Roundabouts

The weekend I started writing this column, I had just taken a short drive to nearby Douglasville to buy some produce and flowers from a farmer whose goods I normally just pick up at a local farmers’ market. However, since my wife and I haven’t been venturing outside too much lately, we wanted to hit the road — even if it was just for less than two hours roundtrip.

Near the farm, we drove through what looked like a relatively new roundabout, and I started thinking about how prevalent they’ve become in Georgia and I wondered if people actually knew how to use them, were not scared or intimidated to use them, and if they actually improved traffic flow for a population more accustomed to four-way intersections.

Well, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), roundabouts do work. Studies have shown that roundabouts are safer than traditional stop sign or signal-controlled intersections. Roundabouts reduced injury crashes by 75 percent at intersections where stop signs or signals were previously used for traffic control. Additionally, roundabouts actually move traffic through an intersection more quickly, and with less congestion on approaching roads, the IIHS reports. And if drivers are paying attention to signs, roundabouts are actually easy to navigate, even in areas where you may be unsure of where you’re going.

In Cobb County, residents may not be too familiar with roundabouts. However, I was surprised to learn that we have nearly a dozen already in use and even more under construction. In fact, the Cobb Department of Transportation says it has plans to replace several four-way intersections with roundabouts. “Roundabouts have built-in safety designs that force drivers to slow down and yield to traffic within the lane before entering the roundabout,” the county reports. “Most traffic accidents occur at intersections due to conflict points and intersecting travel paths. By keeping traffic moving in the same direction, roundabouts reduce rear-end collisions — the most common type of collision.”

If you’re unsure how to navigate your way through a roundabout, the county says you should slow your speed, look to your left for approaching vehicles already in or entering the roundabout, and you should only come to a stop if you need to yield to traffic. If no traffic is approaching or in the roundabout, drivers should proceed to the right and exit at the appropriate intersection road. Simple.

If you’re still unconfident, the IIHS has a video on YouTube that will help:

MUST Meets Needs of Cobb Residents

Jennifer Morrell

MUST Ministries has been serving Cobb and surrounding counties for years. When COVID-19 hit, MUST was there to meet basic needs and more.

What originally began as a community outreach of Powder Springs United Methodist Church, Methodists United in Service and Training (now known as MUST) has become a significant provider of food, shelter, workforce development, medical clinic services, and clothing to the Cobb and Cherokee county communities. Over the years, churches throughout the area have become involved in this outreach, and the name was changed to Ministries United in Service and Training. Eventually, MUST incorporated as simply “MUST Ministries.”

“MUST addresses the basic needs of individuals, families and children by providing food, shelter, workforce development, medical clinic services, and clothing,” says Chuck Rogers, director of retail operations for the organization. “MUST has facilities in the Cobb and Cherokee counties and Neighborhood Pantries consisting of 39 food pantries embedded in Cobb, Marietta, and Cherokee schools, serving a large number of at-risk children. We have been supplying grocery boxes since March 2016, and this program has served 24,724 people.”

MUST Marketplace

A significant initiative of MUST is its MUST Marketplace second-hand clothing store. Formerly located on Cobb Parkway, the new location in Sandy Plains Village offers men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, furniture, jewelry, home goods, small appliances, toys, books, sporting goods, and seasonal items. Some items are new from other stores that had overstock.

In 2013, MUST Marketplace replaced what was a small clothing closet, providing MUST Ministries clients with a retail environment to shop and receive free clothing allotments monthly. Marketplace served 2,888 clients in 2019, plus thousands of public shoppers who enjoy finding a bargain while helping MUST to help others. The Marketplace is funded by the revenue collected from cash-paying customers.

“Our model is to give MUST Ministries customers parity, not charity,” Rogers says. “We currently have two staff members and two more to hire. We are looking for a part-time cashier and a part-time merchandising associate. Before the pandemic, we had 30 regular volunteers and numerous drop-in volunteers.”

Managing through a pandemic

As it turned out, the COVID-19 pandemic was an ideal time for a service-based nonprofit to step up efforts and serve more people than ever. In the first 14 weeks of the pandemic, MUST provided nearly 1 million meals to 53,399 people, distributing summer lunches and grocery boxes, Monday through Friday.

“MUST Ministries, has been distributing summer lunch meals to children for 25 years and delivering five-day meal kits to children all summer,” Rogers says. “When Cobb County Schools decided to delay opening until Aug. 17, suddenly there were thousands of summer lunch children who needed lunch meals. MUST has been raising money and gathering volunteer and staff support to extend the program.”

Taking care of others is an expensive endeavor. MUST partners with a packaged food company to provide nutritious meals at a cost of $66,000. In addition, the nonprofit is continuing to pay for trucks, fuel, drivers, staff, and other expenses. The organization also donated $25,000 to Marietta City Schools to extend the Seamless Summer Meal Program.

Raising funds in 2020 can be difficult, but the greatest challenge MUST has faced during the pandemic has been accessing enough food supplies. In the beginning, food and toiletries were difficult to find in bulk. MUST had to resort to retail prices when, typically, a food bank and discount sites had been used.

“Fortunately, MUST donors gave money to help meet the need, but in the past month, ‘giving fatigue’ has plagued most nonprofits that are seeing a dip in financial giving and giving of food,” Rogers says.

On a positive note, Rogers has seen a remarkable linking of arms between nonprofits that have worked together to fight the crisis. For instance, a group of 60 organizations in Cobb meet regularly, sharing food, giving tips on where to find food at a good price, and encouraging one another.

When MUST Marketplace was able to reopen, it was challenging. Rogers says that, as for most retailers, the reopening was slow and sales were down. In the first few weeks, the Marketplace was selling about 50 percent of its usual volume.

“MUST Ministries has continued to adapt all programs through COVID-19, finding innovative solutions to offer help and hope for people in desperate need,” Rogers says. “Remarkably, MUST has served almost 60,000 people since COVID-19 began, when we typically serve 33,500 over the course of a year.”

Simply a MUST

For over 50 years, MUST has been established as a servant leader, caring for those in need in eight counties by providing food, housing, workforce development, medical care, and clothing.

“MUST is grateful for very generous donors who bring items to the Donation Center to support the programs offered to those in need,” Rogers says. “MUST is currently in a capital campaign to build a new campus to meet the demand for services. We provide 72 beds in the Elizabeth Inn Shelter, but are sadly turning away 200 to 300 people a month because of full beds — 70 percent of whom are women and children.”

Rogers says MUST absolutely has to expand its capacity to serve those in need, to provide hope to a greater number of women and children, and to reach the most vulnerable in the Cobb community. “Our hope is to build a fully furnished home with twice the current capacity with a living area designed for dignity, comfort, and space,” he says. “In addition, we will provide a centralized campus with comprehensive support services, such as a medical clinic, food pantry, and outreach services.”

Rogers recounts a success story whereby MUST Marketplace helped a citizen toward her next phase in life. “One of our regular customers is named Jackie. Several years ago, she was one of our shelter clients. She is working now, remarried, and comes to the Marketplace often to buy goods for her home. Our quality and prices allow her to furnish her home. Jackie is a testament to how MUST Ministries changes lives.”

You can visit MUST Marketplace Monday through Saturday. MUST Marketplace donations can be taken to the MUST Donation Centers. To donate larger items such as furniture, please call MUST Marketplace first. Learn more about the organization at mustministries.org.

Investing In Students

Cory Sekine-Pettite

New building brings new opportunities for protecting Whitefield Academy’s youngest pupils.

On Aug. 17, 2020, the new school year began here in Cobb County under the ire of the worst national health crisis this country has seen since the flu pandemic of 1918. While there has been much public debate and private discourse regarding the merits of opening schools this fall, one thing is for certain: the schools had to be prepared.

Above all else, administrators and teachers in every school planned all summer to make the health and safety of students and faculty the number-one priority. Where possible, classrooms have been modified, certain activities are being limited, and CDC and Department of Health guidelines are being followed. Knowing that Whitefield Academy in Smyrna was debuting a new building for its youngest pupils, we checked in with Lower School Principal Maryellen Berry just as the school year was beginning to find out how Whitefield’s PreK through fourth-grade students are being protected.

Providing A Lifeline

Haisten Willis

As the novel coronavirus continues to rock Cobb County, the nation, and the world, many scheduled events and projects have been subject to delays or cancellations. The opposite was true for the new emergency department at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.

The massive, 263,000-square-foot facility couldn’t have opened at a better time. A July 20 ribbon cutting was held for the new facility, which was in the works for nearly a decade, as a masked Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp were joined by Wellstar Board of Trustees Chair Otis Brumby III, Wellstar CEO Candice Saunders, and Wellstar Kennestone Hospital President Mary Chatman.

“This historic moment is the result of an inspiring team and strong community partnership centered on bringing world-class healthcare to every person, every time,” Saunders said during the ribbon cutting. “The new emergency department is an asset to our system and all of the people we care for.”

The facility opened to the public three days later. Inside are 162,825 square feet of clinical space and 166 treatment beds. The Level II trauma center (defined as being able to initiate definitive care for all injured patients) is part of the state’s largest trauma network and, according to Wellstar officials, is expected to be one of the largest and busiest trauma centers in the entire nation.

“We’re a Level II trauma center and a certified comprehensive stroke and certified comprehensive cardiac center,” says Nancy Doolittle, executive director of nursing and emergency services at Wellstar Kennestone. “What those designations mean is that we’re able to care for the highest level of patients. If a stroke patient needs to have intervention done, we have neurosurgeons who have the ability to do that. If somebody needs to have open-heart surgery or other procedures beyond catheterization, it allows us to do that.”

The emergency department opened after two-and-a-half years of construction after officials broke ground on the new Kennestone expansion in February of 2018. But the project was in the planning phase for more than two years prior to the groundbreaking, and the idea for it dates back roughly 10 years.

In his statements at the ribbon cutting, Kemp praised both the economic impact and the health impact of the facility. “The State of Georgia proudly supports Wellstar Health System and the more than 24,000 team members who are on the front lines providing outstanding and life-saving care to Georgians,” said Gov. Kemp, according to a press release. “The new emergency department at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital will have an immediate positive impact on our community by serving as a critical care resource to Georgians experiencing medical emergencies or trauma.”

The emergency department is larger than even the biggest Walmart Supercenter, and is one of the two largest and busiest emergency departments in the United States. It will be able to serve up to 600 patients per day, or 220,000 patients a year. Both figures are more than double that of the previous trauma and emergency capacities at Kennestone.

It’s still to be determined how the old emergency space will be used, but Doolittle said Wellstar leaders are looking at what best meets the needs of the community during the pandemic.

Wellstar officials stressed that the new center was designed and built with the community in mind as well. The healthcare system actively solicited feedback from community partners, using that input to design and build the new facility. “Wellstar Kennestone Hospital’s new emergency department was designed to continue to provide safe and high-quality care to our community,” said Chatman at the ribbon cutting. “Wellstar actively solicited feedback from our community partners and used the input to build our new facility. Our new emergency department will be the industry leader in best practices, with world-class providers, team members, and service.”

When it comes to treating COVID-19, the new emergency department means the hospital has much more surge capacity if needed. Doolittle said hospital admissions through the emergency department have swelled and dipped throughout the pandemic. When social distancing was being heavily promoted in the spring they saw fewer patients, but the numbers started to go up later in the year.

“Some people may have been afraid of coming in, and were trying to keep their distance to be safe,” says Doolitte. “But by the time they made it to the hospital, they were sicker and should have come in sooner. I think that was difficult for everyone; we saw that across the country. Their needs didn’t go away, but many of them weren’t coming in.”

She emphasized that COVID patients are kept separately from others and that it’s always important to go to the emergency room if you have urgent medical needs. “You don’t want people staying home who should have come in,” she says. “We have the ability to segregate our lobby spaces. If for some reason there’s a wait, we can separate patients with symptoms of COVID. There are a lot of patient safety factors that we bring into our care.”

Aside from its impressive size, the emergency department also was designed with the aim of reducing wait times, expediting discharges, and enhancing the overall experience. There are separate entrances and wings for pediatric and adult patients, a streamline care initiation intake process, private exam rooms in place of curtain dividers, flexible spaces able to provide for treatment of both high- and low-acuity cases, and planned spaces and processes for de-escalation, isolation and decontamination for patients who present with infectious disease or behavioral health issues.

“There’s definitely a learning curve, but overall I am so proud of our team,” says Doolittle. “The day that we transitioned patients from the old to the new departments was seamless. It was a great transition. We learn new things every day, but overall it has been fantastic.”

The second floor of the department is dedicated to behavioral health, with 12 beds for specialized behavioral health and intervention services. There are three different ambulance bays for different levels of patient severity, and parking for up to 17 different ambulances at once.

The emergency department also includes 14 negative-pressure rooms (for airborne infectious disease management), direct access to the high acuity and trauma care area from a rooftop helipad via elevator, better vehicular access for both patients and emergency vehicles and an on-site, underground parking garage to drop off patients. Lastly, there are imaging rooms directly adjacent to trauma rooms, plus additional critical care equipment and technology.

“I’m so proud of the team at Wellstar and everyone who played a part in the design process,” says Doolittle. “We had a neighborhood committee that met frequently. To know that we had neighborhood insight and that they were part of the process was just amazing.”

The emergency department is the latest expansion for Wellstar Health System and for Kennestone Hospital, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2020. Kennestone has more than 600 patient beds, serving hundreds of thousands of visitors a year and with one of only three Level II trauma centers in metro Atlanta.

Wellstar Health System now includes 11 hospitals, more than 300 medical office locations, nine cancer centers, 55 rehabilitation centers, three hospice facilities, one retirement home, 21 imaging centers, 15 urgent care locations, and five health parks.

Cobb County Commission and SelectCobb distribute relief grants to local businesses

Cory Sekine-Pettite

Too Important to Fail

On March 27, 2020, the President signed the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act to expand unemployment insurance benefits and other economic relief measures aimed at reducing the economic impact of the novel coronavirus 2019 (“COVID-19”) pandemic and authorized $2.1 trillion in aid to various sectors of the economy. This economic relief package is in addition to the Family First Corona Virus Response Act. Congress continues to debate expanding federal aid for families and small businesses as the virus continues to wreak havoc across the country. In the meantime, under the current available funding, what this means for Cobb County is $50 million in relief funds available to business owners to help get them back on their feet.

In May, Cobb County Government announced a partnership with SelectCobb to distribute the funding. SelectCobb, formerly known as Cobb’s Competitive EDGE, is an initiative of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and its community-wide partners to market Cobb County to the world, thus generating high-wage job growth, new private investment, and a pipeline of top talent. The SelectCobb Small Business Relief Grants provide up to $40,000 grants for small businesses based in Cobb County to use on personnel, rent, utilities, and acquiring PPE to ensure the safety of their employees. The grants are tiered, based on the number of employees: business with one to 10 employees can receive up to $20,000; firms with 11 to 50 employees, up to $30,000; and companies with 51 to 100 employees, up to $40,000.

Sharon Mason, president and CEO of the Cobb
Chamber of Commerce, and Mike Boyce, Cobb County
Commission chairman, speak to grant recipients ahead
of the check presentations.

“Maintaining jobs and promoting growth within Cobb County has been and always will be our number-one priority for our small business community,” said Kevin Greiner, president and CEO of Gas South and Chairman of SelectCobb for the Cobb Chamber. “The SelectCobb Small Business Relief Grants will allow Cobb’s small businesses to stand strong during this pandemic and continue to meet necessary business expenses, as well as providing capital to acquire PPE and other resources to ensure a safe working environment for their employees.”

Only July 31, officials announced the first round of grant recipients, who received a total of $7.5 million in funding. Approximately 56 percent of the 409 grant recipients are minority-owned businesses, while 53 percent are women-owned, and 8 percent are veterans. “We are incredibly thankful to Cobb County Government for their continued support of local small businesses, who have been working tirelessly to continue operations during COVID-19,” said Dana Johnson, COO of the Cobb Chamber and executive director of SelectCobb. “These grants speak to our collective commitment to providing residents with opportunities to grow and thrive while continuing to drive the county’s economic development and impact.”

Mike Boyce, Cobb County Commission chairman,
presents Terry Vick from Glass Graphics with the
company’s small business relief grant.

“On March 12, my personal chef business for 2020 was promising. On March 13, two thirds of my business disappeared from my calendar. All of my culinary instruction classes and catering events began to be erased as clients were no longer entertaining and facilities began to close down,” said Chef Elizabeth Weaver, owner and chef for Elizabeth Edibles Personal Chef Services. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure I could qualify as a sole proprietor for this grant, but with great assistance from SelectCobb and research, I easily applied, and I will be able to regroup, market, and keep cooking for Cobb County!”

Sharon Mason, president/CEO of the Cobb Chamber told Cobb In Focus recently that the grants are helping local businesses weather this economic storm. “Our economic recovery taskforce has been focused on seeking more grant opportunities as well as helping businesses reopen safely, and many more businesses have been opening more recently. Also, with Georgia as the number-one state to do business, we are projected to recover faster than other states. In fact, our SelectCobb team has seen a significant increase in companies considering relocating to Cobb from another state since the pandemic began. With new companies bringing jobs and investment to Cobb, we will recover much faster.”

Cobb County Board of Commission members present grant funds to local business House of Heralds.

Grants program extended

Recently, Cobb County extended its partnership with SelectCobb to offer a second round of Small Business Relief Grants. The application process for those grants expired before this magazine went to press, but eligible businesses were able to apply to receive up to $40,000 to use toward personnel, rent, utilities, and acquiring PPE. In an effort to educate small businesses on the application process for the grants, an informative webinar series launched on August 4 and features Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce and each of the Cobb County Commissioners and local mayors throughout the series.

“I’m gratified that the board came together to address an important segment of our community, the small business community,” said Chairman Mike Boyce in a news release. “It demonstrates when it is all said and done, this board has the best interest of the county at heart. We work every day to do the best we can with the money we have — whether it is county money, state money, or federal money — we all have a duty to make sure the taxpayer’s money is spent appropriately and I think this is one action that reflects that.”

Businesses that have received financial assistance from the Payroll Protection Program or Small Business Administration are eligible for the second round of grants. In addition, businesses can include both W-2 and 1099 contract employees toward their total employee count. A full list of eligibility requirements for these grants — and any potential future grants — is available at selectcobb.com/grants, but the basic requirements are described below.

Small businesses must meet the following requirements:

Business must be an existing for-profit corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship
Business headquarters or primary location must be within Cobb County
Business must have 100 or fewer full-time, W-2 employees and/or individual 1099 contractors that function like employees, i.e., employees or contractors working at least 30 hours per week or 130 hours per month
Business must have been in continuous operation for a minimum of one year prior to March 13, 2020
Business must have a current business license issued by Cobb County Government, City of Acworth, City of Austell, City of Kennesaw, City of Marietta, City of Powder Springs or City of Smyrna
Business must be current on all local taxes
Business may be home-based or located in an owned or leased commercial space
Business must certify if it has received PPP/SBA funds and the amount in which it received as of time of application submittal
Business cannot be a publicly-traded company
Ineligible businesses include: Gambling institutions, multi-level marketing organizations, real estate investment firms, and adult entertainment.

Time will tell if and when a third round of grants will be announced. In the meantime, the committee will review applications per Commission District so that all areas are equally represented in the number of companies being assisted. Once determinations are made, a public announcement of grants funds will be made by representatives of the selection committee, SelectCobb, Cobb Chamber, and Cobb County Government. “Cobb County should be applauded for creating one of the largest small business grants in the region,” said Johnson. “I want to thank the Board of Commissioners for their leadership and commitment to ensuring that Cobb County remains one of the top destinations for small businesses.”

Cobb Chamber Announces Small Businesses of The Year

Marietta.com

In early August, the Cobb Chamber named its Top 25 Small Businesses of the Year and declared that Three-13 Salon, Spa & Boutique in Marietta is the Business of the Year.

With a motto of “Be Your Best You,” Three-13 welcomes in partners, employees, and customers from every imaginable background with open arms. They also host an annual “Angels of Life” event, which has raised awareness and $560,000 over the past nine years for The Georgia Transplant Foundation, an organization near and dear to managing partner Lester Crowell, whose own two heart transplants have given him new life and determination.

To be considered for the Top 25 Small Businesses of the Year, each hopeful submits an application to the Cobb Chamber. The applicants must prove an increase in sales or unit volume, provide examples of innovation, discuss adversity and challenges, and thoroughly detail their community involvement. Below is the complete list of winners:

Top 25 Small Businesses
of the Year

All Roof Solutions
Artisan Custom Closets
Brookwood Christian School
CFO Navigator
CROFT & Associates
Deluxe Athletics, LLC
Digital Yalo
DynamiX
Eclipse Networks, Inc.
Fulfillment Strategies International, Inc.
Georgia Trade School
Governors Gun Club
id8 Agency
InPrime Legal
Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team
K. Mike Whittle Designs Inc.
Manay CPA, Inc.
Mills Specialty Metals, LLC
The Partnership of Atlanta, Inc.
Ruby-Collins, Inc.
Southeastern Engineering, Inc.
Stablegold Hospitality, LLC
Three-13 Salon, Spa & Boutique
Vertisys
Win-Tech, Inc.

Marietta City School Reopening Plan

Marietta.com

Marietta City Schools started the 2020-2021 school year with classes online only beginning on August 4. On August 11, the board of education approved the “Flexible Approach to Teaching and Learning” reopening plan that was developed with the goal of giving students and their families the ability to choose between in-person or online classes.

Phase 1:
Phase 1 is scheduled to begin on September 8 for students in pre-k, kindergarten, first, and second grades. This phase also includes low-incidence special education students in grades 3-5. Those choosing to attend will receive 2 days of in-person classes per week – either Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday. Classes will be limited to a maximum of 9 students. Students who would like to continue with classes online, and all students not included in phase 1, will continue with their current online class schedule.

Phase 2:
Phase 2 extends the 2 days per week of in-person class option to grades three, four, and five. In addition, low-incidence special education students in grades k-12 will have the option for in-person classes 2 days per week.

Phase 3:
Phase 3 allows for students in grades PreK-5 to learn at the school 5 days per week. Grades 6, 7, and 9 can choose 1-2 days of in-person learning. In addition, low-incidence special education students in grades k-12 will have the option for in-person classes 5 days per week.

Phase 4:
Phase 4 allows for students in grades PreK-5 to learn at the school 5 days per week. Grades 6-12 can choose 1-2 days of in-person learning. In addition, low-incidence special education students in grades k-12 will have the option for in-person classes 5 days per week.

Phase 5:
Phase 5 is a return to 5-day weeks for all students in PreK-12. This will begin when community transmission is “minimal to moderate” (100 or fewer cases per 100,000 people).

In each phase, students eligible for in-person learning may opt to remain in online-only classes. Students opting for in-person classes will still have online classes during the weekdays when they are not at school. The transition to each phase could begin as early as 2-4 weeks after the previous phase, and the decision will be guided by both community COVID-19 transmission and school-based staffing and mitigation strategies.

Marietta City Schools Factors for Each Phase:

Risk Mitigation Strategies: Ability to successfully execute each of the daily risk mitigation strategies, which align to CDC guidelines for safely reopening schools
Staffing: Ability to staff required positions for teaching and school operations

Public Health Considerations for Each Phase:

Transmission Data: Consistent decline in 14-day case rate (date of onset) per 100,000 people in Cobb County (as determined by Georgia Department of Public Health and Cobb & Douglas Public Health)
COVID-19 Testing: Timely access to testing and results
Contact Tracing/Case Investigation: Ability to quickly notify individuals who may have come in contact with person who has tested positive for COVID-19 or is showing symptoms of COVID-19

Read the full reopening plan on the Marietta City Schools website:
Flexible Approach to Teaching and Learning

Cobb Schools 2020-2021 school year start to be virtual only

Marietta.com

During a Board of Education work session on July 16, Cobb County School District announced that the start to the 2020-2021 school year will be virtual only. All students in grades K-12 will be remote and the start date remains Monday, August 17, 2020. Teachers began pre-planning in schools on July 27.

Cobb County School Calendars:
Cobb County School Calendar 2020-2021
Cobb County School Calendar 2021-2022

Marietta City School Calendars:
Marietta City School Calendar 2020-2021
Marietta City School Calendar 2021-2022

Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale said, “This decision has been weighing on me for a while. I know we need to get back to face-to-face instruction. That is why we tried to offer parents two options – in-person and virtual – to start the school year. Unfortunately, public health guidance does not make that possible.”

Unlike the end of the school year last year, Ragsdale said that grades will be real, and attendance and engagement will be required. For employees, social distancing will be encouraged, and zoom meetings should substitute for face-to-face meetings, even for employees in the same building. “It is incumbent upon us all to do whatever we can to flatten the curve” Ragsdale said, noting that the sooner we can get out of high-spread, the sooner we can get back to school in person.

Students, teachers, and parents will be able to login to one platform for all student learning during the fall of 2020. The Cobb Teaching and Learning System (CTLS) will be introduced to all parents and students and will enable learning to happen effectively and conveniently from a remote classroom or the living room.

At this time, the district is not postponing or delaying the start of fall athletics, however all other extracurricular activities (including ASP and clubs) are suspended until students return to face-to-face instruction. Cobb County plans a return as soon as public health guidance and data allows for it, though no timeline has been set for a return to the classroom.

Fulton County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney also announced Thursday that classes will begin August 17 entirely online, joining Atlanta Public Schools, the DeKalb County School District, Decatur City, and the Clayton County Public Schools in starting virtually. Marietta City Schools’ Superintendent Grant Rivera also said the Marietta schools would be starting virtual only.

During a special called meeting on July 2, the Cobb County School District Board of Education voted to delay the start of the 2020-2021 school year until August 17th in response to a recommendation by Superintendent Chris Ragsdale.

“We are ready to see learning taking place but the health and safety of our students and staff is always our first priority.” said Superintendent Chris Ragsdale.

From the Cobb County School District:

“Building a plan that works for nearly 19,000 employees, 113,000 students, and 750,000 residents in our county has been and will continue to be a tremendous task as COVID-19 continues to evolve. Our team of educators is thankful for the school community’s patience and continued support as we navigate these unprecedented times together.

For the last three months a team of more than 100 district leaders – including principals, assistant principals, teachers, and district employees – have been working around-the-clock to develop solutions that are both practical in school settings and in line with public health guidance, even as that guidance continues to change.

It is more important than ever that our team comes together to serve students, they need us more than ever. This year will be like none other, and I am confident the plan to start the 2020-2021 school year is based on the needs of students,” said Superintendent Chris Ragsdale.

Cobb Schools has launched an  informational site  dedicated to the 2020-2021 School Year. Please visit this site for the most up to date details regarding the opening of schools and more details regarding online learning.

Extended Hours for Covid-19 Testing

Marietta.com

Free drive-thru COVID-19 testing is ~~available~~ no longer available at Jim Miller Park. The extended hours for testing are Monday through Friday from 7am to 7pm and Saturday from 7am to noon. Testing is now available for all, regardless of symptoms, though it was initially reserved for potentially exposed healthcare workers, first responders, critical infrastructure workers, residents in long-term care facilities or group residential settings experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19.

To find a testing or immunization location near you, please visit Covid19.dph.ga.gov.

Hours:
~~Monday through Friday from 7am to 7pm~~
~~Saturday from 7am to noon~~

Cost:
Free

Address:
Jim R Miller Park
2245 Callaway Rd SW
Marietta, GA 30008

For more information, please contact your healthcare provider, a provider at a federally qualified healthcare center, complete an assessment at CDPHCOVID19testing.org, or contact the CDPH Call Center at 770-514-2300.

The information in this article was current as of Tuesday, August 18, 2020. For more information and to get the most recent updates, please visit CobbAndDouglasPublicHealth.com.

New Kennestone Emergency Department Virtual Ribbon-Cutting

Marietta.com

On Thursday (7/16) at 2pm, you are invited to tune into Wellstar Health System’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for its brand new Wellstar Kennestone Hospital Emergency Department – a 263,000-square-foot facility, which will be one of the largest and busiest emergency departments in the nation. The small, outdoor, social distanced, ribbon-cutting event will feature Governor Brian Kemp and a small group of Wellstar leaders.

You can view the Wellstar Kennestone Hospital Emergency Department ribbon cutting ceremony livestream at www.facebook.com/wellstarhealthsystem.

Wellstar Kennestone Hospital will open the new emergency department to patients on July 23, 2020.

Date:
Thursday, July 16, 2020 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Admission:
Free to stream on Wellstar Health System’s Facebook page

Address:
Wellstar Kennestone Hospital
677 Church St, Marietta, GA 30060
Event is not open to the public in order to practice safe social distancing. Viewers are invited to view the live stream on Wellstar Health System’s Facebook page.

For more information, please call (770) 793-5000 or visit http://www.facebook.com/wellstarhealthsystem

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