City Council Receives Donation, Camp McDonald Park Seeks Support

The Kennesaw City Council received a big check – literally – on Monday in the amount of $10,000 to help support the Kennesaw Grand Prix 5K Race series.

The check was presented by Ron Sumpter of Cobb EMC and was accepted by Kennesaw Mayor Mark Mathews. The series kicked off with the in May. The next race will be the “Garden Gallop” on Saturday, June 18, to benefit the in Kennesaw.

The Grand Prix is a series of six 5ks run in the city and is organized by volunteers. Runners who complete four of the six races receive a special commemorative t-shirt and sticker. For more information on the races, call 770-429-9733.

Volunteers from the project were also at the council meeting to ask for city support for their competition in the “This Place Matters” Community Challenge. Coordinator April Saine encouraged city residents to visit their website at www.CampMcDonaldPark.org to vote and help them win $25,000.

The park site is on 7.5 acres located across from and fronting on Watts Drive and Main Street. It was purchased by Cobb County with park bond revenues for the purpose of creating a passive park. This location, adjacent to historic natural springs, has a multi-faceted history, including being used as a regional meeting point for Indian tribes and later serving as Camp McDonald, a Civil War Confederate Army training camp.

The council also voted unanimously to close the walkway over the railroad tracks during special events and require attendees to use the pedestrian walkway under the tracks because of safety concerns. A “test” of the closure will be this Saturday, June 11, from 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. when the city hosts its first summer concert at the downtown depot. The road will be closed from Main and Lewis Streets to Cemetery Street. The request was made by the city’s special events committee and presented by Councilman Bill Thrash.

During the public comments portion of the council meeting, Robert Turgeon of Kennesaw asked members to look into excessive speeding along Kennesaw Due West Road near Sycamore Drive – the street on which he resides.

“The speed limit is 35 but people are going 50,” said Turgeon.  “You can’t see the traffic coming until they are right up on you.” Turgeon, a 20-year-resident of Kennesaw, said he has not received any help from city police, so he decided to go before the council.

Turgeon said he would like to see a traffic light placed at the intersection to slow traffic and make it easier to exit from Sycamore Drive. Mayor Mathews said the city would study the intersection over the next 30 days and get back in contact with Turgeon with a solution.

In other business, the council unanimously approved an alcohol pouring license for La Bamba Mexican Bar and Grill at 4100 Jiles Road, and a bottle house license for Painting with a Twist, a new art studio at 1635 Old 41 Highway. A bottle house is a place of business open to the public providing entertainment that allows guests or patrons to bring in and to consume alcoholic beverages on the premises.