2010 Cobb Factbook

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO THE MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

FACTBOOK 2010 A NEWCOMER’S GUIDE TO LIVING IN COBB SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

LIFE ON LAKE ALLATOONA

PARADISE WITH RIGHT PRICE TAG PAGE 111

COMMUNITY

EDUCATION

YOUNG COUPLE CHOOSES COBB OVER FLORIDA

SOUTHERN POLY EXPERIENCING RAPID GROWTH

— PAGE 17

— PAGE 49

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FACTBOOK 2010

Living in Cobb

Publisher: OTIS BRUMBY JR. General Manager: OTIS BRUMBY III Associate Publisher: JAY WHORTON

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor: Billy Mitchell, Ext. 207 News Editor: Kim Isaza, Ext. 201

Reporters: Marcus Howard, Ext. 213 Jon Gillooly, Ext. 211 Katy Ruth Camp, Ext. 219 Kathryn Dobies, Ext. 210

Newsroom Administrator: Damon Poirier, Ext. 202

Night/Copy Desk Editor: Kathy Goldsberry, Ext. 480

Assistant News Editor: Brandon Wilson, Ext. 216

Sports Editor: John Bednarowski, Ext. 221

CIRCULATION Circulation Director: Matt Heck, Ext. 406

RETAIL ADVERTISING VP of Marketing & Sales: Wade Stephens, Ext. 500 Advertising Coordinator: Kellie Ward, Ext. 504 Tara Guest, Ext. 502 Advertising Manager: Becky Opitz, Ext. 505

Account Executives: North Cobb/Automotive Renee Aghajanian, Ext. 551 Smyrna/Vinings -Katie Berry, Ext. 514 Marietta - Melinda Young, Ext. 513 Real Estate - Cheryl Myrick, Ext 518 Automotive - Rick Zeier, Ext. 501 Major Accounts - Paula Milton, Ext. 512

Douglas/Paulding Counties- Tammy Cuda, Ext. 766 Cherokee County - Kim Fowler, Ext. 620 Cherokee County - Nina Parker, Ext. 625 South Fulton County - Nat Long, Ext. 754 Bartow County - Carole Johnson, Ext. 781 Buckhead - Stephanie DeJarnette, Ext. 725 Sandy Springs - Dawn Edge, Ext. 726 DeKalb County - Denise Weaver, Ext. 744 North Fulton County - Kathleen Carden, Ext. 706 North Fulton County - Wade Shoaf, Ext. 707

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING/CALL CENTER

Classified Supervisor: Kay Perry, Ext. 555 Classified Advisors: Dana Lucas, Ext. 562

PRODUCTION Creative Director: Leigh Hall, Ext. 454

Art Department Supervisor: Beth Poirier, Ext. 362

Gail Morine, Ext. 557 Mandy Conn, Ext. 402 Deborah Evans, Ext. 405 Jolynne Goosman, Ext. 554

Graphic Artists: Jennifer Hall, Ext. 363 Caroline Brannen, Ext. 364

On the Cover: Gerry and Pam Rogers, two local real estate agents living in their dream home on Lake Allatoona. Gerry owns Re/Max Unlimited in Cartersville and Pam owns Re/Max Unlimited in Acworth.

Pg. 2 Pg. 3 Pg. 4 Pg. 5 Pg. 6 Pg. 8

Pgs. 9 - 26 Pgs. 27 -46 Pgs. 47 -68 Pgs. 69 - 76 Pgs. 77 - 92 Pgs. 93 - 104 Pgs. 105 - 109 Pgs. 109 - 118 Pg. 119 Pg. 120 Pg. 121 Pg. 122 Pg. 123 Pg. 124

Wellstar Kennestone Heart Georgia’s Own Credit Union Northwest Audiology and Hearing Center Resurgens Orthopaedics Pike Nursery

COMMUNITY BUSINESS EDUCATION GOVERNMENT ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT HEALTH & FITNESS SPORTS & RECREATION REAL ESTATE

City Club of Marietta North Georgia Fair Dominion Christian School Mayes Ward Dobbins Funeral Home Piedmont Hospital Pinnacle Orthopaedics

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 9

COMMUNITY

MEET THE

McNEELS

FOUR GENERATIONS ... 130 YEARS IN MARIETTA

PAGE 10

FACTBOOK 2010

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

FACTBOOK 2010

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

PAGE 11

MARIETTA: A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE

The gang’s all here

“

Staff/Alexander Acosta

Members of the McNeel family are, first row from left: Carter McKinnon, Julia McNeel, Lily McNeel, Meg McNeel, Susanna McNeel and Duncan McNeel and their 5-month-old-daughter, Patricia Allen McNeel. Second row: Peggy McNeel McKinnon, Steve McNeel, Lisa McNeel, Peggy McNeel and Morgan McNeel.

Back row: Hap McNeel and his wife, Patricia McNeel. Other family members include Sterling McNeel (son); Mollie and Steven (grandson) McNeel and their son, Harry Hodgson McNeel; and Mallie McNeel (granddaughter).

Marietta’s been the only place to live for the McNeels for 130 years

BY SALLY LITCHFIELD MDJ FEATURES EDITOR

THE COVER

Members of the McNeel family pose at Ivy Grove, one of Marietta’s most famous homes. Built in 1843, the home was a working farm when Hap McNeel’s grandparents live there. From left are: Meg McNeel, Patricia McNeel, Lily McNeel, Hap McNeel, Duncan McNeel, Susanna McNeel, Patricia Allen McNeel, Carter McKinnon and Julia McNeel.

embers of the McNeel family agree: “Marietta is a great place to live.” With family roots dating back to 1880, four generations of McNeels continue to live, work and raise their families in Marietta. This Old Marietta family would not consider living anywhere else.

M

“I never thought about moving any other place. I never thought about leaving,” said Harry Hodgson “Hap” McNeel, the family patriach.

“You become attached to a place where you’re born and raised there, and the wonderful experiences I had as a child, I wouldn’t even consider moving,” he added.

The establishment of the McNeel family in Marietta began when Professor Ludwig Freyer, a successful musician,

came to the United States from Dresden, Germany, in 1849. Freyer had been a violinist in the orchestra that played for the famous European opera star, Jenny Lind.

In 1880, Freyer married Julia Barrows. Their daughter, Ada Freyer, married Morgan L. McNeel, Hap’s grandfather.

“Newcomers,” Hap said, chuckling See McNeels, Page 26

We’ve been here for a long, long time. It’s been awfully good to the McNeels. I’ll put it that way.

It’s a good place to make a living and a good community. I just wouldn’t consider moving.

— Hap McNeel, 82

PAGE 12

FACTBOOK 2010

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

COBB/MARIETTA: THOSE WHO SERVE

“

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Cobb NAACP president retiring after 13 years

By Marcus E. Howard mhoward@mdjonline.com

MARIETTA — Deane Bonner, president of the Cobb County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, will end a 13year tenure this year as head of the civil rights organization she helped pump new life into.

Bonner will step down as president in January, after a new president is elected by the branch’s membership in November. The woman who has guided the Cobb NAACP for over a decade said it was time to hand the reins over to a new generation of leaders.

“We’ve groomed the next leaders for the Cobb branch,” she said. “I feel confident that we’re on the right track of keeping the Cobb County branch the viable organization that it is.”

The Cobb NAACP branch claims more than 500 members

Staff/Laura Moon

Cobb NAACP President Deane Bonner, second from right, with her family, front row from left: son Jesse Bonner Jr., granddaughter Sydney Grimes, husband Jesse Bonner Sr., daughter Jeriene Bonner-Grimes and great-granddaughter Destinee Ross. Back row from left: granddaughters Brittney Ross and Vanessa Armstead, and great-granddaughter Heaven Ross. and is said to be the second largest in the state. In September,

the branch’s nominating committee will meet to come up with a

slate of candidates for president and other officers. The committee will introduce those names in October at a general body meeting. Members will then vote the following month.

It will be the first contested election for Cobb NAACP president in more than a decade, said Bonner, who never faced opposition.

It’s not difficult to understand why Bonner has not had her leadership challenged since becoming president in 1997. She readily admits that she can be tough and that she has had her detractors.

However, Bonner said the Cobb NAACP doesn’t exist to solve everyone’s problems nor make all happy.

It is first and foremost a civil rights organization with a mission to advocate. It is the last resort to a lot of people and doesn’t look to file lawsuits, which is what some of the 40 to 50 See Retiring, Page 25

She particularly in education has focused on the common denominator that every child ought to have the best educational opportunity possible. She has done more than talk about it. She will engage in dialogue, but action is the key for her success, I think.

— Betty Gray, veteran Cobb educator, on Deane Bonner

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FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 14

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Know Cobb / Factbook: 2010 County Population 1900

24,664

1910

28,397

1920 1930

30,437

1940 1950

35,408 38,272 61,830

1960

114,174

1970 1980 1990 2000 2005 2008 * 2010

196,793 297,718 447,745 607,751 663,818 698,156 775,877

*projected

Race

2003

City Population Acworth

2003

2008 — 4% Asian

13,422

21% Black

19,310

Austell

2008

5,359

— 1% Other

— 4% Asian 23% Black

74% White

— 8% Other

65% White

7,062

Kennesaw

21,675 31,628

Ethnicity

2003

Marietta

2008

58,748 67,562

Powder Springs

12,481 15,614

9% Hispanic

11% Hispanic

91% Non-Hispanic

89% Non-Hispanic

40,999

Smyrna

49,854

Median Age

Median Household Income

2000: 33.2 2004: 33.4 2008: 35.9

2000: 2004: 2008:

Source: Census Bureau, Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget

$58,289 $59,871 $67,877

Commute Average one-way commute to work (2008):

30.1

minutes

FACTBOOK 2010

FORMER MISS COBB NOW MISS GEORGIA

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Special to the Marietta Daily Journal

Miss Southern Heartland Christina McCauley is crowned the 2010 Miss Georgia by the 2008 Miss Georgia Emily Cook at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts in Columbus. Miss McCauley, a Kennesaw State University student and the 2008 Miss Cobb winner, won a $15,000 scholarship.

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FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 16

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Local pastor to lead Southern Baptist Convention politically conservative agenda, championed by older members, and focusing on the business of saving souls.

Roger Oldham, vice president for SBC relations, said he

By Marcus E. Howard mhoward@mdjonline.com

EAST COBB — Bryant Wright, senior pastor of east Cobb’s Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, has been elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention. As a result, he will lead the Convention’s 45,000 churches and more than C 16 million members.

Wright, 57, won a O runoff election in midB June for the presidency at B SBC’s annual meeting at the Orange County

Convention Center in P Orlando, Fla. He defeated pastor Ted Traylor, E Florida winning 4,225 votes, or O 55.1 percent, to Traylor’s P 3,371 votes, or 43.9 percent, according to the L Baptist Press, SBC’s offiE cial press arm.

Wright succeeds Woodstock pastor Johnny Hunt of First Baptist Church, who served two one-year terms.

“I feel grateful, overwhelmed, a bit stunned by it — but thankful to have the opportunity to serve,” Wright said Wednesday.

As president, he will lead the nation’s largest Protestant

Staff/Laura Moon

Johnson Ferry Baptist Church founding Pastor Bryant Wright has been elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando. denomination in what some believe will be a new direction.

SBC membership is declining and aging, according to reports.

The Nashville Tennessean reported that SBC delegates — called “Messengers” — overwhelmingly approved a plan that will redirect funds away from certain Baptist programs to establish new churches and missionaries.

That move, as well as the election of Wright, have been interpreted as confirmation that the SBC is moving away from a

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believes SBC voters were impressed with the number of baptisms and other work performed under Wright at the 7,707-member Johnson Ferry Baptist Church. Last year, the

church baptized 478 people and sponsored seven mission churches in metro Atlanta.

More than 1,500 members went on 70 mission trips to 27 nations last year.

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 17

COBB/MARIETTA: A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE

Young couple chooses Cobb over Fla. location

“

They like area, Southern hospitality

By Marcus E. Howard

ing arrangements during the entire process.

Paces Farm — where homes begin in the mid$300,000s — is a great place to live, the Gastons Rich Gaston Jr. and Megan Kidd Gaston said. Since moving, the couple had their first believe they made the right choice when deciding child, 3-month-old Alexis Grace, who was born to relocate to Cobb County in March 2009 from at WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta.

Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Southern hospitality was on full display when Cobb is close enough to Atlanta to enjoy its they moved into their two-story, five-bedroom entertainment and attractions, and four-bath home in Paces We do that (deliver Farm. On their first day, a neighyet far away enough to get more land for your buck, and it has a bor brought over chocolate-covmeals) for every good public school district, the ered strawberries. baby that’s born, if Gaston said.

“When the baby was born, “We’re big fans of anything we had 10 straight days of difthere’s an illness that goes on in the (Marietta) ferent neighbors delivering a Square — we end up there quite in the family or meal between 4 and 5 o’clock,” often,” said Megan Gaston, 32.

Rich Gaston, a Rhode anything that hap- said “My wife loves The Avenues Island native, who worked in (of West Cobb),” added Rich, finance before he was laid off. pens. The whole 36.

“We do that for every baby neighborhood litThe Gastons moved into the that’s born, if there’s an illness Paces Farm neighborhood in erally pulls togeth- in the family or anything that west Cobb after Megan received happens,” said Megan Gaston. er and helps that a promotion from Cintas as “The whole neighborhood literdirector of sales. She had a ally pulls together and helps that person out. choice to relocate to either person out.”

Megan Kidd Gaston Georgia or Florida. The couple The sense of family that persaid they took an immediate likmeated through the neighboring to Marietta after also considering Alpharetta hood attracted the Gastons to Paces Farm on and Roswell. their first visit. About 22 children in kindergarten But the decision was also made under presthrough third-grade live there. And nine babies sure. The couple’s Pennsylvania house had have been born in the neighborhood in the first already sold and they had only 48 hours to make six months of the year. a decision on where to move while visiting metro The Gastons live with their 4-year-old Atlanta for one weekend. On top of that, wheaton terrier, Bella, and a black, longhaired Megan’s father died on the same day they signed cat named Otis. The home is roomy enough to for their new house. The funeral took place on add another child. It’s also close enough to neartheir moving day.

by Paulding County where Megan Gaston’s The Gastons credit their agent — Cathy mother is moving after retirement.

Colquitt of Harry Norman Realtors — with find“She wants to move closer to her one daughing their new home and taking care of their mov- ter and only grandchild,” Rich Gaston said. mhoward@mdjonline.com

Rich Gaston and his wife Megan say the quality of the Cobb School District was a factor when making future plans for 3month-old Alexis Grace.

Staff/Laura Moon

Megan and Rich Gaston Jr. stand outside of their west Cobb home with their 3-month-old daughter, Alexis Grace. The family moved from Pennsylvania in March 2009 and settled into their Paces Farm neighborhood. The couple likes to spend time on the Marietta Square, and Rich says Megan is quite fond of the shops at The Avenues of West Cobb.

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FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 18

Paula Birkett of Acworth does a painting during the first annual artists market in Acworth, sponsored by the Downtown Development Authority to promote social activities in the city.

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Georgia Memorial Park Funeral Home & Cemetery

COBB’S SIX CITIES

Staff/Samantha Wilson

ACWORTH Acworth City Hall Address: 4415 Senator Russell Ave. Acworth, Ga, 30101 Phone: 770-974-3112 Website: www.acworth.org Mayor: Tommy Allegood Phone: 770-974-3112 E-mail: tallegood@acworth.org Board of Aldermen Albert “Butch” Price, Post 1 Phone: 770-974-4321 E-mail: bprice@acworth.org Gene Pugliese, Post 2 Phone: 678-575-0596 E-mail: gpugliese@acworth.org Bob Weatherford, Post 3 Phone: 770-974-3533 E-mail: bweatherford@acworth.org Tim Richardson, Post 4 Phone: 678-801-4009 E-mail: trichardson@acworth.org Tim Houston, Post 5 Phone: 770-917-1883 E-mail: thouston@acworth.org The Board of Aldermen meets at 7 p.m. the first and third Thursday of every month in the council chambers of City Hall.

City Manager: Brian Bulthius Phone: 770-974-3112 E-mail: bbulthuis@acworth.org Acworth Police Department: Chief Michael G. Wilkie Phone: 770-974-1232 Address: 4400 Acworth Industrial Drive Acworth, Ga. 30101 City facts: Estimated population in 2007: 19,130 Median age: 30.7 years Household Populations: 13,401 Average Household Size: 2.58 Total Housing Units: 5,453

Owner-occupied Housing

Units: 3,829 Renter-occupied Housing Units: 1,365 Vacant Housing Units: 259 Labor Force (16 years and older): 7,564 Median Family Income, as of 1999: $55,163 Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s Census 2000 Demographic Profile

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MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

COBB’S SIX CITIES

PAGE 19

COBB’S SIX CITIES

AUSTELL Austell City Hall Address: 2716 Broad St. Austell, Ga, 30106 Website: www.austell.org Mayor: Joe Jerkins Phone: 770-944-4328 E-mail: mayor@austell.org City Council Kristen Anderson, Ward 1 Phone: 770-944-1849 Scott S. Thomas, Ward 2 Phone: 770-739-6681 E-mail: sst627@aol.com Martin Standard Ward 3 Phone: 678-458-3600 E-mail: mstandard@austell.org Virginia A. Reagan, Ward 4 Phone: 770-948-7303 E-mail: vreagan@austell.org Trudie A. Causey, Atlarge Post 1 Phone: 678-458-4186 E-mail: tcausey@austell.org Randy P. Green, At-large Post 2 Phone: 678-1275 The City Council meets at 7 p.m. the first Monday of every month in the council chambers of City Hall.

FACTBOOK 2010

State fair set Sept. 23-Oct. 3

KENNESAW

Austell Police Department: Chief Bob Starrett Phone: 770-944-4331 Address: 2721 Joe Jerkins Boulevard Austell, Ga. 30106 Austell Fire Department: Chief : Timothy Williams Phone: 770-944-4333 Address: 5300 AustellPowder Springs Road, Austell, Ga. 30106 City facts: Estimated population in 2007: 6,984 Median age: 32.1 years Household Populations: 5,353 Average Household Size: 2.66 Total Housing Units: 2,144 Owner-occupied Housing Units: 1,327 Renter-occupied Housing Units: 682 Vacant Housing Units: 135 Labor Force (16 years and older): 2,956 Median Family Income, as of 1999: $15,924 Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s Census 2000 Demographic Profile

KENNESAW Kennesaw City Hall Address: 2529 J.O. Stephenson Ave. Kennesaw, Ga, 30144 Phone: 770-424-8274 Website: www.kennesawga.gov Mayor: Mark Mathews Phone: 770-424-8274 E-mail: mmathews@kennesaw-ga.gov City Council Cris Eaton-Welsh, Post 1 Phone: 770-560-7435 cwelsh@kennesaw-ga.gov Tim Killingsworth, Post 2 Phone: 678-873-7146 E-mail: tkillingsworth@kennesawga.gov Bruce Jenkins, Post 3 Phone: 678-251-6381 bjenkins@kennesawga.gov Bill Thrash, Post 4 Phone: 404-392-3105 E-mail: bthrash@kennesaw-ga.gov Jeff Duckett, Post 5 Phone: 678-480-1340 jduckett@kennesaw-ga.gov The City Council meets at 6:30 p.m. the first and third Monday of every month in the council cham-

bers of City Hall.

City Manager: Steve Kennedy Phone: 770-424-8274 E-mail: skennedy@kennesawga.gov Kennesaw Police Department: Chief Bill Westenberger Phone: 770-422-2505 Address: 2539 J.O. Stephenson Ave. Kennesaw, Ga. 30144 City facts: Estimated population in 2007: 31,613 Median age: 31.7 years Household Populations: 21,428 Average Household Size: 2.65 Total Housing Units: 8,670 Owner-occupied Housing Units: 6,531 Renter-occupied Housing Units: 1,568 Vacant Housing Units: 571 Labor Force (16 years and older): 12,265 Median Family Income, as of 1999: $67,778

From staff reports

MARIETTA — The 78th annual North Georgia State Fair will be Sept.

23 through Oct. 3 at Jim R. Miller Park in Marietta. The North Georgia State Fair is the largest fair in metro Atlanta and the second largest in Georgia.

Roughly 300,000 people generally attend.

The fair includes more than 40 rides, food vendors, concerts and a number of shows. Regular admission, which includes concerts and shows, are $5 for adults, $2 for students 7-18 and free for kids 6 and under. Ride tickets are $1 each, $20 for 22 and $50 for 55. Parking is $3.

Reduced cost advanced tickets are available at www.northgeorgia statefair.com. Hours vary, check the website for specific times.

Jim R. Miller Park is located at 2245 Callaway Road in Marietta, off

Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s Census 2000 Demographic Profile

“W EST C OBB ' S F UNERAL H OME

See Fair, Page 21

OF

C HOICE ”

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PAGE 20

COBB’S SIX CITIES

FACTBOOK 2010

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

MARIETTA Marietta City Hall Address: 205 Lawrence Street Marietta, Ga, 30060 Phone: 770-794-5506 Website: www.mariettaga.gov Mayor: Steve “Thunder” Tumlin Phone: 770-794-5501 E-mail: stumlin@mariettaga.gov City Council Annette Lewis, Ward 1 Phone: 770-429-0963 E-mail: alewis@mariettaga.gov Griffin Chalfant, Ward 2 Phone: 770-351-7035 E-mail: gchalfant@mariettaga.gov Johnny Sinclair, Ward 3 Phone: 770-605-4755 E-mail: jsinclair@mariettaga.gov Van Pearlberg, Ward 4 Phone: 770-919-0266 E-mail: ipearlberg@mariettaga.gov The Rev. Anthony Coleman, Ward 5 Phone: 770-794-5526 E-mail: acoleman@mariettaga.gov Jim King, Ward 6 Phone: 770-509-2521 E-mail: jimking@mariettaga.gov Philip M. Goldstein, Ward 7 Phone: 770-428-5322

E-mail: pgoldstein@mariettaga.gov The City Council meets at 7 p.m. the second Wednesday of every month in the council chambers of City Hall.

City Manager: Bill Bruton Phone: 770-794-5506 E-mail: bbruton@mariettaga.gov Marietta Police Department: Chief Dan Flynn Phone: 770-794-5300 Address: 240 Lemon Street Marietta, Ga. 30060 City facts Estimated population in 2007: 67,021 Median age: 30.0 years Household Populations: 57,187 Average Household Size: 2.39 Total Housing Units: 25,227 Owner-occupied Housing Units: 8,996 Renter-occupied Housing Units: 14,899 Vacant Housing Units: 1,332 Labor Force (16 and older): 34,297 Median Family Income, as of 1999: $40,645 Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s Census 2000 Demographic Profile

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MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

FACTBOOK 2010

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

COBB’S SIX CITIES

PAGE 21

POWDER SPRINGS Powder Springs City Hall Address: 4484 Marietta Street Powder Springs, GA 30127 Phone: 770-943-1666 Website: www.cityofpowdersprings.org Mayor: Pat Vaughn Phone: 770-944-4328 E-mail: mayor@cityofpowdersprings.com

City Council Cheryl Sarvis, Ward 1

ward1@cityofpowdersprings.com Al Thurman, Ward 2

ward2@cityofpowdersprings.com Nancy Hudson, Ward 3

ward3@cityofpowdersprings.com Rosalyn G. Neal, Post 1

Fair Continued from Page 19 Austell Road, near where Windy Hill Road dead-ends. n Concerts Joe Nichols, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. Nichols will play songs from his fourth album, “Old Things New,” which is a People Magazine critic’s choice.

At-large post1@cityofpowdersprings.com Tom Bevirt, Post 2 At-large

post2@cityofpowdersprings.com

The City Council meets at 7 p.m. the first and third Monday of every month in the council chambers of City Hall.

City Manager: Rick Eckert Phone: 770-943-1666 E-mail: citymanager@cityofpowdersprings.org Powder Springs Police Department: Chief L. Rick Richardson Phone: 770-943-1616 Address: 4483 Pineview Drive Powder Springs, GA 30127 City facts

Chris Young, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. Young is one of the most promising and talented artists in Nashville today.

Jake Owen, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m. Owen’s first album, released in 2006, garnered him a top ten hit and an ACM nomination for Top New Male Vocalist. His latest album, “Startin’ With Me,” builds on the success with mega hits “Eight Second Ride” and

Estimated population in 2006:

15,380

Median age: 32 years Household Populations:

12,240

Average Household Size:

3.06 Total Housing Units: 4,101 Owner-occupied Housing Units: 3,500 Renter-occupied Housing Units: 504 Vacant Housing Units: 97 Labor Force (16 years and older): 6,662 Median Family Income, as of 1999: $59,392

Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s Census 2000 Demographic Profile

“Don’t Think I Can’t Love You.” Charlie Daniels Band, Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. The Charlie Daniels Band is a quintessential fan favorite. Charlie Daniels and his talented band have played the North Georgia State Fair more than any other act.

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Mark Wills, Oct. 2 at 8 p.m.

A u t o • H o m e • B o a t • Cy c l e

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PAGE 22

COBB’S SIX CITIES

FACTBOOK 2010

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s Census 2000 Demographic Profile

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

COMMUNITY SPIRIT

SMYRNA Smyrna City Hall Address: 2800 King Street Smyrna, Ga. 30080 Phone: 770-434-6600 Website: www.smyrnacity.com Mayor: Max Bacon Phone: 770-319-5302 E-mail: mbacon@ci.smyrna.ga.us City Council Melleny C. Pritchett, Ward 1 Phone: 770-319-5306 mpritchett@ci.smyrna.ga.us Ron Newcomb, Ward 2 Phone: 770-319-5307 rnewcomb@ci.smyrna.ga.us Teri Anulewicz, Ward 3 Phone: 770-319-5308 tanulewicz@ci.smyrna.ga.us Mike McNabb, Ward 4 Phone: 770-319-5309 mmcnabb@ci.smyrna.ga.us Jimmy D. Smith, Ward 5 Phone: 770-319-5310 jsmith@ci.smyrna.ga.us Wade Lnenicka, Ward 6 Phone: 770-319-5311 wlnenicka@ci.smyrna.ga.us Charles Pete Wood, Ward 7 Phone: 770-319-5312 pwood@ci.smyrna.ga.us The City Council meets at 7:30 p.m. the first and third Monday of every month in the council chambers of City Hall.

City Administrator Eric Taylor Phone: 678-631-5304 E-mail: wwright@ci.smyrna.ga.us Smyrna Police Department: Chief Stanley E. Hook Phone: 770-434-9481 Address: 2646 Atlanta Road Smyrna, Ga. 30080 Smyrna Fire Department: Chief Jason Lanyon Phone: 770-434-6667 Address: 2620 Atlanta Road Smyrna, Ga 30080 City facts Estimated population in 2007: 49,534 Median age: 32 years Household Populations: 40,533 Average Household Size: 2.21 Total Housing Units: 19,633 Owner-occupied Housing Units: 9,209 Renter-occupied Housing Units: 9,163 Vacant Housing Units: 1,261 Labor Force (16 years and older): 24,973 Median Family Income, as of 1999: $23,973

Smyrna library flourishes with help of Friends

By Kathryn Dobies kdobies@mdjonline.com

Staff/Mike Jacoby

Friends of Smyrna Library board members Michelle Sisco and Louisa Cohn, and group president Dorothy Sibert pose at the library in Smyrna’s government complex.

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SMYRNA — For 20 years, the Smyrna City Library has had a robust support group.

This group of active citizens, known as the Friends of Smyrna Library, has helped fund a variety of programs at the library, purchased book collections, shelving, furniture, online catalogs and display cases, and even offered an internship program for masters students to come and work at the library.

“We raise money so that we can turn around and buy things for the library,” Friends President Dorothy Sibert said.

“In addition to providing sort of direct support to the library, we are also trying to sort of enhance the visibility standing of the library, not only in our

immediate community, but in the region.”

While the library is in its 74th year of existence, the Friends have only been around since about 1990. With a membership of about 400 today, the Friends surfaced largely as a group of supportive mothers around the time the library moved into its new building on the Smyrna Village Green. But in its early years the group couldn’t seem to get off the ground.

Harold Smith, a Smyrna historian and longtime Friends board members said he and his wife, Betty, were among the first Smyrna residents to help start the group in 1990, at the request of then-library Director Laurel Best. But Smith said it wasn’t until around 1994, when See Library, Page 23

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Friends Continued from Page 22 Lillie Wood, wife of Smyrna councilman Pete Wood, became president that interest in the group took off.

“She took the job and Lillie is really a great organizer,” Smith said. “We became probably the largest Friends of the Library organization in the state of Georgia. At one time we had about 600 members.”

One of the only city-run libraries in the state, Smyrna City Library receives no funding from the county or state government, unlike most libraries, and instead gets all of its money locally. According to the Smyrna History and Genealogical Society, the library was started by a group of concerned citizens in the 1930s that wanted a place for their children to be able to read.

In those days, Wood said, the county didn’t have any satellite libraries like it does today, so Smyrna community members began going door-todoor collecting books for the

library shelves. The Smyrna City Library was founded on Sept. 15, 1936, in the old Smyrna Woman’s Club headquarters on Powder Springs Street and Atlanta Road. In the 1960s, the library was moved to a new building on King Street, and in 1991 the library moved to its current location on Village Green Circle.

Wood, a Smyrna resident for nearly 50 years, said she has seen the library develop over time and is proud of what it offers to the community.

“We’re so proud of it,” Wood said. “It’s very well-run and it’s very well-used. The usage of that library is astronomical. It’s so convenient. It’s amazing to me, and has been amazing to me how people really use the library.”

During Woods’ tenure as president of the Friends from 1994 until 2002, she started one of the most well-known programs at the library, called Murder Goes South.

Murder Goes South is a weekend festival conducted at the library, highlighting mystery novels and authors. Each year the Friends bring in a mystery

FACTBOOK 2010 writer who is either from the Southeast or writes about the region to talk about their experience. In the past, Sibert said the Friends have also brought in authors and keynote speakers who have presented on how to write and research mystery novels as well. The next Murder Goes South is set for Jan. 28, and Jan. 29. Tickets for the event will go on sale in September.

While Murder Goes South is a relatively popular event for the Friends, it is not one of its big fundraisers. Sibert says the group’s major fundraisers are its book sales. Twice a year at the city’s Jonquil Festival the Friends conducts two large outdoor book sales. It also sells books and magazines on a daily basis at the library. Although books are priced at around a quarter, Sibert says the indoor book sales bring in about $400 per month.

President of the Friends since April, Sibert says the organization conducts several membership and recruitment socials throughout the year. It sponsors the library’s children’s summer reading program and

PAGE 23

provides the prizes at the end of the summer for children who have completed their book lists.

It also puts on Smyrna Reads in the spring, encouraging all members of the Smyrna community to read the same book and conducting activities at the library relating to that book. It conducts board meetings once a month and has 14 members who sit on the board.

In 2006, the Friends received a bequest from Smyrna resident Linda Crumley. With that money the organization was able to set up an internship program with Valdosta State University. The university supplies the library with a library science master’s student to come and work for a 10-week period and the Friends pay the student a stipend. Sibert said last year was the first year for the program, and the library will get another intern in the fall.

A member of the Friends for the last four years, Sibert said before she was president she managed the art gallery in the second floor of the library. The library has several displays and display cases where it features local artists who create everything from photography and

painting to pottery and woodwork. Every other month the artwork is changed, and Sibert and another Friends member interview the artists and direct them when setting up and taking down their work.

As president, Sibert said she and the board are working to implement more programs and increase membership through new public relations and advertising efforts.

“We have a lot of new things we’re trying to get going,” Sibert said. “We have more board members and again, we have more skills … We try each year to add new things. We just are very supportive of the library and we encourage the community to support the library by the various programs we have and getting people involved, volunteering, and things like that.”

The Friends plan to kick off a larger and more aggressive membership drive within the next few months, featuring new literature about the Friends to be placed in local businesses.

Membership levels vary, but it is only $5 for an individual and $10 for a family to join.

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PAGE 24

Know Cobb / Factbook: 2010

FACTBOOK 2010

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Retiring Continued from Page 12 monthly complaints the Roswell Road office receives ask it to do, Bonner said.

“We do not get calls saying that all is well,” Bonner said.

“Most of the calls or complaints we get are based on someone who feels like they have been mistreated and they feel like they’ve been mistreated based on race.”

Bonner said she is leaving the Cobb branch in sound financial shape, with membership on the rise and high enthusiasm.

Among her proudest achievements as Cobb NAACP president have been getting the city of Acworth to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a legal holiday a few years ago, establishing the county’s annual MKL Day celebration, increasing the number of black registered voters, increasing minority representation on the Cobb Board of Elections, increasing branch membership and emphasizing youth advocacy.

One particular personal accomplishment that stands out to her is when several years ago she said she was able to advocate for a troubled man in his 20s who had received a lengthy sentence by a Cobb Superior Court judge.

“We were able to reduce a five-year sentence to letting him out doing a year’s probation; and three years later, he’s a productive citizen in Cobb County,” remembered Bonner.

“The little victories that you win are so significant.”

Veteran educator Betty Gray of Mableton has known Bonner for at least 20 years. She said Bonner has made many contributions to this county.

“She particularly in education has focused on the common denominator that every child ought to have the best educational opportunity possible,” Gray said. “She has done more than talk about it. She will engage in dialogue, but action is the key for her success, I think.”

“She has always been active,” Jesse Bonner, 74, said of his wife. “She has never sat on the sidelines. Maybe not always civil rights, but she has always participated in civic and social things.”

The Bonners have been married 54 years. They have one son, Jesse Bonner Jr., 52, and a daughter, Jeriene Grimes, 49, as well as six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

“I think she is very intelligent and smart,” said granddaughter Sydney Grimes, 10.

“She knows a lot of things about black history. She teaches me about my ancestors that have passed and stuff like that.”

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Board of Commissioners Chairman Sam Olens as the “moral conscience of the county,” Bonner officially announced she would not seek re-election during a banquet given in her honor on Feb. 12 at Chattahoochee Technical College in Marietta, where she was presented with the first annual Celebrating Diversity in Cobb County Award, sponsored by the college and Georgia Power.

The event — which was emceed by TV personality Flip Spiceland — began with a video tribute over dinner highlighting Deane Bonner’s life, featuring such movers and shakers as former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Dr. Betty Siegel, president emeritus of Kennesaw State University.

The job of Cobb NAACP president is a volunteer and unpaid position. Deane Bonner

sometimes works up to 10 hours a day. Nevertheless, she said it has been worth it.

“If you are a true advocate for the underserved, it’s a very rewarding job,” she said.

Upon retirement, Deane Bonner said she plans to remain on the Cobb NAACP’s executive committee, but spend more time with her family, travel, read and maybe even go to law school.

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McNeels Continued from Page 11 as he pointed out that Marietta’s beginnings date back to the early 1830s. “We were newcomers.”

The “newcomers” have remained in Marietta for 130 years and enjoy a rich history. Hap’s grandmother, Ada Freyer McNeel, inherited one of Marietta’s most famous homes, Ivy Grove, from her father, Ludwig Freyer. Hap remembers Ivy Grove, built by another prominent Mariettan, Edward Denmead, in 1843, as a working farm while his grandparents lived in the Cherokee Street home.

“I walked up there (Ivy Grove) every morning to get fresh milk and fresh vegetables. In the wintertime they would kill hogs and we would get fresh pork,” said Hap, who was born and raised on Freyer Drive in Cherokee Heights.

According to Hap, his grandfather developed the Cherokee Heights area for the purpose of establishing homes for his children to live, including Hap’s parents, Hazel Hodgson and Morgan L. McNeel.

“Ivy Grove was a working farm with vegetable gardens and fruit gardens, and

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Jersey cows,” he explained. “‘The Big House’ is what we called it.”

“It’s a wonderful experience to walk up there (Ivy Grove) and have breakfast with your grandfolks about 6:30 or 7 o’clock in the morning. Bring the stuff back and walk to school,” Hap said.

Hap attended grammar school on Haynes Street where the police department is now located, junior high on Waterman Street, and high school at old Marietta High School on Polk Street.

Hap witnessed change over the years as Marietta transformed from a small agricultural community to a suburb of downtown Atlanta. “When I was a kid, you could walk off Freyer Drive and shoot rabbits and quail and dove. The farmers were very nice about letting you hunt,” Hap remarked.

According to Hap, the only people who were employed worked for Brumby Chair Company, Hole Proof Hosiery Company owned by the Northcutt family, or McNeel Marble Company.

Hap’s grandfather co-founded McNeel Marble Company, one of the largest monument and tombstone producers in the country for 100 years.

McNeel Marble was originally located in the building once owned by the McNeel family where Marietta’s Gone With the

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

Wind Museum is currently housed at McNeel Alley off the Marietta Square.

Later, the company relocated to Sessions Street.

After the Civil War, McNeel Marble primarily sold monuments all over Southeast to the Daughters of the Confederacy. The company built the Cheatham Hill monument off Whitlock Avenue in Marietta.

“All these towns in Georgia that have got a confederate monument in them, we built most of them. (McNeel Marble) was a very successful business for a long, long town,” said Hap, who worked for McNeel Marble for several years.

In 1941, Hap’s grandfather, a charter member and first President of Marietta Country Club, died. His grandmother sold Ivy Grove to James V. Carmichael, who was instrumental in getting the Bell Aircraft Corporation to Marietta.

The plant eventually became home to Lockheed-Georgia and later LockheedMartin.

Two years before McNeel Marble closed its doors in 1960, Hap started McNeel Builders, Inc., a family run business that built residential homes and now specializes in industrial buildings.

McNeel Builders employs the four children of Hap and Patricia McNeel:

JULY 25, 2010

Sterling, Steve, Peggy and Morgan.

Their grandson, Duncan McNeel, also works with the company. Duncan’s 5month-old daughter, Patricia Allen, is the youngest generation in Marietta. In addition to the business, the McNeels agree that living in Marietta has its advantages.

“I love Marietta and how small the community is in the city of Marietta,” Duncan McNeel said. “It’s a great place to raise a family and be close to family and long lifetime friends that I’ve grown up with.

Peggy McNeel McKinnon, who lived one year in Chicago, added: “I didn’t like the big city life. I tried that. Here you know everyone.

“I feel like (Marietta’s) the way I grew up. I remember going to the movies at the Strand with my mother.

It’s kind of nostalgic. It’s got a smalltown quality.”

Whether it’s business, family, friends, entertainment or location, Marietta is a great place to live, according to the McNeel clan.

“We’ve been here for a long, long time. It’s been awfully good to the McNeels. I’ll put it that way. It’s a good place to make a living and a good community,” Hap said. “I just wouldn’t consider moving. I like (Marietta).”

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FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 27

BUSINESS

A plumber in high heels Mitzi Smith, owner of Sundial Plumbing, the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s 2010 Small Business of the Year

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 29

SUNDIAL REACHES THE HIGHEST ...

PLUMBING PLATEAU

“

Staff/Mike Jacoby

Sundial Plumbing associates with owner Mitzi Smith, foreground, are, from left: General Manager Mike Bryan, Dispatcher Kristina Law, Customer Service Representative Cecilia Reyes, Ms. Smith, Customer Service Representative Stephanie Miller and Dispatcher Ana Nunez.

Owner is certified plumber wearing high heels Sometimes, when I’d fix something, the men would say, ‘Well, you know, that didn’t look very hard to fix.’ But still, they had to call a plumber to fix it.

— Mitzi Smith

BY KATY RUTH CAMP / KRCAMP@MDJONLINE.COM

M

itzi Smith is perhaps the only certified plumber in Georgia who wears high heels. But don’t let the stiletto’s fool you – she has the highest certification possible and is even the first female ever to be appointed to the state licensing board, which creates exams for plumbers to take after their training.

As an addition to her long list of recogSmall Businesses of the Year, and officially Other top recognized as the winner during a recent nitions, she also now owns and manages businesses Chamber First Monday breakfast. the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s Small Smith said her business had applied for — Page 40 Business of the Year. the competition last year and was named in “What meant the most to me, personally, was to see how excited our plumbers and employ- the top 25 for 2009, and that going through the process of filling out the lengthy application last year ees were about winning,” Smith said. “They felt not only helped her with knowing what to expect appreciated and recognized. They work hard in an with this year’s application, but also to improve her industry that rarely gets this kind of attention. When business over the past year.

I came back and told everyone and they were hug“It took a lot of time to fill out, but it was one of ging each other, jumping up and down and hollering, the best things we’ve ever done,” Smith said of comit was like we had won the World Cup!” pleting last year’s application. “It helped us to focus Smith’s business, Sundial Plumbing Services of See Sundial, Page 43 Marietta, was named one of the Chamber’s 2010

THE COVER Staff/Laura Moon

Sundial Plumbing owner Mitzi Smith said the most gratifying part of the Chamber’s Small Business of the Year award was seeing how excited it made her company employees.

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 30

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

GE Smart Grid HQ lands in Cobb New center to create 400 high-paying jobs

Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, left, met with GE vice-chairman and GE Technology Infrastructure President and CEO John Rice during the preview of the GE Smart Grid Technology Center of Excellence on Powers Ferry Road.

By Katy Ruth Camp krcamp@mdjonline.com

General Electric could have chosen anywhere in the world to house their all-new GE Smart Grid headquarters — and it chose Cobb County.

In early June, camera bulbs were flashing and people were buzzing as GE Energy gave lawmakers and media members a sneak peak of its Smart Grid Technology Center of Excellence at 2018 Powers Ferry Road.

But what exactly is that?

Luke Clemente, general manager of metering and sensing systems for GE Digital Energy, said the facility will house the global headquarters of GE’s Digital Energy business and will include a Smart Grid engineering laboratory. He said the center would also include a smart grid customer solutions showcase, which will “feature hands-on interactive displays that can help visitors from throughout the world understand the challenges and opportunities inherent in delivering Superior Carpet, Flooring & Upholstery Care

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Grid technologies that can help improve the efficiency, reliability and environmental impact of energy transmission, distribution and consumption — from integrating more renewable energy sources, like wind and

solar, to lowering the peak power demand that lowers the need for new power plants, to improving the ways consumers manage their power usage,” he said.

Smart meters are one component of Smart Grid technology. Clemente said utility companies install the meters.

Homeowners cannot purchase them. Essentially, smart meters allow customers to better monitor their power usage, especially during peak hours, when energy costs the most.

GE is also making small touch-screen panels that “wirelessly connect to a household’s smart meter, appliances and thermostats ... to gather information, manage usage and deliver the real-time knowledge that empowers smarter energy choices,” according to the company.

Bob Lewis, general manager of Marietta Power & Water, See GE, Page 42

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Cobb’s jobless rate remains lower than metro, state, nation

By Marcus E. Howard mhoward@mdjonline.com

MARIETTA — As has other communities across the nation, Cobb County’s unemployment rate has experienced ups and downs since January 2010. Yet the county’s unemployment rate continues to be lower than that of metro Atlanta, the state and the nation.

The county has steadily lowered its unemployment rate since January, when it was at 10.1 percent. The highest recorded jobless rate was in January 1976, when it reached 10.8 percent. In the first five months of the year, unemployment dropped by 0.8 percent to 9.3 percent.

Compared to metro Atlanta as a whole, where unemployment decreased to 9.9 percent

Unemployment Rates, 2010 Cobb

Metro Atlanta

January

10.1%

10.8%

February

10.1%

10.7%

March

9.7%

10.4%

April

9.3%

9.8%

May

9.3%

9.9%

Source: State Department of Labor Staff/Caroline Brannen

in May, Cobb is seen as model by many when it comes to managing fiscal matters. The county is home to a variety of corporate and regional offices, education institutions and medical facilities.

“The biggest factor for how different communities have been hit by the recession is their mix of industries,” said Vinings resident Dr. Roger See Jobless, Page 39

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FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 35

Feeding a need Grocery chain stores among largest employers in Cobb

By Marcus E. Howard mhoward@mdjonline.com

MARIETTA – Metro Atlanta is home to regional offices of three of the largest grocery store chains in the country. Two of those regional offices are in Cobb County.

Publix Supermarkets, Wal-Mart and the Kroger Company are also among the top 10 largest employers in Cobb. Their grocery stores make up a sizeable slice of the supermarket industry within the county. And, according to each of their business plans, that command of the industry won’t be relinquished anytime soon.

There are many trends in the supermarket industry, such as the growth of all-natural and organic

products, recycling and reducing waste, and savings campaigns to help customers save money during a down economy. Publix, Wal-Mart and Kroger have all followed those trends in some way, as they continue to push the boundaries of the traditional grocery store concept.

Publix ranks seventh among the top employers in Cobb, with 2,881 employees. Wal-Mart comes in ninth, with 2,750 employees, followed by Kroger at 1,996 employees.

Publix is privately owned and operated by its 141,500 employees, with reported 2009 sales of $24.3 billion. It has 1,017 stores in Florida, Georgia, See Feeding, Page 37

Staff/Laura Moon

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FACTBOOK 2010

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Feeding

THE TOP 10

Continued from Page 35

1. The Home Depot (4) 20,000 2. Cobb County School District (1) 15,420 3. WellStar Health System (2) 9,253 4. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (3) 7,028 5. Cobb County Government (5) 5,252 6. Kennesaw State University* (6) 3,107 7. Publix Supermarkets (8) 2,881 8. Six Flags Over Georgia** (7) 2,876 9. Wal-Mart (9) 2,750 10. The Kroger Company (10) 1,996

South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee.

In Cobb, Publix has 24 stores.

In 1992, the company opened its first store in the metro area in Marietta, at 3605 Sandy Plains Road in the Highland Plaza Shopping Center.

The Publix Atlanta division office is at 2600 Delk Road in Marietta. It houses the company’s support leadership team that serves the Atlanta division area stores in most of Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. The Atlanta division is responsible for more than 250 of the stores that the company operates.

“Cobb County has been a great market for us at Publix.

Our customers have been very good and loyal to us,” Publix spokeswoman Brenda Reid said.

“The local county leadership has been very supportive of growth and development of businesses in the area. That has allowed us to grow with the communities we serve. Doing business in Cobb has been a very positive experience for Publix.”

See Feeding, Page 39

Numbers in parentheses indicate 2009 Top 10 list position. *Includes full-time, part-time and student assistance. **Peak Season Employee Count. Full-time, year-round employment is 138.

Source: Cobb Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Research, January 2010.

PAGE 37

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“

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Jobless Continued from Page 34 Tutterow, an economist and professor at Mercer University.

“Generally speaking, the more of your employment that was tied to construction and durable good manufacturing, the more pronounced the downturn was on your labor force.”

Health care has been a stable industry and one of Cobb’s largest employers is WellStar Health System. School systems have traditionally been able to maintain relatively steady employment and, until recently, Cobb’s large school district benefited from fewer layoffs. And the construction industry, which has suffered greatly, isn’t a sizeable part of the county’s economy, Tutterow said.

In January, Rob Garcia, a Bank of North Georgia executive, took over the reins of leadership as chairman of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce. More than 2,500 local businesses and organizations are chamber members.

“The success of Cobb’s balanced and strong economy is clearly attributable to creating a first-class destination for people to live and companies to succeed,” Garcia said. “We have been blessed with quality leader-

Feeding Continued from Page 37 Publix has no immediate plans to open or close any stores in Cobb, Reid said.

She said the company’s goal is to continue to invest in its existing stores.

“Our customers offer us feedback on an ongoing basis.

We listen to them and continually update our stores. For example, we just completed remodeling our Highland Plaza store,” Reid said. “We added a cheese station where customer can purchase and sample a variety of cheeses. The station has associates who are trained to provide information about our many gourmet and aged cheese offerings. We also increased our offerings at our deli with woks, soups, salads and items that offer customers the opportunity to quickly pick up items that are ready to eat.

This saves them time, which is very important to our customers today.”

Wal-Mart has eight stores in Cobb that sell groceries in addition to a variety of other items.

It also has a regional office

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 39

The success of Cobb’s balanced and strong economy is clearly attributable to creating a first-class destination for people to live and companies to succeed.

— Rob Garcia, chairman, Chamber of Commerce

ship through the years – who have — through working with all the county’s economic development agencies and professionals — built a reputation and place where all concerned could depend on great schools, health care, quality public safety, great infrastructure and a fiscally responsible government with very competitive taxes … Just as important, we have been able to recruit and retain an unequaled variety/mix of quality companies/businesses who continue to compete while providing great jobs for our citizens.”

located in Kennesaw.

“We are always looking to serve our Cobb County customers with the products and services they want and need,” said Wal-Mart spokesman Daniel Morales.

Kroger operates a total of 18 stores in Cobb, plus 10 fuel stations.

In addition, the Kroger Atlanta division, located in Atlanta, is one of the Southeast’s largest retail grocers with 216 stores in Georgia, Alabama, eastern Tennessee and South Carolina.

Kroger says it continuously evaluates the needs of every community in which its stores are located. In regards to Cobb, it has one new store, two remodels and one fuel center tentatively planned for the next three years.There are have no plans to close any stores, spokesman Glynn Jenkins said.

“Today, more than ever, our customers have options — and not just from traditional grocery retailers,” he said. “This offers us the challenge — and the opportunity — to constantly evolve as our shoppers’ needs evolve. It’s really a very exciting time.”

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THE TOP 24 Other 2010 Top 24 Small Businesses of the Year chosen by the the Cobb Chamber of Commerce Beaumont Products, Inc. Owner: Henry Picken, Jr. (770) 514-9000 www.beaumontproducts.com Beaumont Products, Inc. is a leading developer, manufacturer and distributor of naturally based consumer products used in the personal care, medical, hardware, automotive and pet industries.

Blue Sky Exhibits, LLC Owners: Donald Keller and Timothy Kelley (678) 331-3800 www.blueskyexhibits.com Blue Sky Exhibits, LLC is a premier exhibit company with expertise in design, manufacturing and field related services to the trade show industry. This complete turnkey exhibit firm offers solutions that enable the customer to highlight is product and marketing objectives in a 3-D environment.

BlueWave Computing LLC Owner: Steven Vicinanza, PhD (770) 980-9283 BlueWave Computing provides essential information technology services to hundreds of businesses that require their computer systems to be reliable secure and create a competitive advantage.

Casteel Heating and Cooling, Inc. Owners: Bob Casteel and John Hillis (770) 565-5884 www.casteelair.com Casteel Heating and Cooling is in business to improve the lives of its employees and customers, while being good stewards of the environment and community.

CCA and B, LLC Owners: Carol Aebersold, Chanda Bell and Christa Pitts 1 (877) 919-4105 www.elfontheshelf.com CCA and B, Creatively Classic Activities and Books, enjoys the distinction of being the publisher and distributor of all Elf on the Shelf products.

Deluxe Athletics Owner: Chris Daniluk (678) 560-5336 www.deluxeathletics.com A full service provider of synthetic turf products for commercial and residential use, Deluxe Athletics consults, designs and installs a variety of specialty construction applications for athletic fields, landscaping and playgrounds.

EPIC Response, LLC Owner: Jason McGahee (770) 516-3491 www.epicresponse.com EPIC Response is a turnkey, full-service provider of disaster

recovery solutions for customers experiencing or seeking to avoid unexpected property damage.

Ezekiel IPM Owners: Andy Wing and Dell Howard (770) 874-8300 Ezekiel IPM is a national defense contractor specializing in aerospace engineering and manufacturing technologies that significantly improve aircraft availability.

Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP Partners: Mary Anne Ackourey, Bradley Adler, Sun Choy, Frederick Dawkins, Theodore Freeman, T. Bart Gary, Jack Hancock, Dana Maine, Benton Mathis, Jr., Kamy Molavi, Philip Savrin, Matthew Stone and Neil Wilcove (770) 818-0000 www.fmglaw.com Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP is a specialty litigation firm concentrating in business and insurance law, labor and employment law, government law, construction law, and complex and commercial litigation.

Fulfillment Strategies International, Inc. Owner: Ken Marbutt (678) 391-5380 www.fsifulfillment.com FSI provides fulfillment services for corporations, advertising agencies, printers and promotions companies. Services include order pick/pack/ship, inventory control, kit assembly and distribution and custom system applications to deliver program data back to clients via the Web. Global Technology Connection, Inc. Owner: Dr. Ash Tahkker (770) 803-3001 www.globaltechinc.com Global Technology Connection, Inc. has 14 years of history in design, development and commercialization of innovative technology products and services. These innovative technologies can substantially reduce the maintenance costs, increase availability and improve safety for equipment and machinery such as HVAC pumps, batteries, generators, etc.

HighGrove Partners LLC Owners: William Lincicome and James McCutcheon (678) 298-0550 www.highgrove.net HighGrove Partners provides commercial landscape and land services to property managers and owners. Services include landscape architecture and master planning, land development services, landscape management and water management.

See Top 24, Page 41

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 41

THE TOP 24 Continued from Page 40 HLB Gross Collins, P.C. Owners: Elizabeth Salvati, Steve Gross, Richard Taylor, Pauline Reynolds and Jim Shirley (770) 433-1711 www.hlbgrosscollins.com HLB Gross Collins is a full service CPA and consulting firm that helps increase and preserve the financial net worth of its clients by offering tax, audit, assurance and international services.

The Investigative Accounting Group, LLC Owner: Laurie Dyke (770) 565-3098 www.iag-law.com The Investigative Accounting Group, LLC is a CPA firm that specializes 100% in forensic accounting, fraud investigation and litigation support. The firm works for attorneys on cases involving divorce, business and shareholder disputes, fraud and conduct investigative audits.

LOUD Security Systems, Inc. Owner: John Loud (770) 427-1300 www.loudsecurity.com LOUD Security Systems is one of Atlanta’s leading security and life safety companies, providing access control, whole house audio, CCTV, central vacuum and great customer service.

R.F. Knox Company, Inc. Owner: John Knox (770) 434-7401 www.rfknox.com R.F. Knox Company, Inc. is a leading specialty metal contractor in the Southeast. Providing HVAC, industrial and architectural specialty metal products since 1914, this family owned business has served the community for more than nine decades.

The Service Fort, LLC Owner: Jeremy Fort (770) 856-5751 www.theservicefort.com The Service Fort, LLC is an environmentally friendly full-service commercial janitorial and maintenance provider specializing in medium to large-sized properties.

Signature HealthCARE of Marietta Owners: Patrick Fellers and E. Joseph Steier, III (770) 422-2451 www.signaturehealthcarellc.co m Signature HealthCARE of Marietta provides a revolutionary approach to resident freedom, award winning quality of life programs, creative business solutions, innovative programs and work force learning initiatives.

MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service Owner: Peter Quinones (770) 693-8484 www.maas911.com MetroAtlanta Ambulance provides high quality 911 emergency pre-hospital care and basic, advanced and critical care ambulance and transportation management services to healthcare systems and communities throughout the greater metro Atlanta and north Georgia areas.

Solar Velocity, LLC Owners: Jason Swenk and Kirby Winters (404) 978-2240 www.solarvelocity.com Defenders of truth, justice and effective marketing, the Solar Velocity team is a diverse group of highly talented individuals all born with special marketing powers. Operating out of its office of solitude in Smyrna, Solar Velocity makes the most of cutting edge website design, social media, search marketing and web/mobile development to help innocent businesses defend themselves against villainous competition.

Mopdog Creative + Strategy Owner: William Musial (770) 874-2990 www.mopdog.com Mopdog becomes a “partner” with its clients – offering strategic, creative solutions to accomplish marketing goals. Mopdog’s proven track record of success demonstrates its winning approach.

Unique Cleaning Service, Inc. Owner: Willie Sellers, Jr. (770) 420-7660 www.uniqueclean.com Unique Cleaning Service, Inc. primarily provides complete building maintenance services including janitorial, floor care, carpet care, window treatments and grounds maintenance to its clients.

Puckett EMS Owners: Steve Puckett and Shane Garrison (770) 222-5045 www.puckettems.com Puckett EMS has been the licensed 911 provider for southwest Cobb County since 2001. In addition to the 911 services, it is also contracted with WellStar and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to provide emergency and nonemergency transportation.

Valuation Management Group Owner: Vicky Thompson (678) 483-4420 www.valuationmanagement group.com Valuation Management Group consults with financial institutions to manage appraiser’s process for value and EPA inspections providing administration, documentation, compliance, bookkeeping (AP/AR) and end of year 1099 issuance.

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FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 42

GE Continued from Page 30 said his company is hoping to launch a system with smart meters by either 2011 or 2012.

Lewis said MP&W will use a company called Itron to provide the technology. He said the company’s first step in utilizing smart grid technology — installing fiber optics into its systems — will cost more than $3 million.

“The smart grid technology provides a two-way service from the utility to the customer, whereas right now it’s mainly one-way — the utility company provides the energy, the customer uses and pays for the energy,” Lewis said. “Energy costs are going to rise, so even though utility companies are footing the bill for the upgrades, you have to consider what your customers want, the level of technology you want to utilize and the value that you are providing to your customers.”

GE executives, Gov. Sonny Perdue, U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss and other state and local policymakers shared their excitement about the compa-

ny’s decision to open its Smart Grid headquarters in Cobb. The center will add 400 high-paying, local jobs, more than half being engineers, and offer solutions to energy conservation.

“A lot of places could have had these jobs, but the elected officials responsible for this state made this an easy place to do business,” GE Vice Chairman John Rice said. “We can compete locally from Cobb County, and we’ve never not been able to get good people to work here.”

GE is renovating the existing building and there is still interior work to be completed before employees are expected to move in sometime in July.

Smart Grid technologies provide information to customers that allow them to determine their peak cost hours and cut their use of electricity accordingly, Clemente said, as it costs the utility more money to generate electricity during periods of high demand.

Perdue said GE has been the icon for energy and electricity since he was born, and that the company’s Smart Grid technologies are good for the environment as well as consumers’ checkbooks.

“The world will become

increasingly smaller and more competitive, but the good news is that this is not just about the 400 jobs, but it’s also about the solutions this facility will bring to our society as we become hungry for energy conservation,” Perdue said.

Chambliss said GE’s new

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

Smart Grid technology lab and research headquarters will not only be an asset to Georgia, but the entire world.

“To think of the world today, the No. 1 issue in the long-term is energy. GE is the world-wide leader, so having them here is a great factor of

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

pride for Georgians,” Chambliss said.

Clemente said GE already has 5,000 employees in metro Atlanta, with 2,500 of those working at the company’s Wildwood Parkway office complex across the street from the new center.

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Sundial Continued from Page 29 on strategy and learn how to be significant. When I look at last year’s application and compare it to this year’s, there are so many strides we’ve made. It really makes you figure out what you want to do and ways you can just do it, and when you’re looking at moving in a certain direction, it makes you think, ‘what direction do we want to go in?’ It also helped us to evaluate our business from different vantage points, such as community service, employees, industry importance, etc. so just applying was a really great exercise.”

Smith said her employees have dedicated more than 1,000 hours in community service to Cobb County and tens of thousands of dollars in donations and services to organizations in need, all in 2009 alone. In addition, she made a promise to her employees when the recession hit that no one would be laid off despite financial difficulties the company would likely face, and Smith has kept that promise by maintaining everyone on her staff.

“We just had to start thinking outside of the box and come up with new ideas, because that was really important to me. We have wonderful employees, and we wanted to let them know that we’ll do what it takes to keep them,” Smith said.

Smith opened Sundial off Old Highway 41 near Kennesaw Mountain in 1999 with her father, Jack Smith, who had opened Sundance Plumbing in Marietta in 1971.

Smith’s family history in plumbing dates back even further than her father, as Smith said her great grandfather was a cotton farmer in Haralson County during the 1920’s when he decided to move to Atlanta to learn plumbing. Two of her great uncles followed suit, and they started Smith Plumbing.

Smith’s involvement in the family trade came in 1991, when she found herself a divorced mother of a newborn and toddler and was a quarter away from getting her masters degree in middle childhood education from Kennesaw State University.

“I found myself just broke, so I came to work for dad and realized I just loved it. So I just joined the company and after five years I had received my license, along with my masters class one and masters class two, which are both more in-depth classifications that require you to know how to specialize in plumbing, not just know how to do it,” Smith said.

The highlight of her job with Sundance came in 1996, when the company was chosen by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games as the official plumber for the homes of visiting dignitaries and athletes.

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FACTBOOK 2010 cooling companies and us, thinking that 80 percent of the need would be HVAC and 20 percent would be plumbing. But it actually ended up being 20/80, mainly because many people weren’t sure how to use garbage disposals or handle clogs. We had 1200 homes we had to keep watch over and had strict guidelines to respond quickly and accurately, so it was challenging, but one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” Smith said.

But Smith didn’t start at the top automatically. For years, she was a plumber, going into people’s homes to fix whatever plumbing issues they needed resolved.

“There’s no way of telling, but

PAGE 43

there are probably four or five female plumbers in the state. So the reactions varied when I came from literally laughing at me when I walked through the door, to some people questioning if I was seriously going to fix their sinks, to people asking me a lot of questions. But everyone reacted in some sort of way,” Smith said, with a smile. “Sometimes, when I’d fix something, the men would say, ‘Well, you know, that didn’t look very hard to fix.’ But still, they had to call a plumber to fix it. I’d just smile and not take the comments personally, because in the end, I’d fix it and move on.”

In 1997, her father decided to retire and sold Sundance to

American Resource Services.

At the time, the company had 145 employees and Smith said her children were young and she was a single mother, so she really hoped to just be given a good job.

“I was a little concerned about running the whole thing and really didn’t want to be in charge, but low and behold they put me in charge of operations,” Smith said.

After two years of realizing she really could run her own company, Smith worked out a deal with ARS and started Sundial in 1999. Today, the company has 43 employees and generates more than $4 million in revenue each year.

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14533447:2010 Fact Book

7/12/2010

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

4:32 PM

Page 49

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 49

Reign of gain

“

Staff/Thinh D. Nguyen

Southern Polytechnic State University President Dr. Lisa A. Rossbacher and Barry Compton, vice president of H.J. Russell and Company, the design build contractor, cut the ribbon on a new five-level parking deck last September.

SPSU experiences dozen years of growth with Rossbacher at helm

We’ve accomplished this growth in a variety of ways: We have added new academic programs, we are doing a better job of marketing the programs we already have, and we have increased our focus on retaining and graduating students after they enroll.

— Dr. Lisa Rossbacher

BY JON GILLOOLY / JGILLOOLY@MDJONLINE.COM

A

fter a dozen years as president of Southern Polytechnic State University, Dr. Lisa Rossbacher says she’s seen some amazing progress.

Enrollment has increased more than 40 percent in that time, with another double-digit increase predicted for the fall.

Formed in 1948 under the name The Technical Institute with a mere 116 students, the 198-acre university now has a projected fall enrollment of 5,442 students, up from last year’s 5,183.

“We’ve accomplished this growth in a variety of ways: We have added new academic programs, we are doing a better job of marketing the programs we already have and we have increased our focus on retaining and graduating students after they enroll,” said Rossbacher, the only woman geologist to become a university president in North America — her doctoral dissertation at Princeton examined the role of water and ice on Mars.

SPSU offers 45 undergraduate degrees and 10 graduate degrees. The most popular degree earned in the last two years has been construction management, with 169 degrees conferred

since 2008, spokeswoman Sylvia Carson said.

To increase student success, SPSU has added new residence halls, so that students can live on campus and participate fully in campus life. In 1998, SPSU was the test case for privatized oncampus housing, and this approach has been so successful that the Board of Regents now uses this model throughout the University System.

SPSU will have 720 new slots for students to live on campus next fall, and this will contribute further to campus life, Rossbacher said.

Last year 1,060 students lived on campus.

That is expected to grow to 1,498 this year.

SPSU has four sororities, with the largest, Gamma Phi Beta, at 32 students. The university has nine fraternities with the largest Sigma Nu, at 36 members.

This fall fraternity and sorority members will See Reign, Page 61

THE COVER

Staff/Alexander Acosta

SPSU’s growth has been so rapid since she became president that Dr. Lisa Rossbacher often has to don a hard hat.

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

FACTBOOK 2010

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

A GUIDE TO ...

Cobb / Marietta Schools

Marietta City elementary schools

54

1. A.L. Burruss Elementary 325 Manning Road Marietta, GA 30064 Grades: K-5

(770) 429-3144 Teachers: 33

Students: 359

CRCT Reading Grade 3 90

Language 91

Math 93

Science 75

Social 86

CRCT Reading Grade 5 89

Language 95

Math 89

Science 70

Social 73

2. Dunleith Elementary 120 Saine Drive Marietta, GA 30008 Grades: K-5

(770) 429-3190 Teachers: 43

Students: 544

CRCT Reading Grade 3 92

Language 87

Math 79

Science 84

Social 82

CRCT Reading Grade 5 88

Language 86

Math 76

Science 56

Social 49

62

10

(770) 429-3125 Teachers: 36

Students: 374

CRCT Reading Grade 3 78

Language 77

Math 74

Science 70

Social 58

CRCT Reading Grade 5 91

Language 100

Math 94

Science 66

Social 46

52

36

24

32

46

1205 Merritt Road Marietta, GA 30062 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 90

Language 91

Math 77

Science 82

Social 80

CRCT Reading Grade 5 91

Language 88

Math 83

Science 70

Social 53

79

5. Marietta Center for Advanced Academics 311 Aviation Road Marietta, GA 30060 Grades: 3-5

Students: 259 Language 100

Math 100

Science 100

Social 100

CRCT Reading Grade 5 100

Language 100

Math 99

Science 100

Social 100

6. Park Street Elementary Students: 524

(770) 429-3180 Teachers: 48

CRCT Reading Grade 3 88

Language 84

Math 81

Science 70

Social 67

CRCT Reading Grade 5 85

Language 86

Math 80

Science 59

Social 54

55 19

14

70

Spring 2010 scores; numbers are percentages of students who met or exceeded standards.

2

43

5

6

4

49

33 34

22 65

71

44 39 17

69

21

61

40

56

74

Cobb County Schools

35

51

28 23

77

12

Fred Sanderson, superintendent

76

(770) 426-3454 www.cobbk12.org

50 60

City of Marietta Schools

66 67

Emily Lembeck, superintendent (770) 422-3500 www.marietta-city.k12.ga.us

Cobb elementary schools 10. Acworth Elementary

840 Sawyer Road Marietta, GA 30062 Grades: K-5

4220 Cantrell Road Acworth, GA 30101 Grades: 2-5

Students: 568

1 3

9

73 53

7. Sawyer Road Elementary (770) 429-9923 Teachers: 44

7

26

78

58

41

(770) 420-0822 Teachers: 17

CRCT Reading Grade 3 100

105 Park Street SE Marietta, GA 30060 Grades: K-5

13

64

16

47

75

27

30 59 45 68 38 20 72 11 57

25

18

42

29

(770) 429-3196 Teachers: 60

Students: 811

15

8

31

80

4. Lockheed Elementary

63

48

37

3. Hickory Hills Elementary 500 Redwood Drive SW Marietta, GA 30064 Grades: K-5

PAGE 51

13. Austell Intermediate

Students: 855

(770) 975-6600 Teachers: 64

5243 Meadows Road Powder Springs, GA 30127 Grades: 2-5 Students: 576

(770) 819-2387 Teachers: 45

CRCT Reading Grade 3 96

Language 89

Math 91

Science 87

Social 79

CRCT Reading Grade 3 91

Language 89

Math 78

Science 78

Social 79

CRCT Reading Grade 3 96

Language 91

Math 87

Science 81

Social 78

CRCT Reading Grade 5 94

Language 94

Math 66

Science 72

Social 60

CRCT Reading Grade 5 93

Language 94

Math 86

Science 75

Social 70

CRCT Reading Grade 5 90

Language 92

Math 82

Science 55

Social 49

8. West Side Elementary

11. Addison Elementary

344 Polk Street NW Marietta, GA 30064 Grades: K-5

3055 Ebenezer Road Marietta, GA 30066 Grades: K-5

Students: 515

(770) 429-3172 Teachers: 42

14. Austell Primary

Students: 560

(770) 578-2700 Teachers: 43

CRCT Reading Grade 3 93

Language 89

Math 88

Science 85

Social 89

CRCT Reading Grade 3 97

Language 98

Math 83

Science 89

Social 93

CRCT Reading Grade 5 93

Language 94

Math 90

Science 85

Social 91

CRCT Reading Grade 5 99

Language 99

Math 97

Science 97

Social 93

12. Argyle Elementary

9. Imagine Marietta Charter School 368 Wright Street Marietta, GA 30064 Grades: K-5

Students: 207

(770) 590-4430 Teachers: 14

2420 Spring Road Smyrna, GA 30080 Grades: K-5

Students: 1,345

(678) 842-6800 Teachers: 56

CRCT Reading Grade 3 80

Language 76

Math 56

Science 60

Social 72

CRCT Reading Grade 3 78

Language 77

Math 77

Science 65

Social 62

CRCT Reading Grade 5 86

Language 100

Math 86

Science 64

Social 64

CRCT Reading Grade 5 88

Language 86

Math 75

Science 64

Social 53

5600 Mulberry Street Austell, GA 30106 Grades: K-1

Students: 310

(770) 819-5804 Teachers: 31

Students: 824

(770) 975-6629 Teachers: 59

No scores available.

15. Baker Elementary 2361 Baker Road, NW Acworth, GA 30101 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 98

Language 91

Math 83

Science 88

Social 88

CRCT Reading Grade 5 97

Language 96

Math 89

Science 85

Social 84

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

FACTBOOK 2010

16. Bells Ferry Elementary

22. Brumby Elementary

2600 Bells Ferry Road Marietta, GA 30066 Grades: K-5 Students: 590 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 99 95 93 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 97 93 93

1306 Powers Ferry Road Marietta, GA 30067 Grades: K-5 Students: 955 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 89 81 71 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 84 85 73

(678) 594-8950 Teachers: 44 Science Social 90 90 Science Social 93 88

17. Belmont Hills Elementary 605 Glendale Place Smyrna, GA 30080 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 78 CRCT Reading Grade 5 78

Students: 860 Language Math 65 52 Language Math 77 68

18. Big Shanty Elementary 1575 Ben King Road Kennesaw, GA 30144 Grades: 3-5 Students: 860 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 95 93 82 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 94 92 87

Students: 724 Language Math 95 91 Language Math 95 91

6800 Factory Shoals Road Mableton, GA 30126 Grades: K-5 Students: 804 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 78 76 66 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 90 91 90 3656 Old Stilesboro Road Kennesaw, GA 30152 Grades: K-5 Students: 1,051 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 97 96 92 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 98 97 96 325 North Booth Rd. Kennesaw, GA 30144 Grades: K-5 Students: 850 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 93 93 87 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 96 94 89

(678) 494-7600 Teachers: 58 Science Social 96 98 Science Social 85 79

21. Brown Elementary

27. Clarkdale Elementary

3265 Brown Road Smyrna, GA 30080 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 86 CRCT Reading Grade 5 74

4455 Wesley Drive (being relocated) Austell, GA 30106 Grades: K-5 Students: 409 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 96 92 78 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 91 92 83

Students: 292 Language Math 81 67 Language Math 77 72

(678) 842-6838 Teachers: 31 Science Social 69 71 Science Social 67 70

Students: 536 Language Math 82 70 Language Math 83 83

(770) 819-2430 Teachers: 46 Science Social 70 68 Science Social 52 54

3450 New Macland Road Powder Springs, GA 30127 Grades: K-5 Students: 488 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 80 75 59 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 79 74 77

(770) 222-3700 Teachers: 44 Science Social 60 42 Science Social 32 33

30. Davis Elementary (678) 594-8720 Teachers: 69 Science Social 92 95 Science Social 93 92

2433 Jamerson Road Marietta, GA 30066 Grades: K-5 Students: 560 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 99 97 93 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 99 98 97

(678) 494-7636 Teachers: 41 Science Social 97 95 Science Social 96 95

31. Dowell Elementary (678) 494-7621 Teachers: 60 Science Social 86 84 Science Social 80 87

2121 West Sandtown Road Marietta, GA 30064 Grades: K-5 Students: 998 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 91 92 84 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 91 93 88

(678) 594-8059 Teachers: 75 Science Social 83 84 Science Social 78 70

32. Due West Elementary

26. Cheatham Hill Elementary 1350 John Ward Road SW Marietta, GA 30064 Grades: K-5 Students: 1,085 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 96 96 92 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 94 96 94

730 Boggs Road Mableton, GA 30126 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 82 CRCT Reading Grade 5 81

29. Compton Elementary (770) 819-2402 Teachers: 64 Science Social 58 73 Science Social 62 56

25. Chalker Elementary (678) 842-6824 Teachers: 71 Science Social 72 62 Science Social 60 60

20. Blackwell Elementary 3470 Canton Road Marietta, GA 30066 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 98 CRCT Reading Grade 5 97

(770) 916-7070 Teachers: 83 Science Social 69 76 Science Social 59 47

24. Bullard Elementary (678) 594-8023 Teachers: 54 Science Social 89 93 Science Social 79 79

19. Birney Elementary 775 Smyrna-Powder Springs St. Marietta, GA 30060 Grades: K-5 Students: 711 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 86 80 79 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 95 93 87

28. Clay Elementary

23. Bryant Primary and Intermediate (678) 842-6810 Teachers: 64 Science Social 54 66 Science Social 64 69

PAGE 52

(678) 594-8034 Teachers: 80 Science Social 87 90 Science Social 83 76

3900 Due West Road Marietta, GA 30064 Grades: K-5 Students: 536 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 94 97 95 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 96 99 94

(678) 594-8071 Teachers: 43 Science Social 99 99 Science Social 91 99

33. East Side Elementary (770) 819-2422 Teachers: 37 Science Social 85 88 Science Social 79 60

3850 Roswell Road Marietta, GA 30062 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 99 CRCT Reading Grade 5 99

Students: 1,036 Language Math 98 97 Language Math 99 93

(770) 578-7200 Teachers: 68 Science Social 97 98 Science Social 97 97

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

FACTBOOK 2010

34. Eastvalley Elementary

39. Green Acres Elementary

2570 Lower Roswell Road Marietta, GA 30067 Grades: K-5 Students: 621 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 95 91 81 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 98 98 97

2000 Gober Avenue Smyrna, GA 30080 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 71 CRCT Reading Grade 5 92

(770) 578-7214 Teachers: 46 Science Social 89 88 Science Social 90 90

35. Fair Oaks Elementary 407 Barber Road Marietta, GA 30060 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 89 CRCT Reading Grade 5 88

Students: 839 Language Math 84 81 Language Math 89 88

Students: 865 Language Math 96 94 Language Math 97 97

(678) 594-8092 Teachers: 57 Science Social 92 95 Science Social 95 91

Students: 672 Language Math 91 87 Language Math 96 96

(770) 975-6655 Teachers: 46 Science Social 91 90 Science Social 94 89

38. Garrison Mill Elementary 4111 Wesley Chapel Road Marietta, GA 30062 Grades: K-5 Students: 725 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 99 96 96 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 99 100 99

5891 Dodgen Road Mableton, GA 30126 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 89 CRCT Reading Grade 5 94

Students: 544 Language Math 89 77 Language Math 94 77

(770) 819-2483 Teachers: 46 Science Social 76 77 Science Social 72 67

1501 Kennesaw-Due W. Rd. Kennesaw, 30152 Grades: K-5 Students: 1,116 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 84 80 72 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 90 91 85

(770) 642-5600 Teachers: 49 Science Social 95 96 Science Social 99 98

2901 Bayberry Drive Marietta, GA 30008 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 85 CRCT Reading Grade 5 87

Students: 765 Language Math 81 72 Language Math 89 82

(678) 594-8143 Teachers: 67 Science Social 68 72 Science Social 70 63

43. Imagine IA - Mableton 6688 Mableton Parkway Mableton, GA 30126 Grades: K-8 Students: CRCT Reading Language Grade 3 84 65 CRCT Reading Language Grade 5 81 92 CRCT Reading Language Grade 8 98 94

472 Math 50 Math 51 Math 52

2144 South Cobb Drive Smyrna, GA 30080 Grades: K-8 Students: CRCT Reading Language Grade 3 90 86 CRCT Reading Language Grade 5 90 84 CRCT Reading Language Grade 8 96 96

580 Math 59 Math 61 Math 61

(678) 370-0980 Teachers: 25 Science Social 68 76 Science Social 71 58 Science Social 36 64

Students: 466 Language Math 99 97 Language Math 99 89

(678) 494-7836 Teachers: 37 Science Social 96 93 Science Social 89 82

45. Keheley Elementary 1985 Kemp Road Marietta, GA 30066 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 99 CRCT Reading Grade 5 99

46. Kemp Elementary (678) 594-8127 Teachers: 78 Science Social 68 69 Science Social 76 69

42. Hollydale Elementary

37. Frey Elementary 2865 Mars Hill Road Acworth, GA 30101 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 96 CRCT Reading Grade 5 99

Students: 713 Language Math 70 75 Language Math 89 82

(678) 842-6905 Teachers: 69 Science Social 55 51 Science Social 47 34

41. Hayes Elementary

36. Ford Elementary 1345 Mars Hill Road Acworth, GA 30101 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 98 CRCT Reading Grade 5 99

44. Imagine IA - Smyrna

40. Harmony Leland Elementary (678) 594-8080 Teachers: 81 Science Social 72 56 Science Social 52 41

PAGE 53

(678) 384-8920 Teachers: Science Social 56 50 Science Social 51 43 Science Social 59 70

865 Corner Road Powder Springs, GA 30127 Grades: K-5 Students: 927 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 100 99 97 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 98 97 96

(678) 594-8158 Teachers: 65 Science Social 98 99 Science Social 94 95

47. Kennesaw Charter School 1370 Lockhart Drive Kennesaw, GA 30144 Grades: K-5 Students: 437 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 95 94 78 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 96 100 98

(678) 290-9628 Teachers: Science Social 89 89 Science Social 94 88

48. Kennesaw Elementary 3155 Jiles Road Kennesaw, GA 30144 Grades: K-2 No scores available.

Students: 920

(678) 594-8172 Teachers: 64

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 54

49. Kincaid Elementary

55. Milford Elementary

1410 Kincaid Road Marietta, GA 30066 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 98 CRCT Reading Grade 5 98

2390 Austell Road Marietta, GA 30008 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 86 CRCT Reading Grade 5 79

Students: 676 Language Math 97 92 Language Math 100 91

(770) 578-7238 Teachers: 51 Science Social 90 98 Science Social 96 96

50. King Springs Elementary 1041 Reed Road Smyrna, GA 30082 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 90 CRCT Reading Grade 5 94

Students: 618 Language Math 90 84 Language Math 97 95

1210 Johnson Ferry Road Marietta, GA 30068 Grades: K-5 Students: 1,030 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 100 99 96 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 99 100 97

Students: 488 Language Math 80 75 Language Math 94 77

(678) 842-6955 Teachers: 54 Science Social 68 67 Science Social 60 46

57. Mountain View Elementary

(770) 975-6673 Teachers: 61 Science Social 88 90 Science Social 77 79

58. Murdock Elementary

52. Lewis Elementary 4179 Jim Owens Road Kennesaw, GA 30152 Grades: K-5 Students: 887 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 93 91 87 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 95 93 86

53. Mableton Elementary 5220 Church Street Mableton, GA 30126 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 90 CRCT Reading Grade 5 93

Students: 410 Language Math 92 83 Language Math 90 94

(770) 819-2513 Teachers: 41 Science Social 82 84 Science Social 87 77

54. McCall Elementary 4496 Dixie Avenue Acworth, GA 30101 Grades: K-1 No scores available.

Students: 459

(770) 975-6775 Teachers: 40

3448 Sandy Plains Road Marietta, GA 30066 Grades: K-5 Students: 834 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 99 100 97 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 99 99 96 2320 Murdock Road Marietta, GA 30062 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 99 CRCT Reading Grade 5 99

Students: 859 Language Math 99 99 Language Math 98 98

(678) 842-6966 Teachers: 60 Science Social 72 80 Science Social 56 62

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

4555 Mavell Road SE Smyrna, GA 30082 Grades: K-5 Students: 816 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 88 76 68 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 95 96 82

(678) 842-5814 Teachers: 59 Science Social 70 71 Science Social 87 84

61. Norton Park Elementary (770) 578-7248 Teachers: 66 Science Social 97 97 Science Social 98 98

3041 Gray Road Smyrna, GA 30082 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 79 CRCT Reading Grade 5 87

Students: 674 Language Math 75 64 Language Math 86 82

(678) 842-5833 Teachers: 66 Science Social 46 35 Science Social 67 60

62. Pickett's Mill Elementary (770) 578-7265 Teachers: 60 Science Social 99 96 Science Social 92 95

6400 Old Stilesboro Road Acworth, GA 30101 Grades: K-5 Students: 744 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 97 96 96 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 98 98 96

(770) 975-6673 Teachers: 48 Science Social 92 96 Science Social 87 95

63. Pitner Elementary (770) 509-5071 Teachers: 66 Science Social 99 98 Science Social 99 98

59. Nicholson Elementary 1599 Shallowford Road Marietta, GA 30066 Grades: K-5 Students: 528 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 94 95 91 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 99 99 95

60. Nickajack Elementary

56. Mount Bethel Elementary (678) 842-6944 Teachers: 45 Science Social 80 91 Science Social 84 85

51. LaBelle Elementary 230 Cresson Drive Marietta, GA 30060 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 83 CRCT Reading Grade 5 85

Students: 653 Language Math 80 71 Language Math 83 75

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

4575 Wade Green Road Acworth, GA 30101 Grades: K-5 Students: 979 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 90 86 75 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 97 97 87

(678) 594-8320 Teachers: 69 Science Social 77 77 Science Social 88 83

64. Powder Springs Elementary (770) 928-5573 Teachers: 44 Science Social 88 89 Science Social 94 92

4570 Grady Grier Road Powder Springs, GA 30127 Grades: K-5 Students: 869 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 94 88 79 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 86 93 82

(770) 222-3746 Teachers: 63 Science Social 68 73 Science Social 66 57

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

65. Powers Ferry Elementary

403 Powers Ferry Road Marietta, GA 30067 Grades: K-5 Students: 483 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 91 81 67 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 90 96 86

(770) 819-2553 Teachers: 60 Science Social 55 55 Science Social 58 59

67. Riverside Primary

461 South Gordon Road Mableton, GA 30126 Grades: K-1 No scores available.

Students: 465

(770) 819-5851 Teachers: 42

68. Rocky Mount Elementary

2400 Rocky Mountain Road Marietta, GA 30066 Grades: K-5 Students: 594 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 100 99 94 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 100 99 97

(770) 591-5050 Teachers: 46 Science Social 97 99 Science Social 96 96

69. Russell Elementary

3920 South Hurt Road Smyrna, GA 30082 Grades: K-5 Students: 718 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 94 93 79 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 89 92 87

(770) 437-5937 Teachers: 61 Science Social 84 76 Science Social 73 65

70. Sanders Elementary

1550 Anderson Mill Road SW Austell, GA 30106 Grades: K-5 Students: 930 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 86 74 70 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 87 90 83

PAGE 55

71. Sedalia Park Elementary (770) 578-7936 Teachers: 44 Science Social 64 63 Science Social 58 54

66. Riverside Intermediate

285 South Gordon Road Mableton, GA 30126 Grades: 2-5 Students: 845 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 83 75 61 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 83 88 73

FACTBOOK 2010

(770) 819-2568 Teachers: 71 Science Social 66 66 Science Social 64 59

2230 Lower Roswell Road Marietta, GA 30067 Grades: K-5 Students: 785 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 98 94 82 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 92 94 90

76. Teasley Elementary (770) 509-5162 Teachers: 66 Science Social 82 82 Science Social 84 81

72. Shallowford Falls Elementary 3529 Lassiter Road Marietta, GA 30062 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 97 CRCT Reading Grade 5 99

Students: 711 Language Math 97 95 Language Math 99 95

Students: 401 Language Math 86 77 Language Math 84 82

(770) 819-2584 Teachers: 39 Science Social 76 79 Science Social 59 48

(770) 642-5621 Teachers: 44 Science Social 99 97 Science Social 98 98

4435 Post Oak Tritt Road Marietta, GA 30062 Grades: K-5 Students: 939 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 99 99 97 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 100 100 96

(770) 642-5630 Teachers: 60 Science Social 96 99 Science Social 98 96

79. Varner Elementary (770) 916-7085 Teachers: 80 Science Social 97 97 Science Social 95 94

4761 Gaydon Road Powder Springs, GA 30127 Grades: K-5 Students: 834 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 98 90 80 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 91 94 89

(770) 222-3775 Teachers: 64 Science Social 81 84 Science Social 87 81

80. Vaughan Elementary

75. Still Elementary

870 Casteel Road Powder Springs, GA 30127 Grades: K-5 Students: 779 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 97 93 88 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 98 98 89

5000 Timber Ridge Road Marietta, GA 30068 Grades: K-5 Students: 591 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 100 98 97 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 99 99 99

78. Tritt Elementary

74. Sope Creek Elementary

3320 Paper Mill Road Marietta, GA 30067 Grades: K-5 Students: 1,144 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 96 96 95 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 98 97 95

(770) 437-5945 Teachers: 45 Science Social 86 84 Science Social 85 85

77. Timber Ridge Elementary (770) 642-5610 Teachers: 49 Science Social 95 95 Science Social 98 98

73. Sky View Elementary 5805 Dunn Road Mableton, GA 30126 Grades: K-5 CRCT Reading Grade 3 89 CRCT Reading Grade 5 83

3640 Spring Hill Road Smyrna, GA 30080 Grades: K-5 Students: 579 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 97 93 90 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 95 91 75

(678) 594-8287 Teachers: 69 Science Social 88 93 Science Social 89 90

5950 Nichols Road Powder Springs, GA 30127 Grades: K-5 Students: 822 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 3 99 99 96 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 5 96 96 96

(678) 594-8298 Teachers: 51 Science Social 95 94 Science Social 94 91

Source: Marietta City Schools, Cobb County Schools

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Business Chronicle)

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Open House: 2-4 pm December 5th, 2010 January 23rd, 2011 March 6th, 2011

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MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 57

Student leader lauds activities offered by KSU

By Jon Gillooly jgillooly@mdjonline.com

KENNESAW — There is something for everyone at Kennesaw State University, the third largest university in the Peach State. Students who claim to be bored just aren’t paying attention, says KSU’s student body president, Ali Kamran, a rising junior.

“Students complain about not having enough activities. I don’t know where they get that idea from,” said Kamran, 20, a graduate of North Cobb High School whose family moved here from Pakistan when he was 7. “If you go around the student center there’s all sorts of events going on. There’s concerts, there’s athletic events, there’s social events, there’s dances, there’s casino nights, there’s game nights, there’s movie nights, there’s intramural sports.

“I feel there’s so much to do that allows me to meet so many people that I would never have the chance to meet otherwise by being involved on campus, and I feel like Kennesaw really pushes for student involvement in student activities. That way you get to know the people around you and build networking skills and people skills that prepares you for when you go out into the world.”

Intent on becoming a cardiovascular surgeon, Kamran, a pre-med major at Kennesaw, is already stepping out into the world, volunteering at Kennestone Hospital in anticipation of a career in medicine.

Kamran said he chose KSU because it was both financially reasonable and offered the kind of courses he wanted to take.

In-state students taking a full course load at KSU pay about $2,364 per semester. Outof-state students are charged about $7,036.

His classes aren’t always easy, but that’s another part about KSU that he loves.

“Kennesaw has an open-

From left: Kennesaw State University student Amna Khan, Student Government Vice President Darius Robinson, SGA President Ali Kamran and student Evan Frisbee.

door policy with professors,” Kamran said. “That means any time you have a question, you can go to the professors at any time and ask them anything.

See Activities, Page 67

Staff/Alexander Acosta

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 58

A GUIDE TO ...

schools Marietta City middle schools Students: 557

(770) 429-3115 Teachers: 50

No scores available.

2. Marietta Middle School 121 Winn Street Northwest Marietta, GA 30064 Grades: 7-8 Students: 1,058 CRCT Reading Grade 8 94

Language 93

Math 76

18

Science 61

23

2

28

19 32

Social 81

21

20 35 25

15

42

34

31

(770) 422-0311 Teachers: 87

33 7

24

22

1. Marietta Sixth Grade Academy 340 Aviation Road SE Marietta, GA 30060 Grades: 6

4

3 37

29 10

Cobb / Marietta

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

40 9 43

44

1

11

Cobb middle schools 3. Awtrey Middle School 3601 Nowlin Road Kennesaw, GA 30144 Grades: 6-8 CRCT Reading Grade 8 99

Students: 916 Language 98

Math 80

(770) 975-6615 Teachers: 53 Science 80

36

26

27

Social 85

4. Barber Middle School 4222 Cantrell Road Acworth, GA 30101 Grades: 6-8 CRCT Reading Grade 8 96

Students: 923 Language 95

Math 63

13

(770) 975-6764 Teachers: 50 Science 64

Social 76

6

38

41

12

5. Campbell Middle School 3295 South Atlanta Road Smyrna, GA 30080 Grades: 6-8 Students: 1,113 CRCT Reading Grade 8 93

Language 90

Math 55

(678) 842-6873 Teachers: 65 Science 45

Social 68

6. Cooper Middle School 4605 Ewing Road Austell, GA 30106 Grades: 6-8 CRCT Reading Grade 8 97

Students: 827 Language 92

Math 71

Science 55

11. East Cobb Middle School 380 Holt Road Marietta, GA 30068 Grades: 6-8

Language 96

Math 78

Science 74

Social 77

CRCT Reading Grade 8 96

Language 96

12. Floyd Middle School

855 Woodlawn Drive Marietta, GA 30068 Grades: 6-8

4803 Floyd Road Mableton, GA 30126 Grades: 6-8

CRCT Reading Grade 8 99

Language 99

Math 99

(770) 578-2710 Teachers: 49 Science 92

Social 96

CRCT Reading Grade 8 96

Math 72

Students: 824 Language 89

Math 60

1725 Bill Murdock Road Marietta, GA 30062 Grades: 6-8

5235 Austell-Powder Springs Road Austell, GA 30106 Grades: 6-8 Students: 866

Students: 1,108 Math 97

(770) 578-2726 Teachers: 68 Science 91

Social 95

CRCT Reading Grade 8 97

Language 92

10. Durham Middle School

14. Griffin Middle School

2891 Mars Hill Road Northwest Acworth, GA 30101 Grades: 6-8 Students: 1,114

4010 King Springs Road Smyrna, GA 30082 Grades: 6-8

CRCT Reading Grade 8 100

Language 99

Math 95

Emily Lembeck, superintendent

(770) 975-6641 Teachers: Science 88

Social 96

CRCT Reading Grade 8 93

Math 83

Science 54

Social 64

3905 Post Oak Tritt Road Marietta, GA 30062 Grades: 6-8 CRCT Reading Grade 8 100

Students: 967

Language 100

Math 96

(770) 578-7225 Teachers: 68 Science 92

Social 95

(770) 819-2453 Teachers: 53 Science 57

Social 70

1550 Pebblebrook Circle Mableton, GA 30126 Grades: 6

Students: 472

(770) 819-2496 Teachers: 32

No scores available.

(770) 819-2466 Teachers: 59 Science 44

Social 54

50 Veterans Memorial Highway Mableton, GA 30126 Grades: 7-8 Students: 837 CRCT Reading Grade 8 95

Language 92

Math 56

(770) 819-2496 Teachers: 57 Science 39

Social 70

18. Lost Mountain Middle School

Students: 912

Language 90

(770) 578-2740 Teachers: 77

17. Lindley Middle School

13. Garrett Middle School

Language 100

16

City of Marietta Schools

16. Lindley Sixth Grade Academy

9. Dodgen Middle School

CRCT Reading Grade 8 100

14

15. Hightower Trail Middle School

Students: 1,239

8. Dickerson Middle School Students: 1,120

(770) 426-3454 cobbk12.org

Social 62

(678) 594-8048 Teachers: 69

Fred Sanderson, superintendent

(770) 422-3500 www.marietta-city.k12.ga.us

2900 Scott Road Marietta, GA 30066 Grades: 6-8 CRCT Reading Grade 8 97

5

(770) 819-2438 Teachers: 51

7. Daniell Middle School Students: 990

39

2010 scores; numbers are percentages of students who met or exceeded standards.

8

Cobb County Schools

30

17

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Math 70

(678) 842-6917 Teachers: 66 Science 61

Social 65

700 Old Mountain Road Kennesaw, GA 30152 Grades: 6-8 CRCT Reading Grade 8 99

Students: 1,132

Language 96

Math 94

(678) 594-8224 Teachers: 61 Science 88

Social 92

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

FACTBOOK 2010

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

19. Lovinggood Middle School

25. Simpson Middle School

3825 Luther Ward Road Powder Springs, GA 30127 Grades: 6-8 Students: 1,187 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 8 99 98 83

3340 Trickum Road Marietta, GA 30066 Grades: 6-8 CRCT Reading Grade 8 100

(678) 331-3015 Teachers: 69 Science Social 81 86

Students: 891 Language Math 99 93

20. Mabry Middle School

26. Smitha Middle School

2700 Jims Road Marietta, GA 30066 Grades: 6-8 CRCT Reading Grade 8 100

2025 Powder Springs Road Marietta, GA 30064 Grades: 6-8 Students: 820 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 8 94 90 75

Students: 894 Language Math 99 97

(770) 928-5546 Teachers: 55 Science Social 92 90

21. McCleskey Middle School 4080 Maybreeze Road Marietta, GA 30066 Grades: 6-8 Students: 764 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 8 98 97 88

22. McClure Middle School 3660 Old Stilesboro Road Kennesaw, GA 30152 Grades: 6-8 Students: 1,167 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 8 99 98 94

(678) 331-8131 Teachers: 68 Science Social 80 89

23. Palmer Middle School 690 North Booth Road Kennesaw, GA 30144 Grades: 6-8 Students: 1,071 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 8 100 98 91

(770) 591-5020 Teachers: 64 Science Social 81 81

24. Pine Mountain Middle School 2720 Pine Mountain Circle Kennesaw, GA 30152 Grades: 6-8 Students: 773 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 8 99 98 84

30. Campbell High School (770) 971-4711 Teachers: 54 Science Social 86 93

3900 Macedonia Road Powder Springs, GA 30127 Grades: 6-8 Students: 738 CRCT Reading Language Math Grade 8 98 96 83

(678) 594-8267 Teachers: 55 Science Social 55 54

Marietta City high school and Cobb high schools

4500 Due West Road Kennesaw GA 30152 Grades: 9-12 Students: 2,196 % Taking SAT SAT Reading SAT Math 73 536 541 4165 Luther Ward Road Powder Springs, GA 30127 Grades: 9-12 Students: 2,031 % Taking SAT SAT Reading SAT Math 70 488 492

2009 SAT Scores Scores for each section of the test can range from 200 to 800 points.

28. Marietta High School

34. Kennesaw Mountain High School

3300 Dallas-Acworth Highway Acworth, GA 30101 Grades: 9-12 Students: 1,345 % Taking SAT SAT Reading SAT Math No data available

(678) 594-8104 Teachers: 92 SAT Writing Total 519 1596

(770) 428-2631 Teachers: xx SAT Writing Total 493 1514

(678) 331-3961 Teachers: 84 SAT Writing Total 482 1462

33. Kell High School 4770 Lee Waters Road Marietta, GA 30066 Grades: 9-12 Students: 1,755 % Taking SAT SAT Reading SAT Math 62 502 512

1171 Whitlock Avenue Marietta, GA 30064 Grades: 9-12 Students: xx % Taking SAT SAT Reading SAT Math n/a 504 517

(678) 842-6850 Teachers: 121 SAT Writing Total 486 1475

32. Hillgrove High School (770) 222-3758 Teachers: 45 Science Social 84 76

1898 Kennesaw-Due West Road Kennesaw, GA 30152 Grades: 9-12 Students: 2,195 % Taking SAT SAT Reading SAT Math 69 523 523

(678) 494-7844 Teachers: 73 SAT Writing Total 486 1500

(678) 594-8190 Teachers: 90 SAT Writing Total 505 1551

35. Lassiter High School

29. Allatoona High School (678) 594-8252 Teachers: 53 Science Social 70 82

5265 Ward Street Smyrna GA 30080 Grades: 9-12 Students: 2,174 % Taking SAT SAT Reading SAT Math 62 498 491

31. Harrison High School

27. Tapp Middle School (770) 928-5560 Teachers: 51 Science Social 73 75

PAGE 59

(770) 529-7743 Teachers: 70 SAT Writing Total

2601 Shallowford Road Marietta, GA 30066 Grades: 9-12 Students: 1,944 % Taking SAT SAT Reading SAT Math 77 555 567

(678) 494-7863 Teachers: 96 SAT Writing Total 536 1658

EASTSIDE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL ESTABLISHED 1983

Your neighborhood Christian school... wherever your neighborhood may be A Christ-centered environment encouraging academic excellence K-5 - 8TH grade with the option of pre-1ST grade After-School Care Small Student/Teacher Ratio Fine Arts and Athletic Programs

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Judith Cripps, Head of School

Join us for our Open Houses on the following Wednesdays at 9:30am OCT. 27, 2010 • FEB. 2, 2011 • MARCH 2, 2011 Thursday evening dessert & Open House JAN. 13, 2011 AT 7:00PM For more information or a campus visit, call 770-971-2332 or visit www.eastsidechristianschool.com Located in the heart of East Cobb County 2450 Lower Roswell Road • Marietta, GA 30068

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 60

36. McEachern High School

41. South Cobb High School

2400 New Macland Road Powder Springs, GA 30127 Grades: 9-12 Students: 2,181 % Taking SAT 62

SAT Reading 468

SAT Math 466

(770) 222-3710 Teachers: 95 SAT Writing 452

Total 1386

37. North Cobb High School

SAT Reading 485

SAT Math 480

(770) 975-6685 Teachers: 117 SAT Writing 467

Total 1432

38. Osborne High School 2451 Favor Road Marietta, GA 30060 Grades: 9-12 % Taking SAT 45

SAT Math 437

(770) 437-5900 Teachers: 102 SAT Writing 419

Total 1285

39. Pebblebrook High School 991 Old Alabama Road Mableton, GA 30126 Grades: 9-12 % Taking SAT 52

SAT Math 427

(770) 819-2521 Teachers: 97 SAT Writing 432

Total 1300

40. Pope High School 3001 Hembree Road Marietta, GA 30062 Grades: 9-12 % Taking SAT 80

SAT Reading 453

SAT Math 451

SAT Writing 444

2525 Sandy Plains Road Marietta, GA 30066 Grades: 9-12 Students: 1,742 % Taking SAT 58

SAT Reading 489

SAT Math 493

(770) 578-3200 Teachers: 89 SAT Writing 477

1590 Bill Murdock Road Marietta, GA 30062 Grades: 9-12

LIVING IN COBB 2010

Total 1459

% Taking SAT 85

(770) 578-3225 Teachers: 122

Students: 2,568

SAT Reading 575

SAT Math 589

SAT Writing 558

375 Holt Road Marietta, GA 30068 Grades: 9-12

Total 1722

% Taking SAT 63

(770) 578-3266 Teachers: 110

Students: 2,007

SAT Reading 550

SAT Math 555

SAT Writing 535

Source: Marietta City Schools, Cobb County Schools

Students: 1,811

SAT Reading 550

Total 1348

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

44. Wheeler High School

Students: 2,009

SAT Reading 441

% Taking SAT 50

(770) 819-2611 Teachers: 93

Students: 2,011

43. Walton High School

Students: 1,728

SAT Reading 429

1920 Clay Road Austell, GA 30106 Grades: 9-12

42. Sprayberry High School

3400 Highway 293 North Kennesaw, GA 30144 Grades: 9-12 Students: 2,526 % Taking SAT 61

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SAT Math 568

(770) 578-7900 Teachers: 81 SAT Writing 538

Total 1656

Total 1640

Access this unprecedented section in the Marietta Daily Journal all year long online at

www.mdjonline.com

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

Chronicling Cobb County’s People & Events Since 1866

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Reign Continued from Page 49 have a new home at SPSU with construction of Greek housing expected to be completed. With the completion of the new residential housing, SPSU will be able to house more than 30 percent of the students enrolled.

Currently, more than 20 percent of students live on campus.

The Greek housing is part of the new Hornet Residential Village currently under construction. The Village will consist of two new dormitories housing 600 students and 10 specialty interest units with 12 beds each. These additions will bring campus capacity to 1,883 student residents.

The Greek housing and new suite-style residence facilities are part of the more than $100 million of recently completed and ongoing construction at SPSU. Other projects include an 863-space parking deck, also funded by the sale of bonds through a public-private venture, which opened in September, and a state funded academic Engineering Technology Center and Studio Building I Annex, scheduled for completion in October 2010.

The need for the expansion results from the 36 percent enrollment growth at SPSU since 2005.

For the last three years, SPSU has worked on becoming more comprehensive by expanding the range of academic programs and services offered to students, while still retaining its unique technological focus. Some of the new majors have proven to be very attractive to students, including mechatronics engineering (robotics), computer game design, psychology, and evening programs in civil engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering, Rossbacher said.

Rossbacher signaled her pride in how competitive SPSU student teams are both locally and nationally.

“The teams that build on academic programs — like the steel bridge team, the robotics team, and the supermileage vehicle team — consistently represent us well in regional and national competitions,” she said.

“And our athletic teams are successful, too. This year, all four of our intercollegiate teams (men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, and men’s soccer)

were nationally ranked.”

The university faces the same challenges all higher education faces with decreased state funding, increased enrollment, expanded expectations from students and parents, and an ongoing need to demonstrate the return on investment of higher education, she said. One of the ways the university has responded to these challenges is by increasing private funding. In the last 12 years, the percentage of SPSU’s budget provided through state allocations has dropped from about 75 percent to less than 50 percent, she said.

To attend SPSU costs $4,462 per semester for in state tuition and $13,388 for out of state, Carson said.

With 178 faculty and 275 staff SPSU has a fiscal year 2011 budget of $74.3 million, over FY2010’s $62.4 million, with a budgeted reserve fund of $691,000. The increase is attributed to an increase in housing revenue, capital funding and restricted grants and contracts.

“Although increased tuition has made up some of the difference, private support plays a critical role, too. We are grateful to all our supporters — they make a real difference in SPSU’s ability to educate students. For example, the SPSU Foundation has purchased property for the university and helped fund new student housing on campus,” she said.

Last year’s study showed that SPSU’s economic impact for FY 2008 totaled $161 million on the area.

“SPSU is in a great position right now,” Rossbacher said.

“We are large enough to offer a variety of majors, housing options and student organizations, and we are small enough to offer strong personal contact with faculty and staff.

Back in 1982, the author John Naisbitt coined the phrase ‘high tech, high touch’ in his book ‘Megatrends.’ He emphasized the importance of keeping that personal connection in a world of increasing technology. SPSU is a university with a strong technology focus — and a strong personal focus, as well.

That combination continues to be a key to our success — and it is also a key factor in why we are attracting increasing numbers of students. Students who are looking for a strong technology-based education that prepares them for careers that solve real-world problems will find SPSU a great place to be.”

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 61

COBB SCHOOL DISTRICT

Clarkdale Elementary School was totally destroyed by last September’s infamous flood.

Cobb district has plan set to rebuild flood-ravaged Clarkdale Elementary From staff reports

AUSTELL — When school starts Aug. 5, the nearly 400 students who reported to Clarkdale Elementary School in Austell on the first day last year will again be reporting to two separate buildings, just as they did for a majority of the 2009-10 school year.

Following the devastating flood last September, Clarkdale was destroyed, and its students divided between two different south Cobb schools — Austell Intermediate and Compton Elementary School.

But the Cobb School District has approved plans to rebuild the school.

The new 53-room elementary school will cost the district $19.2 million, with most of that money coming from the undesignated classroom fund in the district’s second and third installments of the special purpose local option sales tax accounts. Although the district had $10 million in flood insurance, it anticipates only about $6 million for the Clarkdale rebuild.

Once a larger Clarkdale is built, the school

board plans to redistrict several schools in the area, such as Hollydale Elementary and Sanders Primary and Intermediate schools, to alleviate overcrowding and reduce trailers.

As for a timeline for construction of the school, school district spokesman Doug Goodwin said the district is in the design phase for the project. It will open construction bids for the project in January 2011 and the board will vote to award the construction bid at its meeting the next month. The district plans to break ground on the school in February 2011 and open its doors to students in fall of 2012.

“We will continue to have joint staff meetings, joint PTA meetings, parent training, student activities and field day,” Principal Marjorie Bickerstaff said. “We are one school under two roofs and that’s something we will not give up … The community has rallied around us —- within Clarkdale, within the metro area, within the state, really within the United States to assist us and maintaining what we’re doing right now.”

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PAGE 62

FACTBOOK 2010

MARIETTA CITY SCHOOLS

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Superintendent touts success In hard economic times, teachers and staff ‘did not take their eye off prize — student success’

By Jon Gillooly jgillooly@mdjonline.com

MARIETTA — If you ask Marietta Superintendent Dr. Emily Lembeck, the Marietta City School System represents the best of a quality education.

Throughout the changes that have taken place in public education, the progress required to meet the needs of students, families and community have been accomplished while respecting Marietta’s strong traditions, she said.

“Concepts such as choice and charter systems as well as outsourcing services and lessons infused with technology do not temper the tradition of maintaining the finest educators, valued successful programs, the magic of Friday night football or the passion of a Marietta alum,” Lembeck said.

At this time of the year, Lembeck said it’s hard not to be proud of all the work done by Marietta educators and families that results in a growing number of graduates achieving at higher levels. The culture of the school system, she said, is one that

Staff/Laura Moon

Marietta Sixth Grade Academy Principal Dayton Hibbs, left, explains some of the renovations of the courtyard to Marietta City Schools Superintendent Dr. Emily Lembeck, center, and school board Chairman Randy Weiner during a recent tour of the school. remains focused on the achievement of all students despite the economic downtown.

“This has been a very difficult year for so many due to economic and social stresses,” Lembeck said. “Our employees are not immune from these by any means. I am very proud that our teachers, administrators and support staff throughout Marietta City Schools did not take their eye off the prize — student success.”

Lembeck defines student success by the expectation that her students not only meet, but

exceed standards.

“We are starting to see this philosophy pay dividends for our students, as more students are exceeding standards than ever before,” she said.

Marietta Board of Education Chairman Randy Weiner points to increased number of students exceeding standards as a definite point of pride.

“We are hitting our biggest numbers ever,” Weiner said of Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests. Back in 2006, 36.3 percent of students exceeded expectations in at

least one subject area. That number has risen to 48 percent in 2010. In Marietta Sixth Grade Academy alone, more than half the students exceeded expectations in at least one content area, up from 25.6 percent in 2006. The increased rigor of the Middle Years Program implemented in grades 6 to 10, and teacher focus on challenging students to excel, has contributed to the increased performance, he said.

While the charter system status is still growing conceptually, Lembeck said the status has

proven to be a fiscally responsible and instructionally sound approach to supporting the system’s strategic goals. Increasing school choice through unique elementary choice academies and secondary program options, notably IB-MYP and STEM (for science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs) beginning in grade six has been rewarding, she said.

The Marietta School District has a student enrollment of about 7,800 students and 1,218 employees, of which about 600 are teachers. In June, the school board approved a budget for fiscal year 2011 that has revenues and expenditures balanced at $74.24 million, which is $6.58 million, or 8 percent, lower than fiscal year 2010’s original budget of $80.82 million. The budget uses $1.2 million of the district’s $14 million reserve fund.

Marietta Reads, a citywide focus on literacy that will celebrate its seventh year kickoff on the Square this fall, is another point of pride.

“Marietta Reads completed its seventh year, and I am very proud that our students are demonstrating increased achievement in literacy. There have been over 30,000 donated grade level books that have been used in classrooms and then become part of home libraries,” she said.

Enrollment keeps growing at Chattachoochee Tech

By Marcus E. Howard mhoward@mdjonline.com

MARIETTA — History is being made at Chattahoochee Technical College.

Officials reported enrollment of 11,605 for the spring 2010 quarter — a 26.5 percent increase over the same quarter last year, when CTC’s seven campuses reported a total of 8,931. The spring quarter numbers mark the third increase in a row for the newly merged college, as enrollment has grown

from 11,515 during fall 2009 and 11,365 in winter 2010.

CTC has become Georgia’s largest technical college, serving more than 11,000 students each quarter. Its seven campuses are in Cobb, Bartow, Cherokee, Gilmer, Paulding and Pickens counties. Two are located in Marietta, one in Austell and another in Acworth.

An eighth campus in Canton is set to open in January 2011.

CTC, Appalachian Technical College and North Metro Technical College merged on

July 1, 2009, making the college the largest technical college in the state and the ninth largest postsecondary school in the state.

“Chattahoochee Technical College continues its unprecedented growth throughout the first 12 months of the merger from three schools into the largest technical college in Georgia,” said CTC President Dr. Sanford Chandler. “While the economy certainly played a role in students wanting to train for new careers or find security

in their current field, our solid base of degree, diploma and certificate programs are attractive to many prospective students Dr. Sanford whether they are Chandler just out of high school or thinking about a second or even third career.”

In addition to traditional classes, CTC students are flocking to online classes, which offer greater flexibility. The college

has seen an increase of 56.9 percent with 3,062 students enrolling in at least one online class during the spring quarter compared to 1,951 last year.

In Fiscal Year 2009, 55 percent of students attended CTC part time, while 45 percent attended full time.

CTC offers more than 100 associate degree, diploma and technical certificate programs in the areas of health, business and computer information systems, industrial/natural resources, and personal/public services.

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Private schools in Cobb Carman Adventist School 1330 North Cobb Parkway,

Marietta, 30062 Phone: (770) 424-0606 Website: www.caschool.org Principal: Steve Wilson Accreditation: SACS, NCPSA (National Council of Private School Association), GAPSAC 2009-2010 Enrollment: 103 Number of Teachers: 7 Grades Offered: K-8 Application Opens: Feb. 1 Application Fee: $100; Registration Fee $475 Application Deadline: Aug. 1 Average Tuition: $3,700 After-School Care: Yes (and before school care) Year Established: 1958

Casa Montessori School

150 Powers Ferry Road, Marietta, 30067 Phone: (770) 973-2731 Website: www.casamontessori.com Director: Florence Johnson Accreditation: AMI Enrollment: About 160 Number of Teachers: 20 Grades Offered: Primary-6 (ages 2 ½-12) Application Opens: Open Enrollment Average Tuition: $7,500-$9,500 After-School Care: No Year Established: 1974

Cobb County Christian School

545 Lorene Drive, Marietta,

30060 Phone: (770) 434-1320 Website: www.openbibleministry.org Director: Gloria Kelley Accreditation: ACSI Enrollment: 50 Number of Teachers: NA Grades Offered: K3-12 Application Opens: February Application Fee: $25 Application Deadline: Open Average Tuition: $4,050 After-School Care: Yes Year Established: 1971

Covenant Christian Ministries Academy

170 North Fairground Street Marietta, 30060 Phone: (770) 919-0022 Website: www.ccmacademy.org Administrator: Vanessa A. Anderson Accreditation: ACSI, SACS, CASI 2009-2010 Enrollment: 150 Number of Teachers: 18 Grades Offered: K3-12 Application Opens: Feb. 1 Application Fee: $25 Application Deadline: Open till school starts Aug. 9 A verage Tuition: $4,850-$5,475 Special Programs: AP and honors courses, basketball, volleyball, cheerleading, drama, Jr. Beta Club, National Honor Society, math club, among others After-School Care: Yes Year Established: 1994

Covenant Christian School 3130 Atlanta Road, Smyrna,

30080

A

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 64

Phone: (770) 435-1596 Website: www.ccssmyrna.org Headmaster: Randy Ball 2009-2010 Enrollment: 160 Number of Teachers: 18 Grades Offered: K4-8 Application Opens: Feb. 1 Application Fee: $100 Application Deadline: Open Average Tuition: $3,600 - $6,900 Special Programs: classical cur-

riculum After-School Care: Yes Year Established: 1975

Covered Bridge Academy

488 Hurt Road, Smyrna, 30082 Phone: (770) 801-8292 Website: www.coveredbridgeacademy.com Director: Kate Garrett Accreditation: AMS 2009-2010Enrollment: 85 Number of Teachers: 15 Grades Offered: Ages 3-9 years Application Opens: Continuing Application Fee: $100 Application Deadline: Rolling Average Tuition: $5,900-$8,500 Special Programs: music, art,

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Spanish, dance, Montessori curriculum After-School Care: Yes Year Established: 1999

Cumberland Christian Academy

2356 Clay Road, Austell, 30106 Phone: (770) 819-6443 Website:

www.cumberlandchristian.org Headmaster: Larry F. Kendrick Accreditation: GAC 2008-2009 Enrollment: 330 Number of Teachers: 35 Grades Offered: K3-12 Application Opens: March 1 Application Fee: $550 Application Deadline: Open Average Tuition: $3,700-$6,500 (for first child, discount for subsequent child) Special Programs: basketball, golf, volleyball, baseball, softball, cross-country, tennis, cheerleading After-School Care: Yes Year Established: 1989

Dominion Christian

4607 Burnt Hickory Road, Acworth, 30064 Phone: (770) 420-2153 Website: www.dominionchristian.org Headmaster: Joe Bradley Accreditation: ACSI, SACS 2009-2010 Enrollment: 208 Number of Teachers: 24 (including staff) Grades Offered: 6-12 Application Opens: January Application Fee: $100 Application Deadline: N/A Average Tuition: $10,000 Special Programs: athletics, various clubs After-School Care: No Year Established: 1997

East Cobb Christian School 4616 Roswell Road N.E.,

Marietta, 30062 Phone: (770) 565-0881 Website: www.eccs.org

See Private, Page 65

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SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Private Continued from Page 64 Principal: Teresa Staley Accreditation: GAC 2009-2010 Enrollment: 130 Number of Teachers: 22 Grades Offered: K-8 Application Opens: Jan. 23 Application Fee: $75 Application Deadline: When full Average Tuition: $4,200-$7,100 Special Programs: Spanish,

Explore program for K-2 After-School Care: No Year Established: 1987

Eastside Christian School

2450 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta, 30068 Phone: (770) 971-2332 Website: www.eastsidechristianschool.com Principal: Judith Cripps Accreditation: GAC; Member ACSI 2009-2010 Enrollment: 329 Number of Teachers: 50 Grades Offered: K5-8; optional pre-first Application Opens: Immediately Application Fee: $50 Application Deadline: None Average Tuition: $5,181-$7,304 Special Programs: academic clubs, athletic teams and individual sports, art, music and drama ensembles, progressive computer application courses, Spanish After-School Care: Yes Year Established: 1983

Faith Lutheran School

2111 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta, 30068 Phone: (770) 973-8921 Website: www.faithlcms.org Principal: Jack D. Hibbs

Accreditation: National Lutheran Schools Accreditation, SACS 2009-2010 Enrollment: 220 Number of Teachers: 18 Grades Offered: PS-8 Application Opens: Jan. 21 Application Fee: $25; Testing Fee $50 Application Deadline: Rolling Average Tuition: $4,000-$6,300 Special Programs: competitive sports, choral, band, handbells, Spanish After-School Care: Yes Year Established: 1958

In His Image Christian Academy

630 Kurt Drive, Marietta, 30008 Phone: (770) 434-3340

Website: www.inhisimageministry.org Headmaster: Warren Dillon 2009-2010 Enrollment: 20 Number of Teachers: 2 Grades Offered: K-12 Tuition: $350 per month After-School Care: Yes Year Established: 1998

FACTBOOK 2010 4635 Dallas Highway, Powder Springs, 30127 Phone: (770) 590-1866 Website: www.midwayschool.org Administrator: Barbara Kline Accreditation: Grace Alliance; ACSI member 2009-2010 Enrollment: 300 Number of Teachers: 25 Grades Offered: K4-8 Application Opens: February Application Fee: $125 Application Deadline: None Average Tuition: $2100-$4,840 Special Programs: band, chorus, computers, basketball, cheerleading, baseball, cross country After-School Care: No Year Established: 1996

Mount Bethel Christian Academy

4385 Lower Roswell Road,

Marietta, 30068

PAGE 65 Phone: (770) 971-0245 Website:

www.mtbethelchristian.org Director: Dr. Bob Burris Accreditation: SAIS, SACS 2009-2010 Enrollment: 490 Number of Teachers: 40-50 Grades Offered: Kindergarten prep-8 Application Opens: November Application Fee: $100 A pplication Deadline: February (for first-round acceptance) Average Tuition: $8,800-$10,000 Special Programs: Latin, Spanish, logic, Bible, fine arts, media, clubs, technology, athletics, band, chorus After-School Care: Yes Year Established: 1998

Mount Paran Christian School 1275 Stanley Road, Kennesaw,

30152

Phone: (770) 578-0182

Website: www.mtparanschool.com Headmaster: David W. Tilley Accreditation: SACS-SAIS 2009-2010 Enrollment: 1,149 Number of Teachers: 86 Grades Offered: PK3-12 Application Opens: Rolling Application Fee: $75 Application Deadline: Rolling Average Tuition: $2,857-$13,2 20 Special Programs: The Dozier

School of Performing Arts at MPCS, Athletics (15 sports offered), Encore/Gifted Program, AP & Honors Courses, Foreign Language, Study Abroad, Directed Studies, Peer Mentoring (as well as 28 other clubs/organizations), Executive Internships, Georgia GOAL Scholarship Participant After-School Care: Yes Year Established: 1976

See Private, Page 66

J

C

Mableton Christian Academy

6485 Factory Shoals Road, Mableton, 30126 Phone: (770) 948- 7971 Principal/Administrator: David Martin Accreditation: GAC 2008-2009 Enrollment: 42 Number of Teachers: 5 Grades Offered: PK-12 Application Opens: February Application Fee: $550 Application Deadline: until full Average Tuition: $4,400-$5,600 Special programs: music; student conventions After-School Care: No Year Established: 1978

Midway Covenant Christian School

Open House: 2-4 pm December 5th, 2010 January 23rd, 2011 March 6th, 2011

Celebrating 50 years of Success in Classes for 2 Year Olds Through 8th Grade STRENGTHENING CHILDREN ACADEMICALLY IN A CHRIST-CENTERED ENVIRONMENT • National Accreditation • Small Teacher to Student Ratio • Physical Education Classes and Athletics

• Music , Band, Choir, Handbells • Drama, Art and Spanish • Before and After School Care • Summer and Holiday Camps

2111 Lower Roswell Road • Marietta, GA • 770-973-8921 • www.faithlcms.org

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 66

Private Continued from Page 65 North Cobb Christian School

4500 Lakeview Drive, Kennesaw, 30144 Phone: (770) 975-0252 Website: www.ncchristian.org Head of School: Todd Clingman Accreditation: SACS, ACSI, GAC 2010-2011 Enrollment: 800 Number of Teachers: 75 Grades Offered: K3-12 Application Opens: Oct. 15 Application Fee: $100 Application Deadline: Rolling Average Tuition: $3,175-$11,151 Special Programs: Academies, arts, directed studies, gifted, athletics, missions, summer camps After-School Care: Yes (for K4 and up) Year Established: 1983

Pathways Academy

4010 Canton Road, Marietta,

30066 Phone: (770) 973-5588 Website: www.pathwaysacademy.org Director: Tina M. Gross 2009-2010 Enrollment: 35 Number of Teachers: 6 Grades Offered: 1-6 Application Opens: Open Application Fee: $75 Application Deadline: Open Average Tuition: $16,400 Special Programs: All programs are for students with average or above average IQ who have difficulty in reading, writing or spelling After-School Care: Yes (Before school care also available) Year Established: 1996

Praise Academy

4052 Hiram-Lithia Springs Road, Powder Springs, 30127 Phone: (770) 943-2484 Website: www.praiseacademy.com Principal: Georgia White Administrator: Joe White Accreditation: SACS, ACSI 2010-2011 Enrollment: 250 Number of Teachers: 18 Grades Offered: K3-12 Application Opens: Feb. 1 Application Fee: $150 Average Tuition: $2,500-$4,800 Special Programs: AP/dual credit courses, music, arts, athletics After-School Care: Yes Year Established: 1983

Shiloh Hills Christian School

260 Hawkins Store Road, Kennesaw, 30144 Phone: (770) 926-7729 Website: www.shilohhills.com Administrator: John D. Ward Accreditation: GACS, GPSAC 2009-2010 Enrollment: 320 Number of Teachers: 45 Grades Offered: K4-12 Application Opens: Feb. 1 Application Fee: $100; late charge after July 20 Application Deadline: Until full Average Tuition: $4,120-$6,995 After-School Care: Yes Year Established: 1980

Shreiner Academy

1340 Terrell Mill Road, Marietta, 30067 Phone: (770) 953-1340

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Website: www.shreiner.com Head of School: Sarah Walker Accreditation: GAG 2009-2010 Enrollment: 230 Number of Teachers: 22 Grades Offered: PS-8 Application Opens: Rolling for

new students Application Deadline: March 22 Average Tuition: $9,900-$11,100 Special Programs: computer, art, Spanish, performing arts After-School Care: Yes; included in tuition Year Established: 1980

St. Joseph Catholic School

81 Lacy Street, Marietta, 30060 Phone: (770) 428-3328 Website: www.stjosephschool.org Principal: Patricia Allen Accreditation: SACS, SAIS Current Enrollment: 490 Number of Teachers: 47 Grades Offered: K-8 Application Opens: Rolling Application Fee: $100 Application Deadline: Rolling Average Tuition: $5,705

(Catholic); $7,417 (non-Catholic) Special Programs: basketball, girls volleyball, LEGO robotics, praise band, drama, Scouts After-School Care: Yes Year Established: 1953

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The Walker School

700 Cobb Parkway N., Marietta, 30062 Phone: (678) 581-6891 Website: www.thewalkerschool.org Headmaster: Donald B. Robertson Accreditation: SACS/SAIS 2009-2010 Enrollment: 1,074 Number of Teachers: 160 Grades Offered: PK-12 Application Opens: Sept. 1 Application Fee: $75 Application Deadline: Feb. 21

DELMAR GARDENS OF GWINNETT 3100 Club Drive, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30044-2591 770.923.3100 DELMAR GARDENS OF SMYRNA 404 King Springs Village Parkway, Smyrna, Georgia 30082-4240 770.432.4444 www.delmargardens.com

See Private, Page 67

Delmar Gardens® Enterprises

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Private Continued from Page 66 Average Tuition: $9,605-$17,175 Special Programs: science lab, foreign language, multicultural education, AP courses After-School Care: Yes Year Established: 1957

The Wood Acres School

1772 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta, 30062 Phone: (770) 971-1880 Website: www.woodacresschool.org Head of School: Judy T. Thigpen 2008-2009 Enrollment: 450 Number of Teachers: 70 Grades Offered: PS-8 Application Opens: November Application Fee: $100 Application Deadline: Feb. 15; rolling admissions Average Tuition: $2,500-$8,500 Special Programs: Spanish, music, art, computer lab, science lab, chess club After-School Care: Yes Year Established: 1969

Whitefield Academy

1 Whitefield Drive SE, Mableton, 30126 Phone: (678) 305-3000 Website: www.whitefieldacademy.com Headmaster: Dr. John Lindsell Upper School Principal: Dr. Susan Banke Accreditation: SACS/SAIC 2009-2010: Enrollment: 656 Number of Teachers: 111 (employees) Grades Offered: PK4-12 Application Opens: Oct. 1 Application Fee: $65 Application Deadline: Feb. 18 Average Tuition: $9,000 to $18,210 Special Programs: life and career planning course for juniors and seniors After-School Care: Yes Year Established: 1997

Youth Christian School

4967 Brownsville Road, Powder Springs, 30127 Phone: (770) 943-1394 Website: www.youthchristian.org Administrator: Moses Florence Principal: Michele Jones Accreditation: GACS 2009-2010 Enrollment: 175 Number of Teachers: 25 Grades Offered: K3-12 Application Opens: Feb. 1 pplication Fee: $200 Average Tuition: $4,000-$4,250 After-School Care: Yes Year Established: 1974

Accreditation abbreviations: Some affiliations listed under

LIVING IN COBB

2010 Access this unprecedented section in the Marietta Daily Journal all year long online at :

www.mdjonline.com

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

C

accreditation are memberships rather than accreditations. Some common abbreviations for school accreditation are: AAAIS — Atlanta Area Association of Independent Schools ACSI — Association of Christian Schools International AMI — Association Montessori International CITA — Commission on Trans-Regional Accreditation DHR — Department of Human Resources ELCA — Evangelical Lutheran Church in America GAC — Georgia Accrediting Commission Inc. GACS — Georgia Association of Christian Schools GAlS — Georgia Association of Independent Schools GAPSEC — Georgia Association of Private Schools for Exceptional Children GAYC — Georgia Association of Young Children GCCA — Georgia Child Care Association GHSA — Georgia High School Association GISA — Georgia Independent School Association MACTE — Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education MIA — Montessori Institute of America NAEYC — National Association for the Education of Young Children NAIS — National Association of Independent Schools NCME — National Council on Measurement in Education SACS — Southern Association of Colleges & Schools SAIS — Southern Association of lndependent Schools Regarding grades offered, the term K-8 means kindergarten through eighth grade.

The term PK means the school has pre-kindergarten programs for 4year-olds. We did not include childcare centers or schools that only offer preschool. PS — Preschool PK — Pre-kindergarten K — Kindergarten K3 — Pre-kindergarten program for 3-year-olds K4 — Pre-kindergarten program for 4year-olds

FACTBOOK 2010

Activities Continued from Page 57 That to me has been a great help. There’s a lot of things I don’t understand about what I’m learning in class. I read the chapters, I may not understand something, but the professors are always there. The professors they really look after the students.”

Since opening as Kennesaw Junior College with only 1,000 students in 1963, Kennesaw State University has grown by leaps and bounds.

KSU has a projected fall enrollment of 23,200, an increase of 4 percent. Last year’s fall enrollment was 22,389 students. It currently has 1,254 full- and part-time faculty and 1,161 staff.

The university, which sits on 384 acres, offers 49 bachelor degrees, 20 master’s degrees, two specialist degrees and four doctoral degrees, two of which have two majors each.

The most popular degree earned at the undergraduate level was the early childhood education degree, which was 308 students based on fiscal year 2009 numbers. That was followed by a degree in management, with 278 students.

The most popular graduate degree earned is the M.B.A., at

PAGE 67

296 students, followed by the master’s of education leadership, with 180 students, said KSU spokeswoman Tammy DeMel Last year, 3,044 students lived on campus. The same number is expected this fall as KSU was completely full last year.

KSU President Dr. Dan Papp said he’d like to see that number rise to 5,000 in the next four to five years.

“If you want to do national comparisons, two years ago U.S. News and World Report in its annual review of national higher educational institutions listed 70 institutions as institutions that were ‘on the move,’ i.e. up and coming institutions nationally based,” Papp said.

“KSU has been on that list — one of only 70 institutions nationally that have been listed that are ‘on the move.’ Why? Because we have been improving qualitatively, we’ve been adding high quality, extremely useful programs at all levels: certificate levels, bachelor degree levels and, of course, doctoral programs. We’ve been undertaking major building programs on campus; we have upgraded and revised our tenure and promotion standards; we’re in the process of bringing on a new sports and recreation park, two out of the three stages are already developed and operational, so across

the board, if you want to look at what KSU is doing, we are in fact an institution that is on the move and on the move upward,” Papp said.

KSU has nine sororities and 11 fraternities. The largest sorority, Phi Mu has 140 students, while the largest fraternity, Kappa Sigma, has 70 students.

All of these numbers amount to a significant economic impact that the university has on Cobb County. In the summer 2008, KSU released a report detailing what a key economic engine it is in Cobb, creating 5,244 jobs and pumping nearly $585 million into the local economy.

According to that study, the university’s 2,306 employees created 2,938 additional jobs in the community. Likewise, $382 million spent by the university in personnel services and operating expenses, as well as money spent by students, resulted in the $585 million economic impact.

New degrees that are expected to be offered this fall include a Master of Education with a major in Instructional Technology, a Dual Master of Business Administration/Master of Science in Information Systems, a Doctor of Philosophy in International Conflict Management and a Doctor of Nursing Science.

KSU has also launched its first Ph.D. in International Conflict Management.

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 69

GOVERNMENT

HER WORK WILL SOON BE DUNN COBB ELECTIONS DIRECTOR SHARON DUNN TO RETIRE

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 70

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Important numbers to know: County Government Service Centers Cobb has two government service centers where residents can transact business or receive information about services. Both centers contain full-service tag offices.

Hours of operation: Business Offices: Mon. - Fri. 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Tag Offices: Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m.

- 4:45 p.m.

East Cobb 4400 Lower Roswell Rd Marietta, 30068-4233 (770) 499-4444 (770) 499-4409 Fax (770) 499-4447 TTY South Cobb 4700 Austell Rd Austell, 30106-2004 (770) 499-4494 (770) 590-5519 Fax (770) 499-4497 TTY There is also a West Park Government Center, which houses some county offices.

West Park Government Center 736 Whitlock Ave. Marietta, 30061 (770) 528-8600 (770) 528-8679

Departments/Services: (Hours may vary by department)

Cobb Board of Elections and Registration Office: (770) 528-2581 Cobb Police Crimes Against Children Unit: (770) 801-3470 SafePath Children’s Advocacy: (770) 801-3465 Tax Assessor’s Office: (770) 5283100 Board of Equalization: (770) 5284326 Tax Commissioner’s Office: (770) 528-8600

County Fire, Emergency Services

Emergency, dial 911 Fire Chief Sam Heaton 1595 County Services Parkway Marietta, 30008 (770) 528-8000 www.fire.cobbcountyga.gov

County Police

Emergency, dial 911 Interim Chief of Police/Director of Public Safety Mickey Lloyd 140 North Marietta Pkwy Marietta, 30060 (770) 499-3900 www.police.cobbcountyga.gov Precinct 1: Northwest Cobb Capt. Jerry Quan Jerry.Quan@cobbcounty.org 2380 Cobb Parkway Kennesaw, 30152 770-499-4181 Precinct 2: Southwest Cobb

Capt. David D. Gallmon David.Gallmon@cobbcounty.org 4700 Austell Road Austell, 30106 (770) 499-4182 Precinct 3: Southeast Cobb/Galleria Capt. Stephen Merrifield Stephen.Merrifield@cobbcounty.org 1901 Cumberland Parkway Atlanta, 30339 (770) 499-4183 Precinct 4: Northeast Cobb Capt. Tim Cox Charles.Cox@cobbcounty.org 4400 Lower Roswell Rd Marietta, GA 30067 (770) 499-4184 Precinct 5: West Cobb Capt. Dale Bolenbaugh Dale.Bolenbaugh@cobbcounty.org 4640 Dallas Hwy Powder Springs, 30127 (770) 499-4185 Special Operations Major Robert Sampson Robert.Sampson@cobbcounty.org 2380 North Cobb Parkway Kennesaw, 30152 (770) 499-3987

Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Neil Warren www.cobbsheriff.org Headquarters 185 Roswell St. Marietta, 30060 (770) 499-4600

Station A 5000 Austell-Powder Springs Rd. Suite 140 Austell, 30001 (770) 941-7402 Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m, Monday through Friday Jail 1825 County Services Pkwy.

Marietta, 30008 (770) 499-4200

Tax Commissioner’s Office

Tax Commissioner Gail Downing Chief Clerk Tori Steele www.cobbtax.org The Office of the Tax Commissioner is responsible for every phase of collecting and disbursing ad valorem property taxes, titling and registering motor vehicles and mobile homes, administering homestead exemptions and levying on property for delinquent taxes.

There are two divisions, which are housed in separate offices.

The Property Tax division issues property tax bills, collects taxes, and is responsible for auditing, accounting, disbursing and reporting of collections, processing homestead exemption applications, and levying on property for delinquent taxes.

Each year tax bills are mailed around Aug. 15 to the Jan. 1 owner.

Payment is due within 60 days or by Oct. 15. Exemption applications must be filed by April 1 to affect the current tax year.

Main Office: West Park Government Center, 736 Whitlock Avenue, Marietta, (770) 528-8600 (open 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday – Friday; open until 6:00 pm Tuesdays between Aug. 15 and Oct. 15) Taxpayers may also pay taxes, file for exemptions at the two Government Service Centers located at 4400 Lower Roswell Rd. Marietta, GA 30068-4233 and 4700 Austell Rd. Austell, GA 301062004(open 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday – Friday).

Main Office: 700 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, 30060.

Satellite Tag offices: East Cobb Govt. Service Center, 4400 Lower Roswell Rd., Marietta 30068.

Market Square Shopping Center, 2950 Canton Rd., Marietta 30066.

South Cobb Govt. Service Center, 4700 Austell Rd., Acworth 30101.

Cobb County Fire Station #28, 3858 Kemp Ridge Rd., Acworth 30101.

All offices are open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday, and the Main Tag Office is open until 6 p.m. on Tuesdays. Lines may close 15 minutes early in peak periods of walk-in traffic.

Tag Helpline at (770) 528-TAGS

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

FACTBOOK 2010

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

PAGE 71

After 32 years with the county, there’s going to be ...

‘Some long beach trips’

“

Staff/Alexander Acosta

Cobb Election Director Sharon Dunn, center, goes over plans for the upcoming primaries in a meeting with managers Janine Eveler, left, and Beth Kish at her office at the West Park Government Center in Marietta. Dunn is planning to retire in August after 32 years on the job.

Elections Director Dunn, who took over the post at age 26, will retire in August

BY KATY RUTH CAMP / KRCAMP@MDJONLINE.COM

I

f Cobb Elections Director Sharon Dunn’s employees had a vote, they’d never let her leave.

But in late August, Dunn will retire from her position after 32 years of working with elections, runoffs and voters, while juggling some surprises.

THE COVER Staff/Alexander Acosta

Sharon Dunn has seen the voting system progress from the old punch cards to today’s sophisticated touch screens.

“It gets in your blood, because it’s something you really care about and want everything to be right. You pour your heart and soul into our electoral system working here, and often we’re here more than we’re at home, so we’ve all become a bit of a family,” Dunn said of her office. “And Cobb County has been very good to me. I’ve been working here for more than half my life, and I’m very fortunate that the county has allowed me to do this. But it’s just time for me to take some long beach trips. Or at least a few days by

the pool.”

Dunn took advantage of the county’s retirement incentive package approved by the Board of Commissioners in January, but will not officially retire until the end of August so that she can stay through the July 20 primary election. The county has not yet announced who will replace Dunn when she leaves.

On July 5, 1978, the then-19year-old Marietta native took a part-time job working for Judge Vernon Duncan in the county probate court. She knew the judge through his son, who

attended Reinhardt College with Dunn. At that time, the probate judge ran the elections department and the board of registrars was a separate entity. She executed wills, marriage licenses, gun permits and other documents until she was promoted to elections supervisor in 1981.

In 1985, county legislation merged the elections office and the board of regents, and Dorothy Barfield, the chief registrar, left her position. So at the age of 26, Dunn was named See Dunn, Page 76

Cobb County has been very good to me. I’ve been working here for more than half my life, and I’m very fortunate that the county has allowed me to do this. But it’s just time for me to take some long beach trips.

— Sharon Dunn

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 72

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

SIX CITIES: MAYORS’ VIEWS

Allegood oversees All-American city

By Kathryn Dobies kdobies@mdjonline.com

Mayor Tommy Allegood claims his job at Acworth’s top post is easy because the AllAmerican city ACWORTH is the most giving in the country.

“When you are the mayor for the most giving community in all of America, it’s really easy,” Allegood gushed of Acworth. “When you have a project everybody’s already inspired – it’s just so easy to get things done because everyone is so giving.”

And Acworth’s giving community is precisely the reason why it was awarded the title of 2010 All-American City in June

by the National Civic League.

The city was chosen as one of 27 finalists for the award in April, and a delegation of 42 Acworth residents, including Allegood, traveled to Kansas City to make their pitch to a panel of judges in June.

The NCL competition required applicants to show three community projects that address local challenges.

Acworth chose the Horizon Field, which is the baseball and softball field specifically designed to serve children with special needs; the Expanding Horizons Program, which uses local donations to fund educational trips for students who rarely, if ever, get to travel outside city limits; and the

Jerkins still working to help city overcome devastation of flood

By Kathryn Dobies

event in the past.

Thanks to good financial Devastated by flooding in planning, Jerkins said the city September, Mayor Joe Jerkins was able to pay its part for says Austell is still recovering some of the flood recovery, and will likely be in recovery although it has gotten help mode for the next few years. from both the state and federal “That’ll be going on for government. pretty much the next two or “I’ve always tried to keep a three years,” Jerkins said of the little money in advance,” flood recovery efforts. “Our Jerkins said. “We would have people have done a great job on been in trouble if we rescuing. But I guess it hadn’t had extra money. let us know that these We wouldn’t have been things can happen. able to do our part.”

We’re not the only one While the past year affected by it. But it’s has been tough on the something that some Austell community, in people don’t understand his 21st year as J o e J e r k i n s why it happened, but mayor, Jerkins is optiwhen you get 21 inches of rain mistic about the future of his it’s going to happen.” hometown.

In October, Jerkins told the “We’ve got a good little Journal that the flood caused city,” he said. “We’re in good damage to 696, or more than a quarter, of the homes in Austell. shape. We’ve got low taxes; our tax base is almost zero Although the community is no when you get the tax credit that stranger to flooding, it weaththe county gives you. ered a storm in 2005 that dam“ We’ll get through this, and aged about 100 homes, Jerkins it’s not as bad as some people said last year’s floodwaters hit thought it would be.”

11 feet higher than any other kdobies@mdjonline.com

AUSTELL

Tommy Allegood

Acworth Achievers After School and Mentoring Program, which offers afterschool opportunities for students.

Following

the announcement that Acworth had won, Allegood said it validates what Acworth residents already know about their community: that their city is the “most giving city in the nation.”

Elected as mayor in 2002, although his job might be easy, it’s not without a lot of hard

work, Allegood says. He describes his work and the work of his staff as a sevenday a week job. Serving as a City Council member from 2000 to 2002, Allegood was well prepared for the office. He was re-elected in 2009 and began his third unopposed term as mayor in 2010.

PAGE 74

FACTBOOK 2010

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

SIX CITIES: MAYORS’ VIEWS

Mathews watches city grow, but keep ‘small town warmth

By Kathryn Dobies kdobies@mdjonline.com

In tough economic times, Mayor Mark Mathews said the key to governing Kennesaw has been establishing partnerships KENNESAW between the government and residents, and engaging both people and businesses to become involved in the community.

Serving as mayor since 2008, Mathews is no stranger to community involvement in Kennesaw. Before he was elected to the city’s top post, he served on the City Council for 12 years. A Kennesaw resident since age six, he started his involvement in the community in 1987 when he became president of the Kennesaw Springs Homeowners Association. Mathews has also served on the Kennesaw Downtown Development Authority and the Kennesaw Development Authority.

While he has seen Kennesaw grow and change significantly in the past 10

years, he said the key to governing the city has generally remained the same. And adds that nowadays, more than ever, governing is about open communication.

“I made a personal Mark Mathews commitment to be accessible to any and all in Kennesaw, and be responsive to their concerns and issues,” Mathews said. “These days, even more than in the past, government must be about openness, honesty, transparency and, most of all, responsiveness.”

As mayor, Mathews cites his proudest accomplishment as the June completion of the $3 million pedestrian underpass project beneath the CSX railroad tracks in downtown Kennesaw.

“It’s a project that took 10 years of diligence and perseverance, and I anticipate it will be an important element in attracting downtown development,” the mayor said.

Tumlin trying to expose city meetings to broader audience Jon Gillooly jgillooly@mdjonline.com

Since taking office in January, Marietta Mayor Steve Tumlin has strived to make city MARIETTA government more formal and transparent, in large part by moving more city meetings into the 130-seat council chambers on the first floor of City Hall.

Two of the four council meetings are now conducted there, as is the Board of Lights and Water meeting, which was previously conducted at the utility’s office on North Marietta Parkway.

The council’s work session has previously been referred to as the “Committee of the Whole,” and until recently, was held in a cramped conference room on the fourth floor of City Hall. Tumlin said he learned shortly after taking office that the city code has no rules for a Committee of the Whole.

“I’m an accountant, I’m a lawyer, and I don’t like things without rules,” Tumlin said. “Committee of the Whole didn’t have any rules. It was ‘that’s the way we’ve always done it.’ That’s not

my favorite rule.

Basically the mayor had no vote and no veto and that got my attention. It is not a council meeting subject to all the rules and Steve Tumlin regulations of Robert’s Rules of Order. It has absolutely no rules, which is a dangerous way to do business.”

So with council approval, Tumlin asked Cobb’s 19-member legislative delegation to approve a local bill that would change the Committee of the Whole structure to a meeting that falls within the city’s code and operates by Robert’s Rules of Order: a council work session.

Tumlin also takes issue with having city business meetings in that small upstairs conference room.

Tumlin also expects the council’s Wednesday night committee meetings, and the pre-council meetings, which take place immediately before the formal council meetings, to be moved out of that fourth-floor conference room and into the full chambers.

Vaughn still helping residents recover from flood damage

By Kathryn Dobies kdobies@mdjonline.com

In Pat Vaughn’s six years as mayor of Powder Springs, nothing has challenged POWDER SPRINGS her as much as September’s devastating flood.

“I have survived two floods,” Vaughn said. “July of 2005 was the 100 year flood, but the flood of September 2009 was much more devastating. It was difficult to do that, to see that much destroyed in a city in such a small amount of time.”

A total of 93 houses were damaged by floodwaters in Powder Springs, and 16 were substantially hit, meaning they can’t be rebuilt.

During the flood Vaughn was not only the mayor, she was also acting city manager. The Powder Springs City Council fired former city manager Charles Nickerson in January 2009, but didn’t hire his replacement, Rick Eckert, until May. Vaughn said the double duty

took a toll on her and made for a lot of long hours, especially during the flood recovery. She said she couldn’t have made it through without the help of her staff and the city’s Public Works Pat Vaughn and Community Development departments.

Although it may have taken Powder Springs some time to find a city manager, Vaughn said it was well worth the wait for Eckert.

In the business of city managing for more than 30 years, Eckert said the community of 15,000 is the perfect place for his professional style.

“I prefer working in smaller cities, and Powder Springs just fit me well,” Eckert said. “(In a smaller city), you’re not just anonymous. You get to know people in the community. You get a feel for people and what they really need. I enjoy challenges and I know with the flooding and the economy it’s a challenge for any city manager.”

Bacon had no other aspirations but to be ‘mayor of own town’

By Kathryn Dobies kdobies@mdjonline.com

After 25 years as mayor of Smyrna, Max Bacon says he still feels blessed to have the best job in SMYRNA the country.

“I thoroughly enjoy what I’m doing, I’m very enthusiastic and I’m the luckiest person,” Bacon said. “I’ve got the best job in the world. I’ve never had any aspirations to do anything else than be the mayor of my own town.”

The mayor is up for re-election in November 2011. In late June, he said he plans to run, but can’t make any firm promises.

“If you’d ask me today, I’d probably say yes,” Bacon, 62, said. “But I’ve been in office a whole lot longer than I thought I’d be in office. This was never planned, I was pretty content being on City Council.”

Bacon attributes a lot of his successes as mayor to the city staff and council, and even went as far as saying he doesn’t think the City Council gets enough credit for its work. As far as

his governing philosophy, he says he has never been one to be jealous or demand credit for a project, and that compromise has been the key to doing what’s best for the Max Bacon Smyrna community.

“My philosophy has always been that it doesn’t matter who gets the credit,” he said. “As long as we get the job done. I’ve always said I need all the help I can get. By my philosophy has always been to work things out, to compromise on an issue, to do what’s best for our citizens.

As a lifelong resident of the city, Bacon has gotten the most satisfaction out of helping Smyrna prosper.

“It’s been tough because we were sort of the brunt of all the jokes around town,” the mayor said. “Just the name itself – Smyrna – everybody always sort of just made fun of that and we’ve sort of turned that around. A lot of folks I know didn’t want to live in Smyrna, and now they can’t afford to live in Smyrna.”

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Dunn Continued from Page 71 Twenty-five years later, Dunn still holds the director position, as well as the knowledge she’s developed with it.

“I’ve seen so many changes through the years. We were a much smaller county when I first started, and I’ve been there through major growth, changes in the voting system, incredibly important elections, exciting runoffs and everything else you could think of,” Dunn said.

Dunn said two years after she became director, it was a non-election year and everyone told her there wouldn’t be much for her department to do.

“Well, they were wrong,” Dunn said with a smile. “We had seven special elections that year, and that was a major challenge to handle. There were no snafus, but it was nerve-racking and I was just hoping and praying I did everything right. But we’ve always had special elections in my tenure. At one time, the joke was that if it was a Tuesday in Cobb County, we were having an election.”

The next year was one of her most memorable election years, Dunn said, as the county experienced a huge surge in population growth and registered voters.

“We registered 30,000 people in 10 days. It was a lot of work, and it took a lot of people to make it work. At the time, you could register at county fire stations, so the firefighters also had to really pitch in. I just remember me and half of my staff driving around to give out more registration cards to the fire stations because there were so many people wanting to register. It was a great feeling, that so many people were wanting to vote,” Dunn said.

The most interesting election was in 1993, when Marietta City Council candidates Felmer Cummins and Paul Sabiston had to have a second run-off after tying in the first one.

“We sat there and looked at the results, and said, ‘What are we going to call this thing?’ We just couldn’t believe there was an outright tie. People think sometimes their vote doesn’t count so they just shouldn’t vote, but had one more person voted, it would have gone either way. I really hope people learn to understand that their votes

really do count,” Dunn said.

Dunn has also seen the voting system go from the punch card system implemented in the 60s, to the optical scan used by the county in 2000, to the touch screen voting system used since 2002.

“Technology has made our world so much easier here. It’s amazing how things have advanced since I started. And the new technology was especially helpful during the 2008 election because it was probably the most exciting election I had been a part of. There was no incumbency, and there was just a lot of energy across the nation about the election so having everything ready and accurate was vital,” Dunn said.

At age 51 and single, Dunn said she hopes to “de-stress” during her retirement and joked that being away from the job she loves so much should be pretty easy to handle — at least, at first.

“For the first week or two, it won’t be difficult. It won’t be difficult at all,” Dunn said.

“But I’ve dedicated so much of myself to this job and it’s kept me challenged and busy, I’m sure I’ll miss it. And I know I’ll miss the people. Not only is the staff here like family, but I’ve also become very close to the department heads and they’re also very much like a family.”

Sandy Delves, Dunn’s assistant for almost 11 years, said her boss has been the consummate lady and professional, and everyone in the department is sad to see her go.

“It’s just been the most wonderful experience, to have her as a boss. It’s really terrible that she’s leaving me,” Delves said, with a laugh. “She’s a wonderful, professional lady and yet she can also be your friend. Any of us that have gone through things know how much she cares and what a good soul she is. When my house burned down, she was the first one out there to help me. I’ve lost both of my parents, and she’s been there every step of the way to comfort me. And just the knowledge that she has, it’s incredible. She runs her department so well with just no confrontation.

She’s taught me to be a lot calmer. She internalizes things and thinks about them and puts them out there in a very delicate and easy manner. Like with any business, you have personnel issues, and I’ve yet to see anyone handle his or her staff as well as she has.”

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Stay in the know and get the facts. Become a fan at www.facebook.com/CityofSmyrnaGA and follow SmyrnaNews on Twitter, too!

Visit www.KnowSmyrna.com to find out what Smyrna offers your business, too.

FAMILY AFFAIR LAUGHING PIZZA OF SMYRNA GETTING RAVE POP REVIEWS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

FACTBOOK 2010

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MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 79

IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR

One harmonious pizza place

“

Staff/Alexander Acosta

The Laughing Pizza Band, from left, are Lisa, Emily, and Billy Schlosser. The Smyrna-based band’s latest CD is ‘Let’s Go Play.’ Their videos are featured on several PBS stations around the country. They write songs with titles such as ‘Love Makes a Family,’ ‘Mommy Said So’ and ‘Don’t Cry About Stuff.’

Laughing Pizza family band makes music for all ages

BY KIM ISAZA NEWS EDITOR

THE COVER

The family band consists of parents Lisa and Billy Schlosser with their daughter, Emily.

ere’s a family in Smyrna that wants to make all the world a Pizza place. Or more specifically, a Laughing Pizza place. Laughing Pizza is the name of the family-style band that consists of parents Billy and Lisa Schlosser and daughter Emily, 14.

T

Their latest CD is called “Let’s Go Play,” and their videos are featured on several PBS stations around the country, including in Atlanta. They write songs with titles such as “Love Makes a Family,” “Mommy Said So,” “Candybar,” and “Don’t Cry About Stuff.”

“These are pop songs for the whole family to rock out to. You want to do something that you can listen to,”

said Lisa.

Most of the songs have a high-energy upbeat tempo, much like their hotlycolored clothing. Their music and videos are regular winners of Parents Choice Awards.

“We love when parents say to us, ‘We had so much fun together at your show,’” Lisa said. “Some adults say, ‘I listen to your music when I’m by myself!’”

See Pizza, Page 90

“We love when parents say to us, ‘We had so much fun together at your show.’ Some adults say, ‘I listen to your music when I’m by myself!’”

— Lisa Schlosser

PAGE 80

FACTBOOK 2010

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Just Kiln’ Time Show your creative side at pottery shop

By Kathryn Dobies

Davis puts a turnover time of one week on every customer’s receipt, but the pieces are often MARIETTA — The dog done before then. In those days of summer are upon Cobb cases she calls customers to let County, and more likely than them know their piece is ready not the novelty of vacation has for pickup. worn off. If a day at the pool is At Glazy Dazy, a new potno longer exciting for the little tery store in Smyrna, owner ones, then help them express Shea Wootan offers the same their creativity through paint types of services, also in a your own potrelaxed familytery at a local oriented atmosCobb shop phere. Glazy such as Just Dazy, at 999 Kiln’ Time, off Concord Road, the Marietta has been in busiSquare, or ness since Glazy Dazy in November 2009, Smyrna. during which time A paintword of her cozy your-own-potstore has grown tery store for far and wide, more than 20 Wootan said. years, Just “It’s amazing, Kiln’ Time’s everyday I still get owner of three calls from new years Cindy people that just Owner Cindy Davis Davis, gives found out about applies a glaze before aspiring artists me,” Wootan said. firing a finished piece. a warm wel“I don’t really come and have the finances offers a variety for big advertising, so it’s just of reasonably priced ceramic been really guerilla and wordpieces to decorate. Everything of-mouth advertising.” from plates to vases to Disney A former graphics designer, figurines and even dog bowls, the store’s pieces range from $6 to $40, and include the paint, firing and the experience. Some other paint your own pottery stores, Davis points out, may have cheaper piece prices, but also charge sitting fees.

Along with colorful walls, floors, tables and chairs in the studio, Davis plays music and talks to customers if they need advice painting or just want to chat.

“Most people, if they’ve painted here before, I know your name, I know what you’ve painted, I know your children’s names, because I take it very personally,” Davis said.

The process to paint a piece at Just Kiln’ Time begins with a customer’s choice of bisque, or piece of unglazed pottery.

From there, customers choose their favorite colors of glaze and begin the painting process.

Once the painting is finished, Davis lets the artwork dry and then dips it in a clear glaze.

After that the piece spends about 24 to 36 hours baking in a kiln at up to 2,000 degrees. kdobies@mdjonline.com

Staff/Laura Mooon

Berkeley Lynch, 2, of Kennesaw works on her clay figurine for a father’s day gift from Just Kiln’ Time, a paint your own pottery studio located off of the Marietta Square.

Wootan found herself out of work in the spring of 2009 and decided to pursue her passion in pottery. She began teaching paint your own pottery classes at nearby Rev Coffee in Smyrna on a monthly basis, and then took to the road to conduct classes throughout Atlanta.

“I tried to book at other cof-

fee shops around Atlanta and what I founds out was that other Smyrna folks were following me around,” Wootan said. “I knew that there was another store that used to be in the Smyrna (downtown) … they closed down, so I kind of knew there was a niche that people missed.”

So Wootan found the small house on Concord Road and worked out a lease to start her store.

Much like Wootan, Davis, a native of Cobb, found herself without a job in 2007, and then See Pottery, Page 91

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SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

THE WRITE STUFF: Local authors make their mark

By Kim Isaza newseditor@mdjonline.com

ike most places, Cobb County is home to its share of characters, including some writers who chronicle the lives of other characters — real or imaginary — in literature. Here’s an introduction to three female writers who call Cobb home.

L

JOSHILYN JACKSON At 42, Jackson is a wife, mother and consummate wanderer. She lives in Powder Springs with her husband, Scott; son, Sam, 13; and daughter, Maisy Jane, 8.

“I was one of those kids that always got in trouble for daydreaming and not paying attention,” she said. She’s also easily distracted. “My eyeballs will flip the wrong way and stare back into my brain at the slightest notion.”

Her publishing career took off in 2005 with the release of “gods in Alabama,” though she has been writing all of her life.

“My mom has picture books I wrote and illustrated in middle and high school,” she said. “I got into playwriting for awhile, and then I returned to novels.”

The main characters in her recent works — including “Backseat Saints,” which was released in June and became a New York Times bestseller in its first week of release — are Southern women with spirit. Her stories also tend to include a dead body.

“I like there to be an element of mystery,” she said. Though she doesn’t base adult characters on real people, the children in her life often make it into print.

“Children you can’t make up, because they’re too stinkin’ weird,” she said. Her niece is the basis for the “Shelby” character in “The Girl Who Stopped Swimming,” which as was shortlisted for the Townsend Prize for Fiction.

“A lot of times books come from my surroundings. I’ll see an object that will set me off on a path, and I start imagining different scenarios,” she said. “We all have big questions we live with, and for me, the way to answer them is through stories. I’m not sure I get complete answers, though. I deal a lot with questions of identity; what makes us who we are — genes, family his-

Joshilyn Jackson tory, choices. These are the things I think about and try to drive my life.

“Or something will happen that puts this in my head and I will start creating a character out of that.

“I’m a terrible eavesdropper. I was doing this outdoor yoga class at a park, and we were on the grass right near a trail.

Walkers would walk by, and I would overhear two or three sentences with no context and I loved that. It was so fun to try to figure out the context or what the relationship between these people was,” she said with a laugh.

Jackson was named the Georgia Author of the Year for her 2007 novel “Between, Georgia.”

All of Jackson’s novels have been published by the same house, now called Grant Central Publishing.

Jackson grew up in a military family, the daughter of an Army airborne ranger and a stay-athome mother. They moved all around the South before her father retired. Her older brother is a sculptor in Birmingham.

“My parents don’t know where they got these weird, arty kids,” she said. “But they’ve always been ridiculously proud of us and encouraged us. My dad is a pragmatist, and my brother wanted to go to art school. (Dad) said, ‘I will pay for your art school, but you must get a minor in business.’ He would encourage us, but also wanted to make sure we had a viable plan. And

Wendy Wax

we both now make our living as artists.”

But it wasn’t always that way.

After college, she followed Scott to Chicago for graduate school, and she earned a master’s degree in English and a specialist degree in creative writing.

Before “gods”, she wrote two books that were shopped in New York and just didn’t sell.

“I said to myself, ‘OK, I’m

Lauretta Hannon

going to write a better book.’ I didn’t want to work a regular, full-time job, and my husband said, ‘We’ll work it out,’” she recalled. “It was tight being a one-income family. When I married him, he was fresh out of graduate school. We lived in Chicago on $30,000 a year and my babysitting money.”

They lived in the Windy City for a few years, until they started

their family and returned south to be near her family. They settled in Powder Springs about 13 years ago, when Scott took a job in Atlanta.

“At that time, nobody noticed that Atlanta had a west,” she said. “We didn’t even have a Walmart here. Now I can spit in three directions and hit a See Authors, Page 84

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FACTBOOK 2010

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Authors Continued from Page 82 Wal-Mart here. Now I can spit in three directions and hit a WalMart .”

Still, the New York Times bestselling author insists she really doesn’t like to write.

“It is unpleasant, and it is work,” she said. “But I love to revise. An idea may stick in my head, and I can revise in little snatched moment here and there.

I have to make myself quit revising and go make dinner.”

Her initial drafts come in huge drifts and spurts.

“I go off somewhere, maybe to another writer’s house, and I’ll draft huge chunks of the books in three or four days, maybe 20,000 words,” she said. “That will get me going. I’m an insomniac, so if I can’t sleep, I work. I do a lot of revising at 3 and 4 in the morning. But I don’t worry about it. If I can sleep, I will sleep.”

She estimates her books take her from 18 to 24 months to write.

“I think it takes five to 10 years to learn how to write a novel,” she said. “You can write the same book over and over and learn as you do it. Or, you can write as many books as you can write in seven to 10 years, and by the end of that time, you have learned how to write a novel.”

Visit joshilynjackson.com for more about the author.

WENDY WAX Wax’s east Cobb environs are the setting for her latest work, “Magnolia Wednesdays,” which was released in March.

“I’ve poked a lot of fun about the excesses that take place here,” she said. There’s a scene in Magnolia where a woman visiting from New York is trying to figure out the impetus for plastering one’s SUV with magnets and stickers about families, schools and vacation hotspots.

“I had a take a quick look at my Pilot after that,” Wax said with a laugh. “It’s become a way to shorthand who we are. I don’t know how it developed, but it’s there, no question.”

She and her husband, John Adler, have lived in east Cobb for about 13 years.

“That makes me almost a native,” she joked. “We really love it here. It’s a very family friendly place.”

She grew up in St. Petersburg,

Fla., and attended the University of Georgia for a while on her trip through college.

“I always say I went to UGA because I’d read ‘Gone With the Wind’ too many times,” she said.

She initially worked in radio and television, and began writing when her two sons were very little. They’re now teenagers, one a 2010 graduate of Walton High School, and the other a rising junior there.

“I started trying to write a category novel, like a Harlequin book. I read a ton of them trying to understand the structure. It took me years to do it, then another year to find an agent and another year to sell it. The first book I wrote, “Love Talk,” was sold to a competitor of Harlequin. It was almost exactly my life, except for all the really great sex I wrote. I wrote when the kids were sleeping. I did write a second category novel, but at that point I realized that those books are on the shelf for only one month.”

“Most category writers are more prolific than I am. For me, it took too long. I wanted more room for secondary characters and subplot. There’s not a lot of room to develop other things in those books. I wanted to write single title, more standalone fiction, and that’s when my work really took off.”

Her backlist titles include “Single in Suburbia,” “Hostile Makeover” and “Leave It to Cleavage.”

“I typically write every day, and I prefer to start in the morning,” she said. “I got in the habit when the boys were younger, that I would sit down as soon as they got on the bus, and then I tried to write all day. To write a 400-page manuscript, you do have to work continuously.”

“It seems that I’m managing about a book a year. It usually takes me eight months-plus to write the first real draft, then there are revisions, copy edits and other steps that are time-consuming,” she said. “I think coming out more frequently really helps build a readership. It’s knowing where I’m going that’s often an issue for me.”

“For me, a story always begins with at least a character I want to work with, or something I want to write about. Over and over, I write about women discovering who they are and what they’re made of. We find that out when things fall apart. I think women are pretty incredible.

Women’s friendships also really interest me.

“Often I’m drawn to pulling

things out of headlines. The story I’m writing now is about three women who lose pretty much everything in a Bernie Madofftype-scheme,” she said. That book is tentatively titled “10 Beach Road.”

Getting started is the hardest part, she said.

“It’s this leap of faith every time you sit down that you can do it.

Wendy Wax There’s such insecurity, no matter how many times you have done it,” she said of her work.

“Panicking is part of the process.”

Having a critique group helps, she said. Wax has been critiquing for more than a decade with writer Karen White who lives in Alpharetta.

“It’s a huge help to have someone else reading as you’re writing. Sometimes a character does something that doesn’t feel right,” she said. “(Writing) is such a solitary thing to do, and having someone else who understands the highs and lows of this business is incredibly helpful. I would not like to be doing this completely alone.”

And the fact is, to get published, a writer has to produce a product that others want to buy.

“The typical order is you

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

write, then find an agent, and then they try to sell your book,” she said. “Finding an agent who wants to represent you as a new writer is the hardest part. They are the first winnowing out process. It does not matter how good of a writer you are if you are writing something that an agent can’t envision selling.

“The Accidental Bestseller” is about as true a look as what it is to be a writer that can still be called fiction.”

“It’s a brutal business. There’s the creative side and then there’s the business end. You have to be able to manage both of them to have a career,” she said. “I’m on my third agent and my third publisher. I wrote “Bestseller” after I left a publisher, and it was very cathartic for me. I had been at a place where my career was building, and then I had an editor leave and things began to fall apart. I bought back the last book of my contract and left.”

Vist authorwendywax.com for more about the author.

LAURETTA HANNON About four years ago, Lauretta Hannon was a marketing director at Atlanta Technical College. On her lunch break one day, she recalls thinking about how writing was just a hobby, and she wasn’t satisfied with that.

“I was sitting there at the Waffle House thinking, I am a

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

creative person. I need to tell stories, and I’m not doing that enough. I had to at least try some things to get my work out there, and also try to write more,” she said. “So when I got back to my office, I immediately sent a short piece to National Public Radio. Ten minutes later, my phone rang, and the caller ID said ‘NPR.’” I was doing this little dance in my office, and I made them wait until the second ring before I picked up. Then I answered with this voice like, Lauuuurettta Haaaaan-an. And guess what?

The damn woman called to tell me no!” she said, laughing at the memory. “I was just crushed. But she said, ‘We like your writing and want you to send us something else. We just can’t use this piece you sent.’”

“I thought, ‘I am such a bad writer, she had to pick up the phone and tell me.’ I had a lot of self-doubt, thinking my writing wasn’t good enough and that held me back. I thought I’m simply not in that league,” she said.

“When my third story aired (on NPR), a literary agent in Boston was listening and called me and asked if I had a book ready. I said, I sure do! She said, ‘Please send it right away.’ Well, I haven’t started it yet. It was still in my head. My god, when See Hannon, Page 85

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SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Hannon Continued from Page 84 I haven’t started it yet. It was still in my head. My god, when an opportunity like that comes along, I’m not going to say, no, I don’t have a book. … I asked for six months, and we took it from there.”

The stories Lauretta were telling were funny and heartbreaking accounts from her own childhood. Her memoirs are now out for the world to read in “The Cracker Queen, A Memoir of a Jagged and Joyful Life.”

Her agent sent the book to several publishers on a Friday afternoon, because editors do their reading on the Lauretta weekends, Hannon Lauretta said.

“On Monday morning, we had several offers, so later that week she held an auction and the publishers put in their bids. That was pretty thrilling,” she said.

She kept her job at the college while the book went through the editing process at Gotham Books. It was released in April 2009.

“It is my life story. It is the unvarnished truth,” she said. “It’s funny because you don’t even have any license at all any more.

There’s no need for embellishment. There have been so many fraudulent memoirs in recent years that the publishers have a team of attorneys go through it, and if you say anything about anybody you have to provide documentation. Those bad people will not die!”

So I got this long e-mail from the lawyers, and they had 82 ‘concerns’ with my book. Each one was in lawyer lingo. As soon as I got it, I called the lawyers on the phone and said, ‘I don’t want you to worry because with our family, we have police reports for most of this. It wasn’t like it was obscure. There were a lot of witnesses!’” she said, laughing.

According to the Georgia Center for the Book, “Queen” is one of the Top 25 Books All Georgians Should Read.

At her home in Powder Springs, Lauretta works in a backyard writing shed she calls her sanctuary. Even her husband, Jim Kilgore, a retired mental

health counselor (“Free time on the couch!”), must knock before entering. There is no phone, and not even a computer in the shed, for Lauretta writes in longhand.

“It is 12 square feet. It looks like a low-budget tool shed, but there’s a wood stove, there’s a piece of stained glass from England. I’ve got fabulous Moroccan furniture. I had the shed built in the winter time. I thought, ‘I’m going to keep it so pure and no technology.’ Well, the minute we had the first hot day, I had to get a window unit AC.” Still, “I couldn’t imagine writing at a computer. My habit is to not have too much structure. I get up and look at my day and say, ‘When can I have my appointment with myself to write?’ I try to block out three to four hours to write. It can be morning or late at night,” she said.

“It would seem too much like drudgery to me if I had myself on an ironclad sked,” she said.

“Writing is not work for me. It’s play. It is such a joyful thing to do. I work hard at it, but it doesn’t feel like real work.”

She quit her job just before the release, so she could devote her time to promoting the book and to writing more.

“I had to go out on faith.

Taking this risk (by quitting) was more important than not taking the risk. I could not really promote this book or write the next book unless I was freed of the day job. I would have been miserable had I not taken the risk.

It’s not the easiest thing to do, but it’s what you feel compelled to do. My boss, when I resigned, said she would hold my resignation letter for a few days in case I changed my mind. And of course, at that time, economists were on the radio talking about the statistically assured depression that was eminent in the economy.”

“But I saved every penny from my book deal, and had time to look at my finances before I did it. We decided to live frugally,” she said. She and Jim also do not have children, which eased the decision. “Queen” sold in a one-book deal. She is now working on a novel, set in middle Georgia, near Warner Robins, where she grew up.

She also leads seminars such as How to Tell the Greatest Story Never Told — Yours, which is scheduled for Oct. 9.

Visit thecrackerqueen.com for more information about the author.

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Tot a published author Powder Springs girl an advocate for environment Kathryn Dobies kdobies@mdjonline.com

POWDER SPRINGS — At age 7, Brooklyn Wright of Powder Springs is already a published author and an environmental activist, trying to rid the earth of litter.

In her colorful, self-published book, “The Adventures of the Earth Saver Girl: Don’t be a Litterbug,” the soon-to-be third-grader teaches kids the detrimental effects littering can have on the earth, and urges them to dispose of trash responsibly.

Brooklyn says her story began when she noticed trash on the side of roads in her neighborhood, at school and at the parks.

“I saw trash everywhere and it was ugly, and I found out it was bad for the earth, so I decided to do something about it,” Brooklyn said.

When Brooklyn complained to her mom, Kelly Wright, about the trash, Kelly urged her daughter to

do research online and find out its effects on the earth, and then do something about it, other than just tell her friends to pick up their own trash.

“I got tired of her complaining to me about this trash and cigarette butts, and ‘eww, it’s ugly,’” Kelly said. “And so I said, what are you going to do about it? And she’d say, ‘I’d try telling people to pick it up,’ and ‘I’d say, well, you can’t just tell them to pick it up.’”

Inspired by the Earth Saver Club at her school, Brooklyn began writing.

Brooklyn says it took her about six months to write the 20-page paperback book. In the process she came up with her main character, Earth Saver Girl, who is also a regular 9-year-old girl, named Layla, coincidentally the name of Brooklyn’s stepsister. She infused other characters from her life, using her father’s name for a character and her uncle Alfred’s name for the

litterbug. While her mother did help Brooklyn with a few ideas, Kelly insists that the main characters and ideas came from Brooklyn.

Kelly also researched an illustrator for the book, finding Zhu Hui Hui through a cousin, to bring Earth Saver Girl to life through pictures.

In the book, Layla finds out on her ninth birthday that she is Earth Saver Girl, a superhero whose mission is to teach kids not to litter.

Layla is given a special machine and powers that tell her the biggest litterbugs in her community. When she finds out one of the worst culprits is her cousin, she sets out to teach him to stop.

Brooklyn says the point of her story is to not only to teach kids to stop littering, but to explain to them in fun ways why it hurts the earth.

“I want them to learn do not litter because it’s bad for the earth,”

Staff/Laura Moon

Brooklyn Wright of Powder Springs displays her first storybook, ‘The Adventures of the Earth See Tot, Page 92 Saver Girl: Don’t Be a Litterbug.’

PHOTOS COURTESY OF: ANNE PARK PHOTOGRAPHY

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FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 87

Staff/Alexander Acosta and Laura Moon

Six Flags Over Georgia and Six Flags White Water are both located in Cobb County. Above left: Karlie Walker uncovers her eyes after a splash landing while riding the Runaway Rapids water ride at White Water. Above right: Patrons take a ride on The Great American Scream Machine at Six Flags Over Georgia.

SEEKING A THRILL? Take your pick at Six Flags Over Georgia, White Water

By Marcus E. Howard mhoward@mdjonline.com

AUSTELL — Cobb County residents have the luxury of two amazing amusement parks right in their back yard.

Six Flags is the world’s largest regional theme park company with 19 parks across the Unite States, Mexico and Canada. In Cobb, it operates Six Flags Over Georgia at 275 Riverside Parkway in Austell and Six Flags White Water at 250 Cobb Parkway North in Marietta.

Both parks began daily operations on May 22 and continue through August, offering guests a full slate of family fun at both parks.

New for its 26th season, White Water has introduced its newest attraction in more than six years and the first of its kind in North America, The Wiggles Water World.

Boasting five interactive sections spread more than 40,000 square feet, guests of all ages are able to splash, explore and play for hours on board the S.S. Feathersword, a 25-foot-tall interactive play ship. Guests can become Captain Feathersword’s first mate while

exploring water cannons, telescopes, net climbs, secret crawlthroughs, portholes and slippery slides.

Adventure seekers can also visit Wags the Dog’s Kennel Slide Tower, splash around in Henry the Octopus’s Pop Jets, explore Dorothy the Dinosaur’s Spray Garden or take a ride on the Big Red Car Slide.

The Wiggles Water World will later join a host of thrilling rides and attractions, including one of the tallest, freefall slides in the world, a one-of-a-kind family raft ride and a giant wave pool. While guests enjoy the brand new attraction, they will also have the opportunity to dine at the parks newest eating locations, the Yummy Yummy Café, that opened in late May, and Johnny Rockets Express, which opened in June.

White Water is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily from May 22 to August 8. Beginning Aug. 14, it will be open on the weekends through Sept. 12.

Now in its 43rd season, Six Flags Over Georgia has introduced two new shows this year.

It launched the biggest concert event of the season with the Bamboozle Roadshow Festival on May 23 and it has added

new retail and food locations across the park. Six Flags recruited more than 2,000 employees for the 2010 season.

Earlier this year, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (formerly Six Flags, Inc.), completed a yearlong restructuring of

its balance sheet that allowed it to emerge from Chapter 11 See Six Flags, Page 92

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 88

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Strand Theatre’s lobby is art in progress T Got soul? he Earl Smith Strand Theatre is becoming a masterpiece in its own right, thanks to Eve Gray of Tuscan Impressions and several local artists.

The owner and Master Artist of the Tuscan Impressions interior design firm fell in love with the Strand after it opened in 2009. But Gray wasn’t in love with the lobby, a dull space in comparison with the rich art deco exterior and majestic auditorium.

She began donating her time and talents to transform the lobby from acceptable to extraordinary in April 2009.

Using American Clay and authentic Italian plaster, Gray and her team of five plaster artists “returned the Hollywood romance to the space.” The work is valued at $30,000.

“After Eve magically transformed the space with paints and plaster, she wanted to do more,” recalled Strand Executive Director Earl Reece.

“We begged for more.”

Gray didn’t stop at the walls. She flew in decorative metal diffusers from Morocco to cover the fluorescent canned lights and add to the Florentine palette of the room.

The original and simple red doors to the auditorium now boast beautiful facades of copper plaster modeled after palace doors she saw in Morocco.

“The Moorish influence is so much a part of Art Deco,” Gray said. “I wanted to provide some focal points that spoke to the architectural style.”

The formerly brown-purple concessions and gift shop cabinetry now shine with a brilliant gold and silver metallic finish to further Gray’s incorporation of earth tones and elemental notes throughout the space. “The golds, greens and browns are reminiscent of the older theaters. The Strand had to have gold,” she said.

Other artists have also helped add to the lobby’s beauty. Local carpenter Rick Scherf crafted a stunning $5,000 shelf of American and figured cherry to hang in the space. Eduin Rosell designed and built antique-inspired wooden register covers with gold accents to help preserve the historic atmosphere of the Strand from the modern technology of the concessions sales computers. And just last month, Linda Flournoy donated a stunning painting from her “Marshes of the World” collection to hang in the lobby.

“We are so thankful to have these artists’ support,” Reece said. “Eve Gray is brilliant and we are stunned at what she has accomplished at the Strand out of the goodness of her heart.

We haven’t asked for her to do more, but she continues to dream up improvements for

Soulphonics & Ruby Velle to take the stage

Get ready for the kind of music that makes both your soul and your soles dance. On Aug. 20, The Soulphonics & Ruby Velle will play a concert unlike any that’s hit the Strand’s stage.

Soulphonics & Ruby Velle create original music that is inspired by old school R&B and soul as well as modern-day musical influences. Originated in Gainesville, Fla., and based in Atlanta, the group broadcasts lively funk and R&B and has been adding a unique sound to the local music scene since 2008.

Lead vocalist Ruby Velle is backed by a solid lineup including a three-piece horn section (trumpet, baritone sax, tenor sax) and a driving rhythm section (B3 organ, electric guitar, bass and drums).

The Soulphonics have been selling out venues in the heart of Atlanta in recent months, thanks to their solid melodies and “strong groove.” The band drives down the avenue of heavy-hitting funk, dips deep into a valley of sultry soul ballads, and somewhere in the middle, the blues can still be found.

“We evoke emotions from each person in the crowd in one way or another, and this interaction is

the Strand. We’ve told her our home is her home, the doors are always open to her. Patrons should keep their eyes open for artistic changes in the lobby in coming months.”

More details about the Strand’s history and its reno-

what makes this live experience so unique and special,” said Spencer Garn, bandleader and organist.

“The Strand Theatre will be a great chance for Soulphonics & Ruby Velle to expand into a new group of future music lovers and crowds of all ages.”

The show is Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. and tickets are $12 in advance and $15 the day of the show. There is a $2 discount with a student ID. Blair Crimmins of Blair Crimmins & The Hookers will be opening the show.

“If you’re looking for fresh music with a healthy dose of soul, this is it,” said Christy Rosell, director of marketing at the Strand. “Listen to ‘Feet on the Ground’ just once and you’ll be hooked, too. But I found it extremely hard to keep my feet on the ground.”

Tickets are available at www.EarlSmithStrand.org or The Strand’s box office at (770) 293-0080 or in person at 117 North Park Square. Regular box office hours are 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday through Friday, and two hours before each show.

— Christy Rosell

vations can be learned on the weekly tour offered on Mondays at 10 a.m. and by appointment for groups of 20 or more.

Information about Eve Gray and her company, Tuscan Impressions, can be found at

www.tuscan impressions.com. Details about upcoming events at The Strand are available at www.earlsmith strand.org or by calling the box office at (770) 293-0080.

— Christy Rosell

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Eve Gray, owner of Tuscan Impressions, works on one of the columns in the Strand Theatre lobby in 2009. The column was being refinished in what she called an ‘old Hollywood romantic’ style and texture. The lobby makeover is a donation worth $30,000 to the theater in downtown Marietta.

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MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

‘Fantastic’ success Twins develop Christian-themed show in the show from time to time.

“We kind of pulled people into it,” Jared Young said.

Both the show and its MARIETTA — Two years Sunday School curriculum are ago, Matthew and Jared Young of Marietta painted houses after grounded in Christian teachearning bachelor’s degrees from ings.

“It’s just teaching morals the University of Georgia in and we use Bible stories and 2005. The twin brothers versus mainly to substantiate dreamed of producing their and back up own nationally what we say. It’s broadcast chilnot very heavydren’s TV show handed. and knew color Essentially, schemes we’re just trying weren’t a big to teach people part of their how to be better plan. people,” said The 27-yearMatthew Young, old Young who described brothers, who he and his brothattended Lassiter High Staff/Alexander Acosta er as men of School, had Twins Jared and Matthew faith rather than already forged Young perform on the set religion.

The brothers ahead and of ‘The Fantastic World.’ said the show secured a studio has been a hit with children and at the Artisan Resource Center their parents. In June, they peron Cobb Parkway, built a TV formed in Stillwater, Okla., set and filmed a pilot intended then went on to El Paso, Texas, for PBS, before reality hit.

Orlando, Fla., and Kentucky.

“We had this idea that we “We get incredible feedback were going to film this show, wherever we perform,” pitch it, and be rich and Matthew Young said. “We perfamous,” Matthew Young said in June. “Lo and behold, it was- form a lot of stunts and break a lot of stuff. Our live shows are n’t an overnight success.” essentially controlled chaos. It’s Rejection didn’t stop a fun blend of insanity and a litMatthew and Jared and neither tle bit of storytelling.” did a lack of experience. They Glimpsing into the future, continued making what became the Young brothers see themknown as “The Fantastic World” show at clubhouses and selves someday creating feature films, balancing multiple TV other live stage venues, before they decided to center it around shows and selling out arenas with live shows under the bana Christian curriculum, tailored ner of their franchise. to a specific moral message for A satirical learning program each episode. geared toward adults titled, “The Fantastic World” has “Galactic Perry’s Learning since blossomed into a tiny Starship,” by the twins is conglomerate of Web shows, already in the works. It stars DVDs and a live national tour their 31-year-old brother, Travis that are produced under their Young. The brothers plan to company, Brothers Young pitch the show to the Adult Productions.

“The Fantastic World” is tar- Swim channel.

“We’ve obviously learned a geted toward children between lot over the past two years the ages of 4 and 10. In the traabout what to do and what not dition of the late 1980s wacky and colorful children’s program to do,” said Matthew Young. “I think it essentially comes down “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” to where God leads us. We’re Matthew and Jared play polar strong believers that it’s hard to opposite brothers Charles and Bill Peterson, respectively, who make plans for the future, you just kind of end up in places spend much of their time in a you never planned for.” den with a revolving cast of For more on “The Fantastic other characters, including a World,” visit www.thefantastic talking cactus and wall clock.

The twins’ sister Sarah, 16, a world.com or www.jelly student at Lassiter, also appears telly.com.

Marcus E. Howard

mhoward@mdjonline.com

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 89

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 90

Pizza Continued from Page 79 Lisa and Billy Pizza — that’s not their real surname, but it’s easier for their kid fans to use — are classically-trained musicians who have made names for themselves in the entertainment industry.

The New York City natives met on the TV show “Star Search” and instantly became partners. They moved to Smyrna more than a decade ago, when Emily was a toddler.

Emily was born prematurely and with complications, and she was in and out of the hospital in her first two years of life. When things got better, the family made a visit to Lisa’s brother in Marietta.

Soon they decided to stay, and found a house in Smyrna.

Billy, who is into computers as much as music, took a corporate job.

“I was a consultant (and) I was always in Helsinki or some crazy place and we were away from each other all the time.

Traveling the world on somebody else’s dime is a fantastic thing, and I enjoyed it,” he said.

“But 9/11 came around, and I was on a plane landing in Boston on that morning, the same minute … They shut down Boston and they were raiding hotels. Finally I rented a car and drove home, and we decided that we wanted to do something together.

“Music was a thing that we did. We were always singing and playing instruments. And when Emily was 5 or so, she was singing and dancing to Britney Spears,” he said.

“It was like, there must be millions of parents out there who aren’t comfortable with that, either,” Billy said. “For our own daughter, we saw a need for music that’s between Barney and Britney, and we still do. There are 5-year-olds at talent contests singing songs by Ke$ha, about drinking Jack and whatever. We’re from the music business. We’re not conservative prudes, but it’s a little disturbing. Kids get to be 20 by the time they’re 5.”

They made their home’s bonus room into a recording studio, and they record on their own label, Little Bean Family Entertainment, named for their yorkie-Poodle mix, Beanie.

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

One of their favorite tracks on the new disc is “This is My Life.” It’s an audience-participation song at live shows.

Everyday I’m learning / There’s so much I do at school/ I’m doing reading/ and my science class / That’s pretty cool Growing up I think about / All the things that I could do / I could be a writer, a teacher / Or a rock star, how ‘bout you?

“We did this music for Emily, but we didn’t know she was even going to be in the band at first,” Lisa said. “She was still little. And then she started showing incredible signs of being this talented kid and she wants to play piano, and then guitar and then flute.”

Emily, who now plays five instruments, shrugs and says with a smile: “I never meant to play this many. It’s just evolved. Bass is my newest.”

Emily attended Casa Montessori school, in Marietta, until about fifth grade. She now studies online through a virtual school, and is advancing to 10th grade.

When she was 4, doctors discovered she had mild hearing loss in both ears, caused by an overmedication during surgery performed the day after she was born. She wears hearing aids in both ears.

Lisa said, “She is so amazing. What has happened to her in the past year, year and a half, it’s become a mission to be this role model of a kid who likes being a kid.”

For Billy’s birthday this year, Emily wrote him a song called “It Takes Me Back.”

“Each verse talks about a certain age and a song we used to listen to and memories it brings back. It made me cry! It was unbelievable,” he said.

Friends suggested the happy family would go through some changes when Emily became a teenager, but that hasn’t happened yet.

“I don’t see myself doing that,” Emily said, of turning into a surly teen embarrassed to be around her parents. “I have a really good time. They’re two of my best friends. We’re normal, like any other family.”

Added Billy: “We get along really well. For whatever miracle that is, it’s a great thing ...

We encourage whatever we can, for her to do a kid thing. We respect everybody’s alone time, because that’s really important.

Staff/Alexander Acosta

Lisa, Billy and Emily Schlosser form the Laughing Pizza band.

But we have a great time together.”

The business side of the work also interests Emily, and she attends all of the meetings with their manager and people who want to work with them.

“I want to study business and economics in college. I know I want to minor in business,” she said. “I’m also really into anything environmentally friendly. We’ve actually met a couple of these organizations that are not only helping the environment, but doing things for kids around the world. I want to learn about that more.”

Most of their income comes from playing shows, which they do for a fee plus expenses, though they also perform at

schools for free.

“It seems so unfair that kids don’t get the experience of live music,” Billy said. They also do songwriting workshops, which “enables us to keep doing more music. It becomes self-supporting.”

At many of their shows, about 40 percent of the audience also buys merchandise, which is huge, Lisa said.

Typically, entertainers have done well if 5 to 10 percent of the attendees buy a CD or Tshirt at a show, she said.

They self-distribute their music through iTunes and Amazon. When an order comes in for a CD or a DVD, one of them packages it up and takes it to the post office.

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“We’ve been holding out on the (distribution) rights because we’d like to make a deal where we’re going to get the marketing support,” Billy said. “My dream scenario would be, since we own the rights to the product, be able to distribute exclusively through one retailer, and get tour support, then spend 20 weeks going to stores supporting the release of our CD/DVD at those stores.”

They have had offers to do other projects and television shows, but it didn’t feel right.

“We have turned down some powerful people who in theory could have made a career. But it was not what we wanted this to be. It wasn’t why we started this,” Billy said.

Adds Lisa: “We want to keep our soul, which means we don’t want to vary from our dream” of creating wholesome entertainment for whole families.

And yes, their neighbors know they have rock stars living next door. It would be kind of hard not to, with the brightly colored Laughing Pizza van, which they drive to all of their shows, even those across the country, in the driveway.

And they are happy — if not conspicuous — in their hometown. They live inside the city of Smyrna, close to the eastern edge.

“We’re one foot in Smyrna, and one foot in Vinings,” Lisa says. “We’re Smynings.”

Billy said, “The location of Smyrna is great. I do like the fact the city is really well run.”

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SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 91

Pottery Continued from Page 80 Much like Wootan, Davis, a native of Cobb, found herself without a job in 2007, and then found Just Kiln’ Time.

Although she had been a casual artist for most of her life, Davis never thought she could make a living off her passion.

But when she and her oldest daughter, Nikki, decided to visit the Marietta pottery studio to paint for Nikki’s birthday in 2007, they found the place was up for sale. The one problem: The owner already had a buyer.

But that buyer owned several studios in Atlanta, and the seller wanted to make sure Just Kiln’ Time remained a family business. So with much persuasion, Davis was able to convince the previous owners that her family would take it over, but keep the same friendly, family-oriented atmosphere.

“I think that when she looked at it, this was something her family had built,” Davis said of the previous owners. “Even though the other people (potential buyers) were very nice, it wouldn’t be a family business, it would just have been another chink in their chain.”

Now, two of Davis’ five children and her brother help her run the store, glazing and firing pieces, cleaning the studio, balancing the books, keeping track of the pottery pieces and greeting customers.

While the business might seem a little sporadic, Davis says her store has a steady stream of traffic, thanks to word-of-mouth from customers and foot traffic from the Square.

Wootan attributes the success of her store to loyal customers and the popularity of pottery.

“It’s also fun to share art with people that don’t consider themselves very artistic,” Wootan said. “People don’t realize how therapeutic it is until they’re doing it, because when you’re painting you’re not thinking, ‘Oh, I’ve got to pay for this bill or something.’”

Just Kiln’ Time turns around several hundred pieces each week, but Davis says her busiest times of the year center around holidays such as Christmas, Mother’s and Father’s Days, when many parents bring their children in

Staff/Laura Moon

Just Kiln’ Time, located close to the Marietta Square, offers a variety of objects to paint and decorate including small figurines, plates, mugs, frames and vases. The studio can accomodate painting parties and will glaze and fire the decorated objects. to create gifts for their loved ones.

“It’s nothing something you can go to Target or Macy’s that you can buy,” Davis said of the store’s pottery pieces. “So that’s what makes us so special.”

Wootan says Glazy Dazy turns around about 20 to 150 pieces per week, and also offers the same types of pieces — Disney figurines, boxes, piggy banks and even measuring cups. Both Wootan and Davis say their pieces and glaze are all nontoxic and dishwasher safe. Glazy Dazy’s prices range anywhere from $4 to $45, and the store is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. No appointments are necessary, but Wootan does accept appointments for private parties. For more information, visit Glazy Dazy’s website at www.glazydazy.com.

Both storeowners say there is no limit to the ages that can come and enjoy pottery painting, and encourage parents to bring children of all ages.

Just Kiln’ Time is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; it is closed Sunday and Monday. No appointments are

necessary for an afternoon of painting there, although the store gladly accepts appointments for parties in its private room, during and after business hours. Customers can also

stay as long as they want, and Davis even keeps works in progress in a back room for people who want to work on a long-term project. She also offers the option of to-go glaz-

ing, where a customer can come in, pick out a piece and glaze and take it home to paint.

For more information, visit www.justkilntimeshop.com.

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 92

Six Flags Continued from Page 87 bankruptcy with its debt reduced by $1.7 billion, according to the park.

“While the day-to-day operations of our park were never impacted, it’s very exciting to envision a future that will allow us to rapidly grow and expand the array of services and entertainment for every single guest,” said Six Flags Over Georgia Park President Melinda Ashcraft. “Investing in the infrastructure of our park will also remain a top priority. For Six Flags Atlanta Properties, that means continuing to improve and upgrade all elements of the park and planning for new rides, attractions and special events over the next several years, including of course our highly-anticipated 50th anniversary season in 2011.”

Six Flags kicked off its daily operations with recording artist Jeremy Camp and the Bamboozle Roadshow Festival, a jam packed day of performances featuring some of today’s hottest bands including Good Charlotte, Hanson and Boys Like Girls.

With more than 100 rides,

games, shows, and family attractions, Six Flags Over Georgia boasts 10 roller coasters, including the hyper-coaster Goliath, one of the tallest coasters in the Southeast. Skull Island features slides and splashes for guests of every age, and Thomas Tow and BUGS BUNNY World provide fun for the park’s smallest guests.

Also new for the 2010 season is The Looney Tunes Dance Off with the famous Looney Tunes characters and Dick Clark’s Face the Music, where participants test their music skills during an interactive game show. Also new at the park is the Crazy Horse Deli and the M-Porium, a retail location that features M&M and Mars candy favorites and souvenirs.

The park resumes weekend operation beginning Aug. 14, with additional operating dates during Fright Fest.

In addition to amusements and games, Six Flags has shown a commitment each year to community involvement.

Six Flags Friends, the park’s philanthropic arm, Six Flags Over Georgia and Cure Kids Cancer once again combined forces in support of children and families whose lives have been impacted by pediatric cancer.

“A Walk In The Park”

returned in 2010 for the third year to raise awareness and funding for the leading cause of death among children. On June 13, employees and guests donned walking shoes to shine the spotlight on the children’s health issue.

Since the inception of Six Flags’ partnership with Cure Kids Cancer in 2008, Six Flags guests and “A Walk In The Park” participants have raised more than $750,000. The money benefits the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta through the Cure Kids Cancer initiative, with 100 percent of donated funds going to research and programs that directly improve the care of patients.

“A truly rewarding aspect of my career is having the chance to meet and be inspired by the courageous children who are battling cancer, as well as individuals who commit their time and energy to supporting the fight against pediatric cancer,” said Sarah Waters, director of Children’s Miracle Network and Cure Kids Cancer.

On June 25, White Water hosted the 2010 Atlanta Duck Derby, which featured thousands of yellow rubber ducks racing in the Little Hooch.

The yellow rubber ducks were on sale for purchase at $5

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Staff/Alexander Acosta

From left to right, Lilli, Adrienne and Hannah Boyd slide down the Tornado water ride at Six Flags’ White Water in Marietta. each to raise funds towards Special Olympics Georgia in providing year-round sports training and competition to children and adults with intel-

lectual disabilities.

For tickets prices to Six Flags Over Georgia and Six Flags White Water, visit SixFlags.com.

PRESENTS

Tot Continued from Page 86 Brooklyn said. “Kids do not know that. So if they don’t know that they’ll just keep on doing it. And when they learn, they’ll stop.”

In the process of publishing the book, Kelly, a web developer, decided to start a website not only to promote the book, but also to offer kids a fun place online to learn about the earth and play anti-littering interactive games.

Soon the book was selling on the Earth Saver Girl website, and was later released on Amazon. Although Kelly says they won’t learn how many copies it has sold until it has been on the website for 30 days, she does know that it is selling, since it has risen in the popularity rankings on Amazon.

The list price for the softcover book is $6.49. Kelly also says she has received inquiries from Harper Collins Publishers about the book, and will most likely sell the rights to the book to a larger publishing company.

Brooklyn’s teacher at Austell Intermediate, Jane Zellers, said she is not at all surprised that one of her star students authored a book, but did admit she was impressed by its length and detail.

“I thought the book was really cute. I was shocked by how long it is with the dialogue and all,” Zellers said.

“Because normally kids at her age aren’t interested in writing something that detailed.”

Brooklyn scored a perfect on the reading portion of her CRCT test this spring, something her mom was so proud of that she framed the results and put them up in her daughter’s room.

Cobb County Civic Center December 17 & 18 • 8:00 pm December 19 • 3:00 pm CALL

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770.528.8490

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FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 93

HEALTH & FITNESS

BETTER BODIES BY ....

BOOT CAMP

FOR LADIES ONLY

Boot camps are to make each person’s life better, said Mindy Castellanos, a certified personal trainer and CEO of BodyProud Fitness at 990 Whitlock Ave. in Marietta.

“There are countless advantages to staying active,” Castellanos said.

“You will have more energy, sleep better, have an improved sex life, prevent injuries and illnesses, prolong your life, make you look better, boost self-confidence, relieve stress and, maybe most importantly, give

FACTBOOK 2010

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010 PAGE 95

you a life that you are proud to live for.”

BodyProud Fitness’ boot camp is indoors, where music is played. There are no contracts and each client is treated to feel like he or she is part of something special, Castellanos said.

“Our gym is a fitness sanctuary,” said Castellanos, an actress See LADIES, Page 103

BOOT CAMP

S TO RY BY MARCUS H O WA R D P H O TO S BY LAURA MOON

C O V E R Ticia Cawley of Marietta performs lunges with weights as she participates in the Boot Camp.

Foreground to back: Tricia Morris, Boot Camp in the Park fitness instructor Jennifer Christian, Ticia Cawley and Bonnie Haschke.

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 96

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Leading the way Solaris Heart and Vascular ranks among top cardiovascular practices in the country From staff reports

Photo special to the Marietta Daily Journal

Celebrating its third straight ‘Superior Performing Practice’ award from the Medical Group Management Association are, from left: Solaris Heart and Vascular President Michael Brown; Clinical Director Virginia Sullivan; Financial Manager Kami Alford; Manager of Physician Services Katie Doyle; CEO Ross Berry and his wife, Julie; Director of Cardiovascular Imaging Marquis Worthy; Ray Kusisto; and Executive Assistant Sandra Pond.

On top of their awards for such advanced achievements, Solaris Heart and Vascular continues to build their impressive list of accreditations and certifications. “These accreditations are a testament to our amazing staff and our commit-

ment to keeping up with the latest in medical technology and procedures,” said Berry.

Solaris is accredited by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories, signifying that

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For more than 28 years, Solaris Heart and Vascular has provided the most innovative, cost-effective care for residents of Cobb County.

The full-service, independently owned cardiovascular practice — with 13 physicians — now serves multiple health systems throughout north Atlanta.

This year, Solaris Heart and Vascular was ranked among the top cardiovascular medical practices in the country for the third year in a row by the Medical Group Management Association in a report that calls Solaris a “Superior Performing Practice.”

“Winning this award for three straight years is a huge honor,” said CEO Ross Berry.

“It proves that when it comes to the highest level of care, Solaris Heart and Vascular ranks among the best cardiovascular practices in the country. We strive every day to make sure we are providing the highest quality, most cost-effective care possible for our patients.”

Other leaders in the field have also taken notice. This year, The American College of Cardiovascular Administrators selected Berry as the recipient of its 2010 Award of Excellence. The award is given based on Berry’s significant contribution to the improvement of cardiovascular care, advancement of cardiovascular administration, outstanding leadership and innovative solutions to challenges faced in the delivery of cardiac care.

Yet another notable award that Solaris Heart and Vascular has received is the Physicians’ Institute for Excellence eTechnology Award for EMR. This award recognizes Georgia physicians that have achieved success in the use of electronic medical records in their practices. Solaris Heart and Vascular began using Greenway EMR Software for patient scheduling and billing in 2004. The software is certified by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology and guarantees superior patient record-keeping, functionality and security.

the facility has been reviewed by an independent agency which recognizes the laboratory’s commitment to quality testing for the diagnosis of heart disease, the Intersociaetal Commission for the Accreditation of Nuclear

Medicine Laboratories, which recognizes Solaris Heart’s commitment to provide high quality care in our nuclear laboratory, and the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories.

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

FACTBOOK 2010

Group therapy

By Kim Isaza newseditor@mdjonline.com

at Tumlin, a member of the Kennesaw Outdoor Activities Club, says the friendships she has made through the group are as beneficial as the exercise she gets.

“I’ve made wonderful friends, just the salt of the earth people that like to be outside and walk and hike and stay in shape,” said the retired teacher.

“I could call on these friends anytime for anything. One of our members just turned 80, and he had a nice birthday walk.”

She’s belonged to the club for about 15 years now.

Members plan an outdoor activity — hiking, backpacking, and bicycling, as well as canoeing, camping and rafting — nearly every week.

“I’d rather hike than anything. We’re out in the woods, you’re communing with nature

P

Friends are fun, and can help keep you grounded — even when you’re flying off somewhere and there’s just peacefulness,” she said.

There are groups, clubs and activities all around Cobb County for people with common interest, and the benefits can be lasting.

Traci Hildreth, who owns Infinity Travel Inc., founded the Pink Suitcase Sisters in early 2009.

“We’re a ladies travel club,” she said. “We’ve got married women whose husbands don’t like to travel. We’ve got some divorced women. A lot are young widows. They still enjoy traveling, and we provide the opportunity for them to get

out.”

The club also does local events, such as taking buses to a show at the Fox Theatre.

“I was in my office one day with a client of mine. She and her husband had just gotten back from Egypt, and I was getting ready to take my daughters to New York. She said she wanted to go to New York, but her husband didn’t, and I just got to thinking,” said Hildreth, a 1983 graduate of Marietta High School.

She and a business partner, Kathy Lowery, sent a mass email to friends and clients, inviting them to an informational meeting. They hoped 25 ladies would attend. Instead, 75 turned out.

“The need is there,” she said. “There are a lot of women who don’t feel comfortable going and doing by themselves.

We have a motor coach full when we do the plays.”

See Therapy, Page 104

PAGE 97

WORKOUT PAGE 98

24/7/365

Staff/Samantha Wilson

Above: Dr. Joel Desaulniers, seated, owner of Workout Anytime, poses with personal trainers, from left, Phoenix Gilman, Rick Redmon and Austin Behl. Below: Anthony Cayetano of Marietta works out with dumbbells.

24-hour gyms fit any schedule From staff reports

Chiropractor Joel Desaulniers, 60, has been in the fitness-center business for 30 years and now owns two franchises of Workout Anytime, one of a few chains with 24-hour gyms in Cobb.

“The main advantage is the convenience, for a very busy society. We have the trainers in the gym at 3, 4 or 5 a.m. for the early birds,” said Desaulniers, who lives in west Cobb.

His gyms are in Marietta on Whitlock Avenue, close to Gabriel’s, and in Kennesaw at the intersection of Kennesaw Due West and Stilesboro Roads, near Marietta Country Club.

Each location has about 2,500 members, he said.

American Bodyworks and Snap Fitness are other players in the 24-hour exercise club business.

“We’re kind of a boutique novelty at this point,” Desaulniers said of the concept.

Members of 24-hour gyms have cards to gain access to the clubs at anytime.

“The clubs are very secure.

We have cameras everywhere, you can only access with key card that tells us who was there at what time,” Desaulniers said.

See Workout, Page 104

FACTBOOK 2010

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Cobb Fitness Centers Acworth Workout Anytime 3335 Cobb Parkway NW in Acworth (770) 974-8787 Gym type: Fitness/health club ATA Taekwondo Center 3940 Cherokee Street NW in Kennesaw (770) 427-8400 Gym type: Martial arts/fitness American Body Works 2851 Cobb Parkway NW in Kennesaw (770) 420-0080 Gym type: Fitness/health club Anytime Fitness Vinings 4500 West Village Place SE in Smyrna (770) 431-9470 Gym type: Fitness/health club Axcess Fitness 2535 Hickory Grove Road NW in Acworth (770) 975-9960 Gym type: Fitness/health club Bally Total Fitness 2211 Cobb Parkway in Smyrna (770) 988-0000 Gym type: Fitness/health club Bodifit by Mercedes 1720 Mars Hill Road, Suite 8, #128 in Acworth (678) 522-2572 Gym type: Fitness, private membership/training Catalyst Fitness 3939 Royal Drive NW in Kennesaw

(770) 499-9143 Gym type: Fitness/health club Coffee’s Gym 1800 Lower Roswell Road NE in Marietta (770) 321-6900 Gym type: Fitness/health club Cosmos Fitness Center 2745 Sandy Plains Road NE in Marietta (770) 579-3488 Gym type: Fitness/health club Curves for Women/Acworth 3451 Cobb Parkway NW, Ste 8 (770) 974-3922 Gym type: Fitness, women only Curves for Women/Acworth 5330 Brookstone Drive NW, Ste 240 (770) 422-9744 Gym type: Fitness, women only Curves for Women/Kennesaw 3600 Cherokee Street NW, Ste 102 in Kennesaw (770) 426-0033 Gym type: Fitness, women only Curves for Women/Mableton 4875 Floyd Rd SW, Ste 104 in Mableton (770) 819-3636 Gym type: Fitness, women only Curves for Women/Marietta 2209 Roswell Road, Ste 100 in Marietta (770) 977-7187 Gym type: Fitness, women only

See Fitness, Page 100

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 99

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 100

Cobb Fitness Centers Continued from Page 99 Curves for Women/Marietta 1690 Powder Springs Road in Marietta (770) 426-0165 Gym type: Fitness, women only Curves for Women/Marietta 2650 Dallas Hwy. SW, Ste 220 in Marietta (770) 426-4677 Gym type: Fitness, women only Curves for Women/Vinings 2810 Paces Ferry Road SE in Atlanta (770) 434-9034 Gym type: Fitness, women only Women’s Premier Fitness 4961 Lower Roswell Road NE in Marietta (770) 565-5450 Gym type: Fitness, women only Fit & Fine Wellness for Life (678) 290-3160 Gym type: Private membership/training Fitness 19 1812 Powder Springs Road SW in Marietta (678) 354-8919 Gym type: Fitness/health club Fitness Together 1675 Cumberland Parkway SE in Smyrna (770) 436-1381 Gym type: Fitness, private membership/training Gold’s Gym/Acworth East 5505 Bells Ferry Road in Acworth (770) 592-4950 Gym type: Fitness/health club Gold’s Gym/Marietta East 4930 Davidson Road Suite 100 in Marietta (770) 971-0557 Gym type: Fitness/health club Gold’s Gym/West Cobb 2840 East West Connector, suite 200 in Austell (770) 432-8688 Gym type: Fitness/health club Gold’s Gym/Kennesaw 2911 George Busbee Drive in Kennesaw (770) 425-4653 Gym type: Fitness/health club Gold’s Gym/Acworth 3362 Acworth Summit Blvd. in Kennesaw (678) 973-0635 Gym type: Fitness/health club Gold’s Gym/Bells Ferry 5505 Bells Ferry Road in Acworth (770) 592-4950 Gym type: Fitness/health club Jazzercise/Marietta 3364 Canton Road in Marietta (770) 424-6090 Gym type: Jazzercise/aerobic dance

Just Fitness 4 U 3101 Roswell Road NE in Marietta (770) 565-6330 Gym type: Fitness/health club LA Fitness Sports Clubs 1025 East-West Connector in Austell (770) 432-4262 Gym type: Fitness/health club LA Fitness Sports Clubs 4400 Roswell Road NE in Marietta (770) 973-3370 Gym type: Fitness/health club LA Fitness Sports Clubs 2801 George Busbee Parkway in Kennesaw (770) 427-9668 Gym type: Fitness/health club LA Fitness Sports Clubs 2995 Cobb Parkway in Vinings (770) 956-9093 Gym type: Fitness/health club Little Gym 1295 W. Spring Street in Smyrna (770) 434-6661 Gym type: Gymnastics/children Midtown Athletic Club Windy Hill 135 Interstate North Parkway NW in Vinings (770) 953-1100 Gym type: Fitness/health club One to One Health Centers 700 Sandy Plains Road NE in Marietta (770) 795-0091 Gym type: Fitness/health club Peachtree Gymnastics & More 1255 Johnson Ferry Road NE in Marietta (770) 977-5557 Gym type: Gymnastics/fitness Snap Fitness Kennesaw 3425 Old 41 Hwy. Nw, Ste 630 in Kennesaw (770) 529-6690 Gym type: Fitness/health club Stack’s Gym 2375 Hwy. 92 in Acworth (770) 974-5986 Gym type: Fitness/health club WellStar Health Place 330 Kennestone Hospital Blvd. in Marietta (770) 793-7300 Gym type: Fitness/health club Workout Anytime 800 Whitlock Avenue NW in Marietta (678) 355-5530 Gym type: Fitness/health club Workout Anytime 1600 Kennesaw Due West Road NW in Kennesaw (770) 422-2279 Gym type: Fitness/health club

Jazzercise/Marietta West Cobb 1075 Whitlock Ave. in Marietta (770) 919-7007 Gym type: Jazzercise/aerobic dance

X 3 Sports 2343 Windy Hill Road SE in Marietta (678) 903-0100 Gym type: Fitness/self-defense training

Jazzercise Center/Acworth 3330 Cobb Parkway NW in Acworth (678) 574-7177 Gym type: Jazzercise/aerobic dance

Your Body Fitness 3895 Cherokee Street NW, K’saw (770) 428-8856 Gym type: Fitness/health club

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

City Parks Acworth Acworth Sports Complex The 42-acre complex, on south Main Street just south of the downtown business district, contains six baseball fields, two football fields, multiple practice areas, batting cages and two concession stands.

The complex is home to the Acworth Baseball Association and the Acworth Football and Cheerleading Association. The Sports Complex is home to Horizon Field. The Horizon League is a partnership with the Special Needs Development Group Inc. that provides team sport opportunities to children with mental and physical disabilities between the ages of 5 and 21.

Cauble Park Located on Beach Street on the north side of Lake Acworth, the 25acre park contains fishing points, a boating ramp (for electric motor driven boats only), boardwalk, beach, volleyball net, rental facilities, two playgrounds and an open play area.

Dallas Landing Park Dallas Landing Park is an 82-acre park located on Allatoona Drive off Main Street. The park contains a beach, group pavilion, picnic table, grills, volleyball court and horseshoe pit. The park is also home of the Women’s Triathlon in August.

East Lakeshore Park East Lakeshore Park is located off East Lakeshore Drive near downtown Acworth. The 1½-acre park includes a playground, picnic benches and open play area.

Frana Brown Park Frana Brown Park is on the corner of Main Street and Morningside Drive in the heart of the downtown business district. The ¼-acre park contains a fountain and benches for relaxation, and the original bell from the Acworth Methodist Episcopal Church South.

Logan Farm Park Located at 4762 Logan Road, this 50-acre park has a 0.75-mile nature trail that connects to Cowan Road and Terrace Drive. The park also has a ½-acre fishing pond, a multipurpose recreational field, playground and the Parks and Recreation Offices.

Newberry Park Newberry Park is located off of Toccoa Drive. The 12-acre park contains two baseball fields, two concession stands, two parking lots and three batting cages. Newberry Park is home to the Acworth Baseball Association’s Senior League. The two baseball fields that Newberry Park contains are the Pinto/Shetland practice field for ages 4-8 and the historic Coats and Clark Field for ages 13 through 16.

Overlook Park Overlook Park is located off Hwy. 92 near the bridge over Lake Acworth and Lake Allatoona. The 1½-acre park overlooks Lake Acworth and offers great fishing and picnicking opportunities.

Proctor Landing Park Proctor Landing is an 82-acre park located on Proctor Landing Drive off Hwy. 92 along the banks of Lake Allatoona. The park contains a beach, two group pavilions, picnic tables, grills, two volleyball courts and two horseshoe pits.

South Shore Par South Shore Park is located on Ragsdale Road off Highway 92.

This 30-acre park sits on the South Side of Lake Acworth and contains parking, a beach and fishing areas.

Tanyard Creek Park Tanyard Creek Park is a 20-acre park in Downtown Acworth. The park can be accessed from McClain Circle, Cherokee Street and School Street. The park contains open green space, parking and a community softball field. The Amos Durr Community Field is located at the McClain Circle entrance. Future plans include a multiuse trail.

For more information on any of the above parks, call (770) 917-1234 or go to www.acworth.org.

Austell Collar Park Collar Park received a major upgrade in 2008. The park, at 2625 Joe Jerkins Boulevard in Austell, includes a covered pavilion to host picnics, family reunions, and other events. A children’s’ playground is available along with tennis and volleyball courts. A new restroom facility was included in the upgrade and is a replica of the old train station that was located where the railroad tracks split at Austell-

FACTBOOK 2010 Powder Springs Road. A new gazebo was built and is host to the Concert in the Park, the annual lighting of the Christmas tree, and numerous other events.

Legion Field Legion Park, at 5514 AustellPowder Springs Road in Austell, consists of four fields for baseball or softball use. The park also features a gazebo, a covered pavilion and a playground area for children.

For more information on any of the above parks, call (770) 9444300 or go to www.austellga.gov.

Kennesaw Adams Park Adams Park, a 33-acre community park near the intersection of Watts Drive and US-41/Cobb Parkway, offers a unique blend of active and passive recreation.

Adams Park features: six lighted baseball fields, four lighted softball fields, concession buildings, indoor and outdoor batting cages, two lighted tennis courts, one lighted soccer field, 3000 foot by 8-footwide concrete trail, 26,000 square foot Ben Robertson Community Center, Scout Hut building, playground, picnic pavilions and shelters, park bench seating, drinking fountains and a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Swift-Cantrell Park Swift-Cantrell Park, on Old Highway 41 near the intersection with Jiles Road, serves as one of the premier recreation, relaxation and central gathering places for Kennesaw area residents. At 42 acres, the city of Kennesaw’s largest community park features: two colossal, age-appropriate PowerScape Plus playground

See Parks, Page 102

PAGE 101

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

City Parks Acworth Acworth Sports Complex The 42-acre complex, on south Main Street just south of the downtown business district, contains six baseball fields, two football fields, multiple practice areas, batting cages and two concession stands.

The complex is home to the Acworth Baseball Association and the Acworth Football and Cheerleading Association. The Sports Complex is home to Horizon Field. The Horizon League is a partnership with the Special Needs Development Group Inc. that provides team sport opportunities to children with mental and physical disabilities between the ages of 5 and 21.

Cauble Park Located on Beach Street on the north side of Lake Acworth, the 25acre park contains fishing points, a boating ramp (for electric motor driven boats only), boardwalk, beach, volleyball net, rental facilities, two playgrounds and an open play area.

Dallas Landing Park Dallas Landing Park is an 82-acre park located on Allatoona Drive off Main Street. The park contains a beach, group pavilion, picnic table, grills, volleyball court and horseshoe pit. The park is also home of the Women’s Triathlon in August.

East Lakeshore Park East Lakeshore Park is located off East Lakeshore Drive near downtown Acworth. The 1½-acre park includes a playground, picnic benches and open play area.

Frana Brown Park Frana Brown Park is on the corner of Main Street and Morningside Drive in the heart of the downtown business district. The ¼-acre park contains a fountain and benches for relaxation, and the original bell from the Acworth Methodist Episcopal Church South.

Logan Farm Park Located at 4762 Logan Road, this 50-acre park has a 0.75-mile nature trail that connects to Cowan Road and Terrace Drive. The park also has a ½-acre fishing pond, a multipurpose recreational field, playground and the Parks and Recreation Offices.

Newberry Park Newberry Park is located off of Toccoa Drive. The 12-acre park contains two baseball fields, two concession stands, two parking lots and three batting cages. Newberry Park is home to the Acworth Baseball Association’s Senior League. The two baseball fields that Newberry Park contains are the Pinto/Shetland practice field for ages 4-8 and the historic Coats and Clark Field for ages 13 through 16.

Overlook Park Overlook Park is located off Hwy. 92 near the bridge over Lake Acworth and Lake Allatoona. The 1½-acre park overlooks Lake Acworth and offers great fishing and picnicking opportunities.

Proctor Landing Park Proctor Landing is an 82-acre park located on Proctor Landing Drive off Hwy. 92 along the banks of Lake Allatoona. The park contains a beach, two group pavilions, picnic tables, grills, two volleyball courts and two horseshoe pits.

South Shore Par South Shore Park is located on Ragsdale Road off Highway 92.

This 30-acre park sits on the South Side of Lake Acworth and contains parking, a beach and fishing areas.

Tanyard Creek Park Tanyard Creek Park is a 20-acre park in Downtown Acworth. The park can be accessed from McClain Circle, Cherokee Street and School Street. The park contains open green space, parking and a community softball field. The Amos Durr Community Field is located at the McClain Circle entrance. Future plans include a multiuse trail.

For more information on any of the above parks, call (770) 917-1234 or go to www.acworth.org.

Austell Collar Park Collar Park received a major upgrade in 2008. The park, at 2625 Joe Jerkins Boulevard in Austell, includes a covered pavilion to host picnics, family reunions, and other events. A children’s’ playground is available along with tennis and volleyball courts. A new restroom facility was included in the upgrade and is a replica of the old train station that was located where the railroad tracks split at Austell-

FACTBOOK 2010 Powder Springs Road. A new gazebo was built and is host to the Concert in the Park, the annual lighting of the Christmas tree, and numerous other events.

Legion Field Legion Park, at 5514 AustellPowder Springs Road in Austell, consists of four fields for baseball or softball use. The park also features a gazebo, a covered pavilion and a playground area for children.

For more information on any of the above parks, call (770) 9444300 or go to www.austellga.gov.

Kennesaw Adams Park Adams Park, a 33-acre community park near the intersection of Watts Drive and US-41/Cobb Parkway, offers a unique blend of active and passive recreation.

Adams Park features: six lighted baseball fields, four lighted softball fields, concession buildings, indoor and outdoor batting cages, two lighted tennis courts, one lighted soccer field, 3000 foot by 8-footwide concrete trail, 26,000 square foot Ben Robertson Community Center, Scout Hut building, playground, picnic pavilions and shelters, park bench seating, drinking fountains and a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Swift-Cantrell Park Swift-Cantrell Park, on Old Highway 41 near the intersection with Jiles Road, serves as one of the premier recreation, relaxation and central gathering places for Kennesaw area residents. At 42 acres, the city of Kennesaw’s largest community park features: two colossal, age-appropriate PowerScape Plus playground

See Parks, Page 102

PAGE 101

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 102

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

City Parks Continued from Page 101

Powder Springs

structures complete with climbers, swings, bridges and play events; and an Xscape System featuring circuits, walls, climbers and rings in a contemporary design that encourages new patterns of play. Also at Swift-Cantrell is The Frank Boone Dog Park, which is a 1.4-acre, offleash dog park, and Swift Wheels Skate Spot, which opened in October 2008. The park also has two lighted, asphalt trails; a one mile by 12-foot-wide perimeter trail and a half-mile by 8-foot-wide innerloop trail, acres of open turf for passive recreation, picnic pavilions and shelters, plaza area with park bench seating and a Wi-Fi hotspot. The park is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Powder Springs Park The Powder Springs Park is on Brownsville Road just west of downtown Powder Springs. The park contains 25 acres with ball fields, playgrounds, picnic areas and pavilions, an outdoor swimming pool and a passive recreation area with paved trails.

Tramore Park A soccer facility located just to the west of the city with four full-size fields and several small fields for young children. The Southwest Cobb Youth Soccer League, the largest such league in the state, operates the soccer programs at the park.

Wild Horse Creek Park Wild Horse Creek Park, on Macedonia Road, is a 53-acre multiuse regional park with four lighted tennis courts, baseball and softball fields, football and soccer fields, a BMX track, and the new Ron Anderson Recreation Center.

For more information on any of the above parks, call (770) 943-8001 or go to www.cityofpowdersprings.org.

For more information on any of the above parks, call (770) 4229714 or go to www.kennesawga.gov.

Marietta A.L. Burruss Nature Park This nature park, at 1485 South Cobb Parkway, has 45.66 acres of natural wooded area, nature trails and a picnic pavilion. It also provides offroad bicycling trails.

Glover Park In the heart of the historic Marietta Square, this park plays host to numerous events from wedding to a concert series every summer. Glover Park has a gazebo, fountain, stage, playground and park benches. Local restaurants, theatres and shopping are all within walking distance.

Henry Memorial Park This 3½-acre park at 81 Reynolds St., has two outdoor basketball halfcourts, a playground and gazebo, and a 1,040-foot walking trail.

Hickory Hills Park This 10.6 acre park, at 400 Chestnut Hill Road, has a walking track and ball fields.

Laurel Park Just off Manning Street, Laurel Park 13 lighted tennis courts, a one mile track, two ponds, a sand volleyball court, an outdoor basketball court, two pavilions, picnic tables and grills, an open play field and playground.

Lewis Park This 6.7 acre park has four lighted tennis courts, a dog park, walking trail, playground, softball field for rental, park benches and picnic tables. The park is at 475 Campbell Street.

Victory Park Victory Park, at 820 North Park Drive, is a 4.8 acre park with two lighted tennis courts, two picnic pavilions and two playgrounds.

Whitaker Park Whitaker Park features a playground, a ½--mile walking trail, gazebo and picnic tables. Whitaker is at 1540 Holcomb Lake Road.

Wildwood Park At 1050 Barclay Circle, near Life University, Wildwood Park consists of more than 28 acres with 2½ miles of hiking trails, a one-mile jogging trail, three picnic pavilions and a playground. The park also features a recently opened 1½-acre, off-leash dog park.

For more information on the above parks, call (770) 794-5601 or go to www.mariettagagov.

Smyrna Brinkley Park Located in the south central part of the city at 1270 Hunter Street, Brinkley Park is adjacent to the American Legion center and Legion Field. The park includes ball fields, batting cages, a playground, picnic facilities and a building housing a small meeting room.

Burger Park An off-leash dog park at 680 Glendale Place.

Chuck Camp Park Chuck Camp Park is in the northwest part of the city at 2270 Benson Poole Road, directly behind Cobb Center Mall on South Cobb Drive. The park includes open space and a walking trail. The second phase of development will begin in the summer.

Cobb Park and Kidscape Village I and II Located west of the city’s downtown complex on Powder Springs Road, Cobb Park affords users a wooded setting and includes “Kidscape Village,” a large playground and a smaller toddler oriented play set.

Jonquil Park On Spring Road in eastern Smyrna, Jonquil Park consists of two ball fields, four youth soccer fields and sand volleyball.

Lake Court Park Lake Court Park is in the southwest portion of Smyrna on Lake Drive. The park is heavily wooded and includes a playground, volleyball court, pavilion with picnic tables, a picnic area and an open grassed playfield.

Rose Garden Park Rose Garden Park is in east Smyrna on Turpin Road. Facilities include a ball field, tennis courts, basketball courts, a playground and a pavilion with picnic tables.

Tolleson Park and Pool Tolleson Park is south of the new downtown complex, adjacent to King Springs Road. The park is topographically divided into a lower and an upper section.

For more information on any of the above parks, call (770) 431-2842 or go to www.smyrnacity.com.

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MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Ladies Continued from Page 95 and single mother of two girls.

“Our boot camp is designed to be participated in the long term.

Exercise should never be finite.

It should be a part of our daily regimen. We may have months or weeks we work harder to reach specific goals, but our program was created to fit into a healthy lifestyle.”

BodyProud Fitness classes are offered six days a week with the option of 14 classes.

Classes are one hour, with the exception of 5:45 a.m. classes, which are 45 minutes long. It’s suggested that clients participate between three and five times a week. Up to 12 people are trained in each class.

The cost is $10 per class or $99 per month for unlimited classes.

“Each boot camp is designed to be specific to a group of muscles — legs, arms, core, etc.

— and each boot camp includes cardio intervals,” Castellanos said. “We do traditional exercises like planks and squats, but we also do a lot of Pilate-like core exercises along with agility and balance training. We use free weights, exercise bands, the bosu ball, resistance bands, etc. But my favorite equipment to use is our own body weight.

This way I can teach my clients exercises they can do in or out of the gym.”

Heidi Morris has run Boot Camp in the Park at East Cobb Park, located at 3322 Roswell Road, and sometimes other parks in Cobb, for nearly four years.

“I have an extreme passion for boot camp-style workouts which are proven to work and I realized that the East Cobb Park did not have anything like this offered,” said Morris.

The boot camp is for women only and is offered at 9:45 a.m. geared towards moms with kids in preschool as well as stay at home moms.

About 12 women participate in each one-hour class.

Morris said the camp is designed for “moms that are out of shape that want to get back into it. I have regulars as well.

They are in great shape but they are able to push themselves at different levels since it is a small group.”

Exercises include calisthenics, medicine ball drills, partner drills, trail running and walking, bleacher running, sprints and body weight exercises. The exercises are designed to reduce

FACTBOOK 2010 Debbie Ray of Marietta lifts a weight ball during an exercise boot camp at BodyProud Fitness Studio on Whitlock in Marietta on Monday.

Ray says this is her second week and she plans on attending class three times a week.

Staff/ Samantha Wilson

body fat and weight, tone, increase strength and stamina, improve self-image, and strengthen the body and mind, Morris said.

The class is a six-week commitment that is offered, but participants can choose to attend two to five times a week. The cost is $200 for three days a week for a six-week session.

“Most ladies do at least two sessions, but a lot are regulars and pay monthly,” Morris said.

At CrossFit Addiction in Kennesaw, boot campers use weights and meet inside a gym instead of outside in a park, said James Hobson, owner and trainer.

Hobson said trainers also discuss nutrition and how to eat better during boot camp.

All of his clients are women who want to lose weight or tone up, he said.

Classes meet for one hour each day at 6 a.m. Monday,

PAGE 103

Wednesday and Friday; 7 p.m.

Thursday; and 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. Saturday at 1480 Shiloh Road, suite 300, in Kennesaw.

Exercises include sumo dead lifts, pull-ups, kettle bell swings, box jumps, thrusters, burpees and numerous others.

The cost is $150 a month for a single person and $100 a month for two or more people.

“You get focused attention from the best instructors in Kennesaw, the fastest way to get fit without taking a pill, and it’s ladies only,” Hobson said.

Jason Goggans, owner of BodyBack! Fitness boot camp, said his boot camp is different from others in that it takes a synergistic approach to fitness, focuses heavily on nutrition, and the morning classes are for women only.

“I have been a personal trainer for 16 years and had mainly focused on one-on-one training for the first 12 years,” he said.

“About 4 years ago I was introduced to fitness boot camps and was immediately intrigued. I loved the idea of training people in large groups so they could motivate one another and hold each other accountable. Boot camps are largely made up of people who share the same goals and struggles so it is a very supportive environment.”

Participants do resistance

training, cardiovascular training, agility training, plyometrics, Pilates, yoga and flexibility training. There are about 80 boot campers split between four classes.

BodyBack! Fitness boot camp offers one-hour womenonly classes Monday through Friday at 5:30 a.m. and 9 a.m., and a co-ed class at 6:15 p.m. at Due West United Methodist Church at 3956 Due West Road in Marietta.

There is also a teen boot camp that meets for 45 minutes classes at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday during the summer at Lost Mountain Park at 4845 Dallas Highway in Powder Springs.

The program ranges from $169 to $329. Participants may choose a three-day, four-day or five-day a week boot camp.

Also offered is a three-month program in which participants receive a monthly discount.

Goggans said BodyBack!

Fitness participants range from the sedentary that just need to move again to conditioned athletes.

“For people who have not exercised in a while, we have a beginner’s class,” where we teach exercise basics and progress the campers slowly.

For those who are a little more advanced we have our advanced class where we push a little bit harder.”

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FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 104

Workout Anytime personal trainer Phoenix Gilman, right, trains Kim Palmer of Marietta in a dumbbell exercise. The 24-hour gym has trainers available as early as 3 a.m.

Staff/Samantha Wilson

Workout Continued from Page 98 “We have a phone right at the front desk. There’s almost always one of us there at all hours.”

Some gyms allow members to use panic button alarms in case of emergency when an employee is not on duty.

Desaulniers’ clubs are a little over 5,000 square feet, he said.

“We have locker rooms, showers, tanning beds. Pretty much everything everyone else offers,” he said. The fee at his clubs is $15 a month, with no contract, he said.

And even at that price, the

business “is profitable if it’s run correctly,” he said.

“We keep the gyms very clean. All the equipment is functional. We try to cater to our members as best we can.

That’s how I run my two locations. We bring in a new piece of equipment at least once per year.”

As for the “typical” client, Desaulniers said the club has a diversity of members aged 12 and older.

“If I had to pick a demographic, it would be 35-yearold women, then men would be close behind,” he said. “But we have coaches from Kennesaw Mountain High that train, earlymorning soccer teams. There are couples with young children

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who can’t work out at the same time, one’s here in the morning and one in the evening.”

And that’s the key, Desaulniers said.

“The major advanatage is the opportunity to work out at your convenience,” he said.

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

WellStar hospitals make honor roll WellStar Health System in Marietta had four hospitals, WellStar Cobb, WellStar Douglas, WellStar Kennestone and WellStar Paulding hospitals, named to the Georgia Hospital Association’s Partnership for Health and Accountability Quality Honor Roll. These are four of 51 hospitals in Georgia to be placed

in the Presidential category, one of the highest on the list.

The honor roll is based on clinical data provided by the federal Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services, which administers the nation’s Medicare and Medicaid programs. The data was collected from January 2009 to December 2009.

Therapy

band and mother, and then found that her cancer had come back. The group helps sponsor the Pink Ribbon Golf Classic, a local breast-cancer fundraiser.

“She had chemo on Christmas Eve. I sent a mass email to our group and we had so many people volunteer to drive her and sit with her on Christmas Eve, until her daughters could get there. She died later that night,” Hildreth said.

“We were just about travel and trips, but that’s when we realized we’ve turned into something so much more,” she said. “We decided, it’s not about going places, it’s about being there.”

Continued from Page 97 The group has had 19 excursions, and ladies pick and choose what they want to participate in. They also host a happy hour every other month or so, so women can meet each other and get to know new friends before going on a trip.

“Travel offers the opportunity to see new places, and we offer the camaraderie of making new friends,” she said.

Those friendships were especially important when one of the sisters, who had already survived cancer, lost her hus-

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 105

SPORTS & RECREATION

MAJOR MAKEOVER

COBBLESTONE GOLF COURSE FACELIFT INCLUDES NEW CHAMPION BERMUDA GREENS

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 106

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

COBBLESTONE BRINGS BACK THE LUSTER

RETURN TO PARADISE

“

Staff/Laura Moon

The fourth hole at Cobblestone Golf Course in Acworth already has the reconstruction of its bunkers complete with new drainage systems and fresh white sand. The bunker will soon be joined by a new Champion Bermuda grass green as part of more than a $600,000 renovation project.

Acworth’s golf gem gets much-needed facelift For players the shape of the greens are the big issue.

Just having nice, full, true rolling greens will make all the difference in the world.

— Chris Wright

BY JOHN BEDNAROWSKI / SPORTSEDITOR@MDJONLINE.COM

I

n 1993, Acworth’s Cobblestone Golf Course opened for play. Shortly thereafter, the course earned a four-star ranking from Golf Digest and was named one of Golf Digest’s “Top 100 Courses You Can Play.”

But that was 17 years ago. As the course absorbed nearly 50,000 rounds a golf a year during that time, parts of the 6,759-yard, Par 71 has started to show the wear-and-tear. So, the powers that oversee Cobblestone are determined to change that.

Early in 2010, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners approved funding of more than $600,000 for course improvements. Those renovations began in earnest at the beginning of July with the hopes of having everything done and a grand re-opening by September. “(The changes) will make the golf course more enjoyable to play for everyone,” said Cobblestone head professional Chris Wright. “And for players the shape of the greens are the big issue. Just having nice, full, true, rolling greens will make all the difference in

the world.”

For the last 17 years, Cobblestone has had bent grass greens, a putting surface that needs meticulous care during the summer to make sure the root base remains strong and the temperature of the grass does not get too hot – sometimes a difficult task to achieve in the Georgia summers.

To alleviate the summer stress, Cobblestone is planting Champion Bermuda, a relatively new type of Bermuda grass with limited grain that can be cut to mimic the faster speed of bent grass greens.

“The new grass loves the heat,” Wright said. “ And it loves the traffic.”

The lone drawback to the new grass is like any kind See Paradise, Page 107

THE COVER Staff/Laura Moon

Cobblestone Golf Course professional Chris Wright is excited about the changes that are happening with the more than $600,000 course renovation.

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

FACTBOOK 2010

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Paradise Continued from Page 106 of Bermuda, it will go dormant in the winter and is susceptible to extreme cold. To make sure the greens survive any frosty temperatures, special green covers have been designed to help keep them from the elements, but, Wright said if the temperature around Lake Acworth ever drops below 28 degrees, the course will likely be closed.

While the greens are the biggest element in the renovations. The most noticeable change to the eye of the golfer may come in the reconstruction of the bunkers. Originally when the course was constructed, drainage in the bunkers was not a prime concern and after heavy rains, course crews would have to pump water out of the hazards. Those crews won’t have to pump water anymore.

Each bunker has been completely emptied and new French drains have been installed. The drains will grab water from all areas of the bunker, bring it to a central location and have it flow underground toward the lake. To ensure the white sand remains in

Staff/Laura Moon

Cobblestone’s bunkers, like this one on No. 17, had fallen into a status of disrepair after 17 years of play. The new bunkers will have better drainage to eliminate having to deal with the Georgia clay which sits below the sand. the traps, a water barrier has been placed in between the clay foundation of the bunker and the sand, which will allow only the water to escape through the drains.

In addition, the sides of the bunkers will be replanted with a zoysia grass that will help in limiting the about of mowing the crews will have to do on the slopes leading in and out of the traps.

Wright said there will be some less evident projects handled this summer while the

greens and bunkers are redone.

New sod will be planted in areas that suffered flood damage or winter kill, the fairways will be arified, a few tee boxes will be reconfigured and some areas that define the end of the playing surfaces along the lake will be cleaned up to help with the picturesque views.

By the time all the work is completed, there is a possibility that green fees will rise slightly from their current $59 during the

week and $69 on the weekend, but for those who want a sneak preview of the improvements, Cobblestone will still welcome you out to play 18 holes.

Currently, each hole has a temporary green cut in the end of each fairway, but the course still demands accuracy off the tee and accurate iron play to find the substitute-putting surface. While it may not be the full Cobblestone experience, Wright said there is still plenty of fun to be had.

“We’re still open and offering some extreme discounts,” he said. “Right now you can come out and ride 18 holes for $25.

Our discount card holders can play for $20.”

During the first week of July, Cobblestone averaged between 80 and 100 players a day despite the construction, but it is those players that will tell other players about the improvements.

And once the course upgrades are completed, Wright said Cobblestone will once again be able to speak for itself.

“We used to have qualifying out here for the AT&T Classic,” he said. “We’re going to get back to that standard where we can host any competition available in the state.”

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FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 108

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Cobb County Area Golf Courses Atlanta Country Club (private) 500 Atlanta Country Club Drive Marietta, GA 30067 (770) 953-2100 www.atlantacountryclub.org Head Pro: Bill Johnstone Greens Fees: N/A Bentwater Golf Club (Private) 100 Golf Links Drive Acworth, GA 30101 (770) 529-9554 www.bentwatergolfclub.com www.canongategolf.com Head Pro: Justin Tackett and Jim Sims Greens Fees: N/A Brookstone Golf and Country Club (private) 5705 Brookstone Drive Acworth, GA 30101 (770) 425-8500 www.brookstonecc.com Head Pro: Mark Avery Greens Fees: N/A City Club of Marietta (public) 510 Powder Springs Street Marietta, GA 30064 (770) 528-4653 www.cityclubmarietta.com Head Pro: Al Morrison Greens Fees: $48 (Monday through Thursday), $53 (Friday), $58 (weekends/holidays) Twilight (after 4 p.m.) $36 (Monday through Thursday), $39 (Friday), $42 (weekends and holidays) Cobblestone Golf Course (public) 4200 Nance Road Acworth, GA 30101 (770) 917-5152 www.cobblestonegolf.com Head Pro: Chris Wright Greens Fees: $25 (Aug. 1 thru Sept. 1 during renovations) $59 (Monday through Thursday), $69 (weekends and holidays) Twlight (after 4 p.m.) – $44 (Monday through Thursday), $49 (weekends/holidays)

Dogwood Golf Club (semi-private) 4207 Flint Hill Road Austell, GA 30106 (770) 941-2202 www.dogwoodgolf.org Head Pro: Tony Mele Greens Fees: $60 (Monday through Thursday), private on weekends Twilight (after 3 p.m.) $35 (Monday through Thursday) Fox Creek Golf Club & Driving Range (public) 1501 Windy Hill Road Smyrna, GA 30080 (770) 435-1000 www.legacyfoxcreek.com General Manager: Johnathan Elmer Greens Fees: $30 (weekdays), $36 (weekends) Twilight (after 5 p.m.) $21 (weekdays), $25 (weekends) Governor’s Towne Club (private) 4200 Governors Towne Drive Acworth, GA 30101 (770) 966-5353 www.governorstowneclub.com Head Pro: Jim Mancill Greens Fees: N/A Indian Hills Country Club (private) 4001 Clubland Drive Marietta, GA 30068 (770) 971-2605 www.indianhillscc.com Dir. of Golf: Lance Cantrell Greens Fees: N/A Legacy Golf Links & Driving Range (public) 1825 Windy Hill Road Smyrna, GA 30080 (770) 434-6331 www.legacyfoxcreek.com General Manager: Johnathan Elmer Greens Fees: $30 (weekdays), $36 (weekends) Twilight (after 5 p.m.) $21 (weekdays), $25 (weekends)

Marietta Country Club (private) 1400 Marietta Country Club Drive Kennesaw, GA 30152 (770) 426-1808 www.mariettacountryclub. org Head Pro: Stephen Keppler Greens Fees: N/A Pinetree Country Club (private) 3400 McCollum Parkway NW

Kennesaw, GA 30144 (770) 422-5902 www.pinetreecc.org Head Pro: Daryll Speegle Greens Fees: N/A Driving Ranges: Marietta Golf Center 1701 Gresham Road, NE Marietta, GA (770) 977-1997 Bucket of balls - 35 for $5, 55 for $7, 80 for $9, 110 for $11, 135 for $13

Atlanta Golf Instructional Center 1825 Windy Hill Road, SE Smyrna, GA 30080 (770) 434-6331 Bucket of balls – small (35) for $4, medium (65-70) for $7.50, large (100+) for $10 Tee 1 Up 3185 Sandy Plains Road Marietta, GA 30066 (770) 578-1234 Bucket of balls – small (4050) for $5, medium (80-90) for $9, large (115) for $12

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 109

REAL ESTATE

‘ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE’ GERRY AND PAM ROGERS ARE LOVIN’ LIFE ON LAKE ALLATOONA

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 110

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Economy still taking toll on market

By Jon Gillooly jgillooly@mdjonline.com

MARIETTA — Realtor Carol Hammock is selling homes in the Overlook at Marietta Country Club in the $300,000s. The three-story town homes boast three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths with a finished “bonus” room or game room. The two-car garage town homes with brick and stone exteriors were originally on the market in the $400,000 to $500,000 range, but the recession knocked down the prices. Hammock said the bank took the homes back from the developer, and she sold two in a short sale.

There are four or five such town homes left in the development of more than 70 town homes that was started about five years ago, she said.

The daughter of Marietta Housing Authority Chairman Ed Hammock, Ms. Hammock

started her own realty company in 2000. Things were going fine until the recession hit. What’s happened in the Overlook at Carol Marietta Hammock Country Club has happened all across the county, she said.

“That’s pretty much the norm of what we’ve seen in the housing market in the last two to three years where newer developments like this one, where things had started and the recession hit, things slowed down or stopped completely,” she said.

Banks end up taking over and reducing prices on everything in an effort to make a sale.

A frustration with banks holding such huge portfolios of property is that it takes much See Economy, Page 115

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FACTBOOK 2010

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

PAGE 111

Life on Lake Allatoona Price is right ... only problem is ‘you don’t ever want to leave’ the house

BY BRANDON WILSON / BWILSON@MDJONLINE.COM

A

sign above Pam and Gerry Rogers’ living room fireplace says it all — “Another Day in Paradise.”

Nestled on a half-acre lot along Lake Allatoona’s 270 miles of shoreline, the Rogers’ dream home comes complete with an infinity pool, waterfall, boat slip on a community dock and a spacious deck overlooking the lake.

The only problem with the house is, “you don’t ever want to leave,” Pam said.

Perhaps best of all, because of the market, they got the Acworth home off Awtrey Church Road for a great deal.

Pam, who owns Re/Max real estate agency in Acworth, watched the 3,200-square-foot home for two years on the Multiple Listing Service. When it finally dropped enough in price, the Rogers’ jumped on

the opportunity to leave their Kennesaw house for superior lake living. They moved in May 2009, after paying $700,000 for the home that had an original list price of $1.3 million.

“And deals are even better now,” Pam, 52, said.

Gerry, 53, added, “We felt it was at the bottom then, and it’s only gotten better.”

See Allatoona, Page 117

Staff/Mike Jacoby

Along with a massive kitchen that comes with stainless steel professional grade appliances and granite countertops, Gerry and Pam Rogers’ 3,200-square-foot Lake Allatoona home also comes with an infinity pool, waterfall, boat slip on a community dock and a spacious deck overlooking the lake.

“

‘This is our dream house. And now, I think people can afford their dream home. The good thing about Lake Allatoona is that there are prices for everybody.’

— Pam Rogers

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 112

Mike Costigan

Bob Hodge

Angela Barner

Judy Ballard

Debbie Redford

Lynn Horner Baker

Cobb’s Top 10 team Realtors The Cobb Association of Realtors 2009 top achievers: Mike Costigan Costigan Real Estate Group Active Life Bob Hodge Circle Real Estate Services Active Phoenix Angela Barner RE/MAX Unlimited Active Phoenix Judy Ballard Atlanta Communities Active Platinum Phoenix Debbie Redford All Atlanta Realty Diamond Phoenix

Lynn Horner Baker Lynn Horner Baker, Inc. Active Phoenix Teri J. Schrews Keller Williams Realty Signature Partners Active Bob Wolf Keller Williams Realty Platinum Partners Active Phoenix Sue Hilton Keller Williams Realty Signature Partners Active Phoenix Donna King Harry Norman Realtors Active Platinum Phoenix

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

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FACTBOOK 2010

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Chad King

Courtney Newton

Laura MilierEdwards

Denise Ogden

Ann McCullough Lindner

PAGE 113

Hank Miller

Susan Edwards

Wendy Bunch Heyer

Tony Jeans

Cobb’s Top 10 individual Realtors The Cobb Association of Realtors 2009 top achievers: Deborah Ratchford Keller Williams Realty, Cityside, Active Life

Active Phoenix Denise Ogden Traton Homes Realty Active

Chad King Coldwell Banker Active Life

Ann McCullough Lindner Ann McCollough Lindner Associates Active Platinum Phoenix

Courtney Newton Keller Williams Realty, Cityside, Active Life

Hank Miller Prudential Georgia Realty Active Life

Laura Millier-Edwards Keller Williams Realty Signature Partners

Susan Edwards Heritage Real Estate Brokerage, Active Life

Wendy Bunch Heyer RE/MAX Around Atlanta Active Phoenix Tony Jeans Keller Williams Realty, Signature Partners Active Life

Cobb Realtors n A T Morris Realty Group, Inc., 3162 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 260-2, Marietta, 30062.

Phone: (770) 552-5922 Broker: Ausker Morris n Advantage Atlanta Realty, LLC, 102 Susobell Place, Woodstock, 30188.

Phone: (770) 722- 6733

Broker: Frances Lawrence n All Atlanta Realty, LLC, 3225 Shallowford Road, Building 100, Marietta, 30062.

Phone: (770) 565-7505 Broker: Debbie Redford n America’s Realty, Inc., 1970 Roswell Road, Marietta, 30062.

Phone: (770) 993-4663 Broker: Michele Ambio n Anchor Realty Partners, 4937 Cherokee Street, Acworth, 30101.

Phone: (770) 917-0322 Broker: Malinda Howe n Angela U Root CPM, 2922 Holly Pointe Court, Marietta, 30062.

Phone: (770) 612-8810 Broker: Angela Root n Ann Lindner & Associates, 2280 Satellite Boulevard, Atlanta, 30097.

Phone: (770) 495-3475

Broker: Ann Lindner n Assist 2 Sell, 85 Golf Crest Drive, Suite 309, Acworth, 30101.

Phone: (770) 917-1000 Broker: Christie Griffin n Assist 2 Sell, 1301 Shiloh Road, Suite S-130, Kennesaw, 30144.

Phone: (770) 514-8877 Broker: Christie Griffin n Atlanta Classic Real Estate, 400 Galleria Parkway, Suite #1500, Atlanta, 30339.

Phone: (770) 955-2212 Broker: Judith Barrett n Atlanta Communities Real Estate, 3113 Roswell Road, Suite 101, Marietta, 30062.

Phone: (770) 240-2001 Broker: E. Judson Adamson

See Realtors, Page 114

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 114

Realtors Continued from Page 113 n Bell Realty, 2015 Barrett Lakes Boulevard, Suite 106, Kennesaw, 30144.

Phone: (770) 792-4300 Broker: Joan Bell n CCDC Realty, Inc., 268 Lawrence Street, Suite S-100, Marietta, 30060.

Phone: (770) 429-4400 Broker: Linda Cole n Century 21 Heritage Sales, 3289 Powder Springs Road, Powder Springs, 30127.

Phone: (770) 439-1939 Broker: Mary Ann Boone n Century 21 R.E. Professionals, 2282 Old Concord Road, Smyrna, 30082.

Phone: (770) 384-1400 Broker: Roy Griffin n Circle Real Estate Services, 19 Trammell Street, Marietta, 30064.

Phone: (678) 460-2900 Broker: Bob Hodge n Club Realty Associates, 1781 Brookstone Walk, Acworth, 30101.

Phone: (770) 427-4200 Broker: Joseph Sewell n Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, 800 Whitlock Avenue, Suite 115, Marietta, 30064.

Phone: (770) 429-0600 Broker: Frederick Cassidy n Costigan Real Estate Group, 3225 Shallowford Road, Suite 400, Marietta, 30062.

Phone: (770) 955-3655 Broker: Michael Costigan n David C. Vaughn & Company, 3600 Dallas Highway, Suite S-230 PMB-154, Marietta, 30064.

Phone: (770) 984-0000 Broker: David Vaughn n Douglas Property Management, 117 Towne Lake Parkway, Suite 300, Woodstock, 30188.

Phone: (770) 926-3086 Broker: Beth Barron n Drecksler & Associates, Inc., 444 Manget Street, Suite S-400, Marietta, 30060.

Phone: (770) 916-1074 Broker: Charles Drecksler n ERA United, 2135 Roswell Road, Marietta, 30062.

Phone: (770) 977-7888 Broker: Kathy Steward n ES Johnson, Inc., 3405 Dallas Highway SW, Suite 720, Marietta, 30064.

Phone: (770) 874-5100 Broker: Mary Johnson n Georgia Dream Homes Realty, 4549 Stilesboro Road, Kennesaw, 30152.

Phone: (678) 290-0085 Broker: Garfield McCook n Great Home Realty & Property, 1275 Shiloh Road, Suite S-2940, Kennesaw, 30144.

Phone: (770) 499-8193 Broker: Missy Gaye Harlow n Jewell Wright Realty, 4034 Columns Drive, Marietta, 30067.

Phone: (770) 955-6573 Broker: Jewell Wright n Jim Bulla Foothills Realty, LLC, 2810 Foothill Trail, Marietta, 30066.

Phone: (770) 565-7526 Broker: James Bulla n John Suarez & Associates, LLC, 4080 Indian Town, Marietta, 30066.

Phone: (770) 591-0799 Broker: John Suarez n Keller Williams Realty, 2651 Dallas Highway, Marietta, 30064.

Phone: (678) 631-1700 Broker: Kimberly Jeans n Keller Williams Realty Atlanta, 3730 Roswell Road, Suite 150, Marietta, 30062.

Phone: (770) 509- 0700 Broker: Deborah Blue n Keller Williams Realty Platinum, 220 Heritage Walk, Suite 101, Woodstock, 30188.

Phone: (678) 494-0644 Broker: Ceci Osburn n Loren Realty, P.O. Box 971, Woodstock, 30188.

Phone: (770) 993-6546 Broker: Carla Ford

n Manning Properties,P.O. BOX 3393, Marietta, 30061.

Phone: (770) 422-0408 Broker: H. Aymar Manning n Markcorp Worldwide, Inc., 125 Townpark Drive, Suite S-300-30080, Kennesaw, 30156.

Phone: (678) 383-4552 Broker: Barry Gazzard n McCreary Realty Management Inc., P.O. Box 6040, Marietta, 30065.

Phone: (770) 427-5711 Broker: Michael McCreary n Mic-Mar Enterprises, Inc., 519 Crested Hawk Ridge, Canton, 30114.

Phone: (770) 795-9944 Broker: Herb Alford n MLSmart Realty, LLC, 1625 Heritage Trail, Roswell, 30075.

Phone: (678) 355-6019 Broker: Theodore Malkasian n New Day Realty, 1830 Scufflegrit Road, Marietta, 30062.

Phone: (770) 405-3040 Broker: Renee Swann n Noved Brokers, Inc., 125 TownPark Drive, Suite 300, Kennesaw, 30144.

Phone: (678) 881-0857 Broker: Brandon Nichols n Pelmore Realty, 1060 Trestle Drive, Austell, 30106.

Phone: (770) 944-8356 Broker: Joseph Pelmore n Pineapple Properties, Inc., 3129 St. Ives Country Club Parkway, Johns Creek, 30097.

Phone: (770) 476-7712 Broker: Allen Compton n Prime Properties Atlanta, 4876 Clark Lake Way, Acworth, 30102.

Phone: (770) 424-3333 Broker: Maxine Willman n RE/MAX Around Atlanta Marietta, 3375 Dallas Highway SW, Marietta, 30064.

Phone: (678) 819-9200 Broker: Charolette Steed n RE/MAX Greater Atlanta, 2050 Roswell Road, Marietta, 30062.

Phone: (770) 973-9700 Broker: Ben Christopher n RE/MAX Integrity, 2500 Cobb Parkway, Suite S-C1, Kennesaw, 30152.

Phone: (770) 428-2875 Broker: Steven George n RE/MAX Leading Edge, 2880 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta, 30062.

Phone: (770) 552-6501 Broker: Jill Reed n RE/MAX Platinum, 2590 Atlanta Road, Smyrna, 30080.

Phone: (770) 951-9990 Broker: Sandra Ghai n RE/MAX Unlimited, 5205 Stilesboro Road, Suite 110, Kennesaw, 30152.

Phone: (770) 419-1986 Broker: Pamela Rogers n REALEX Inc., 425 Briarwood Court, Marietta, 30068.

Phone: (770) 971-6996 Broker: Robert Long n Realty Biz, Inc., 212 Gramling Street, Marietta, 30008.

Phone: (770) 424-6511 Broker: Elisabeth Helenek n Realty Executives of Marietta, 990 Whitlock Avenue, Marietta, 30064.

Phone: (678) 370-9000 Broker: Chris Norris n Realty One, 1322 Concord Road, Smyrna, 30080.

Phone: (770) 433-2123 Broker: Bobbie Poole n River North Realty, Inc., 1860 Battlefield Road, Marietta, 30064.

Phone: (770) 590-8844 Broker: Carolyn Mills n Robbins Realty, 2513 Shallowford Road, Suite B-200 S210, Marietta, 30066.

Phone: (770) 971-5660 Broker: Leon Robbins n Simply Sold Real Estate, 7421 Douglas Boulevard, Suite N, Douglasville, 30135.

Phone: (770) 577-8900 Broker: Scott Dasher n Slyman Real Estate, 134 Powers Ferry Road, S-100, Marietta, 30067.

Phone: (770) 405-0100 Broker: Paige Slyman n Solid Source Realty, Inc., 10900 Crabapple Road, Suite 2000, Roswell,

See Realtors, Page 118

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

FACTBOOK 2010

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Staff/Laura Moon

Carol Hammock, owner of Carol Hammock Realty, stands in the kitchen of a model home at the Winterfield Court townhomes at The Overlook at the Marietta Country Club. The kitchen has an open floor plan which leads to the breakfast area and great room.

Economy Continued from Page 110 longer to close, which can lead to the buyer backing out of the deal.

“I can find a buyer, but it takes months to close for a short sale,” Hammock said.

“The reason is they have

that are selling now are either short sale foreclosures or priced below market value, she said.

“The things that are being sold are priced extremely well or below market,” she said.

Hammock saw sales pick up with the federal first time homebuyer credit program, which offered a credit of $8,000. But with the deadline of having to have a home under contract by the end of April, sales have once again slowed down again, she said.

She predicts it’s going to be a couple years until sales pick up with so much inventory available. Once the inventory is reduced prices will begin to pick up, but presentably, with-

PAGE 115

out an incentive like a first time homebuyer’s credit to get people off the fence or unless it’s extremely well priced, people aren’t buying, she said.

“It’s been a struggle,” Hammock said. “I would say most agents in the business are in survival mode. It’s been really, really scary, and I’m not the exception. Every agent I talk to is singing the same song.”

There are areas of the county that are doing better than others. For instance, in the Walton High School district, a school recognized as one of the best in the country, while there has been some decrease in

several asset managers handling all foreclosed properties. That one manager may be handling hundreds of homes. They’re overwhelmed. It’s crazy, it really it. The buyer finally says, ‘I can’t wait. I’ve got to find another house.’”

Hammock sells homes in a range of prices, from the first time homebuyer in the $100s to million dollar mansions. Homes

home values, it hasn’t been as drastic as other areas.

“People still really want to be in those school districts.

Sellers have a little bit more leverage when it comes to selling there,” she said.

The Vinings area, which has also been hit, has not suffered as much either, she said.

Hammock attributes that to residents wanting to live closer to where they work.

“Just in general anything closer to downtown typically gets more price per square foot the farther north you go. They don’t want to commute and are willing to pay more or get less house to be closer,” she said.

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FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 116

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Carol Hammock Realty owner and broker Carol Hammock stands outside one of her recently sold townhomes at the Winterfield Court at The Overlook at Marietta Country Club in Kennesaw. The townhomes range in pricing from $335,000439,000 and were built between 2005-06

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SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

Allatoona Continued from Page 111 The two real estate agents — Gerry owns Re/Max in Cartersville — say this is the best time for buyers interested in a lake home.

“This is our dream house,” Pam said. “And now, I think people can afford their dream home. The good thing about Lake Allatoona is that there are prices for everybody.”

She said 15 to 20 homes have sold since April 1, 2009, and only three cost more than $500,000. There are two-bedroom cabins, further inland but with lake access, that are considerably less expensive.

Steve Burge, editor for lakeallatoona.com, said there are a lot of foreclosures and bank-owned properties that even come with dock permits.

Tina Fountain, with metroAtlanta’s Tina Fountain Realtors, also acknowledged the reduction in home prices around the lake and too noted how “there may never be a better time to buy than the present.”

“There was a sharp decline in prices from 2007 to 2010,” Fountain said. “The lake home

prices seemed to have stabilized for now, and with the water levels being up, folks are looking at purchasing lake homes again.”

She said homes that are priced for today’s market and include a good advertising package can easily sell within four to six months.

Fountain said Allatoona is the place for people who like to entertain, and there’s no shortage of hosts in the community where the Rogers live.

There are 14 lots in Pam and Gerry’s neighborhood, each with one boat slip on the community dock. Gerry said the neighbors treat each other like family.

“We find excuses to have cookouts,” he said. “We just really enjoy getting together.”

Pam said they hardly venture to friends’ homes anymore.

“They just come up here,” she said.

The Rogers, who have been married for 33 years and have two grown sons, have even avoided their car for many dinner dates.

“We don’t have to get on (Interstate) 75 now,” Gerry said, “We just get on the boat and go to dinner.”

See Allatoona, Page 118

FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 117

Associate Broker • Sellers Representative Specialist, SRS Accredited Buyers Representative, ABR Certified Distressed Property Expert, CDPE • Loss Mitigation Certified, LMC Short Sale/Foreclosure, SFR Certification • NAR’s GREEN Designation, GREEN

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But we cannot wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow is now."

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FACTBOOK 2010

PAGE 118

Lake Allatoona marinas HARBOR TOWN MARINA 7370 Galts Ferry Road in Acworth (770) 974-6422 www.harbortownmarina.net GLADE MARINA 5400 Kings Camp Road in Acworth (770) 975-7000 www.glademarina.com HOLIDAY HARBOR MARINA 5989 Groovers Landing, Acworth, Georgia 30102 Lakeside Grill (770) 974-2575 www.lakeallatoona.net LITTLE RIVER MARINA (770) 345-2900 6986 Bells Ferry Road in Canton Little River Sports Bar and Grill (770) 345-2900 www.littlerivermarina.com VICTORIA HARBOUR 1000 Victoria Landing Drive in

Allatoona Continued from Page 117 After short walk down a trail on Army Corps of Engineers property to the community dock, the pair often boat over to Holiday Harbor Marina and Resort for American surf and turf at Holiday Cove restaurant. Many of the other marinas on the lake also offer dining.

Pam and Gerry also enjoy taking their 20-foot Monterey boat up to the Allatoona Yacht Club in Red Top Mountain State Park. Another highlight is watching the Fourth of July fireworks blasted off from Lake Acworth.

Realtors Continued from Page 114 30075.

Phone: (770) 475-1130 Broker: Charlotte Fissette n Sonja Mikes RE, Inc., 2950 Pete Shaw Road, Marietta, 30066.

Phone: (770) 591-2827 Broker: Sonja Mikes n Southern Prime Realty, LLC, 2315 Arbor Court, Marietta, 30066.

Phone: (770) 573-2507 Broker: Howard Carter n Team Realty, 1642 Powers Ferry Road, Suite #200, Marietta, 30067.

Phone: (770) 422-5355 Broker: Stuart Brenner n Telfair Brokers, Inc., 3085 Paces Mill Road, Atlanta, 30339.

Phone: (678) 305-9420 Broker: Billy Schultz n The Real Estate Agents Link, 333 Creek Stone Ridge, Suite 120, Woodstock, 30188.

Phone: (770) 928-1567 Broker: Alan Jennings

ALLATOONA LANDING 24 Allatoona Landing Road in Cartersville (770) 974-6089 www.westrec.com/ga-alm WILDERNESS CAMP 415 Wilderness Camp Road in Cartersville Wilderness Grill: seafood and american (770) 386-2170

For times when residents want to leave the lake, Allatoona offers an added bonus of proximity to nearby cities, including Atlanta, Burge said.

“It’s a very short drive from anywhere in northern Atlanta,” Burge said. “However, it maintains a nice balance because it’s not as famous, and is also less crowded than many of the more famous lakes, such as Lanier.”

The Rogers have lived in Cobb County for 17 years, after growing up and getting married in the mountains of North Carolina. Gerry said they considered looking for a vacation lake home back there, “but once we found this, there was no need for a second home.”

n The Real Estate Company, 6146 Braidwood Lane, Acworth, 30101.

Phone: (404) 313-5095 Broker: Ronald Cheney n The Realty Team, 111 Village Parkway, Building Two, Suite 201, Marietta, 30067.

Phone: (770) 579-4060 Broker: Lynn Horner Baker n The Results REALTORS, 3978 Devonshire Drive, Marietta, 30066.

Phone: (770) 926-4016 Broker: Joseph Turner n Tina Fountain, REALTORS, 289 Washington Avenue, Marietta, 30060.

Phone: (404) 842-1555 Broker: Tina Fountain n Traton Homes Realty, 720 Kennesaw Avenue, Marietta, 30060.

Phone: (770) 427-9064 Broker: Dwayne Hill n Venture Real Estate, Inc., 1580 Terrell Mill Road, Marietta, 30067.

Phone: (770) 955-8300 Broker: Linda Bridges n Your Home Team Realty Group, 2809 Lassiter Road, Suite 250, Marietta, 30062.

Phone: (770) 640-0060 Broker: Angela Williams

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