Free family fun day at Marietta Square – Sat. 4/22

April 16, 2006 – 12:46 pm

Bring the kids and get ready for a day of fun on the Marietta Square! The Cobb Family Fun Fest will once again return to the Marietta Square from 10am-3pm on Saturday, April 22nd. The event will include live music, arts and crafts, storytelling, inflatable carnival rides and free game booths with prizes. Cobb County Government Departments, including police and fire, will be on hand to give interactive presentations. Magicians, balloon artists and face painters will roam the square throughout the day. Admission is free.

For more details and information, please call 770.528.8800

By mpi2 | Posted in Site Features | Comments (0)

The Square: Past and Present – Share your memories with us!

April 15, 2006 – 8:10 pm

The Marietta Square has gone through quite a rebirth in the past few years. Restaurants such as Willie Rae’s and the Marietta Pizza Company are staples on the dining map, while newcomers such as Thaicoon and Kiosco already welcome back loyal patrons. With the campaign to bring back The Strand theater in full swing, you know that what goes around, comes around.

We’d love for you, our loyal readers, to share your memories and stories of “the Square” with us. Anything you’d like to contribute, whether it’s a recollection of the Square when you were a child, old pictures of the Marietta Square or a first impression you had when you moved here, is welcome. We’d also like to hear your thoughts on where you think the Square is going and any ideas for improvements. Blog away, Marietta!

Click here to Share your Memories of the Square with us!

By mpi2 | Posted in Historic Landmarks, Local Restaurants, Marietta Square, Redevelopment | Comments (1)

Spotlight on Marietta High School

April 13, 2006 – 8:10 am

We were honored to have a meeting this past Tuesday with MHS principal and longtime Marietta resident, Leigh Colburn. Leigh took us on a tour of the facility, which was more than impressive. We encountered several teachers who were passionate about their subjects, their classrooms, and the school in general. WhitlockAvenue.com is excited, as we are in the works with MHS to create a subsection of the site devoted to all things Marietta High School. We will spotlight happenings related to the school, including student academic achievements and special events. We also hope to enlist some of MHS’ top journalists to write content for the site.

This is an exciting venture that we will have online soon. As we continue to join forces with our community, our hope is to keep everyone more informed than before and, by involving those who have a passion for Marietta, to bring us a full portrait of our city on a daily basis.

Where is the Marietta High School?

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addAddress("1171 Whitlock Avenue,30064");
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By mpi | Posted in Historic Landmarks, Schools, Site Features | Comments (0)

Cobb County to pick up storm debris

April 11, 2006 – 6:24 pm

Good evening everyone, we just got word that Cobb County is assisting with downed trees and limbs from the storm the other night. Please read the press release from today if you are in need of tree and/or debris removal in Marietta/Cobb County.

For IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

(Marietta, Ga. ? April 11, 2006) Several hundred properties in Cobb County were impacted by the storms and tornados that occurred on April 8. Residents can now contact the county?s department of transportation (DOT) for hauling downed trees and limbs from their property. Officials are contracting with a hauling service to pick up debris along roadways in unincorporated Cobb County.

Residents are being instructed to place trees and limbs in the right of away along their property no later than April 25 for pick up. This service is only available to residents impacted by Saturday?s storms. Requests for assistance should be directed to Cobb DOT at (770) 528-3666. County officials will verify that each request is related to the storms of April 8 prior to pick up.

####
Contact:
Robert J. Quigley
770-528-2485

By admin | Posted in Site Features | Comments (0)

Crime Log: Issue No. 1

April 10, 2006 – 10:34 pm

Welcome to Issue No. 1 of WhitlockAvenue.com’s Crime Log! This week, our story involves a dumb criminal. It seems that about a week ago, an unnamed employee at our local CVS Pharmacy was working late-night. Our amateur criminal entered the store and tried to take 2 packages of cigarettes. The unnamed employee wasn’t going to let this criminal go without a fight. The employee engaged the criminal in a tussle and they went back and forth a few times, before the criminal pushed the employee back against the wall behind the counter and onto the floor.

The employee injured their tailbone area, but was able to get back up. When the employee was back on their feet, the criminal had left the store. However, they left one key piece of personal property on the counter: a wallet. Not surprisingly, our heroic employee called the police and the criminal was apprehended within 30 minutes! Got a funny story for the crime log? Tell us about it!

By mpi | Posted in Cobb County, Crime, Marietta Square, Site Features | Comments (0)

Immigration in Marietta, one hot issue!

April 10, 2006 – 7:36 am

If you are a regular driver around the Marietta Square, you will see a ton of people ‘hanging out’ in the morning right outside the Krystal, Walgreens, and the mini-strip mall just across from the CVS. These people are very hard workers and help out the community, doing things like construction, painting and manual labor. Right now they are the focus of some huge federal legislation and there are many demonstrations planned for today, April 10th, 2006.

Even the Marietta City government is dealing with these issues of immigration. In an article from the MDJ, it looks like the city is having to get interpreters for all types of hearings in the County Court System.

Immigration has pushed its way into the national discussion like never before in recent weeks, with both federal and state legislation pending or passed concerning the status of people who are in this country illegally, mostly from Mexico.

Those measures were met with protests in Atlanta and around the country, with advocates for illegal immigrants insisting that they contribute to society by taking jobs Americans don’t want.

There have been many suggestions written about how to fix the issues of illegal immigration. What are your ideas for the city of Marietta? Do you have a plan that can help address the issues we, as a city, are facing? Click the “Share your opinion” icon below to let others know what you are thinking!

By admin | Posted in City Council, Cobb County, Marietta Square, Site Features | Comments (1)

Again, awake at 4am by tornado sirens in Marietta

April 8, 2006 – 11:31 am

Once again, I found myself talking to our Editor of WhitlockAvenue.com this morning at 4am. About 3 months ago, this was due to a blown transformer in Rambo Estates that sounded like a bomb went off. This time, it was due to the strong line of thunderstorms we had rip through the area last night. What do y’all think about the tornado warning system we have in Marietta and Cobb County? As we were huddled in our interior-most bathroom, all I could hear was a mumbled voice of a guy telling us something.

It appears the speaker was struggling and was hard to hear…what do you all think? Are we prepared for a natural disaster here in Marietta, or worse yet, an attack of some sort? What is the general readiness of the fire, police, rescue and government in City of Marietta? Just some thoughts on this beautiful Saturday morning..Share your opinion by clicking the icon below.

According to an AJC article regarding the storms last night…

There have been no reported injuries, Baird said about 8:30 a.m.

Some buildings along Roswell Street between the Marietta Square and the Big Chicken on U.S. 41 were heavily damaged. A tractor-trailer rig parked in the K-mart lot across from the Big Chicken flipped over, Baird said.

High winds and hail were reported across the state, the National Weather Service’s Avila said.

Rainfall totals were modest because of the speed of the storm, he said. “All you saw was brief, heavy rainfall,” Avila said.

No flooding was reported, he added, and none was expected.

Georgia Power officials said about 36,000 customers lost electricity in the metro Atlanta area. Another 8,000 in northwest Georgia had no power. Flight delays of at least 45 minutes were reported at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

By admin | Posted in Marietta Square | Comments (2)

“Save Whitlock Heights” : From What?

April 5, 2006 – 11:19 pm

It seems a local neighborhood is having an all-out war over one resident?s decision to split their lot and sell the back half. If you?ve driven through North Woodland Drive lately, you might?ve noticed signs reading, ?Save Whitlock Heights!? or ?This property not for sale? in the yards of some homeowners. We heard a petition is making the rounds, as well.

Neighbors have listed some reasons why they believe the lot should not be sold. Whitlock Heights has been an established Marietta community for some time now, located right off the Square and Whitlock Avenue. Many of the longtime residents appear threatened by their neighbor?s choice to split the lot and some of the yard signs? comments come across as quite personal. Here is the Google Map of the location in question – 411 North Woodland Drive,30064:

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On a ?for sale? flyer for the lot, it shows the lot being approved for splitting last year by a city official. It appears that everything is legal and approved. Now all that?s left for this resident is the approval of his neighbors.

What is your take on this situation? Do you agree with this resident?s decision to split his lot and sell the remainder or do you agree with the preservation sentiments of the other neighbors? Share your opinion by clicking the icon below!

By admin | Posted in Historic Landmarks, Marietta Real Estate, Marietta Square, Redevelopment | Comments (5)

Burnt Hickory Village – a New “Mini-West Cobb Avenues” style boutique shops just west of McDonalds on Whitlock Avenue

April 4, 2006 – 9:24 pm

Today, we talked to one of the developers of the new retail development that is going up just west of the McDonald’s on Whitlock Avenue. A short description of the project can be summed up as “A mini version of the West Cobb Avenues”. The new development will be home to upscale boutique shops and restaurants. There is approximately 55,000 square feet of retail space available in varying sizes depending on the needs of each business.

View the PDF about Burnt Hickory Village: Page 1 | Page 2

A few well known Marietta businesses such as Gabriel’s Desserts Bakery/Cafe and the Coldwell Banker Brokerage (currently on Whitlock Avenue) will also be relocating to this new space. The old Coldwell Banker Brokerage will be going up for sale once the transition is complete.

The most unique discovery we made was there will be a trendy, new “Do-it-yourself Dog Washing” shop. Gone are the days of old when there was just a laundry mat to wash your clothes. What would our grandmothers think? Only in 2006 can you stop for a delectable pastry from Gabriel’s, do a little shopping…only to be followed by a stop to wash your dog all in the same upscale shopping center.

We are excited to keep our eye on this upscale development in Marietta as new merchants continue to commit to the spaces available. We will update you as we receive any new information from the developers. If you are a business and would like to have more information about the retail space, please contact Holli Edie at 404.303.1600.

By admin | Posted in Local Restaurants, Marietta Real Estate, Marietta Square, Redevelopment | Comments (3)

Senior Care in Marietta: Your Opinion?

April 3, 2006 – 10:25 pm

With a public zoning hearing tomorrow night regarding the proposed senior condominiums in two Cobb locations, the question of senior care is brought to the table. The hearing is focused on high-density vs. low-density population levels for the concerned areas. The outcome will either grant Palladian, Inc. the right to build these high-density condos in surrounding low-density, single-family residential areas, or they will be denied. The zoning issue is one thing to think about, but what is your opinion on the state of senior care in our city? Many of you might have family members or parents who live in retirement communities or assisted living facilities. My grandmother resides at a local community like this. She receives good care and has a well-kept facility. What is your experience with local senior care? Do you have any concerns or ideas for improvement? Do you have any great feedback to give to the owners of these facilities? In terms of the zoning issue, what is your opinion?

By mpi | Posted in Cobb County, Marietta Real Estate, Redevelopment | Comments (0)