A three-person judicial committee of City Council has tentatively approved franchise agreements with American Fiber Systems and Comcast Corp. The new deals will be reviewed by all of City Council this April. American Fiber Systems, which supplies internet service for Marietta, now has a contract which lasts for two additional years. The non-exclusive contract with Comcast, which supplies cable TV to the area, will last for eight years. In the current deal, the city fought to gain a promise for better customer service from the cable provider, which says it has “taken steps to improve customer service issues.” Both companies will pay five percent of their total revenue, collected in Marietta, to the city.

The judicial committee also addressed zoning issues for mixed-use developments that include townhouses. The new rules call for at least four parking spots per townhome in a new construction and for the developments to be overseen by a homeowners’ association.

What do you think of the city’s new contracts with AFS and Comcast? What are your thoughts on the new zoning rules? Share your opinion and have a great weekend!

It looks as though more redevelopment is coming to Marietta. On Wednesday, the Marietta Redevelopment Corp. voted to obtain upwards of $2 million in order to acquire as much as 10 acres around the downtown area.
“This fund will be used to buy properties that are blighted,” said MRC Executive Director Gary Mongeon. “Our job is to create catalyst projects that will have an immediate positive impact (on redevelopment).” The MRC will have to lobby City Council for the funds. The group is looking to acquire land in both the Hedges-Gramling neiborhood and the Allgood Road neighborhood, where they would either make “moderate improvements” or attempt to attract developers.

What is your opinion about this plan? What do you think of the current redevelopment projects the city has undertaken?

On Saturday, April 8th, there’s a Spring Egg Hunt at Laurel Park. It’s free! Starting at 11 a.m., the annual egg hunt for kids features an Easter Bunny, plus lots of candy and prizes. Call 770.794.5601 for more information.

On April 22, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Marietta Square’s Glover Park will host the free Cobb County Fun Day! Activities for all ages! For more information, call 770.528.8800.

Tyn Tymes will be performing on April 28 as a part of the Glover Park Evening Concert Series. The show is free and will begin at 8 p.m. Come share the evening with friends and a picnic! For more information, call 770.794.5601.

“Taste of Marietta” is coming on April 30! Details to follow…..

We have been hard at work this week bringing you new features such as WhitlockAvenue.com classifieds! Once again, we would like to announce a new site feature for our readers - WhitlockAvenue.com - Mobile Edition. You can now get the latest news from our site directly to your Blackberry or WAP enabled device by pointing your browser to http://mobile.whitlockavenue.com! This new feature is live and we are excited to let our readers start getting their news fix from us on the go! As always, please let us know if you have any feedback!

We are proud to announce a new value added service to our readers at WhitlockAvenue.com - FREE online classified ads! Starting today, Tuesday March 28th, 2006, we have launched our FREE online classified ads section on WhitlockAvenue.com.

We encourage you to share the news with your neighbors as we hope to become the place to list your items for sale in Marietta. We have a variety of categories in place in including Real Estate, Autos,Equipment,Land for sale, etc. We are providing this service to our readers for no charge and are very excited to bring you this new functionality to the site. Remember, it’s Your City, Your Blog. Your FREE Classified ad source! Please let us know if you have any feedback or questions!

The state of Georgia is ripe to become the first state to push some legislative power to getting the Bible back into public schools. The heart of the debate is a bill that would allow for and sanction electives in public high schools for students wishing to take courses that study the bible. While other states offer electives that students can take, no other states have measures in place to support the study of the Bible with taxpayer dollars.

The Georgia House of Representatives passed the bill on Monday by a strong majority. Other southern states such as Alabama are considering similar legislation. While states such as Florida are working to have the Bible available as a resource for students that are studying subjects such as English, Art History and other applicable disciplines.

We found a quote from a local Marietta Resident (source-MiamiHerald.com):

‘’I don’t see the downside of it. If you go to college you have to take similar courses, it just exposes our children to it earlier,'’ says Bernard Anthony, a marketing executive and father of a ninth-grader in the Marietta school system. “And it’s an elective, your child doesn’t have to take the course.'’

Adds Patrick Grant, a father of two school-aged girls, “I support offering a forum for all religions to be taught as long as its teaching, not preaching.'’

We also found a couple quotes from the AJC about the issue.

‘’This country is built on Judeo-Christian faith, ethics and knowledge of the Scriptures,'’ Sen. Tommie Williams, the bill’s sponsor, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Our Founding Fathers were often quoting the Scriptures. Our first Congress paid for the purchase of Bibles to be used in public schools.'’

But the Bible literacy issue unearths a complicated dynamic in the South, a place more spiritually homogenous than other parts of the country and the homeland of a broad spectrum of Christianity-based faiths.

‘’In the American setting, the South is distinguished by religion,'’ says Ted Ownby, a University of Mississippi professor of history and Southern studies. “You are talking about people who have the numeric majority and a large degree of political, economic and social authority.'’

What do you all think about the issue? Should the Bible be brought back into our local school system?

This Monday, 3/27 from 7pm to 8:30pm, Cobb County Police, public health officials and local students are set to have a panel discussion about the impact of underage drinking.

According to an MDJ article, Cathy Finck, a Cobb County Underage Drinking Task Force member said, “The purpose is really to increase the community’s awareness of underage drinking in Cobb County to know who’s drinking, where they’re getting it, and the affect it has on the community,”

They are really seeking to find solutions to the underage drinking problem in Cobb County. The discussion will include such things as who is drinking, where and how easily accessible alcohol is in 2006.

Be sure to attend the panel discussion to provide your input to the discussion. A key to success is to reach out to the elementary and middle school students before they engage in the activity.

We spoke this morning with Mark Kirk, one of the developers of the new Walnut Grove community of homes. This development is currently underway, with ground being prepared for 18 new homes that will sit on the corner of Whitlock Avenue and Whitlock Drive. Mark, along with his brother, grew up with their family just down Whitlock Avenue from where Walnut Grove will be situated. Obviously, he’s always had an interest in the area.

Kirk told us that the homes will be perfect for empty nesters looking for a great location and all the modern amenities they might not have in their current, older houses. The 18 houses will be spread over 7.5 total acres. This gated community will also feature some preserved areas, featuring beautiful trees and a creek. The architects of Calwell-Cline are designing the houses.

Mr. Kirk said that the lots will be ready for building by this Summer, with some houses ready for residence by the end of 2006 or early 2007.

For more information, call 770.428.7376

According to public Cobb County records, the Cobb Civic Center has been losing money for several years now and the total amount in the red is just over four million dollars.

While once a prime location for events such as Cobb County basketball tournaments and even Presidential Campaign speeches (such as Ronald Reagan speaking there during his 1980 Presidential Election campaign), the facility was used only a total of 60 days in 2005.

The Cobb Civic Center is “just past its prime,” said Judy Renfroe, president of Cobb’s Convention and Visitors Bureau. The location would have to be razed and start over to really make an impact on the current site and according to Renfroe (Source AJC). The size of the site just can’t accommodate the number of parking spaces that would be required to support a facility of that size.

The future of the facility however has been decided on by Cobb County officials according to the AJC.com:

“The Cobb center is a dying breed, and officials have decided to close it and use the building to expand the county’s growing youth gymnastics programs.”

In contrast to how the Cobb Civic center has been largely neglected in the means of renovation and marketing, other Atlanta counties such as Gwinnett have developed facilities such as the Gwinnett Center. These venues are now mega complexes that house events such as concerts, career fairs, hockey games, and trade shows.

What do you all think? Was Cobb County lax in the preparation, renovation efforts and marketing of the Cobb Civic center site as other counties progressed in their development of local county community centers? Voice your opinion by clicking the “Share your Opinion” icon below this post.

James Hutson, DDS P, located at 707 Whitlock Avenue. SW Suite B22, is a wonderful dentist in the Marietta area. Smile Beautifully! “We believe that every patient benefits from understanding their needs and participating in decisions for treatment. In order to help you achieve a flattering appearance while enhancing your ability to enjoy a lasting smile, we first address your long term desires. Together, we create an appropriate plan to attain those goals.”

707 Whitlock Avenue. SW Suite B22
Marietta, Georgia 30064
(770) 424-7525