By Rebecca Gaunt

Mableton residents, who have spent the past year trying to convince the Cobb County School District not to proceed with plans for a bus depot on 6.9 acres at 440 Veterans Memorial Highway, were disappointed Thursday following the 4-3 approval of a $4.58 million construction contract with Canton-based Place Services, Inc.

Board members Becky Sayler and Leroy Tre’ Hutchins, who represent the areas including parts of Mableton, voted against the contract. Nichelle Davis joined them in opposition.

“See you in court!” yelled Nickolas Dimondi as the meeting closed.

Dimondi’s home backs up to the site of the bus depot, which will contain a fueling station and parking lot for school buses and cars. He told the Courier he has filed for a restraining order to prevent the start of construction and is waiting for a decision from the judge.

Joel Cope sits on the board of directors for Mableton Improvement Coalition.

During public comment, Cope asked the board not to approve the project. He also said MIC tried to arrange a meeting with the district but “did not hear back.” 

“Unfortunately, no such meeting has ever taken place, even to this date,” he said.

Cassandra Brown is a 23-year resident of Mableton and a member of the city’s 2045 steering committee.

“I cannot say strongly enough that this is not what we are envisioning for our city,” she said.

Read more here:  Mableton Bus Depot – Cobb Courier

Marc Smith, the district’s chief technology and operations officer, assured the board that there will be considerable buffering around the site.

“There’s yardage in place there. There’s trees. There’s shrubs. There’s fencing. There’s walls,” he said.

Vehicles will enter and exit via Glore Drive.

In June, a public commenter expressed frustration at a lack of bathroom access in the district for bus drivers.

Sayler asked whether there would be a bathroom built on the site. Smith said no, but “we have made modifications working with transportation as far as giving drivers access to the schools that they need in order to ensure they have appropriate access to restrooms.”

Transparency dispute

Board member Randy Scamihorn commented on accusations of a lack of transparency surrounding the project, and said he initiated communications with the Mableton Improvement Coalition.

“We have done nothing but been transparent in one effort after another…I don’t get it,” he said.

Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said, “Yes, we have looked at alternative locations, alternative land solutions, and I would say we have gone above and beyond normal due diligence for this location. But at the end of the day, nothing came to fruition.”

Board Chair David Chastain also defended the project, saying that if there had been a better use, “the market probably would have outbid us and we wouldn’t have it.”

The district purchased the land in 2022 for $1.1 million but didn’t reveal the plans until Scamihorn mentioned it to the Marietta Daily Journal in 2024.

Mableton residents strongly disagreed with Ragsdale and Scamihorn’s assessment of the process.

Mableton City Council member Patricia Auch said she has not been included in any discussion on the matter.

“I’ve never received even an acknowledgement of receipt by either of them for a single email I’ve ever sent them,” she said.

Becca Ford, the zoning chair for the Mableton Improvement Coalition, provided a statement on MIC’s behalf: 

“This afternoon’s work session produced claims of total transparency and communicative behavior that went above and beyond throughout this process. We simply disagree. Despite months of requests for details and public engagement, the Mableton community remains excluded from dialogue. Members of the BOE majority expressed dismay at the public’s frustration, but the community could not have been more clear in their unmet request for two way discourse.”

Mableton Mayor Michael Owens previously said he met with district staff in December 2024, but the city had no real say in the matter. The school district is not subject to standard zoning ordinances.

The Courier has reached out to Owens for comment.

Funding will come from SPLOST V. The projected completion date is March 2026.