(Marietta, Ga. – Sept. 28) The countywide outdoor burning ban, which was set to end Sept. 30, has been extended indefinitely due to the current level four drought conditions and total outdoor water ban.

One of the rules for open burning requires a garden hose be available and ready for use at every burn. However, the use of garden hoses is prohibited during periods of level four water restrictions.

Additionally, lack of rainfall and generally dry conditions have left much of the area prone to fires. A single spark into dry pine straw, grass or undergrowth can quickly become an uncontrolled fire leading to property damage and/or injury.

“The drought has contributed to daily ‘fire danger’ ratings in the class four and five range for this area,” Cobb County Fire Chief Rebecca Denlinger said. “The highest rating is five, signifying the danger of fire and rates of growth and spread are greatly increased over the norm.”

Limiting open burning also helps decrease pollutants and improves the air quality in Cobb County. The only exceptions to the open burning ban are recreational fires, bonfires with permit, cooking fires and fires in outdoor fireplaces, fire bowls or chimeneas. Alternatives to burning debris include chipping, composting and taking debris to a commercial or municipal grinding/composting facility or landfill. For more information about the extended burning ban, visit fire.cobbcountyga.gov/marshal.htm or call 770-528-8000. For more information on the outdoor water ban, visit cobbwater.org.

The Cobb County - Marietta Water Authority (CCMWA) declared September 20 a level 4 drought response across its service area — including Marietta — restricting all outdoor water usage. No outdoor water usage is allowed, other than for activities exempted by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD).

Special thanks to the AJC for this story!

It was the longest eight minutes of his life, recalled Marietta High campus security officer Jeff Reed as he pushed on the student’s chest and kept air flowing to his lungs with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

The boy had turned blue and collapsed on the gym floor last September, his heart no longer beating as the former Marine and Marietta Police Department officer was on hallway patrol. Reed’s training kicked in to keep the student alive until emergency response personnel could reach them.

“It seemed like 80 minutes,” said Reed, walking those same hallways recently, keeping watch at the 2,200-student high school. On his rounds, he sometimes sees the boy whose life he saved heading to class. The student’s name has not been released at his parents’ request.

Principal Leigh Colburn said she reached the gym about the time Reed bounded down the bleachers to the stricken student.

“What Jeff did, breathing for the student and keeping him oxygenated, was absolutely heroic,” the principal said. “Doctors at Emory said he would have been brain-damaged otherwise. Today, he’s doing just fine.”

For his quick action and cool response, Reed has been named Georgia Peace Officer of the Year for 2007 by the Peace Officers Association of Georgia.

Reed deflects the hero label.

“I don’t feel like one. It was the training,” he said. “I was just doing my job.”

Not every day brings such high drama. But this year, a new twist has been added to Reed’s Marietta High beat — a 2-year-old black lab named Blue with a nose for marijuana, methamphetamine and other drugs. The Dutch-trained narcotics detection dog can ferret illegal drugs out of lockers, bookbags and automobiles in the campus parking lot.

On Reed’s command in Dutch, Blue’s nose goes into overdrive.

Last year, Marietta High reported to the state 14 non-felony drug offenses, the first in three years. It has had no felony drug offenses since 2005 when there were four cases, according to the report. There were six felony weapons offenses last year — none of them guns, Reed said.

The 29-year-old Marietta police officer likes getting to know parents and students.

“Marietta still has a small-town feel,” said Reed, a Harrison High graduate who saw five years of Marine duty in Syria, Turkey and Bosnia before joining the Marietta police department in 2000.

The school district and city police department shared the $7,500 cost of the specially trained dog in August. When off-duty, Blue lives at Reed’s home in Kennesaw along with his wife, Amy, two children, Justin, 2, and William, 5 months, and two pet dogs.

Marietta Pilgrimage chairs, Cindy Dye and Haley Meaders, have announced the homes to be spotlighted on the 2007 Tour. 

From grand Victorians to a neo-Spanish style house, the Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour offers a variety of historic treasures. 

This year’s featured houses 

• The Gignilliat-Griffin-Gilbert House, c. 1840, home of Parker and Melissa Gilbert (243 Kennesaw Avenue)
• The Turner-Smith-Manning House, c. 1904, home of Jane Manning (315 Kennesaw Avenue)
• The Patterson-Miller-Brennaman House, c. 1901, home of Robyn & Paul Brennaman (282 Kennesaw Avenue)
• The Alamo House, c. 1929, home of Susan & James Mathis (299 Stewart Avenue)
• The Green-Sutton Crowley House, c. 1907, home of Mikel Crowley (93 Holland Street)

One more house, the Merry Olde Marietta Tea Room, located in the Marlow House, c. 1887, will be added soon.

The Tour will be held December 1-2. 

For more information, call the Marietta Welcome Center & Visitors Bureau, 770-429-1115 or visit www.mariettapilgrimage.com

Marietta City Council and the redevelopment corporation it appointed to help revitalize the city met September 19 to discuss each group’s roles and accomplishments and ways the two can best work together to accomplish their goals.

The purpose of the 14-member Marietta Redevelopment Corporation (MRC) is to strengthen the economic and residential base of the city of Marietta by revitalizing neighborhoods, commercial areas and other distressed properties. The role of the MRC is to advise city council on redevelopment, make strategic real estate investments in blighted areas, assemble properties for redevelopment where needed, and partner with the public sector to invest in the community.
Importance of work

The groups discussed the importance of their work in:

* Planning the city’s future quality growth
* Retaining current residents by stabilizing neighborhoods
* Ensuring financial stability of the city and its tax base through stable home values
* Quality of life for future generations

Successes

Participants discussed what is working well in the city that can be celebrated and built on:

* Stabilization of the city school system through a replacement of 496 rental units with 906 owner-occupied homes
* “Halo” effect of private developers investing near successful redevelopment projects in the city
* Increase in private investment downtown from $8 million from 1993-2003 to over $344 million today
* Good working relationships among the city council, MRC, school board and county
* Impressive amount of redevelopment occurring for a community of Marietta’s size
* Marketing efforts to promote city’s revitalization through the move2marietta.com Web site, advertising and public/private partnerships
* Marietta Housing Authority efforts to assist first-time homebuyers
* Partnership with Southern Polytechnic State University for planning concepts

Challenges

One of the MRC’s primary challenges of coordination will be helped with the hiring of a full-time executive director. City staff and MRC members will interview five final candidates in the coming weeks with plans to fill the position in October. City Council will likely address issues raised during the meeting with the MRC at its February 2008 retreat.

For more information, call 770-794-7217.

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(Marietta, Ga. – Sept. 21, 2007) The Cobb County Family Fun Fest will combine with the annual Cobb County Make-A-Wish 5K to make an event for the whole family on Saturday, Oct. 13.

Registration for the charity 5K begins at 7 a.m. and the event starts at 8 a.m. The course begins and ends at the Marietta Square. Registration is $15; children 12 and under are $10; groups of 10 or more are $12 each; and kids under 5 are free (no T-shirt). Registration after Oct. 8 will be $20. All registered participants will receive a commemorative long sleeve T-shirt. “Phantom runners” who want to participate in spirit can pay $20 and indicate their T-shirt size on the registration form.

Proceeds from the race go to the Make-A-Wish foundation to help grant the wishes of children in Cobb County who have life-threatening medical condition. For more information or to register, visit CobbMakeAWish5K.org, or call 770-528-2620.

The Cobb Fun Fest, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m, will include live music, arts and crafts, storytelling, inflatable carnival rides and free game booths with prizes. Admission is free.

Government departments, including police and fire, will be on hand to give interactive presentations. Cobb County and the City of Marietta are co-sponsors of the event. Magicians, balloon artists and face painters will roam Marietta Square throughout the day.

The Cobb County and Marietta school districts will also partner in the event and distribute health-related materials. For more information call 770-528-8800.

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Released by:
Gary Witte
Robert Quigley
(770) 528-2485

MARIETTA, Ga. (Sept. 20, 2007) Today, the Cobb County -Marietta Water Authority (CCMWA) declared a level four drought response across its service area, restricting all outdoor water usage. In a level four drought response, no outdoor water usage is allowed, other than for activities exempted by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

“We are currently in what may become a ‘drought of record,’” said Glenn Page, general manager of CCMWA. “It is important that we take steps now to preserve our water supply for future use.”

The drought declaration was made following consultation with the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority Board and state officials. After an extensive analysis of data regarding the current and projected drought conditions and lake levels at Lake Allatoona and Lake Lanier, the Authority determined that an immediate declaration of a level four drought response was necessary to ensure that the long term water needs of customers are met as well as to ensure adequate fire protection, public safety and health for the community. The current drought, as well as increased water releases by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, is expected to result in a draw down of Lake Allatoona to the winter pool lake elevation of 823 feet by October, instead of the normal December time frame.

“Lake Allatoona is projected to approach historically low levels” said Page. “That’s the major reason we have to act decisively now.”

A level two drought response was declared for all of Georgia in April of this year by State EPD Director Dr. Carol Couch. However, local governments and water utilities and authorities may impose more stringent water schedules due to local conditions. Many Georgians currently reside in areas under level four drought response.

A level four drought response prohibits all outdoor water usage, other than for activities exempted by the State EPD or as the State EPD director may order. The level four drought response outdoor water use schedule replaces the level two drought response schedule which had been in place in the Cobb-County Marietta Water Authority service area. The level four drought response outdoor water use schedule is effective immediately. “It is expected that we will be operating under level four drought response until the lake levels and precipitation significantly improve over a period of time” said Page.

Under the declaration:

Watering of newly installed landscape by homeowners is prohibited in Drought Response Level 4. For new landscape installed prior to the Drought Response Level 4 declaration the homeowner may complete their 30 watering days between the hours of midnight and 10 AM. Proof of landscape purchase prior to the declaration date is required.

Watering of new landscape installed by certified or licensed professionals may be watered for 30 days.

Landscape and irrigation professionals are exempt from restrictions when on the property.

Homeowners must follow the hours of Midnight -10 AM.

Irrigation of personal food gardens is allowed.

More information about the outdoor water use schedules can be found on the EPD web site at www.gaepd.org. To learn more about water conservation, please go to www.waterSmart.net. Detailed information on the drought can be found at www.georgiadrought.org

About the Cobb County – Marietta Water Authority

The Cobb County - Marietta Water Authority is the second largest provider of drinking water in Georgia. CCMWA provides treated drinking water on a wholesale basis to Cobb County, Cherokee County Water and Sewerage Authority, Paulding County, Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewerage Authority, Fulton County, Marietta, Austell, Powder Springs, Smyrna, Mountain Park, Woodstock, Lockheed Martin Corporation and Southern Polytechnic State University.

Marietta Wine Market has been nominated as one of Atlanta’s top businesses on myfoxatlanta’s HOT LIST. Voting ends Sept 14th and we were just notified this week. Help us put Marietta Square on the Map. Click on this link and place your vote today!

Other cool wine events:

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 th (5:00pm- 7:00pm) Open to the Public
Wine Tasting at the Marietta Wine “South American Tour ” Charity $ Donation: Leukemia Lymphoma Society” Stop by this Wednesday and try out some exceptional wines from Chile and Argentina. Both countries produce an array of wines that are great values for the money. While Cabernet and Merlot are prominent, grapes like Carmenere and Malbec are great tasting and pair well with almost any food. Bring your friends and sample some new and exciting wines.