The Cobb County School District has found a spot for its forthcoming multipurpose facility in Marietta, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale announced Thursday.
The school board approved the use of $50 million last year for the construction of a facility the district plans to use for graduations, among other things.
The 1.31-acre parcel of land cost $3 million and is located next door to the district’s central office. Board members unanimously approved the purchase in December after discussing it privately, and Ragsdale announced the intended use for the land at this week’s board meeting.
“This location is very central to the county, and will allow easy access for all events — especially graduations,” Ragsdale said. “I’m very excited to have a facility that will allow our graduates appropriate access for their family members.”
The facility would have about 8,000 seats and a parking deck, Ragsdale said last year. Currently, most graduation ceremonies are hosted at the Kennesaw State University Convocation Center, which seats about 4,600. About 8,000 students are expected to graduate from the state’s second-largest school system this year.
Apart from graduations at a new facility, Ragsdale mentioned ceremonies to celebrate employees, science fairs, fine arts presentations and basketball games as other possible uses.
More details about the plans are expected “very soon,” Ragsdale said.
Documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last year through the Georgia Open Records Act show the district planned to spend close to $50,000 to host most high school graduations at Kennesaw State University. That total does not include the $10 parking fee guests will have to pay. In the 2022-23 academic year, Cobb paid $51,000 to the Roswell Street Baptist Church in Marietta to rent its facilities for a luncheon to honor mechanics, school nurses, secretaries and other support personnel, and three luncheons honoring retirees. Two of the retiree luncheons were making up for luncheons missed during the pandemic.
The district owns several properties on Glover Street, including the ones used for its central office and human resources building. The compound isn’t far from the intersection of South Marietta Parkway Southeast and Fairground Street Southeast.
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