 p.m. to make a recommendation; final action is expected by the Marietta City Council on March 8.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Barnes and Noble issued its own release about the forthcoming store at The Avenue East Cobb after what North American Properties confirmed last month.
As we noted previously, the national book retailer will be occupying 15,0000 square feet of the former Bath Bed and Beyond store this summer, and the space will include a B & N Café similar to some of its nearby stores, including near Cumberland Mall.
Barnes and Noble CEO James Daunt said in a release Wednesday that this is Barnes and Noble’s first new store in Cobb in nearly 20 years, since opening at The Avenue West Cobb.
“Now that Barnes & Noble begins to grow again, opening new bookstores across the country, happily this omission is to be corrected,” Daunt said. “Our booksellers are very excited to be bringing such a large and beautiful new bookstore to the community.”
Daunt was brought on to revive Barnes and Noble after turning around the famed Waterstone bookselling chain in his native Britain.
The Barnes and Noble release said the store at The Avenue East Cobb—the first in Georgia as part of a “smaller” size concept—is one of 30 the chain is planning to open across the country this year.
The revamped store concept allows for store managers to curate recommended books for local and regional tastes and to reflect the atmosphere of independent stores.
A specific opening time frame hasn’t been announced for the East Cobb store, but two social media sites have just been created, on Instagram and Twitter.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The forthcoming classroom additions at Dickerson and Dodgen middle schools in East Cobb will get their first action Thursday when the Cobb Board of Education will be asked to set cost limits for both projects.
The Cobb County School District is recommending that the board set what’s called a “Guaranteed Maximum Price” for facility construction.
According to agenda items for Thursday’s meetings, the district is recommending a limit of $ 3.622 million for the Dickerson addition and $3.757 million for the Dodgen addition.
The recommended contractor for both is Carroll Daniell Construction Co. of Atlanta.
The estimated completion of the projects is July for Dodgen and November for Dickerson.
Specifics of the project were not included in Thursday’s agenda (you can read it here).
The projects will be presented for discussion at a work session at 1 p.m. and will be voted on at a 7 p.m. business meeting.
The Dickerson and Dodgen classroom additions will be funded from the Cobb-Ed V SPLOST collection, as is the ongoing rebuild of Eastvalley Elementary School and new athletic facilities at Walton High School.
In 2021 Cobb voters approved extending the school SPLOST. Collections began on Cobb-Ed SPLOST VI in 2022 and is funding the rebuild of Sprayberry High School and classroom additions at Kincaid, Mt. Bethel, Murdock, Sope Creek and Tritt elementary schools in East Cobb.
Also on Thursday’s agenda is a request for the Cobb school district to purchase 59 air-conditioned school buses for $8.256 million.
At the work session, the school board will hear a proof of concept presentation about teacher retention.
At the business meeting, the board will be asked to adopt a strategic plan for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2023-28 update, presented last month, outlines a set of nine skills for high school graduates to master, broken into three categories.
The board also could extend the contract of Superintendent Chris Ragsdale. It’s not listed on the agenda but the board’s executive session includes discussion of personnel matters.
Ragsdale current contract expires in February 2025 and the board can extend it annually for up to three years.
He was extended last February at a base salary of $350,000 but for the last two years, the board’s Democrats have voted against those extensions.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Cobb commissioners on Tuesday approved spending more than $98 million in federal funds under the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act for 80 community-based projects and initiatives.
The broad categories for the funding include infrastructure, community health, economic development, public safety and non-government support services.
Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said “these funds will be transformational” as she thanked county officials and Deloitte, the outside consultant hired to help the county strategize how to use the money.
“It’s not just what’s immediately before us with the impact of COVID, but we can look at the future and say ‘How can we set this county up for success?’ ”
Cobb was allocated more than $147 million in APRA funding, and with Tuesday’s votes, has only $11 million remaining.
County department heads organized subcommittees in each of the five categories to screen applications, determine eligibility, select participants and assign funding recommendations.
The process also included community and public feedback. More than 200 separate applications were made, by county government departments as well as non-profit agencies.
The requests included health-related efforts to mitigate against COVID-19 (including expanding court space for social-distancing purposes), food distribution, stormwater management upgrades, expanding WiFi at county facilities, workforce development, mental health and substance abuse programs, rental assistance, home repairs for the elderly and financially disadvantaged and equipment for first responders.
Three of the five votes were unanimous votes by the commissioners. Commissioner Keli Gambrill of North Cobb voted against the community health and housing funding, saying she opposed more rental and mortgage assistance beyond what Cobb had paid using CARES Act funds in 2021.
All of the projects that were approved had to meet federal ARPA guidelines, as well as guidelines approved by commissioners that they won’t cost the county recurring expenses when the programs expire.
The projects typically will last for two years, and deputy county manager Jimmy Gisi said at Tuesday’s meeting that the ARPA funding must all be spent by the end of 2026.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The intersection of Holly Springs Road and Post Oak Tritt Road.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners Tuesday approved the hiring of a traffic engineering firm to start an improvement project in the Holly Springs Road corridor.
The board voted unanimously(5-0) to spend $166,100 for Southeastern Engineering, Inc. to conduct a traffic study, develop a plan concept and involve public feedback.
The funding comes from the 2022 Cobb SPLOST, as will the $3.3 million for the project, which will make improvements on Holly Springs between Old Canton Road and Sandy Plains Road.
A contract for construction would come to commissioners after the design is completed.
The Holly Springs project been prioritized as a “Tier 1” road project in the 2022 SPLOST, which was approved by voters in a 2020 referendum.
In 2021, Cobb DOT completed a nearly $1 million project to make improvements at the Holly Springs-Old Canton intersection, including the construction of pedestrian refuge islands, a guardrail, signage and striping at a three-way intersection.
The initial plans for the 2022 SPLOST project were to make improvements at the Holly Springs-Post Oak Tritt Road intersection.
But an agenda item for Tuesday’s meeting said SPLOST funds “will be used to make operational and safety improvements at intersections and corridors throughout the county.”
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Join Cobb County Department of Transportation on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 for a drop-in community open house to learn more about the Noonday Creek Trail Extension study. Stop by any time between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to learn about the project background and existing conditions within the study area. You will also have an opportunity to review and provide feedback on potential trail options that may be considered, as well as potential trail amenities and features.
When: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Where: Bells Ferry Elementary School | 2600 Bells Ferry Road NE, Marietta, GA 30066
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Police blocked off access to the Hamptons at East Cobb apartments, where a building caught fire Monday morning.
UPDATED, Tuesday 10:50 A.M.:
Cobb Police identified the victim as Thomas Alexander, 74, who was found dead in Apartment 226.
Officer Shenise Barner said Cobb Police is investigating the death and Cobb Fire is investigating the fire.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Cobb Police Crimes Against Persons Detectives at 770-499-3945. Those wishing to remain anonymous should contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrimeATL.com regarding c
ORIGINAL STORY:
Cobb Fire officials said Monday that one person has died and dozens of others were displaced in an apartment fire off Roswell Road in East Cobb.
Ramses Rivas, the public information officer for Cobb Fire, said in a release that the victim was located inside a unit in the building that caught fire, and that 39 people have been displaced.
He said 29 units were damaged or destroyed, and that Cobb Fire is working with the American Red Cross to find housing assistance for those who lost their apartments.
Rivas said that crews were dispatched to the Hamptons at East Cobb (1523 Roswell Road) at 10:53 a.m., and arrived several minutes later to find the front of a three-story apartment building heavily engulfed by fire, with “flames through the roof.”
He said a total of 12 fire apparatus were on the scene and 50 firefighters responded, from the Cobb and Marietta fire departments.
Cobb Fire has not released the identity of the victim pending notification of next of kin.
The blaze was under control by mid-afternoon Monday, but police officers were preventing residents from driving beyond the gates at the entrance to the complex as vehicles were parked around the leasing office at the front.
Rivas said the cause of the fire has not been determined.
The Hamptons is located on Roswell Road at the intersection of Lower Roswell Road.
Photo: Cobb Fire and Emergency Services
Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Flashes of spring were abounding in East Cobb this week, including blooming trees above at the Sunrise at East Cobb senior care home on Johnson Ferry Road.
But the National Weather Service in Peachtree City said Friday that steady rain and colder temperatures could result in some winter weather issues Saturday and Sunday.
The NWS has issued a winter weather advisory for Cobb County and most of north and central Georgia through Sunday morning, as a storm system moves through Saturday night.
Temperatures in the advisory area overnight Saturday into Sunday morning are forecast to be in the mid- to upper 30s, and higher elevations in North Georgia could get a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow.
The NWS said that “any snow mixed with rain should not result in road or any other impacts” at elevations below 2,000 feet.
Cobb government said in a social media message late Friday afternoon that “just in case, Cobb DOT crews will be ready to respond if the roads get slippery.”
Rain begins Friday night and continues in the morning and afternoon on Saturday, with highs in the low 50s.
The low expected in the Cobb area Saturday night is in the mid 30s, with an 80 percent chance of rain/snow Sunday morning.
Highs Sunday are forecast in the mid 40s, dipping to near freezing Sunday night as the weather conditions dry out.
Monday will be sunny and warmer, with highs around 60, and getting warmer in the week, although there is rain in the forecast as well.
Next weekend is expected to be sunny and nearing 60 degrees next Sunday.
Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Spending requests of more than $98 million from the American Rescue Plan Act will be presented to the Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday.
Cobb County government was allocated $147 million from the federal government in ARPA funding, and last November commissioners unanimously approved using $20 million of that total to raise salaries, improve retention and fill vacancies in public safety agencies.
At Tuesday’s meeting, they will hear details of spending proposals pertaining to infrastructure, community health, economic development, public safety and support service needs stemming from the COVID-19 response.
Last year commissioners voted on the five priority areas. The following totals have been proposed per category, with an overview and project-by-project specifics, with the projects lasting two years:
The requests, formulated by county department heads, are comprehensive and wide-ranging, including health-related efforts to mitigate against COVID-19 (including expanding court space for social-distancing purposes), food distribution, stormwater management upgrades, expanding WiFi at county facilities, workforce development, home repairs for the elderly and financially disadvantaged and equipment for first responders.
They were put together after months of meetings with county government and non-profit service providers and other community “stakeholders,” according to the agenda items.
Each project is broken down according to several factors, including whether it aligns with the ARPA funding categories. The evaluation considerations for each included “equity,” geographic location, projected impact and “financial continuity,” with the proviso that projects won’t cost the county money beyond the limits of the ARPA funding.
Each priority area will be considered individually at Tuesday’s meeting.
The biggest single request is $7 million to construct the South Cobb Public Health Center, which Cobb and Douglas Public Health said in agenda item “will address many of the public health gaps that exist due to the pandemic and other historical circumstances.”
Another $5.8 million is being proposed for the Healthy County Building Initiative, which will target HVAC upgrades for “select” county facilities based on indoor air quality and COVID mitigation measures.
A total of $4.9 million would be granted to SelectCobb, the economic development arm of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, and Cobb Works, the Cobb Collaborative and other agencies to assist “child care learning centers and family child care learning homes with their current workforce challenges.”
An estimated $4.5 million would be distributed in grants to the early childhood education and day care industry “to help offset the cost of retaining and recruiting workers in this difficult labor market for a specific segment of the economy that has a profound impact on families.”
Another $4 million would be earmarked for Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Metro Atlanta to build 14 single-family “affordable homes” for citizens with incomes at or below 65 percent of the area median income.
The estimated cost of each home would be $362,725.00 each, and the agenda items states it would be “helping to close the racial wealth gap by creating equity for homeowners.”
Also requested under economic development is $3.96 million for the “Cobb County Business Boot Camp,” which would provide training and assistance for minority business owners.
The commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta), and the full agenda can be found by clicking here.
There are two public comment periods, one at the beginning and the other near the end, with a maximum of six speakers each who are limited to speak for five minutes.
You also can watch on the county’s website and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Mark Aston is the public-address voice at Walton High School basketball, football and lacrosse home games. (Andrew Pollock, apPhotoMarietta, LLC)
An all-around sports dad some Walton High School athletes call “VOMA” is in contention for the big leagues.
Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves, to be specific.
East Cobb resident Mark Aston has done sports-related and other professional voice over-work for more than 30 years, including for his alma mater, Auburn University.
In recent years, he’s been the public address announcer for Walton football and lacrosse games, and this season added basketball duties to his already-busy schedule.
Aston does voice acting projects for Auburn athletics and other business clients from his home studio, in addition to his full-time work in medical sales.
“I’m a parent volunteer,” Aston said. “I just happen to be the parent volunteer they hear at the games.”
Come April 6, Aston could be sitting behind the mic at Truist Park as the public address announcer as the Braves play their home opener for the 2023 season.
After more than 130 people sent audition videos and several hundred more did auditions at the Braves’ FanFest last month, he’s been named one of 12 finalists for the job.
They’re in the running to succeed Casey Motter, the Braves’ PA man since 2006, and who died last June.
Aston said East Cobb resident Larry Haber, who’s also involved in youth sports in the Walton area, mentioned the opening to him.
A Braves spokeswoman told East Cobb News that the top three finalists will be announced between Feb. 17-20, and that fans will be invited to vote for their favorite.
Aston said he hasn’t been told anything since the audition. It’s a part-time job, like the rest of his voice-over work, and would consist of informing and entertaining fans at 81 home games and any post-season events at Truist Park.
Mark Aston at his Atlanta Braves audition on Feb. 3. A snippet is shown on the video below, around the 10-minute mark.
“I used to pretend I was a Braves announcer,” Aston said, referencing Marshall Mann, who was the Braves’ PA announcer fro 1967 to 1996.
“I’ll go as big as the Braves want me to go. You’re there to enhance the Braves’ experience. It’s not about you.”
A native of Columbus, Ga., Aston finished second in the state high school shot put competition to a future University of Georgia football star named Herschel Walker.
He then attended Auburn on a football scholarship in the early 1980s, and was a teammate of another Heisman Trophy winning running back, Bo Jackson.
Aston said he played enough to keep his scholarship and earned a degree in business administration and finance.
He started his public address work right out of college, with World Championship Wrestling and the National Wrestling Association, and moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s as a voice-over actor for the William Morris Agency and the Solid Talent Agency.
He also was a venue announcer at the Rose Bowl and UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion basketball arena.
His work with Auburn commenced in 2016, after he moved his family to East Cobb. He does podcast and highlight program intros and narrates videos and other productions for a number of college clients, including Georgia Southern University athletics.
But he said some of his proudest moments in sports involve his sons. Andrew is a Walton junior and the football team’s long snapper and also plays lacrosse.
Taylor Aston, now a student at Auburn, played on Walton’s state championship lacrosse team in 2019, and his father got to call the home games in the state tournament.
The finals were played on a neutral field, at Kennesaw State University. “VOMA,” which the kids meant as “The Voice of Mark Aston,” was a very happy onlooker.
“I was literally crying,” he said. “What a moment. When he scored that goal, that was so special.”
Aston said his enthusiasm for sports is about more than winning and losing. The lessons he learned from his Auburn coach, Pat Dye, and others, are about developing character, sportsmanship and team work.
The best things that adults can do for their children through sports, Aston said, “is to model the kind of behavior they want their kids to follow.”
Mark Aston after his audition at Truist Park, where the Braves play their 2023 home opener on April 6. From his Voice of Mark Aston Instagram page.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Cobb PARKs provides most of the maintenance, including 
They also can donate at custom levels and in honor or memory of someone. All contributions are tax deductible, since the Friends group is a 501(c)(3) organization.
