Cobb Parks and Recreation

Mabry Park completion approaching; delays caused by weather

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Mabry Park completion
Cobb Parks photo of Mabry Park taken right after Christmas.

Bad weather has prompted a delay in the completion of Mabry Park, which was initially slated to be done by early 2019.

There’s still not a specific date that has been announced for completion and opening. But at a Cobb Board of Commissioners work session Tuesday, Cobb Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affiairs director Jimmy Gisi said weather has been a major factor in the delay.

“If it would ever stop raining, we could get this thing done in a few weeks,” he said in outlining parks SPLOST projects.

Built on 26.5 acres of former Mabry family farmland on Wesley Chapel Road near Sandy Plains Road, Mabry Park got under construction last January. A 365-day contract with Integrated Construction and Nobility, Inc., of Whitesburg, Ga. was begun on Jan. 4, 2018.

However, the project reached the 361-day stage on Dec. 31. Cobb Parks estimates that 85 percent of the project is complete, including the entrance road from Wesley Chapel, picnic areas and the playground area. Completion of trails needs to be done, trees are continuing to be planted, and boardwalk deck work also is ongoing.

The playground construction took place during the fall, but steady rainfall at the end of last year has hampered efforts to complete work involving the rest of the park landscape.

On Monday the Friends of Mabry Park posted updated photos of the construction on its Facebook page.

The citizens organization has worked for years to create Mabry Park, whose build-out was delayed several years due to the recession.

The county spent $4.3 million to purchase the land in 2008 and a master plan was completed in 2011.

Mabry Park’s annual operating cost will be $104,992; of that $72,122 will go for staff salaries and benefits, and $31,800 is estimated for yearly supplies and utilities. A one-time cost of $22,230 for equipment and maintenance tools will be funded after construction is complete.

Construction funding comes from the 2016 Cobb government SPLOST.

“We feel it’s going to be a super nice park for that part of the county,” Gisi said.

 

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Terrell Mill Park adult coed ultimate frisbee season starting soon

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From Cobb Parks and Rec is a reminder of the Terrell Mill Park adult coed ultimate frisbee season that’s soon to be underway, and with a registration deadline approaching:Terrell Mill Park adult coed ultimate frisbee

The ultra-fun Coed Ultimate Frisbee league is returning for fall season! The league will be held at Terrell Mill Park on Monday nights. Each team will play 7 games plus a single elimination tournament. Teams consist of 5 males and 2 females. Games will be one 90-minute time period to 15 points each week, starting at either 7pm or 8:30pm.

Registration is in progress through September 10th. If you don’t have a team, you can register individually at  the Atlanta Disc Flying Club’s website. Team fees are $150 and teams can register at the PARKS registration page. Games will begin Monday, September 17th. Be sure to join in the fun!

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!

Mabry Park construction contract on Cobb commissioners agenda

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Mabry Park

The long-delayed development of a passive park in Northeast Cobb could formally come to fruition Tuesday night. On the Cobb Board of Commissioners regular meeting agenda is an item that would provide funding for a Mabry Park construction contract.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the 2nd floor boardroom of the Cobb BOC building, 100 Cherokee, St., in downtown Marietta.

A low-bid proposal of $2.85 million was submitted by Integrated Construction and Nobility, Inc., of Whitesburg, Ga., to develop the 26.5-acre tract of land at 4470 Wesley Chapel Road designated for Mabry Park.

The company has a previous history of working with Cobb Parks and Recreation, including recent renovations to Sewell Park.

The county purchased the Mabry Park land with funding from the 2006 Cobb Parks Bond Program, but has nothing further due to the recession.

In August, bids for the construction project went out, and the Friends of Mabry Park citizens group was ecstatic. The group has tempered its enthusiasm somewhat because of longer-term funding issues.

A message on the Friends of Mabry Park Facebook page urged supporters to turn out for Tuesday’s meeting because “we need to let the Board know how important Mabry Park is to our area!!” Here’s more:

“We’re not home free yet… While the park was voted on and approved by the residents of Cobb, funded in the SPLOST and is required to be built, there are rumors that it could be delayed while funding for future maintenance is resolved.

“It’s been 11 years since the County purchased the land. We’ve waited long enough…”

The Mabry Park construction contract item comes on the heels of the commission’s delayed vote earlier this month to fund additional staffing for the new Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center.

Commissioners adopted a fiscal year 2018 budget in September that includes contingency funding to close a $21 million shortfall. This came not long after they declined to increase the property tax millage rate.

While Cobb voters have approved new facilities in the SPLOST, annual funding of operations comes from the county budget, and commissioners have hotly debated how to resolve the issue.

In a related item on Tuesday’s agenda, the board will vote on choosing a contractor for sidewalk improvements that include servicing Mabry Park once it’s developed. A low bid of $783,000 for the 0.4-mile project was submitted by Excellere Construction of East Cobb.

The sidewalk will be built on the east side of Wesley Chapel Road from Garrison Mill Elementary School to Sandy Plains Road, connecting pedestrians to nearby subdivisions as well as Mabry Park.