Hundreds turned out for a party on the historic downtown Square to
celebrate Marietta being named of the 10 best cities in America. U.S.
Congressman Phil Gingrey congratulated the community, and Governor
Perdue sent a proclamation recognizing Marietta’s achievement as a 2006
All-America City.

The award is the oldest and most respected community
recognition program in the country. Nearly 600 communities began the
application process, and Marietta beat other national finalists for the
award, which recognizes exemplary grassroots community problem-solving.

The Marietta Master Chorale, conducted by Jerid Morisco, started the party by singing Georgia on Mind and America the Beautiful. Volunteers served free hot dogs, cake and drinks, and children enjoyed balloon animals and face painting.

Sharon Metz, a member of the National Civic League board and juror for the national competition, congratulated Marietta on behalf of the organization that crowned the winners. She explained the importance of the award to the community and why judges chose Marietta as one of the country’s best cities.

Marietta City Manager Bill Bruton and Mayor Bill Dunaway presented each member of the team who competed in California a plaque. Members of city council also thanked the community organizations that were a part of Marietta’s application for the award.

The Mustangs played a free outdoor concert, and the crowd wrapped up the evening by doing the chicken dance and electric slide.

The All-America City award is like the “Academy Award®” for cities and means the work the community is doing is among the best in the country. Since 1949, the All-America City award has recognized civic excellence, honoring communities of all sizes where citizens, government, businesses and volunteer organizations work together to address critical local issues.   

Being selected a winner substantiates Marietta is a model for the nation with extensive planning efforts and approaches to facing difficult challenges in innovative and collaborative ways. Winners in previous years have been honored at the White House.

Marietta applied for the award and was selected a finalist. Then a delegation of community members presented the city’s programs and successes to a jury of national civic affairs experts during a three-day competition against other finalists in Anaheim, California.

Marietta presented several community projects to the judges. The first was Marietta’s efforts to reduce crime and stabilize deteriorating neighborhoods by creating M-STAR. The citywide program combines community policing and computer analysis of crime trends with accountability of city staff and public involvement. M-STAR has resulted in many successes, the most notable being a 22 percent reduction of crime.

The Marietta Revitalization Program was the second initiative submitted to judges. Its goal is to save the city from decline and create a stronger sense of community by balancing the city’s housing stock, stabilizing school enrollments, creating affordable workforce housing and revitalizing neighborhoods. The city has made substantial progress toward increasing the percentage of homeowners while reducing substandard rental units. Over $335 million has been invested in Marietta’s redevelopment.

Judges required a program to benefit children, and the city highlighted Marietta Reads. The citywide effort to foster reading and literacy has increased student test scores and book circulation, while students read one billion words.

Dozens of community organizations and programs were cited in the city’s award application, and many were part of the delegation that competed before the jury. Everyone in Marietta should be proud, because winning the award is the result of the entire community working together every day.

Allgood Neighborhood Revitalization Task Force
Atlanta Regional Commission
Aviation Museum
Boys and Girls Club
Brown Park Cemetery Restoration Project
Center for Family Resources
Chattahoochee Technical College
Citizens Government Academy
Citizens Police Academy
Civil Service Commission
Clean City Commission
Cobb Chamber of Commerce
Cobb County
Cobb County Comprehensive Traffic Plan Task Force
Cobb Housing, Inc.
Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society
Cobb Municipal Association
Cobb/Paulding Regional Transportation Task Force
Communities in Schools of Marietta/Cobb County
Community Leadership Development Program
Downtown Marietta Development Authority
Faith based organizations, including local mosque
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Franklin Road Community Association
Franklin Road Task Force
Georgia Ballet
Georgia Department of Education
Georgia Department of Transportation
Georgia Municipal Association
Homeowners’ associations
IMPACT
Keep Marietta Beautiful
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield
Kennesaw State University
Kiwanis Club of Marietta
Latin American Association
Leadership Cobb
Loop Group neighborhood association
Marietta Business Association
Marietta City Schools
Marietta Civitan Club
Marietta Housing Authority
Marietta Initiative for Neighborhood Transformation
Marietta Mayor and City Council
Marietta Metro Rotary Club
Marietta Museum of History
Marietta Parks and Recreation Department
Marietta Planning Commission
Marietta Reads!
Marietta Redevelopment Corporation
Marietta Schools Foundation
Marietta Tree Keepers
Marietta Weed and Seed committee
Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art
M-Star community policing program
MUST Ministries
NAACP
Powder Springs Road Master Plan participants
Root House
Rotary Club of Marietta
Southern Polytechnic State University
Strand Theatre
Theatre in the Square
WellStar Health System

###

Marietta City Council denied August 9, 2006 a request by Covenant Christian Ministries to rezone property at 838 Powder Springs Street from single family residential classification to community retail commercial zoning. Covenant Christian Ministries planned to build a church, school and dormitory on the site.

Marietta City Council approved route C as the local preferred alternative for the Powder Springs Road Connector at its meeting August 9, 2006. The Powder Springs Road Connector is a transportation improvement project that would link Powder Springs Road with South Cobb Drive to reroute traffic before it reaches the city center.

Alternative C begins at Powder Springs Road north of the Brownstone Square subdivision. The new four-lane road would have a median and run between Brownstone Square subdivision and Sourwood Circle. The road would turn eastward to Sandtown Road and follow a newly widened four-lane Leader Road with a median to South Cobb Parkway.

Voters approved funding for the project as part of the 2005 Cobb County special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) for transportation improvement projects. Although Marietta City Council previously approved a route for the Connector, the current Council recommended a new preference, which will be submitted to county and state transportation officials for their consideration. Cobb County and the state of Georgia must also agree on the preferred route before funding can be authorized.

The $15 million Powder Springs Connector is currently on the Atlanta Regional Commission’s long-range plan with funding for engineering to begin in 2006, right of way acquisition to begin 2012-2020 and construction to begin 2021-2030. The city of Marietta and Cobb County plan to request that the project be moved forward to the Transportation Improvement Plan for right of way acquisition in 2008 and construction in 2010.

For more information, call 770-794-5650.

Thanks to the AJC for content of this article:

An entire class of Cobb County police recruits was fired Monday after they cheated on a test, authorities said. A police academy instructor caught two recruits comparing answers during a written exam last week. After the academy alerted Mickey Lloyd, Cobb’s public safety director, on Friday, he ordered an inquest and soon learned that all 20 recruits had cheated, he said.

Most of the recruits admitted to cheating when asked about it, Lloyd said. “They’d gotten together and decided none of them was going to fail,” said Lloyd. It’s not clear how the recruits cheated, though Lloyd said they did not steal the test.

The news “dismayed” Cobb County Commissioner Helen Goreham, but she praised the swift response in drumming out the recruits suspected of cheating. “Integrity with our police officers is something we do not skimp on,” said Goreham, the commissioners’ public safety liaison. “The level of service our officers provide the citizenry is top-notch. We will not tolerate an incident of this type.” Investigators do not plan to file criminal charges against any class members — a mix of men and women of various backgrounds — but they might not ever wear a law enforcement badge in Georgia, Lloyd said. Authorities did not release the recruits’ names.

To get into the class, recruits had to have at least a high school diploma and pass a background check as well as psychiatric and polygraph tests — measures intended to weed out certain would-be cops. “You’d think you’d have the cream of the crop,” Lloyd said. The recruits were county employees training to become sworn police officers. They were in the fifth week of a 22-week training period required to join about 600 officers on Cobb’s police force, where salaries start around $34,600.

“The Cobb County Police Department is among the best in the state,” Lloyd said. “There are a lot of fine officers out there. They work hard and they’re honest. This had to be done in order to maintain this reputation.” “Everybody’s very disturbed about it,” said police spokesman Dana Pierce. “It’s a disappointment to all of us.”

So, what is your opinion of Marietta’s Police Department? What experiences have you had with our officers in blue?

Check out what some Cobb residents are doing to keep everyone informed about what’s going on in our area. Thanks to the MDJ for contributing content of the following article.

COBB COUNTY - Site administrator Gordon Edwards started www.scancobb.com in December 2004. It lets visitors listen to scanners that report radio transmissions of Cobb County police and fire departments. Edwards also runs www.scancherokee.com and www.scanpaulding.com. The Cobb page is a sister site to several others of its kind in metro-Atlanta.

The site does not require visitors to register to listen to scanners or read discussion forums, but those who want to participate in the forums must register. There also is no fee associated with using the site.

Another ScanCobb administrator, Andrew Cohen, lives in Kennesaw, but works in Alpharetta. He got involved with the site so he could check Cobb police and fire radios while at work.

A main computer and two scanners set up at Cohen’s Kennesaw home, as well as a third scanner another ScanCobb registered user owns, are broadcast on the site. The site has approximately 15,000 subscribers from across Cobb and Georgia.

Visitors also can sign up for a free e-mail service that notifies them when someone living in their zip code is added to the state’s sex offender registry. The notifications, Edwards said, contain the name, address, photo of the sex offender and a Web link to a sex offender site where people can see the location of the offender on a map.

Although users are not required to pay to use ScanCobb, many have given generously. Cohen said in the past year, users have donated more than $1,000 to buytwo new digital scanners to keep up with Cobb’s move to digital radios for public safety personnel.

“I’d say the greatest benefit is that you can instantly find out, any time day or night, what’s happening around you from a law enforcement and emergency services perspective,” Cohen said. “You don’t have to ask neighbors and get it secondhand or wait for the six o’clock news or tomorrow’s paper. There’s nothing like knowing what’s happening while it’s happening, even if it may be developing and all the facts aren’t clear.”

With all the jargon and numerical codes police officers and firefighters use when reporting over radio, one might think it’s hard to understand what’s going on. ScanCobb has that covered, too. The site lists all the number codes used to describe a situation. For example, 30 indicates a report of a drunken driver; code seven is a request for backup; and 10-4, means OK, or affirmative.

Cohen said he believes most users visit the site to monitor activity that might not be high profile enough to make the news, but nonetheless concerns the safety of their neighborhoods. Edwards said the site is soliciting donations to buy an additional digital scanner. Visitors can donate online at www.ScanCobb.com.

Congrats to our city! Way to go everyone!

WHO:
Governor Perdue’s Chief of Staff John Watson
National Civic League judge, board member Mayor Sharon Metz, Carrollton, Missouri
Marietta Mayor and City Council
Marietta City Manager Bill Bruton
Community members who participated in competition on Marietta’s behalf
Marietta Master Chorale
Live band The Mustangs
Marietta community celebrating

WHAT:
The city will host a celebration for the community. A judge involved in the national competition will explain the significance of the award and why Marietta won and present the award to the city. The governor’s office will present a proclamation, delegates will be recognized, a band will play a two-hour concert, and the community will party and dance in the historic Square.

WHEN:
Friday, August 4, 2006; program 7:30-8 p.m.; concert 8-10 p.m.

WHERE:
Glover Park at Marietta Square, downtown; media parking on East Park Square, NE

WHY:
The All-America City award is the oldest and most respected community recognition award in the country. Being selected a winner substantiates Marietta is a model for the nation with extensive planning efforts and approaches to facing difficult challenges in innovative and collaborative ways. Winners in previous years have been honored at the White House.

VISUALS:
National Civic League presentation of award to City
Governor’s proclamation
Community members recognized
Concert and dancing

Hi everyone, it’s been one hot summer so far here in Marietta. What has everyone been up to these days to keep cool? Wow. it’s been so dang hot here in the city. We have been hard at work the past few weeks on our new site design. We think it’s a much cleaner look and feel to the site. You will notice the new header navigation as well as some cleanup in the posting area and sidebars.

We would love to hear what you think about our new look - please comment today and let us know your thoughts.

Also, as the fall approaches, we are working hard on some new features and sections of the site. Stay tuned for some exciting new on WhitlockAvenue.com!

-Matthew

According to this latest MDJ article, the city is taking on Historic homes in a major way! Any thoughts?

MARIETTA - Owners of historic homes in downtown Marietta want more protection for their properties, but not too much.

Ward 4 City Councilman Van Pearlberg will hold a town hall meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 8 at City Hall to discuss a new historic preservation ordinance with city residents.

“My objective is to inform and educate the community,” he said.

That community includes more than 150 historic homes adjacent to Marietta Square built between 1900 and 1950, with some older homes in Whitlock Heights possibly included.

Pearlberg said a panel of historic preservation authorities would be on hand to talk with residents about different ordinances, including Cobb Landmarks President Daryl Barksdale.

Pearlberg said he wants to see the state-level ordinance in place because under that, communities are eligible for state preservation grants.

He added that all the ordinance proposals should be looked at before a decision is made.

“I don’t think we should put money before property rights,” he said.

The councilman said some residents are worried about the state-level ordinance.

“People are concerned they’re giving up property rights,” he said. “I don’t think they are.”

The city’s historic preservation ordinance requires 60 percent of a community vote to become a historic district.

If 60 percent approve, the area becomes a historic district. Otherwise, no protection is given.

Mayor Bill Dunaway said under this city ordinance, single homeowners and landlords could opt out.

“The state-certified ordinance cannot have opt-out clauses,” he said.

Dunaway added he preferred the state-level ordinance for the city because it would set a standard for all properties, whereas the city’s ordinance establishes different rules for different districts.

“It’s not one size fits all,” he said.

Pearlberg said historic preservation ordinances have been proven to increase property values and bring more tourists to a community.

He said without them, a “checkerboard effect” could take root, where a historic district leapfrogs around homes that have opted out of being historically designated.

“You could have random districts,” he said. “We’re relying on property owners to keep the historic integrity of the home intact, but there’s nothing to require it.”

Some homeowners believe the state-level ordinance would be too strict, requiring residents to get approval from the city for even minor repairs to their historic homes.

Church Street resident and retired businessman Steve Imler, 55, said he wants a compromise ordinance that would preserve homes, but protect property rights.

Imler called his version a “renovation ordinance” that would allow a homeowner to make repairs to their home without interference, but require approval on major renovations and additions.

“In most places where these things are successful, the community supports them,” he said. “I want to preserve the community’s involvement in how this turns out.”

Imler said the right balance could be found between property rights and historic preservation.

He said he would attend the meeting to present the renovation ordinance.

“There’s more than just one blanket ordinance,” he said.

Dunaway said the City Council delayed approving the state-level ordinance in April to do more research.

He said the council has not decided to advertise an ordinance change yet, which must happen before the council can vote on the issue.

Pearlberg already has scheduled a second town hall meeting for Aug. 30.