Few surprises in Cobb park buy recommendations

From the Marietta Daily Journal on Saturday, June 30, 2007 by Kelly Brooks, staff writer

MARIETTA - Cobb officials Friday announced the top 18 recommendations of the citizen advisory committee for the Cobb $40 million parks bond.

Few surprises topped the list. Four well-known properties - the 112-acre Bullard Farm on Dallas Highway in west Cobb, a 16-acre tract of hardwood trees with Civil War earthworks on Veterans Memorial Highway in southeast Cobb; the 95-acre Hyde Farm on Lower Roswell Road in northeast Cobb; and the 54-acre Tritt property on Roswell Road in northeast Cobb - all placed in the first of four tiers.

The other two properties in the first tier consist of a 140-acre southwest Cobb property adjacent to Stout Park and 26.5 acres of the 70-acre northeast Cobb Mabry Centennial Farm on Wesley Chapel Road.

Though the first tier represents properties the committee, after analyzing and visiting, decided were the most important to preserve, properties within each tier are not ranked.

Cobb Chairman Sam Olens said commissioners will visit the properties during upcoming weekends, starting today, because it's one thing to read about the tracts on paper and view the maps, but it's another to see and walk the land, he said.

According to Committee Chairman John Pape, the first tier was a consensus among the 15-member committee. The Hyde, Bullard and Tritt properties were in everyone's top tier, he said.

Property owner Wylene Tritt this spring collaborated with the county to establish a permanent easement in the form of a bridge across her property, allowing for the connection of East Cobb Park to Fullers Park.

Now, she said she is ready to sell her land to Cobb so that the public can enjoy the property.

"I feel like it's one of the best properties for the county since it's connected to two parks already and there are no other greenspaces around here for them to get," Mrs. Tritt said.

Based on average prices per acre in east Cobb, Mrs. Tritt's land is estimated to be worth between $5.2 million and $8.2 million, though she said contractors consistently have sought and "upped the price" on her property.

George Hart, one of the founders of the Friends of Hyde Farm, said that the Hyde recommendation "demonstrates the importance of the property and the community support behind the property."

"From our perspective, we're waiting, and hopefully that land will be put up for sale," he said on the property for which his organization has raised about $250,000.

According to the county recommendation list, the Hyde property currently is listed under the ownership of the estate of the late J.C. Hyde, a longtime Cobb farmer who signed an agreement in 1992 giving the California-based Trust for Public Land (members of which also will help Cobb to strike deals for the parks bond properties) first right to buy 95 acres of his original 134-acre farm.

Forty adjacent acres previously were deeded to the trust and ultimately turned over to the National Park Service, which reserved the land as part of the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area.

Members of the Hyde family began receiving offers from developers in 2005 ranging from $13 million to $18 million, but Hart said that to his knowledge, the family still has not listed the property with a broker.

But the real surprise in the top tier, Pape said, was the property next to Stout Park, an interesting mix of field and woods.

Pape said one committee member qualified the land by saying, "It's like when you're coming around a corner, you're walking from room to room."

Stephen Stana, property owner and Cobb's biggest hay producer, said there is "no question" he's willing to work with the county for a good deal.

"It would enhance Stout substantially," Stana said, noting he has been offered contracts on the property but favors greenspace over development.

"This area is about ready to blow out," he said. "They're surveying for sewer."

According to a recent report issued by the Atlanta Regional Commission, Cobb has 10 years until its land is exhausted. The figure is based on data that show developable land was cleared at a rate of 3,540 acres per year from 2003 to 2005.

The recommended east Cobb properties, too, exist in an area rife with development.

Pape said the committee received a petition with more than 300 signatures to support acquisition of the 26.5 acres of Mabry Farm on Wesley Chapel Road.

The property consists of woods, open fields, a pond and stream and of course, cows.

"It's been a farm for over 100 years," Pape said, noting that greenspace in that area of Cobb also is a rarity.

At a June 18 parks committee meeting, Mabry Farm resident and Mabry Middle School eighth-grade social studies teacher Julie Mabry Stephens presented a supporting iMovie composed by her students.

Before showing the movie, Mrs. Stephens noted that she still remembers her great-grandfather "on his knees picking shucks out of the corn."

In 2004, Gov. Sonny Perdue awarded the Mabry family a Centennial Farm Award from the State of Georgia.

"It's a very integral part of east Cobb," Mrs. Stephens said. "My family has farmed this land and still farms this land."

Following the movie, in a standout part of which a young student said "No cost is too high to save our past," committee members issued formal thanks to the students.

"Tell them their message was heard," Pape said at the meeting.

Now that the recommendations are public, the committee members will be on the receiving end of thanks, at least from west Cobb resident and founder of the Cobb Parks Coalition, Paul Paulson.

Paulson has advocated for the Cobb acquisition of Bullard farm since before the bond vote passed overwhelmingly in November.

The Bullard property, located in west Cobb on Dallas Highway between Old Hamilton and Bob Fleming roads, became contentious when Florida-based Goodman Co. filed a lawsuit against the county following Cobb Commissioners' February 2006 denial of a plan for an extensive mixed-use development on the site.

Though litigation is pending on the Bullard property, its estimated value is $18 million to $23 million, based on average prices per acre in west Cobb.

Paulson said he was thrilled the committee placed the property in its first tier.

"I thank the committee for all their hard work and for their choice there, for sure," he said. "I really respect the committee for working hard for six months and doing the job that I didn't feel I was qualified to do."

Paulson noted that the committee recommendation, although "a big hurdle to get over" also was just one step in the process and said he hopes Cobb commissioners, who have the ultimate say on which properties to buy, will respect the public's choices.

For now, Pape said he thinks the recent public disclosure will precipitate more public involvement.

"I think the county made the right decision," he said.

kbrooks@mdjonline.com

Land buys for parks a priority

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Sunday, June 11, 2006 by Richard Whitt

$40 million bond issue may appear on fall ballot

The campaign for a $40 million bond issue to buy parkland in Cobb County before developers can is getting broad public support and will likely come before the County Commission on July 11, Chairman Sam Olens said. Commissioners plan to hold a public hearing at their 7 p.m. June 27 meeting, at county offices at 100 Cherokee St. in Marietta.

"The response from the public has been outstanding," Olens said. "If you ask me is it very likely I would place the item on the July 11 agenda, the answer is yes. "But I still want to continue hearing from the public at our meeting on June 27."

A favorable commission vote would place the question on the November ballot, giving voters the final say. If the measure passes, Olens said, officials will begin looking for large tracts that would be suitable for parks. Olens already has his eye on a 54-acre tract that borders East Cobb Park and Fuller's Park on Roswell Road. He has been talking with owner Wylene Tritt about a possible purchase if money becomes available. Tritt said she's interested in selling. "I just want something to be conserved for future generations," Tritt said. She has lived on the property for nearly 56 years.

The Cobb Parks Coalition, a grass-roots citizens organization promoting the bond issue, is getting help from the national nonprofit Trust for Public Land. In the next few weeks, the trust will conduct a poll of Cobb residents to determine what voters want, said David Carter, conservation finance program director for the trust's Southeast region in Raleigh.

The poll information will be used as a guide on the wording of the ballot question, Carter said.
The land trust has a decade of experience in structuring financing for land conservation measures and ballot issues.

The organization had an agreement to purchase Hyde Farm, a 95-acre parcel in east Cobb, for $12 million. But heirs of J.C. Hyde sued in an attempt to void the 1992 agreement between the preservation group and the farm's longtime owner, who died in March 2004. Another organization interested in preserving the land, Friends of Hyde Farm, raised more than $250,000 to help the trust pay for the land. If the bond issue passes, Olens said, some bond money could help pay for the farm.

Time is running out for Cobb to save land for parks, Carter said. "This may be the last generation that can do this," Carter said.

Other metro Atlanta counties have aggressive programs to purchase green space. DeKalb County voters approved bond issues totaling $355 million in 2001 and 2005, with $118 million earmarked to purchase green space, said Susan Hood, assistant county administrator. The county has bought 2,300 acres since 2001, Hood said. It recently bought the Donaldson Homestead in Dunwoody. Likewise, Forsyth and Gwinnett counties have been buying land for parks with special purpose local option sales tax money approved by voters. In recent years, Forsyth County has purchased the 715-acre Sawnee Mountain Park, said Jerry Kinsey, director of parks in Forsyth.

Get that parkland while it's still hot

From the Marietta Daily Journal on Monday, July 2, 2007 by MDJ columnist Don McKee

Kudos to Cobb's citizen advisory committee on its recommendations for future parklands.

The 15 members of the group showed their priorities were right with the list of their top 18 properties announced last week by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.

Leading the list in the first tier was the 95-acre Hyde Farm on Lower Roswell Road in northeast Cobb, followed by the 106-acre Bullard Farm on Dallas Highway in west Cobb and the 53-acre Tritt tract on Roswell Road in the northeastern section of the county. Those were ranked in the top tier by all the committee members, according to Chairman John Pape.

Three other properties were in the first tier: the 140-acre Stout property in southwest Cobb adjacent to Stout Park, 26.5 acres of the northeast Cobb Mabry Centennial Farm on Wesley Chapel Road and the 16-acre Nickajack tract with its Civil War earthworks on Veterans Memorial Highway in southeast Cobb.

The question is: how many of these prime tracts can be acquired with the $40 million from the bonds approved overwhelmingly by Cobb voters last year?

Apparently, three of the most desirable properties on your columnist's top priority list - the Bullard Farm, the Tritt land and the Civil War site - would take up most or all the bond money, assuming they can all be acquired. Another combination from the top tier that included the Hyde Farm would be a good one, but I'm partial to the Bullard Farm because parkland of that size is badly needed in west Cobb.

To reiterate my view, it is more important to purchase as many large, prime tracts as possible now because they obviously won't be available for long, given the rate of development in this county.

That point was driven home by the recent Atlanta Regional Commission report estimating that Cobb has only 10 years before developable land is used up at a rate of more than 3,500 acres per year, as this newspaper reported Saturday.

Smaller tracts and even some larger properties may be added in the future for parkland with the help of private sources and state and federal funds.

So our county commissioners have their work cut out for them.

They don't plan to sit at their desks, look at the maps and rely solely on the recommendations of the citizens committee. Commission Chairman Sam Olens and his colleagues will take first-hand looks at properties. That's a good idea, although it probably will make the commissioners' job even harder when they see the desirable features of many different properties.

However, the commissioners would do well to stick with the criteria used by the citizens committee in analyzing the potential parkland. Those include first, the size of the parcel, then its historical value, environmental quality, linkage to existing parks or trails, future usability, whether it's in an under-served area, presence of water, accessibility, topography and the development threat level.

That list starts with size. So should the commissioners.

dmckee9613@aol.com

3 Cobb mayors put up fight against parks bond

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Thursday, September 17, 2008 by Dan Chapman, AJC writer

Flush with $40 million in taxpayer-approved bonds, Cobb County officials set about two years ago buying up large tracts of land for much-needed parks. Green-space gems, like the Hyde and Bullard farms on each side of the county, were acquired to much public acclaim.

Cobb County commissioners figured that another $40 million bond, on the ballot Nov. 4, would be similarly welcomed.

But that was before it became clear this week that taxpayers in Marietta, Smyrna and Austell will see their taxes rise, albeit by a small amount, to finance the latest parks’ package. Those towns’ mayors have said they won’t endorse the financing formula unless they are guaranteed parks in or near their communities. Other county residents won’t pay more due to the bond’s unique financing method.

“I’m not opposed to the parks bond; I just want Marietta property owners to be treated fairly like the rest of the county,” said Mayor Bill Dunaway, adding that the upcoming bond could cost Marietta homeowners an additional $5 million in taxes over 15 years.

Sam Olens, who chairs the Cobb County Commission and strongly supports the bonds, said no deals will be made with Marietta, Smyrna and Austell.

Few Cobb residents dispute the need for more parks. Already, 90 percent of the county’s 220,000 acres are developed.

In 2006, more than 70 percent of voters approved the parks’ bond, which didn’t require any tax increase. A lengthy, and public, winnowing process reduced the number of properties for purchase to 18.

The county focused on plots that were large and/or historic. Eventually, five of the top six sites recommended by a citizens’ advisory committee were bought, including Hyde farm (135 acres along the Chattahoochee River in East Cobb) and Bullard farm (112 acres off Dallas Highway in West Cobb). In all, more than 300 acres have been placed into green perpetuity by the county.

“If you’re not thrilled by the last bond you’re an incorrigible cynic,” said Paul Paulson, who heads up a grass-roots organization that promotes the parks bonds. “Whether I live in Marietta or Austell, I’d be equally thrilled that the county bought property below Mableton.”

Only $3.5 million of the original $40 million remains uncommitted. It’s time, Paulson and Olens say, for another referendum.

A dozen of the initial 18 recommended sites remain high on the county’s wish list, including the 53-acre Tritt property on Roswell Road in Marietta. Bob Ash, director of the county’s Public Services Agency, said the souring economy should give the county more bang for its bond buck. The county owns or leases 5,439 acres of parkland.

Cobb’s recreational needs are shifting, Ash noted, with rugby, lacrosse, swimming and even water-polo aficionados looking for places to play. While big-acre plots remain a priority, park advocates and commissioners will also seek smaller, in-town properties if the November referendum passes.

Ash said so-called “pocket parks” – the county owns two of the traditional, city-styled parks with playgrounds and picnic tables – will likely be included. Oakdale Park, on Atlanta Road in Smyrna, fits the bill.

Koya Simpson, who played with daughter Sky at Oakdale earlier this week, said she’ll readily support another $40 million bond referendum.

“We need a place for kids to be happy and safe,” Simpson said. “And, it’s free.”

Maybe not. Simpson and fellow Mariettans, along with residents of Smyrna and Austell, would pay more. The owner of a $200,000 home would pay an additional $8 per year in taxes due to the complicated financing formula, which would transfer one-tenth of one mill from the county’s fire district tax to the county-wide debt service fund.

With fire departments of their own to support, the three towns don’t pay into the county’s fire service district.

On Sept. 3, the cities’ mayors wrote Olens to complain that the financing package would “unfairly impact” their taxpayers.

“I have asked Sam to either commit to buying some property within Marietta or give the Marietta parks department money for us to buy land,” Dunaway said via telephone Tuesday from Athens, Greece where he was vacationing. Olens said he wished Marietta, Smyrna and Austell wouldn’t have to pay additional taxes, but that it’s too late to rework the referendum in time for the Nov. 4 vote. He offered, instead, to appoint more Marietta-friendly members to the parks advisory committee.

“I made a good-faith attempt to assure (Dunaway) that we will look at the interests of the cities,” Olens said.

Cobb picks parks

From the Marietta Daily Journal on Wednesday, November 5, 2008 by Ashley Hungerford, MDJ staff writer

MARIETTA - Cobb residents made it clear they want more green space in the county.

Cobb voters approved another $40 million parks bond by 67 percent of the vote.

There was a total of 154,380 votes cast concerning the bond, with 103,525 in favor of it.

"Noting the economy, I think this is a great tribute to the (15-member) citizens committee who assisted us with the purchases of the first parks bond," Cobb Chairman Sam Olens said. "The public has faith in the process ... this is great because for the majority of the county, there is no millage increase. And land will never be this cheap again. This is one of the bright spots of a terrible economy."

The first $40 million parks bond, approved by more than 70 percent of voters in 2006, enabled the preservation of more than 309 acres of green space. The county still has more than $2 million left that they could still use to purchase land.

Members of the Cobb Parks Coalition, the grassroots effort that pushed for a follow-up bond, said current economic conditions make it the prime time to buy more green space. Property values are low, and developers aren't in a hurry to buy land to start new projects.

Cobb Parks Coalition leader Paul Paulson said he was impressed by the turnout in support of the parks bond.

"A lot of people worked very hard and it looks like the hard work paid off again," he said. "This was a test of what people wanted. People are sick of development and they want to preserve what's left of the green space. They told us that over and over."

In 2006 election, 121,109 of the 179,625 votes cast were in support of the bond measure.

Paulson agrees with Olens that now is a great time to purchase property.

"With the market like this, we can pick and choose this time and expand the $40 million to buy more acres," he said. "We want to purchase the best property."

The parks bond's biggest hurdle came from the cities of Marietta, Smyrna and Austell.

Because of the financing the county approved to fund the bond, residents in those three cities will see a 0.1 mil tax increase.

Olens said the financing decision was an "unintended consequence," of the short timeline the county had to get the bond measure on the November ballot.

To finance the 15-year, $40 million bond, the county plans to divert from the fire fund 0.1 mil of county property taxes collected and put those revenues toward the debt fund. For taxpayers in unincorporated Cobb, Acworth, Kennesaw and Powder Springs, the net effect on property taxes is zero because the increase to the debt fund is offset by the decrease in the fire fund. Officials said the fire fund has a surplus.

But for residents in Austell, Marietta and Smyrna, the 0.1 mil increase is not offset by anything, leading to a slight property tax increase. Paulson earlier said 0.1 mil increase would amount to about $4 per year on a $100,000 home.

All three of the cities have their own fire departments and do not pay any taxes toward the county's fire fund.

Officials in Smyrna and Austell eventually voiced their support of the bond.

But prior to the election, Marietta Mayor Bill Dunaway said he didn't oppose the bond measure, but couldn't endorse something that he said was unfair to the residents of Marietta.

Tuesday evening, Dunaway said he voted for the bond.

"But I think it's unfair to property owners in the three cities and therefore could not endorse it," he said. "We hope that the county will try to seek out property around the three cities.

Like with the first bond, county officials said they will take nominations on tracts of land to be considered for purchase. The Board of Commissioners will appoint a citizens advisory board that will be charged with ranking the nominated properties.

Olens said they already have about 30 properties that have been "quasi" nominated, including a couple new parcels.

One new property is a 50-acre tract in northeast Cobb. Olens said the tract would be great for an area that currently doesn't have any parks.

Paulson also has some parcels in mind, including the 9.85-acre Hamby property in Kennesaw, 54-acre tract owned by Wylene Tritt on Roswell Road in northeast Cobb and a 25-acre tract owned by the Canup family in west Cobb.

With the first $40 million bond, the county purchased the 137.45-acre Stana property on Brownsville Road in southwest Cobb, $5.76 million; 112 acres of the Bullard-Stockton tract along Dallas Highway in west Cobb, $18.6 million; 26.5 acres of the Mabry Centennial Farm at the corner of Wesley Chapel and Sandy Plains Roads, $4.2 million; 16 acres near Henderson Road off Veteran's Memorial Highway near the Chattahoochee River, $2.4 million; and 17.7 acres of the Price property at Stilesboro Road near Acworth-Due West Road, $1.4 million.

The county will also use $5 million of the parks bond money to help purchase the 95-acre Hyde Farm in east Cobb.

"We got some great pieces of property, but there's a lot left to save," Paulson said.

Latest purchase could set stage for next parks bond

From the Marietta Daily Journal on Wednesday, June 11, 2008 by Joe Kirby, Editorial Page editor

Hot on the heels of Friday's acquisition of the remainder of the Hyde Farm property in east Cobb for parkland, the Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to acquire 137.45 more acres at the other end of the county for parkland as well.

"This is a beautiful property with creeks running all through it," Cobb Commission Chairman Sam Olens said of the Stana tract in southwest Cobb. "It's a property for generations to come and enjoy the vistas and quiet time that will occur there."

The property is tucked southwest of Powder Springs on Brownsville Road along Sweetwater Creek, hard by the Paulding County line. It adjoins the 88-acre Stout property, which the county has already acquired for a park. The goal is to merge the two properties into a single 225-acre park, which would be the county's largest. A 4,291-square-foot house on the Stana property will be purchased with hotel/motel tax money and converted into a senior center or community center, according to Olens.

The county will spend $5.1 million on the Stana property, money that is part of the $40 million bond overwhelmingly approved by Cobb voters in a 2006 referendum.

With the Stana purchase, the county will have purchased five of the top six properties proposed for acquisition by the county's parks bond advisory committee. The exception is the 54-acre Wylene Tritt property on Roswell Road in northeast Cobb.

Now, with most of the money from the bond spent, and having been done so without major controversy; and with the county's need for additional parkland still apparent, it is time for the commission and the community to consider whether to ask voters to approve a follow-up parks bond this fall. With the economy, and especially the real estate market, in a rut, there may never be a more opportune time for the county to have such a wide selection of properties from which to choose, and at prices that favor the buyer.

The commission, and the grassroots leaders who led the 2006 effort, would be well advised to put that ball back in play.

Coalition pushes for follow-up parks bond

From the Marietta Daily Journal on Monday, June 30, 2008 by Ashley Hungerford, staff writer

MARIETTA - With more than $2 million remaining in Cobb's $40 million parks bond, a grassroots campaign is pushing for a follow-up parks bond for the county to continue purchasing more parkland.

The Cobb Parks Coalition is gearing back up for another campaign to ensure the measure is taken to the voters on Nov. 4.

The grassroots coalition is largely responsible for the passage of the parks bond in 2006 by over 70 percent of the vote.

Close to 50 civic and homeowners-associations leaders, representatives from the county and concerned county residents gathered at coalition leader Paul Paulson's house on Casteel Road on Sunday afternoon to discuss a follow-up parks bond.

Cobb Chairman Sam Olens and Commissioners Tim Lee and Helen Goreham were on hand to hear the discussion, although no official county action was taken.

"Hasn't the news just been fantastic about the first bond?" Paulson said. "We had good luck last time. Let's hope we have the same luck."

Paulson said the first goal is to get the parks bond on the November ballot.

To put a measure on the ballot, the Board of Commissioner would need to vote on the proposal by its July 22 meeting, Olens said.

"It's a tight time frame," Olens said.

Olens said he would support another $40 million parks bond, with a 15-year pay back period. The 2006 parks bond is on a 10-year pay back period.

"If you look at what we did with the first $40 million, you would say we did a lot," he said.

After talking with the county manager and finance department, Olens said this is what the county can do without a tax increase. He said he will not support anything that leads to a tax increase.

"It's important in this economy to stay at the same millage level we have now," Olens said. "When the economy is down, that's not when you hit your citizens."

With Olens' proposal, the county's millage rate would remain at 9.6 mills, meaning property owners would continue to pay $9.60 per $1,000 of assessed value.

The change would be in the distribution of the mills, he said.

Cobb's total millage rate, the measure the county uses to assess property taxes, is divided into three portions - 6.82 mills collected goes to the general fund, 2.56 mills goes to the fire fund and 0.22 mills goes to the debt service fund.

To prevent a tax increase with the second bond measure, Olens said there is the potential to reduce the millage rate of the fire fund by .1 mills to 2.46 mills, and move it over to the debt service fund.

Olens said in no way would this change affect the efficiency of Cobb's fire department.

If it appears on the ballot, Olens said the parks bond measure would be worded the same way it was in 2006, changing only the date and the 15-year pay back period.

This means the bond would be for parkland acquisition, not development.

"There isn't a rush on developing parkland, but there is a rush on preserving green space," he said.

Many at the meeting asked what needed to be done to make sure the commissioners vote at their July 22 meeting.

Community support was Olens' answer.

"The commissioners would like to hear from the citizens," Olens said. "The county commission is very responsive to what we hear from the community."

With the 2006 parks bond, the county secured five of the six top properties proposed by a citizens advisory committee. The sixth is a 54-acre tract, owned by Wylene Tritt, on Roswell Road in northeast Cobb.

The county has purchased more than 309 acres through the parks bond, using $37.67 million of the $40 million.

The tracts of property include 137.45-acre Stana property on Brownsville Road in southwest Cobb, $5.76 million; 112 acres of the Bullard-Stockton tract along Dallas Highway in west Cobb, $18.6 million; 26.5 acres of the Mabry Centennial Farm at the corner of Wesley Chapel and Sandy Plains Roads, $4.2 million; 16 acres near Henderson Road off Veteran's Memorial Highway near the Chattahoochee River, $2.4 million; and 17.7 acres of the Price property at Stilesboro Road near Acworth-Due West Road, $1.4 million.

The total acreage does not include the county's portion of 95-acre Hyde Farm is east Cobb.

Last month, the Trust for Public Land purchased the working farm off Lower Roswell Road for $14.19 million. The land will eventually be divided between Cobb County and the National Park Service. The county will use $5 million of the parks bond for their portion.

Lee, who represents northeast Cobb, said there is a "rumbling" from some residents in east Cobb who feel like they supported west Cobb's effort to get more parks.

Not to take away from anything that was accomplished, Lee said more attention needs to be paid to those areas where parkland wasn't acquired with the first bond.

Morning Washburn, an east Cobb resident and participant of Cobb Parks Coalition, said "pocket size parks," or small assemblages of parkland, would be good to consider this time around.

"I would love to know families in the future can walk to pocket size parks," she said. "This would help in areas that didn't have huge nominations."

With record voter turnout expected in November, Paulson said the county will get a true feeling of it if the residents want more parks.

"It's going to be a test," he said.

ahungerford@mdjonline.com

Landowners flood parks bond hearing

From the Marietta Daily Journal on Wednesday, April 23, 2009 by Ashley Hungerford, MDJ staff writer.

MARIETTA - Tuesday's parks bond hearing felt more like a real-estate forum, with more than 80 landowners lining up to speak on why the committee should recommend purchase of their property.

"Given its natural beauty, size and border with Lost Mountain park, this would be an asset for Cobb County," Catherine Bella said of her family's 141-acre Kyle Farm.

Catherine Hudson's property, on Turner Lake Road in north Cobb, includes a large lake.

"Everyone who fished it has said it's some of the best fishing in the county," she vowed. "We've enjoyed it for 40 years, and we'd like the citizens of Cobb to enjoy it for years to come."

Speakers had PowerPoint presentations, petitions and handouts ready to aid their sales pitches. So many people turned out, in fact, that citizens committee chairman John Pape limited the number of speakers to 50. Each speaker had three minutes to make his or her case.

Another hearing is set for 6:30 p.m. on May 4, for those who didn't get a chance to speak Tuesday. The meeting will again be conducted in the Board of Commissioners meeting room.

Wylene Tritt, who owns 54 acres on Roswell Road next to East Cobb Park, also spoke Tuesday night. Hers was the only top-tier property recommended by the first citizens committee that was not purchased.

"I would like the county to have my property so the park would be big enough for all the residents in the area to enjoy," she said.

The citizens committee is reviewing the 272 nominated parcels that have willing sellers, and will make a recommendation to the Board of Commissioners later this year on which should be purchased using the $40 million in bond money. Voters approved the bond on Nov. 4.

Many of the speakers Tuesday said public purchase of their land would keep developers at bay.

"My plan is to develop it with residential homes if it's not turned into a park," Ron Mann said of his nominated property at 1910 Milford Church Road in Marietta.

Others professed their area was in need of a park.

"This land is ... green and beautiful with Sewell Mill Creek running right through it, and there is a great need in east Cobb for small parks like this," said Ann Russ, regarding land on Sewell Mill Road.

Committee Vice Chairwoman Joni House said the public hearing further emphasizes citizen involvement in choosing new parks.

"People are leaving a green space legacy," she said.

Wish list includes small tracts for pocket parks

From the Marietta Daily Journal on Thursday, July 3, 2008 by Ashley Hungerford, staff writer

MARIETTA - Size doesn't matter, commissioners say.

As they consider whether to ask voters to approve a second $40 million bond to purchase parkland, members of the Board of Commissioners say the wish lists will include small tracts that could be used as pocket parks.

"The first bond emphasized large tracts of land that were in danger of being developed soon," Cobb Chairman Sam Olens said. "The second bond must consider both small and large tracts, choosing the best lands, to specifically consider parts of the county that did not receive new park land with the first bond."

Commissioner Tim Lee said adding parks to areas not already served should be top priority, "no matter what the size."

Lee noted that the cost per acre fluctuates dramatically through the county. Land in west Cobb, where large tracts of undeveloped land are more plentiful, cost less than similar tracts in east Cobb.

"I would advocate for pocket parks, assemblage of property that may provide connectivity between existing parks and trails, and redevelopment sites, as well, that might make sense to convertto green space," he said.

Commissioner Helen Goreham said the county should again allow a citizen oversight committee to prioritize properties, taking into consideration "price, historical significance and ecological features."

In 2006, an advisory committee prioritized potential properties into four tiers. That complete list can be found at http://prca.cobbcountyga.gov/parks-bond-info.htm

The county secured five of the six top properties proposed by the advisory committee. The sixth is a 54-acre tract owned by Wylene Tritt, on Roswell Road in northeast Cobb. The county is still negotiating that purchase.

Paul Paulson, leader of the Cobb Parks Coalition, said he also has others in mind that have potential to benefit the county, such as more than 20 acres owned by the Canup family on Villa Rica Road in west Cobb.

Although the county will likely pursue properties still on the list from 2006, Olens said new properties could be considered. But he encourages residents to contact the property owners before nominating a property to make sure they are interested.

Public input is key to the parks plan, leaders agree.

"Because the county is faced with runaway growth and mounting urban pressures, I believe the county should focus on a program that has unprecedented public support for the success of the program," Commissioner Annette Kesting said.

The county has purchased more than 309 acres using $37.67 million of the $40 million parks bond approved by voters in 2006. The county still has more than $2 million left that they could still use to purchase land.

The purchases include the 137.45-acre Stana property on Brownsville Road in southwest Cobb, $5.76 million; 112 acres of the Bullard-Stockton tract along Dallas Highway in west Cobb, $18.6 million; 26.5 acres of the Mabry Centennial Farm at the corner of Wesley Chapel and Sandy Plains Roads, $4.2 million; 16 acres near Henderson Road off Veteran's Memorial Highway near the Chattahoochee River, $2.4 million; and 17.7 acres of the Price property at Stilesboro Road near Acworth-Due West Road, $1.4 million.

The county will also use $5 million of the parks bond money to help purchase the 95-acre Hyde Farm in east Cobb.

The Trust for Public Land purchased that working farm off Lower Roswell Road for $14.19 million in June. The land will eventually be divided between Cobb County and the National Park Service.

ahungerford@mdjonline.com

Parkland advisory panel formed

From the Marietta Daily Journal on Wednesday, November 15, 2006, by MDJ staff writer Amanda Casciaro

MARIETTA - Cobb commissioners Tuesday took the first step to implement a plan to buy more parkland in the county, creating an advisory committee that will examine how to spend $40 million.

Voters last week approved the general obligation bond package by a nearly 3-1 margin.

Each county commissioner will appoint three people to the committee, which will be named at the board's Nov. 28 meeting.

The 15-member voluntary committee will offer input to the board on potential land buys before Cobb buys land for future parks, Cobb Commission Chairman Sam Olens said.

Olens estimates Cobb will secure the bond money after Jan. 1.

Public input will be considered on potential tracts from January to February and the commission will begin land buys in March or April at the earliest, Olens said.

Cobb residents who want to participate can contact their commissioner or attend a question-and-answer session from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Georgia Dance Conservatory on the Marietta Square.

Cobb Parks Coalition, which led an effort to educate voters before the election, has organized the forum so residents can share their opinions and come forward to participate.

Paul Paulson, leader of the grassroots effort, has said he does not want to serve on the committee because of his demanding schedule.

The buying price of land in Cobb County is between $100,000 and $300,000 an acre, which totals about 133 to 400 acres eligible for purchase.

Although the 112-acre Bullard Farm property in west Cobb has been tied up in litigation between the county and Florida-based Goodman Co. since March, other tracts have been discussed as potential sites for "pocket parks."

"We referenced some other tracts such as Wylene Tritt's property, 54 acres right next to East Cobb Park, and the Hyde Farm property," Olens said in a recent interview. "I'd love to be able to buy a pocket park in Vinings and maybe a property in the Oakdale area that contains the (Civil Ware) Shoupades. I'd like to buy properties throughout the county, and it's important we do a thorough search so we're in a position to make the best decisions with that money."

The bond issue avoids a tax increase by using debt now occupied by a 1993 bond to build the Cobb County Jail.

In other business....

This article continues with other business conducted during the meeting by the Commissioners.

acasciaro@mdjonline.com