By Rebecca Gaunt

The skatepark at Swift-Cantrell Park in Kennesaw will undergo needed repairs thanks to a donation by the Swift-Cantrell Foundation.

Foundation president Phil Barber and other members presented Parks Director Steve Roberts with a check for $10,817 at Monday’s City Council meeting to fund needed improvements for the all-concrete, 40,000-square-foot park.

“I don’t know if I could ever express my gratitude enough to this foundation,” Roberts said.

The Foundation also donated $100,000 to the construction of the inclusive playground that opened in January 2020.

Swift-Cantrell Park on Old 41 Highway is funded by the city. The Foundation was formed to assist the city in raising funds for capital improvements without cost to taxpayers.

33-acre Annexation and Mobile Park Relocation

Council approved the annexation of 33 acres at 1650 N. Cobb Pkwy and 1880 Old 41 Hwy from unincorporated Cobb County and rezoned it for a planned village community (PVC). Plans submitted by Related Development include 332 multi-family residential units, 63 townhomes, trails and pedestrian access to Kennesaw Marketplace, the Noonday Creek trail system and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. It is the second phase of the Kennesaw Marketplace development, which is connected by a bridge over Noonday Creek.

The property is the site of Castle Lake Mobile Home Park, and as part of the approval process, the city required Related to provide relocation assistance to the residents. According to the relocation plans submitted by Related last week, about half the residents have moved or started the process of moving, and half were still weighing their options. Single-wide occupants will receive $3,500 and double-wide occupants will receive $5,000.

In other business:

*City Council unanimously approved the 2022 fiscal year citywide budget of almost $26 million. It’s a 3% increase over last year’s budget. City officials project a 5% increase in revenue due to property revaluations and new development, with a steady millage rate of 8 mills.

*Council approved the submitted land appraisals valuing the Chalker Park property on Poplar Drive at $411,100 and a 1.4-acre tract of land near the intersection of Smith Drive and Cherokee Street for $417,600. It also approved the exchange of the city-owned Chalker Park property for the Cherokee Street property owned by Sanctuary Development. Chalker Park will be developed by Sanctuary as part of the 57-acre Eastpark Village mixed-use development. Such an exchange of municipality-owned property is permitted as long as the other property is of equal or greater value. The city already abandoned public use of Chalker Park in July.

*Alcohol sales licenses were approved for Gus’s Fried Chicken on South Main Street, Kings Liquor on Cobb Parkway and Jiles Food Mart on Jiles Road.