Remember, it was earlier this month city council ramrodded through a new fixed-rate bond issue after its variable-rate bonds turned "upside down." That necessitated an increase in the hotel debt to $33.5 million from $29 million.
Remember also that back in February 2007 Marietta taxpayers bit off another $7 million in debt to lure the Hilton chain to team up with conference center operator Remington to upgrade the 13-year-old hotel. That influx of bond dollars paid for badly-needed new linens, flat-screen TVs, drapes, carpets, glass, bar ware, etc.
Now known as the Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Conference Center and Resort, the facility recently slashed its food service offerings at Hamilton's, its main dining room overlooking the City Club golf course with a spectacular view of Kennesaw Mountain in the background.
According to a hotel clerk, Hamilton's stopped serving lunch, dinner and its Sunday buffet "several months ago." It is still serving breakfast, but offers the lunch buffet only on special occasions. Another check-in clerk told AT that the Hilton planned a Thanksgiving buffet and will accept reservations after Nov. 1. And the conference center still provides meals for the many civic clubs that meet there and for other functions.
Meanwhile, the expanded and nicely refurbished Pub, with table seating for 45 diners, and additional seating at its lengthy bar, is still open for lunch and dinner with a more limited menu. When two MDJ reporters ate at the Pub last week at midday, only one other table of lunch goers was spotted.
Questioned by AT, a west side Marietta council member said he knew nothing about the scaled-back food service but added, "I never go there anyway."
Built at a cost of $25 million to capitalize on the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and to lure business groups and tourists to Marietta, the conference center unfortunately has never caught on as the place to dine or be seen in Marietta.
Observed one Marietta foodie, "It's hard to compete with Brandi's World Famous Hot Dogs or Gabriel's Desserts and Winston Strickland's soul food."
"PRO BONO" EXPLAINED: The MDJ reported Thursday that longtime city attorney Doug Haynie had chartered Progress Marietta Inc., the group headed by local oil company exec Kim Gresh and Board of Lights and Waterworks member Arthur Vaughn to promote the upcoming $25 million parks bond referendum in Marietta. The story also noted that Haynie did the work on a pro bono (that is, free) basis. That prompted another Marietta attorney to call AT to offer his services "pro bono-plus."
Said the lawyer, "If Marietta paid me $500,000 a year like it does Doug, I would do all the charters it wants pro bono and throw in a couple of free wills for good measure."
Despite the quip, Haynie is considered an able and ethical lawyer who has a very difficult but well-paying client.
ALTHOUGH IT WOULD TAKE A TRUCKLOAD of newsprint to recap all the shenanigans, stumbles and scheming by our embattled Cobb School Board since it took office in January, Chairman Dr. John Abraham's loaded question at Thursday's meeting to associate Superintendent Dr. Gordon Pritz about the controversial Eastvalley Elementary cell-phone tower might turn out to be the "Laugher of the Year."
Abraham's question before the vote was, "Did we follow school board policies?" regarding its decision to allow construction of the tower.
In other words, the chairman apparently was trying to find political cover behind Pritz.
That's not exactly a profile-in-courage moment from someone in a leadership role. Never mind that all board members are to vote their consciences and convictions on what is best for students and parents.
The true hypocrisy of Abraham's question wasn't lost on several school-board junkies who remember that Abraham was the sole board member to vote a few months back to fire Pritz.
TODAY IS A CAMPUS WORK DAY at Marietta Middle School, where volunteers will be planting, spreading mulch and painting. First United Methodist Church will be providing the workers as part of their community-wide Day of Community Service.
The work starts at 8:30 a.m. and lunch will be provided. Bring your work gloves, rakes and wheelbarrows, says Sherri Dombi, Partner in Education for Marietta Middle.
FORMER KENNESAW Mayor Leonard Church, who’s running for the seat on the Cobb Board of Commissioners representing northwest Cobb now held by Helen Goreham, will hold a pizza “meet and greet” today at the barbershop at the corner of Main Street and Giles Road in Kennesaw from 1:30-3 p.m. Meanwhile, a “Roast Leonard Church” fundraiser is planned Nov. 6 at Legacy Park Club House at 7 p.m. The event will also feature heavy hors d’oeuvres, door prizes and wine and beer. Call Tom King at (770) 794-6869. Still to come is a Church event featuring Kennesaw musician Roger “Hurricane” Wilson.
Incidentally, Wilson has penned a tune touting Church’s candidacy, titled “It’s Church Time.”
To hear it, go to www.itschurchtime.com.
MARIETTA NATIVE HUGH LEE MCDANIEL celebrated his 86th birthday Sunday with his wife, Marian, to whom he has been married for 63 years.
Cargo plane pilot McDaniel flew the dangerous “Hump” route from India to China over the Himalayas during World War II delivering supplies to Gen. Charles Chennault’s famed “Flying Tigers” before returning to Cobb for a successful career as a Realtor, builder, developer and legislator.
He represented Smyrna in the Georgia House from 1963 to 1974 and was hailed as a visionary for being the first to suggest a second outer-loop highway to relieve congested I-285. Unfortunately, the outer loop was never built.
McDaniel and his wife now live in the Winnwood Retirement Community just off the Square. They have three daughters: Marsha Crowder of Marietta, Nancy Hester of Kennesaw and Gail Barton of Yorktown, Va., as well as seven grandchildren, five great grandchildren and two more on the way.
As one longtime Mariettan put it this week, McDaniel is “the highest and best evidence that good guys don’t always die young.”
Happy birthday, Hugh Lee!
THE MARIETTA ROTARY CLUB celebrated its 90th birthday Wednesday by recognizing its oldest and youngest members and by hearing MDJ Associate Publisher Jay Whorton recite some club history — some of it deliberately fanciful, he said. The oldest active member is retired developer Sid Clotfelter, 96, and the youngest is MDJ General Manager Otis Brumby III, who is 28.
Three members of the Brumby family were among the 20 club founders. They were Bolan G. Brumby, Otis A. Brumby, T.M. Brumby Jr. Other founders were Len C. Baldwin, John H. Boston, Doyle P. Butler, A.V. Cortleyou, George E. Daniell, John W. Hancock, Ralph J. Hancock, Mack D. Hodges, William T. Holland, J. Edward Massey, Morgan L. McNeel, Ralph W. Northcutt, Sam L. Rambo, M. M. Sessions, N. Kemper Smith and W. Henry Wyatt.
PEOPLE: Two senators will address upcoming Madison Forum meetings. U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson will speak Nov. 9 at the Rib Ranch restaurant in Marietta at 11:30 a.m. And state Sen. Chip Rogers will speak at the Forum’s Oct. 31 8 a.m. breakfast. …
On Sunday’s “Georgia Gang,” political TV talk show, hosts Dick Williams and Phil Kent named Sheriff Neil Warren as their “winner of the week” for signing a new Memorandum of Agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement allowing the Sheriff’s Office to continue checking the immigration status of inmates booked into the jail.
COUNTY MANAGER David Hankerson’s mother, Rhina Lee Crawford, turned 100 on Oct. 8. A “Celebration of Excellence” was held by 400 family members and friends on Oct. 10 in Waynesboro observing Mrs. Crawford’s life with tributes, prayers, songs and dance acts. About 40 people from Cobb County attended, including Cobb Commission Chair Sam Olens, Commissioner Helen Goreham, department managers and other employees. Close friends of Mr. Hankerson’s Charles Kastner, Bernice Franklin, Bob and Shirley Hightower, Butch Thompson, former school board Chairman Lindsey Tippins, Jim Croy and Larry and Mary Thompson also attended. Tributes were made by Burke County Commissioner Bob Andrews, Vice Mayor Chick Jones and Mrs. Crawford’s pastor, the Rev. Nedenia Barber.
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