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.