Cobb school board cancels plans to build $50 million venue over budget concerns

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The Cobb County School Board pulled the plug Tuesday on $50 million project to build a new multi-purpose venue.

In March 2023, the school board approved a request from Superintendent Chris Ragsdale to build the facility with the goal of using it for high school graduations and other large district events.

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However, Ragsdale requested at a special board meeting on Tuesday to no longer move forward with the construction, citing budget concerns.

“The economy has changed a lot in the last two years, and our financial decisions have to change with it,” Ragsdale said. “For the last five years, as we have been planning for the multipurpose center, the economy across the country was growing. Fast forward to the middle of 2024, and the economy has slowed to a crawl.”

The school board voted 6-0 to cancel the plans.

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The $50 million venue has been a topic of discussion since Ragsdale first proposed the venue, but only a few details have been released since March 2023.

The superintendent announced at January’s meeting that the board approved $3 million to purchase land for the venue off Glover Street near CCSD headquarters in Marietta. The project also hired a construction manager back in March of this year.

The district said the decision to not move forward with the venue “protects Cobb’s ability to continue providing the best educational outcomes at the lowest possible cost to taxpayers.”

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