Marietta eyes new red-light camera, talks mask policy, skate park
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Apr. 28—A fourth red-light camera in Marietta seems on the way, as the City Council moved forward a proposal from city staff to add one at the corner of Cobb Parkway and the on-ramp to Canton Road Connector.
During Tuesday's series of committee meetings, the Public Safety Committee, chaired by Grif Chalfant, voted 3-0 to advance the proposal. A final vote will occur at the City Council's formal meeting May 12.
The intersection has had 21 accidents so far this year, 101 last year and 96 the year before, according to Public Works Director Mark Rice. Rice believes a red light camera could halve the number of accidents.
The other intersections in the city with red-light cameras are Powder Springs Street at South Marietta Parkway, Cobb Parkway at Allgood Road and Cobb Parkway at Windy Hill Road.
Also moving forward is a request from Councilwoman Michelle Cooper Kelly to form a Skate Park Advisory Committee. Funding for a skate park in Marietta was approved in the last Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) election. The committee would be composed of 10 or so community stakeholders, including skating enthusiasts, who would provide input into the park's plan. The proposal moved out of committee without opposition and will be voted at the May 12 meeting.
A proposal to build 30 single-family houses on 5.3 acres located on Fairlane Drive, off Powder Springs Street near City Club Marietta, was advanced to the council's May 10 work session. It was advanced out of the Judicial-Legislative Committee, chaired by Andy Morris. It passed 2-0-1, with Morris and Cheryl Richardson in favor and Joseph Goldstein abstaining.
In other business, Chalfant proposed relaxing the city's mask policy, which requires people to wear masks on city property. Kelly thought council should wait another month to allow more time for people to get vaccinated and for the country to reach herd immunity. The matter was set aside for now.
Finally, the council directed city staff to develop plans to build a pollinator garden at Kirby Park. The proposal comes from Richardson, who said the garden would serve educational and environmental purposes, providing pollinator plants for bees, butterflies and other wildlife.
