Membership is very important! Our meetings and newsletters are always open to everyone, but larger membership numbers strengthen MIC's standing with county officials, developers and others.

Make your voice count!

Next MIC

Board Meeting

The MIC Board will meet on Thursday, February 18 at 7pm at the Mable House Arts Center. Everyone is welcome.

Sweetwater Creek Flood Victim Relief

If you missed the concert at Trinity Chapel in Powder Springs on January 21, it's not too late to donate and make a difference in some of our neighbors' lives. Just click here to donate online or call Laurie Wong at 770-222-7023, ext 2202, to learn of other ways to help.

A big-time thank you goes out to the folks at the Mableton OB's BBQ restaurant for serving complimentary dinners to approximately 120 concert volunteers. Check out OB's for breakfast, lunch or supper.

Bright Side

Want to know what's up in our area? Don't forget to check out the Bright Side News, delivered with your mail, and the Bright Side Online Community Calendar.

Girl Scout Cookies

Troop 2633 will be selling Girl Scout cookies on Sunday, February 21 from 11:00 to 2:00 pm at the Kroger on Floyd Road.

The Troop's Daisies and Brownies voted to have any donated
cookies go to a children's hospital so that doctors and caregivers
would have a nice treat since they take such good care of children!
So if you don't want the cookies for yourself, you can buy a box that goes to the hospital! Contact Tracy S. Williams at 678-644-5215 for other booth sale dates and times.

Got News?

MIC welcomes information from the community that we might include in this newsletter.

Information must be received by the 20th to be included in the next monthly issue.

Click here to submit information for the newsletter.

Greetings All!

A lot of progress has been made in the last 10 years in Mableton, even with our recent economic troubles. Entire neighborhoods with hundreds of homes each have been built, new retailers and restaurants have come to town, schools and churches have grown, and our parks and historic resources have been recognized and strengthened. In the midst of all this change, MIC has focused on sustainability -- improving our community for the long term. That's why our involvement with the River Line Historic Area has been so important, and why we will continue our work there.

As 2010 begins, though, we will also focus on the Historic Mableton downtown area. Cobb County will be developing a new approach to managing development, called "form-based codes," and Historic Mableton will be the first place that this is considered. The Atlanta Regional Commission has selected Historic Mableton as a Lifelong Community, which should bring improvements in connectivity, housing, healthy living, social interaction and transportation that works for everyone. Cobb County's recently updated Livable Communities Initiative (LCI) Plan makes the area eligible for special transportation-related funding. As all this unfolds, you can be sure that MIC will be there to help fit all these parts (and more) together in a way that makes sense for Mableton residents.

We always welcome your involvement. I hope to see lots of you at the Annual Community Meeting on Tuesday, March 2. Contact me any time with ideas, suggestions and feedback.

Regards,

Ben Clopper
MIC President

MIC Annual Community Meeting -- Tuesday, March 2

Please mark your calendar now and plan to attend MIC's Annual Community Meeting on Tuesday, March 2 at 7:00 pm at the South Cobb Community Center at 620 Lions Club Drive in Mableton.

Each year, your Board of Directors reports to you on our accomplishments over the past year, our plans for the future, and our finances. This Annual Meeting includes the Board of Directors election -- your chance to choose MIC's leaders for the year ahead.

The deadline for the Board of Directors nominations is Sunday, January 31 for online nominations. Nominations by mail had to be postmarked by January 29. We are always ready to welcome newcomers to MIC's leadership, so apply today if you are interested in improving Mableton, have time and energy to devote to projects and activities in our community, and can attend monthly Board meetings. Contact Joel Cope, MIC Board Chair, for more information at 404-550-0475.

MIC membership is required to run for the Board and to vote in the election. Membership is only $5 per year per person! Click here to pay online or print out the form for mailing. You can also join at the meeting in March.

Adopt A Mile Clean Up

Help MIC keep our mile of Floyd Road looking good! On Saturday, February 27, we'll start at 8:30 am in front of the Westside Bank in the Publix Shopping Center on Floyd Road. Come out and lend us a hand! Click here for more information.

Public Meeting on Veterans Memorial Plan

Cobb County and the City of Atlanta are jointly administering a Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) planning grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission for Veterans Memorial Highway in Cobb County and Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway in Atlanta. In Cobb, the study area begins at Buckner Road and runs to the Chattachoochee River.

MIC Board Member Dobson Harris and River Line Historic Area Coordinator Roberta Cook are members of the Stakeholders group that advises the consultants working on this project.

A design charrette was held in early January for residents to provide their ideas for the area. On February 25, the final public meeting will reveal the planners' recommendations for the corridor. Everyone interested in this part of Mableton should plan to attend. Check the LCI website or the MIC website for time and location.

For more information, click here.

Zoning News

Two new zoning cases have been filed in Mableton:

At 6174 Oakdale Road, in the Smyrna city limits, an application for commercial zoning will be heard by the Smyrna City Council on February 15. MIC is working to improve the appearance of the property to complement the surrounding new development.
On Vonda Lane, an application (LUP-5) has been filed for a Personal Care Home for up to 8 residents.

Click here for more information. Want to get involved? Email Ben Clopper.

Commissioner Woody Thompson's Town Hall Meeting

On Thursday, February 25 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, Commissioner Woody Thompson will hold a Town Hall meeting in the Fellowship Hall of Milford Baptist Church at 1030 Milford Church Road in Marietta. Commissioner Thompson is one of four District Commissioners. His district includes Mableton, Austell, Powder Springs, and parts of Smyrna and Marietta. Click here to learn more.

Cobb School Board Member David Morgan's Town Hall Meeting

Cobb School Board Member David Morgan, representing Post 3, will host a town hall meeting at Mableton Elementary School on Saturday, February 20 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. The school is located at 5220 Church Street in the historic center of Mableton.

Police Department Meets With Community

The Cobb County Police Precinct 2 will conduct a meeting at the South Cobb Government Center, 4700 Austell Road, February 4 at 7:00 pm, to address current crime trends and answer any questions you have of your police department. There will also be a presentation by the CAGE Unit (Cobb Anti Gang Enforcement). Bring your friends and neighbors.

Free Mulch -- Reap the Chipper's Bounty!

Thanks to all of you who brought your Christmas trees to Lions Park for recycling by Keep Cobb Beautiful's Bring One for the Chipper Program. We collected well over 200 trees!

Whether you brought a tree or not, there is a pile of mulch free for the taking as long as it lasts. Just drive down the lane to the lower field level and look to your left in the vacant lot. If you don't see any, then all those trees are already fully recycled!

Thanks to all MIC volunteers who braved the frigid weather to staff the tree drop-off, and to MIC Vice President Dave McDaniel, who worked with Keep Cobb Beautiful to bring this event to Mableton.

MIC Adopts Historic Cemetery

TS Cemetery The MIC Board has voted to adopt the historic Turner-Sewell Cemetery, located on Veterans Memorial Highway between Oakdale and Riverview Roads. This cemetery dates back to the Civil War era, and contains the grave of Daniel Turner, who operated the ferry across the Chattahoochee where Veterans Memorial now crosses the river. Daniel's son John lived in the historic Hooper-Turner House on Oakdale Road.

The cemetery is in disrepair and overrun with English Ivy. MIC volunteers will be trained in the proper techniques for clearing out the overgrowth and making other improvements to the cemetery. In the near future the sign on Veterans Memorial just past Oakdale Road will be updated to reflect MIC's adoption of this historic cemetery.

Safe Disposal of Unwanted Medications

Dispose of unwanted medications and medical equipment safely at Cobb County Senior Centers each Saturday in February. These "drop-off days" are sponsored by Keep Cobb Beautiful and Kaiser Permanente of Georgia and staffed by volunteers and law enforcement personnel.

Bring outdated or unused over-the-counter and prescription liquid and pill form medications, sharps and needles, diabetes materials, catheters, tubing, etc. (No durable medical equipment, such as CPAP, nebulizers, etc., will be accepted.)

On Saturday, February 6, drop-off will be at the Windy Hill Senior Center at 1885 Roswell Street in Smyrna. On Saturday, February 27, drop-off will be at the West Cobb Senior Center at 4915 Dallas Highway in Powder Springs. Hours are 9 am to noon; no materials can be dropped off at other times. Click here for more information.

Talent Show at Harmony-Leland Elementary

Come and see all the budding talent at the Harmony-Leland Elementary School Talent Show on Friday, February 26 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Admission is free if you bring a canned good, otherwise tickets are $2 for adults and $1 for kids. All proceeds will be donated to those in need. Harmony-Leland is located on Dodgen Road near Veterans Memorial Highway.

At the Library

Want to talk books? Two groups meet monthly at the South Cobb Regional Library in Mableton. This month, the Evening Book Group will meet on Thursday, February 11 at 7:00 pm and will discuss The Color Purple by Alice Walker. The Morning Book Group will meet on Tuesday, February 16 at 10:30 am and discuss Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. Everyone is welcome.

Black History Month Programs

South Cobb Regional Library will host free programs to celebrate Black History Month every Wednesday in February at 7:00 pm.

February 3 -- "Quotable Art" involves discussion of notable quotes pertaining to Black History Month and making art inspired by that quote.
February 10 -- Decorating quilt squares inspired by influential and noteworthy African American leaders. The quilt will be assembled and displayed in the library.
February 17 -- Those interested in stamps can join the You've Got Mail program to discuss and make stamps related to black heroes.
February 24 -- Black History Month trivia contest.

The library is located at 805 Clay Road in Mableton. For more information, call 678-398-5828.

Pebblebrook High School is hosting a Black History Month Poetry program entitled WORDS on February 11 from 5:30 to 8 pm. It will be held in the Black Box Theater in the Betty Gray Building. Pebblebrook is located at 991 Old Alabama Road in Mableton.

Mableton Community Day Celebration

The Pebblebrook Jr. Falcons Association's 5th Annual Community Day Celebration will be April 24 at the K-Mart on Veterans Memorial Highway. Applications are available now for participants. The Celebration is free and open to all, so plan now to attend!

Mableton Improvement Coalition