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Crescent Hotels and Resorts plans to hire back all hotel employees at Stone Mountain Park after the management change.

The hotel company is taking over both the Atlanta Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort and the Stone Mountain Inn, starting Aug. 1. Marriott Hotel Service Inc. currently operates the properties and notified the state of the management change and layoffs.

All 226 employees will remain working at the hotels under Crescent, said Crescent CEO Michael George.

The hospitality industry was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic and still faces financial deficits. Georgia’s hospitality industry lost nearly $4 billion during 2020 and 2021, according to the Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association. The state also lost about 17% of its hotel workforce, or 9,500 jobs.

Experts say leisure travel is leading the hotel recovery in the summer months, which could benefit the Stone Mountain Park hotels. Demand for resorts is also driving Georgia hospitality sales. But business travel is still down, cutting into possible conference revenue the hotels could be generating.

The Evergreen resort is a large complex complete with event space, two pools, golf courses and other family activities. The Stone Mountain Inn offers similar amenities with a more historic façade and décor. Both underwent multi-million dollar renovations in 2017.

The hotel management change corresponds with a leadership transition at Stone Mountain Park.

Starting in August, Thrive Attractions Management LLC will operate the park. That company was created by Michael Dombrowski, who previously managed the park under Atlanta-based Herscend Family Entertainment Co. Thrive will also retain all 600 Stone Mountain Park employees.

The 3,400-acre park is one of Georgia’s largest and most-visited attractions with 3 million visitors per year. It features multiple festivals each year as well as a laser light show and an air trolley that takes guests up the granite mountain.

The side of the mountain includes the largest Confederate monument in the world, a fact that has caused outcry from activists who call it a symbol for white supremacy. State agency Stone Mountain Memorial Association has voted to add Civil War exhibits to put the carving in context, according to multiple reports.

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On July 7, longtime lesbian bar My Sister’s Room (MSR) relocates from 12 Street to its new home on Crescent Avenue, taking over the former Publico space in Midtown. Owner Michael Duganier closed Publico after four years on Crescent Avenue last week and plans to sub-lease the property to MSR owners Jen-Chase Daniels and Jami Maguire.

“Today we decided to sublease our property to our good friends and long term Midtown neighbors, MSR (My Sisters Room),” a statement posted to Publico’s Instagram page reads. “With all the changes happening in Midtown along with the growth of our company in SC as well as the loss of one of our founding partners last year we wanted to make sure we could give each of our restaurants the attention they deserve and this was the best decision.”

This is the fourth relocation for MSR over the past decade. Last November, Daniels and Maguire were told they had one year to vacate the 12th Street property before the bar would be torn down to make way for a new condo development. With the move to Crescent Avenue, MSR now offers more space inside, as well as outside on Publico’s large, street-facing patio in front of the building. MSR will remain open on 12 Street through July 2 and reopen on Crescent Avenue on July 7.

MSR first opened in 1996 on East Howard Avenue in Decatur. Daniels and Maguire purchased the bar in 2011, moving it from Glenwood Avenue in East Atlanta (now home to Banshee) to Midtown four years later. The couple relocated the bar again in 2018 to 12th Street in order to acquire more space. [IG]

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Cubanos ATL is now open on Maxwell Road in Alpharetta, making this the fifth location of the popular Cuban sandwich shop, owned by Ozzy Llanes. Housed in a converted shipping container, the Alpharetta location includes outdoor seating and the same menu as found at the Sandy Springs, Cumming, Marietta, and Chattahoochee Food Works locations. [IG]

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A third location of C&S Seafood and Oyster Bar is opening next year at the Porter on Peachtree complex in Brookhaven. Serving a similar menu to the Sandy Springs location, the Brookhaven restaurant will feature a green space and patio and be open for both lunch and dinner daily. There’s also a location in Vinings. [Official]

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1271 Glenwood Avenue Southeast, , GA 30316 (470) 428-2034 Visit Website

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In July 2010 Griffin Technical College and Flint River Technical College consolidated operations to form a new institution called Southern Crescent Technical College. The merger was one of several designed to reduce administrative costs and improve student access to programs within the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). The mergers integrated the colleges’ administrations and their local boards of directors, with all campus locations remaining open. The main campus of one college within each merger was designated as the administrative campus, serving as the home of the president’s office, and a provost was assigned to oversee daily operations at the other campus(es).

Randall L. Peters, a former president of Heart of Georgia Technical College (later Oconee Fall Line Technical College) in Dublin, was named president of the new college. Steve Daniel, a former director of Quick Start, was named provost.

The administrative campus of Southern Crescent Tech is located in Griffin, the seat of Spalding County. The college also operates the Flint River campus in Thomaston, Butts County Center in Jackson, Jasper County Center in Monticello, and Taylor County Center in Butler.

As with other technical colleges governed by the TCSG, admission to Southern Crescent Tech relies on eligibility and academic criteria: candidates must be at least sixteen years old (older for some programs). A high school diploma or General Education Development (GED) diploma is required for entry into most programs, except designated diploma and certificate programs. Most diploma and certificate programs require a high school diploma or GED prior to graduation from Southern Crescent Tech. Once all requirements are met, students can earn an associate degree, an expanded program of study that facilitates career mobility and continuing education at the baccalaureate level; a traditional diploma; or a technical certificate of credit, a short-term targeted program that prepares students for specific jobs.

Flint River Tech was established in 1961 as the Upson County Area Vocational-Technical School, under the directorship of E. G. McCants. The school began offering classes in four programs of study in 1963, and its main campus in Thomaston, the seat of Upson County, opened in 1964. This campus was expanded in 1975, 1978, 1991, and 1996. Directors of the school include Clarence R. Tunmer (1972-75), Leon Barnes (1975-87), and interim director William Anderson (1987-88).

In 1988 Carlos Schmitt became the first president of the school when it transferred from local to state governance and became part of the newly formed Department of Technical and Adult Education (DTAE; later TCSG). At that time, its name changed to Upson Technical Institute. The following year the school again changed names, becoming the Flint River Technical Institute to better reflect its geographic service area.

In 2000 Flint River Tech began offering associate degree programs in computer information systems, early childhood care and education, electronics, and secretarial science. That same year, due to legislation (Georgia House Bill 1187) that allowed technical institutes offering associate degrees to become colleges, Flint River Tech officially became Flint River Technical College.

The closure in 2001 of Thomaston Mills, the town’s 102-year-old textile maker and largest employer, led to a boost in the college’s enrollment. Flint River Tech began offering short-term technical certificates of credit through diploma and degree programs that were designed to retrain displaced workers from the mill for various industries. Many students received financial assistance through HOPE scholarships and Pell grants. Adult literacy training also became a focal point for the college.

Schmitt retired in 2001, and Coy L. Hodges, a former president of Griffin Technical College, served as interim president until 2002, when Kathy S. Love was appointed president. In 2006 Love briefly left to serve as interim president for Central Georgia Technical College, returning to Flint River Tech in 2007.

In 2005 nursing was one of Flint River Tech’s most popular programs. In 2006, with the help of a grant from the DTAE, Columbus Technical College in Columbus extended its associate-degree nursing program to Flint River Tech and West Georgia Technical College (in LaGrange), accepting students at each of the two campuses to help meet the demand for qualified health care workers in the state. To further meet this demand, Flint River Tech began offering its certified nursing assistant program on the Taylor County High School and Upson-Lee High School campuses during the 2005-6 school year, allowing high school students the opportunity to earn college credit.

In addition to health care, Flint River Tech was also committed to its trade and industry programs. In 2006 funding was approved by the state legislature for a 32,000-square-foot industrial training facility, and in 2007 the college began offering a diploma and certificate in plumbing and residential wiring. Another economic development initiative was the college’s partnership with Quick Start, a nationally recognized program that develops training for new and existing industries in Georgia. Together with Quick Start, Flint River Tech developed programs and trained employees for E7 Technologies, a cell phone battery refurbishment company that relocated to Upson County in 2005.

In spring 2010 the total enrollment at Flint River Tech was 857.

Originally called Griffin–Spalding County Area Vocational Technical School, Griffin Tech began its first classes in 1963 under the direction of Edwin V. Langford Sr. The first building on the school’s main campus was completed in 1966, and an addition of more than 18,000 square feet was completed in 1978. John V. Hooper became director in 1979, followed by Coy L. Hodges in 1981.

In 1987 Griffin Tech joined the network of state schools governed by the State Board of Postsecondary Vocational Education (later DTAE; then TCSG) and became Griffin Technical Institute. Further expansions to the school were completed in 1990, 1995, and 1997. In 2000 Griffin Tech officially became Griffin Technical College, and in the fall of that year enrollment rose 47 percent. In 2001 the Jasper County facility in Monticello was completed, and the construction of a 70,000-square-foot technology building on the main campus followed in 2003. Robert Arnold was named president in 2002.

In 2003 Caterpillar, a leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, donated two diesel engines to Griffin Tech to teach assembly training to both students and Caterpillar employees. In 2004 the college, in collaboration with Quick Start, was instrumental in the successful opening of the Caterpillar’s Griffin facility, Perkins Engines, an engine-manufacturing company.

Griffin Tech further demonstrated its commitment to manufacturing and industrial mechanics by opening a plastics technology center in 2003. In 2005 the school’s commercial vehicle operation program produced the largest number of graduates, and other popular programs at the school included automotive mechanics technology, criminal justice and safety studies, and industrial mechanics.

In spring 2010 the total enrollment at Griffin Tech was 5,009.

The decade-long spring break at Flip Flops on Crescent Avenue in Midtown has come to an end, the AJC reports. The lease on the beach-themed daiquiri bar owned by former MTV “The Real World: Paris” star Ace Amerson expired on Friday at midnight and won’t be renewed.

The closure news was shared on Flip Flop’s official Facebook page and reads, “Atlanta, Thank you! it has been fun but we are officially closed. New Concept coming soon! HS. Come check the new club District Atlanta!”

It’s unclear if Amerson is an owner in District Atlanta or how the nightclub is related to Flip Flops (if at all.) District Atlanta opened just down the road from SweetWater Brewing Company and ASW Distillery on Armour Drive in June.

Flip Flops was located next door to South City Kitchen on Crescent Avenue in a two-story, 1920s bungalow painted a beachy blue and featured nine variations of frozen daiquiris with names like Gator Hator, Horne Hurricane, and Jet Fuel.

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199 Armour Drive Northeast, , GA 30324 (404) 590-2279 Visit Website

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Developers said the project would feature Class A unit interior finishes such as stainless-steel appliances, stone-surface countertops and vinyl wood flooring, and community amenities would include a fitness center, resort-style swimming pool, dog park, bicycle gear garage, detached garages and direct access to the Eastside Trail.

“We feel that this is a great opportunity for this property and really for the community, too,” former land owner and Newton County resident Sam Hay III said during a September meeting when the Covington City Council approved a special-use permit for the development. “We all know that our employment growth [and] our industrial growth has exceeded our housing growth, really, for a good many years now. And there are a good many folks who work in our community who really haven’t been able to find suitable housing.”

There will be options for one-bedroom rentals starting at $1,200 per month, two-bedroom rentals starting between $1,800-$1,900 per month, and a limited offering of three-bedroom rentals starting at more than $2,000 per month, according to developers.

On Monday, Jan. 10, real estate management firm CP Capital announced it would be partnering with current property owner Crescent Communities to develop RENDER Covington.

“The Atlanta apartment market has been one of the best-performing markets in the country since the onset of the pandemic, with continued economic recovery and in-migration leading to strong demand,” Jeremy Katz, co-head of CP Capital, said in a news release. “We look forward to partnering with Crescent to deliver a brand new, modern multifamily community that fulfills the ever-present need for affordable rental housing in the area.”

Covington Planning and Development Manager Marc Beechuk said Monday that the project was currently wrapping up its site review and working toward the completion of its building review.

Developers intended to break ground on the project this month. The first units are expected in May 2023, with construction expected to be completed in January 2024, developers said.

“With very few entitled multifamily sites existing in Covington, the demand for rental housing is extremely high, with comparable properties in the area all fully leased,” Crescent Communities Managing Director Kyle Brock said in a Monday news release. “We’re thrilled to bring our first joint venture with CP Capital to Covington, a city that is filled with charm and unique opportunities for both families and working professionals.”