Executive Director’s Message

Welcome to the Cumberland Community Improvement District’s inaugural e-newsletter.

As a stakeholder in the Cumberland CID, you are part of a force for change. Over the last 20 years the Cumberland CID, led by the local business community, has worked with its government partners on your behalf to make Cumberland Galleria one of the most accessible communities in Atlanta and the Southeast.

This e-newsletter will keep you updated throughout the year on dozens of projects. From streetscapes to construction projects, these improvements add value and convenience to your investment in the community. Please see the articles below on several interesting initiatives that will benefit owners, tenants, workers and visitors to the area.

I hope that you received our 2006 annual report (PDF) with its detailed overview of area improvements, and I invite you to monitor our progress at www.cumberlandcid.org.

Thank you for your continued commitment to the Cumberland CID.

Best,

Malaika Rivers
Executive Director, Cumberland CID

< Top

Trail Adds “Play” to Cumberland Galleria’s “Live, Work”

In keeping with its goal to boost Cumberland Galleria’s amenities, the Cumberland CID is dedicated to improvement projects for pedestrians, cyclists and other users. The recently-opened Bob Callan Trail does just that. On June 1, 2007, U.S. Congressman Tom Price, along with other dignitaries and 300 members of the community, officially opened the Bob Callan Trail to the public.

Left to right: Vance Smith, transportation committee chairman, Georgia House of Representatives; Malaika Rivers, executive director, Cumberland CID; Connie Engel, treasurer, Cumberland CID Board of Directors; Barry Teague, Cumberland CID Board of Directors; Harold Linnenkohl, commissioner, Georgia DOT; Bob Callan; Tom Price, U.S. House of Representatives; Sam Olens, chairman, Cobb County Board of Commissioners; John Shern, vice chairman, Cumberland CID Board of Directors.

The CID committed $1.3 million to design and construct this beautiful new trail, which connects the surrounding community to 1,200 acres of pristine national parkland. The $4 million Phase I begins at the Palisades trailhead in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area off Cobb Parkway/U.S. 41. It winds for 2.1 miles along Rottenwood Creek to end at the new Interstate North Parkway trailhead. The trail is eight feet wide to accommodate a range of users.

The newly-opened Bob Callan Trail connects the Cumberland Galleria area to the nearby Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

Phase II of the Bob Callan Trail will continue another two miles northbound along the creek bed to end at Terrell Mill Road. The CID, along with Cobb County, has applied for a $1 million Transportation Enhancement (TE) grant to initiate this project. If successful, the Cumberland CID will commit the minimum $200,000 match and will continue to seek additional funds to complete the project.

< Top

Construction Improves Traffic Flow at Northeast Corridor Intersections

Funding from the Cumberland CID and Cobb County’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) is transforming four intersections along the Terrell Mill Road corridor.

The Cumberland CID invested $4.5 million in these improvements, which cost a total of $14 million. The projects improve traffic flow for the more than 300,000 commuters who travel the Terrell Mill corridor every day. The improvements also will accommodate growth in the corridor for the next 10 years.

The Cumberland CID and the Cobb County DOT are working together to improve the commutes of thousands of east Cobb residents utilizing the Terrell Mill Road corridor.

Two of these intersections, Delk Road at Terrell Mill Road and Lower Roswell Road at Old Canton Road, were completed in early 2007. The other two, Terrell Mill Road at Paper Mill Road and Terrell Mill Road at Lower Roswell Road, will be completed by December 2007.

< Top

Streetscape Projects Provide Safe Foot Access to Area Amenities and Venues

In addition to a gleaming new performing arts center, pedestrians will also be able to take advantage of enhanced sidewalks and streetscapes along Akers Mill Road and Cobb Galleria Parkway.

The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre will open in September 2007.

Through the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) Program, the Cumberland CID has committed more than $1.5 million to the $5.2 million cost of the streetscapes. The area will benefit from new sidewalks, lighting, and intersection improvements. As an added benefit, these sidewalks will connect to the various trails in the area to provide access for cyclists and other users.

In addition to these streetscape improvements, pedestrians will find a safer passage through the intersection of Cobb Parkway and I-285. Cobb Parkway will see streetscape improvements from Circle 75 Parkway south to Akers Mill Road, while the interchange at I-285 and Cobb Parkway will be landscaped. Scheduled for completion in 2008, these efforts total $2.9 million and include $575,000 in CID funds.

The “new” Cobb Galleria Parkway will feature underground utility lines, a multi-use trail, spacious crosswalks, better lighting and plenty of trees and greenery. Cobb Galleria Parkway connects Cumberland Boulevard at I-75 to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre and Akers Mill Road.

< Top

Cumberland CID’s Commuter Club Provides Affordable Transportation Options

In addition to improving area infrastructure for residents and employees, the Cumberland CID also offers a commuter program, Commuter Club, which provides free information and discounts on various commuter options.

Commuter Club boasts the largest TMA-managed vanpool fleet in the United States. It also assists employers and employees with the creation of carpools, teleworking and flexible scheduling programs.

Entering its 11th year of operation, Commuter Club works with individual commuters as well as area employers to coordinate commute alternatives for employees. These include programs such as vanpools and carpools, as well as teleworking and flextime scheduling. The award-winning program has earned the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Best Workplaces for Commuters designation since 2003. The Association for Consumer Transportation (ACT), the Southeastern Association for Commuter Transportation (SEACT), and the International Association of Business (IABC), among many others, have also recognized Commuter Club for its accomplishments.

Commuter Club saves participants thousands of dollars each year while also reducing traffic congestion and helping the environment. Since 1996, Commuter Club has saved more than 55 million vehicle miles and prevented the release of more than 105 tons of harmful pollutants.

For more information, please contact Ginny Rainey, Commuter Club Executive Director, at (770) 859-2331 or , or visit the Commuter Club Web site at www.commuterclub.com.

< Top