By Rebecca Gaunt

Mabletonians voiced their disapproval of the Cobb County School District’s planned bus depot at 440 Veterans Memorial Highway during public comment at the school board’s work and voting sessions last week.

As of Tuesday, a petition opposing the depot was at 249 signatures.

The district purchased the 6.9-acre property with a unanimous vote of approval and $1.1 million in 2022, but never publicly discussed its intentions for the parcel. Residents reported that work began at the site in August of this year, and a project manager informed them it was for a bus depot.

Robin Meyer, sporting the same green “I heart Mableton” shirt as some of the other attendees, said, “For over a year we’ve wondered about the district’s purchase of this key property in our community and now we know why. We understand the district is exempt from the county’s comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance, but we do expect the district to follow the desires of our community as expressed in this plan.”

Mableton Improvement Coalition zoning committee co-chair Becca Ford also spoke at the afternoon work session.

“With our city’s recent incorporation, I hoped stretches like this area of Veterans Memorial Highway would see real improvement that benefits the community, redevelopment such as density-appropriate residential and consumer-oriented retail. A school bus depot on valuable property off a main road accomplishes none of these things,” she said.

At the evening session, Nickolas Dimondi told the board that his home backs up to the district’s property. 

“It would not only cause real disruption to my neighborhood and my two small children, but also impede the needed changes to make Mableton attractive to more housing investments, something that is desperately needed, especially on Veterans Memorial, which many view as the main portal to Mableton,” he said.

MIC member Cassandra Brown voiced her disappointment that neither Superintendent Chris Ragsdale nor anyone from the district responded to inquiries from Mableton leaders until they engaged with the Marietta Daily Journal.

According to speakers at Thursday’s meetings, school board Chairman Randy Scamihorn’s comments in an Oct. 4 article in the Marietta Daily Journal were the first official confirmation of the district’s plans.

Scamihorn told the MDJ that the site would be a place to preposition buses to be closer to the routes.

He also threw responsibility for the community’s concerns at the feet of the two board members who represent Mableton schools–Tre’ Hutchins and Becky Sayler.

“Those two have had several opportunities to allay the fears of the local residents,” Scamihorn told the MDJ.

Prior to Scamihorn divulging the plans to the MDJ on Oct. 4, Sayler responded to the Courier’s questions about the depot rumors saying no public information was available from the district, but that she hoped the district would communicate with and involve the community.

The Courier reached out to Scamihorn for clarification on whether the board was authorized to discuss the plans publicly prior to his published comments and, if so, what information did the district authorize board members to share. He was also asked why a month went by between the Mableton Improvement Coalition first formally reaching out to the district and his public comments confirming the plan. Scamihorn did not respond to any questions.

According to Mableton resident Brandeis Thompson, Scamihorn told the former MIC education chair Nate Smith that he would speak to the community.

“The invitation has been extended, but now Mr. Scamihorn does not have time,” she said.

In a joint statement to the Courier Sunday, Sayler and Tre’ Hutchins, who both represent schools in Mableton, said, “The best way to allay the fears of local residents is to involve them and the new city of Mableton officials in the plans for this land and usage. We believe that is still possible and are committed to working towards that end.”

Hutchins added, “It’s the responsibility of the superintendent to handle operational items, not the Board of Education. As a board member, my role is to bring community concerns to the superintendent. I started that process over a year ago.”

The Courier reached out to the district to ask if there are any plans to engage with Mableton leaders or provide additional information to the public. The district declined to comment.

To view all comments in full, go to the district website Watch Meetings Online (cobbk12.org).