Message from the Executive Director: What’s on the Horizon

As we move toward the end of the year and look forward to the next, the Cumberland CID sees promising opportunities ahead.

Over the summer, CID leadership met with officials in Washington, D.C., including Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff, to discuss rail and other prospects for high-capacity transit linking Cobb to the region’s MARTA system. With this meeting and other advancements, we see the chance to improve Cumberland’s ability to connect to the region, which will strengthen the appeal of our market.

Additional opportunities we’ve seized upon include the 27 million dollar reconstruction of the U.S. 41 bridge connecting Cobb and Fulton Counties in early 2012. And, the CID will be constructing 10.5 million dollars in streetscape and trail projects over the next few months. These are big wins for our community and represent years of hard work.

As we continue to successfully leverage our local dollars against state and federal funds to build these important projects, we continue to collaborate with area stakeholders to envision the best possible community. The room for improvement is limitless and opportunities abound.

Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to more success in the future.

Best,

Malaika Rivers
Executive Director, Cumberland CID

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Streetscapes and Trails Create a Walkable Community

Several streetscape construction projects are about to gear up throughout Cumberland and are expected to break ground this winter.

• A connection to the multi-use trail network on Akers Mill Road west of Interstate 75 from the Cobb Energy Center over to Cumberland Boulevard.
• The addition of landscaping enhancements and decorative streetlights on Cobb Parkway from Circle 75 south to Akers Mill Road.
• An eight-foot-wide trail along the north side of Interstate North Parkway will connect Powers Ferry Road to the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area.
• Pedestrian connections along the north side of Akers Mill Road for residents of the apartment communities along the corridor.

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Cumberland CID Receives Federal Funds for Trail and Bridge Enhancements

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced 417 million dollars in grants for 2011, including a 2.85 million dollar grant to the Cumberland CID to help fund a two-mile extension of the Bob Callan Trunk Trail. The new construction will extend the current two-mile trail northbound from the trailhead at Interstate North Parkway and Cumberland Boulevard to Terrell Mill. Trail features will include an elevated boardwalk and bridge structures, lending a unique and beautiful experience for pedestrians, cyclists and other users.

The Cumberland CID also was awarded 800,000 dollars to support the Cumberland Boulevard Bridgescape. This grant will enhance the aesthetics of the interchange at Cumberland Boulevard and Interstate 75. Design improvements include decorative lighting and aesthetic treatment to the bridge’s structure. The funds were awarded through the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Transportation Enhancement program.

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Cumberland Seeks Funds to Improve Powers Ferry Corridor

The Cumberland CID, along with the Cobb County Department of Transportation, has applied for funds from the Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) Transportation Program to support trail and streetscape improvements along Powers Ferry Road from Interstate North Parkway to Wildwood Parkway. If awarded, the funds would support enhancements including upgrades to the existing sidewalk and intersections, improvements to the pedestrian and street lights, stamped asphalt crosswalks, brick paver plazas at intersections, mast arms, sidewalk repair, striping and the addition of handicap accessibility. Trees, shrubs, trashcans and benches will also be added.

The application was submitted to the Atlanta Regional Commission in September through the LCI program. Much of this project has already been designed and engineered, so funding would support the implementation phase. Should the CID and Cobb County receive this funding, project construction would begin in 2015.

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Atlanta Region Adopts 6.14 Billion Dollar Project List of Transportation Improvements

On Thursday, October 13, the Atlanta Regional Transportation Roundtable unanimously approved a 6.14 billion dollar project list to be funded by a 10-year, 1 percent Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST), voted on by residents in a July 31, 2012 referendum. The final project list includes 57 key transportation projects from the 10-county metro Atlanta region.

Included on the final project list is 984 million dollars for transportation projects in Cobb County, including 689 million dollars for enhanced premium transit service from Acworth to the MARTA Arts Center Station in Midtown Atlanta; 292 million dollars for roadway projects, including redesign and reconstruction of the Windy Hill Interchange at Interstate 75; and 3.2 million dollars for improvements to McCollum Airport.

The goal of the Atlanta Regional Transportation Roundtable, created by the Transportation Investment Act of 2010, was to come together and create a transportation project list that will have a positive effect on families and businesses around the entire region. Click here to view the final project list.

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Pressed for Time? Hail Caesar at the Food Trucks

Every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., visitors, employees and neighbors in the Cumberland area can enjoy Atlanta food-truck cuisine at the Cobb Galleria Centre. Vendors bringing the food-truck craze to Cumberland include Hail Caesar’s salads, sandwiches and wraps, Yumbii’s Asian-Mexican blend and Pressed for Time’s paninis. Stop by and see what’s on the menu!

View individual schedules on the food truck websites.

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