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January 2013

Time is Now to Register for Spring Sports and Activities

It may still be cold outside, but now is the time to register for sports and activities for the spring season.  Many sports and activities have registrations in January, including baseball, softball, soccer, track, tennis, and BMX.  Our youth league programs are administered by volunteer organizations, so dates and times of registrations will vary.  For specific information on the activities your child is interested in participating, click on the following links: baseball, softball, soccer, track, tennis, and BMX.  Many registration deadlines are fast approaching - don't be left out!!!!

Adult spring softball registration begins in February. For those interested, you can download a softball registration packet on the adult softball web page.  See the adult athletics web page for a listing of all programs.

Auditions to be Part of Dr. King Celebration
A tribute to the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be held Monday, January 21st, sponsored by Cobb County Branch NAACP and Cobb County Government. Auditions slots for entertainment at the event are being filled now. Musical presentations, dance interpretations, dramatic readings and all performing arts are welcome. Your work must be a tribute to the life and works of Dr. King. There are limited performance slots and auditions will be held at the Cobb Civic Center:
6:00pm, Thursday, January 3rd
10:00am, Saturday, January 5th
6:00pm, Thursday, January 10th

You must RSVP for auditions to (770) 528-8490. The 2013 MLK Celebration will be held on Monday, January 21st at 9:00am at the Jeanie T. Anderson Theatre, Cobb County Civic Center, 548 S. Marietta Pkwy, Marietta, GA. Admission is free and open to the public.

Education for Elevation - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration
Come join us for the 3rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration at the South Cobb Recreation Center. For the past two years, the 'Count Me in Group', in partnership with the Michael A. Grant Boys and Girls Club, Austell Community Taskforce, South Cobb Recreation Center, Amateur Advocate Assn., Inc. and others have come together to host a celebration in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year’s event will focus on Education for Elevation and it will be a day of speaking, music, song and dance, poetry, and much more. The people of our community are putting their best foot forward for our enjoyment and ensuring that Dr. King’s dream is still alive. The program will be held January 21st from 11:00am-2:00pm. The South Cobb Recreation Center is located at 875 Six Flags Drive in Austell.

Recycle Your Christmas Tree After Holidays

Keep Cobb Beautiful will sponsor free Christmas tree recycling drop-off locations throughout Cobb. Recycling trees creates mulch, fuel, wildlife habitats and other useful material. Select Parks and Recreation locations will accept trees December 26-January 5th and select Home Depot locations will accept trees January 5th only. Park locations collecting trees are Lost Mountain Park, Harrison Park, Noonday Creek Park, Fullers Park, and Sewell Park. Free mulch will be available to residents after January 5th. For more information, visit cobbcounty.org/kcb or call (770) 528-1135.

SPLOST Projects Update
On March 15, 2011, a referendum on a four-year SPLOST (Special Local Option Sales Tax) was approved by voters. This program will be in effect from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2015. From this SPLOST, Cobb County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs will be utilizing $82,023,000 for revitalization, facility renovations and upgrades to parks and facilities. Planning, coordinating and scheduling projects are in their early stages, but you will now be able to see some of the work in progress or soon to begin. Here is a list of current projects:

• Design is continuing for the tennis center buildings at Terrell Mill, Harrison, and Kennworth Parks. Design is scheduled to be completed in February with submittal to Purchasing to start the advertisement for bidding in March.

• The Notice to Proceed for the design/build of cross tie retaining wall replacement at Lions Park and Wallace Park has been issued. Construction of the new walls is completed at Wallace on the walls near the parking lot at Field #4. The construction of the new wall Field #1 has started. Walls have been demolished at field #2 and the slope has been regraded. All work will be completed between the end of football season this year and the start of baseball practice in February of 2013.

• Lose & Associates is continuing with the preliminary design of the Redevelopment of Wallace Park.

• The replacement of cross-tie retaining walls and additional parking at Fullers Park has been awarded to Johnson Landscapes. Contracts are being routed for signature and the construction activities will be coordinated with activities in the park and work will be scheduled to minimize inconvenience to park users.

• The contract for the pool redevelopment at Sewell Park was awarded to Pope/Partners Architects. Contracts are being routed for signature and a Notice to Proceed with the design will be issued upon receipt of the contracts. The current schedule for the pool and pool house reconstruction is to begin construction immediately following the closing of the pool at the end of the summer in 2013 and be completed in time for the 2014 pool season.

• The design/build for the field renovations at Noonday Park was awarded to Sports Turf Company, Inc. The design has been submitted for permitting, and construction is scheduled to start in January. The park will be closed for construction until late July of 2013.

• The proposals for the lighting design at Tramore and Noonday Parks have been evaluated and McVeigh and Mangum has been selected to design the sports field lighting for these projects. PRCA has prepared the contracts and they are being routed for signature.

• Nine proposals for the Civic Center infrastructure analysis and improvements were received and have been reviewed by the evaluation committee and the project was awarded to Wakefield Beasley at the BOC meeting of December 13.

• Proposals for the design of Wild Horse Creek Park Seasonal Water Feature were received and have been reviewed, and the BOC awarded the contract to Lyman Davidson Dooley at the December 13 Board meeting.

• Preparation of the Powder Springs Park Master Plan preparation is continuing. Following the completion of the Master Plan, an RFP will be prepared and issued for the design of the project. Construction at the park is scheduled to start in 2014.

• Five bids for scoreboards to be placed throughout the County park system will be submitted to the BOC for consideration of award in January.

• The proposals for design of improvements at Sandy Plains Park were evaluated and jB+a, inc. was selected to provide design services. The BOC approved the recommendation. jB+a is in the process of obtaining the proper insurance documents and the contracts will be forwarded for signature upon receipt of the documentation.

• Six proposals for the design of improvements at Hurt Road Park were received and reviewed by the evaluation committee and awarded to Southeastern Engineering at the December 13 BOC meeting.

• Proposals for the design of the replacement of three concession/restroom buildings at Fullers Park were received December 13, 2012. The proposals are being distributed to the evaluation committee for review.

• Proposals for the design of improvements at Al Bishop Park were received December 13, 2012. The proposals are being distributed to the evaluation committee for review.

• Proposals for the design of improvements at Shaw Park were received December 13, 2012. The proposals are being distributed to the evaluation committee for review.

• We are continuing to prepare the RFP for improvements of the infrastructure at Jim Miller Park. The RFP will be submitted to Purchasing for advertisement in January.

  
  

These are just a few of the numerous projects that you will see in the next few years updating and revitalizing our parks' system. For a complete listing of projects and updates, see the Splost 2011 web page on the Cobb County website.

Spring Break Camp at the Mable House

Spring Break will be here before we know it and what better way to spend it than ART CAMP! The Mable House is offering Spring Break Art Camp April 8-11th. It is split into two camps: ages 6-7 and ages 8-12 years old from 9:00am–3:00pm. The camp costs $100 (including the supply fee). Please call the Mable House Arts Center at (770) 819-3285 to register or with any questions. Spaces are limited so register today!

The Theatre Project Accepting Registrations to Audition for Show

The Theatre Project is a community theatre experience for 9-18 year olds and is currently accepting registrations to audition for Thoroughly Modern Millie, Jr. Taking place in New York City in 1922, this is a high-spirited musical romp that has all of New York dancing the Charleston. It’s the zany new 1920’s musical that has taken Broadway by storm! Call the Mable House Arts Center at (770) 819-3285 to register.

Tennis for Juniors (and Adults) at Harrison Tennis Center
Parents, after your child gets started in tennis, learns the basics, etc, then what? Harrison Tennis Center offers an ongoing, year-round program of tennis instruction for those kids who've advanced beyond the beginner/entry level. HTC's Jr. Development program offers two skill level groups: Future Stars and Baseliners. Call Harrison Tennis Center today to schedule an evaluation/assessment visit for your child. A member of HTC's coaching staff will contact you to arrange the visit!

Want to learn the game yourself and make this a family activity? Call Harrison Tennis Center for a schedule of weekday and evening classes, offered to adult beginners and advanced-beginner level players.

To those already thinking ahead to warmer days, contact us early next year regarding our youth summer tennis camps. For information on any tennis program at Harrison Tennis Center, call (770) 591-3151. Hope to see you on our courts soon!

Head Professional Eddie Gomez Wins Award

Sweetwater Tennis Center's own head pro Eddie Gomez was selected as Tennis Professional of the year by the Georgia Professional Tennis Association. The Georgia Professional Tennis Association is an association of certified teaching professionals serving the Georgia's tennis community since 1977. Members also include out-of-state pros as well as sponsoring national and local tennis organizations and representatives of the tennis industry. The GPTA's purpose is to foster continuing education, community service, networking and social interaction of tennis teachers and coaches with a goal of raising the level of play in recreational and competitive tennis.

Coach Eddie has been Sweetwater's head pro for the past 6 years.  His outstanding efforts to promote and grow tennis in the tennis community were recognized by this award. He was further recognized for his humanitarian efforts in Masaya, Nicaragua for the past 14 years. He has lead teams of missionaries building churches, hospitals, and personal homes.  Eddie said that his dream for 2014 is “to conduct quick-start tennis clinics for the kids in Masaya.”  Congratulations to Eddie for this prestigous recognition!