By Rebecca Gaunt
In a surprise move during Tuesday’s special called meeting, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale asked the Cobb County school board to kill the controversial $50 million event center, citing “extremely concerning levels of inflation.”
He compared current economic conditions to those seen in 2008 prior to the recession.
“During the 2008 recession, furlough days and a pattern of teacher and staff pay reductions became commonplace and standard operating procedure, unfortunately, in education,” Ragsdale said.
In a 6-0 vote, with Nichelle Davis absent, the board approved his request.
Ragsdale has spent the last year defending the project against criticism for the project’s cost and lack of transparency around it.
Board member Becky Sayler has opposed the center since its initial approval in March 2023. Davis joined her in opposing the approval of a construction manager at risk contract earlier this year.
“I’m relieved that this project was canceled. I have been concerned that the eventual impact on our budget would be catastrophic, and in the absence of any official written information about the forecast of ongoing costs, those fears were never addressed. This process highlights the need for thorough information shared with both the board and the public. I hope that moving forward we can expect open engagement and communication with stakeholders,” Sayler told the Courier.
Last month, the financial watchdog group Watching the Funds-Cobb obtained the architectural plans from an anonymous source and made them public. It was the first time the public, and at least some of the board members, had an opportunity to learn any of the details.
While Ragsdale has largely touted it as an 8,000-seat graduation venue and site for educational activities, the plans revealed the 190,000 square-foot facility included a 148,400 square-foot basketball arena and concert venue. Attendees would also need to be shuttled on buses from an offsite location due to a lack of parking.
Board member Leroy Tre’ Hutchins told the Courier, “While I agree with the outcome, I am thankful for my colleague, Boardmember Sayler, who has always inquired about the fiscal sustainability for the event center. Having a feasibility study, as she suggested, I believe would have allowed us to get to this conclusion sooner. I also want to thank the community at large for expressing your concerns in reference to the event center, and while not referenced as a consideration in the decision to rescind the project, I do recognize this is also election season.”
The Courier also reached out to Randy Scamihorn, the current board chair, for comment. Article will be updated with his response once received.
Rebecca Gaunt earned a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in education from Oglethorpe University. After teaching elementary school for several years, she returned to writing. She lives in Marietta with her husband, son, two cats, and a dog. In her spare time, she loves to read, binge Netflix and travel.
