As downtown Rome fills with event locations, there’s another twist on the way — a company that specializes in handling events, from concerts to conferences to corporate gatherings to awards shows and film production.
Peter Streiff is opening Stacked Hearts Productions at 2 E. Sixth Ave. just off Broad Street across from Swift & Finch Coffee. He hopes to have the storefront open in a few weeks and says it will be more of a base of operations with a studio to produce onsite video as needed.
Streiff and his wife moved to Rome to be near family, arriving in September. He works with associates stretching from Valdosta to Tennessee and much of their demand to date has been outside of Rome. Look for that to change as word spreads about Stacked Hearts.
Among the company’s recent clients was the T-Mobile SEC Championship concert in Atlanta featuring the Brothers Osborne last Dec. 3. It was held at the Georgia World Congress Center as part of the SEC Fanfare experience. For more: StackedHeartsProductions.com.
B as in billions — and Bartow
What is it about Bartow County these days? A flood of projects, from batteries for electric vehicles to green-energy solar panels, is coming with billion-dollar-plus price tags. Now add to that list the massive project Aubrey Corp. plans north and east of I-75 on 16,500 acres. A development of regional impact report was filed Monday with the state on the project. It breaks down as 16,500 residential units; 800 acres for commercial use; 16.5 million square feet of industrial under roof; 3,900 acres for mining; and 5,000 acres of green space.
When it came to listing the estimated value of the project at buildout, the application for what’s known as the Aubrey Corp. Planned Greenspace and Development District lists “in excess of $1,000,000,000.” Completion time is 20 years — as in 2043.
A reminder that the first of two public meetings on the project are set for today, Tuesday, from 4 until 6 p.m., and the same hours Thursday in the commissioner’s hearing room, courthouse main floor, 135 W. Cherokee Ave, Cartersville. Following those will be a hearing before the planning commission now set for 6 p.m. March 27 and then it goes before Sole County Commissioner Steve Taylor on April 12 beginning at 10 a.m.
Popcorn & Politics
This could blow over but keep an eye on what’s buzzing around Rome’s City Hall. There’s some tension that has spilled onto Broad Street and, in turn, is swirling around town. With nine city commissioners and a strong administrative team, that might not sound like anything new; someone’s feelings always are hurt. But this one could get litigious very quickly. The city commission has had some spirited debates of late on the Rome Middle School replacement bond package as well as housing development. Plus this is the year six commission seats are on the November ballot. The full commission meets next Monday evening.
‘A lot’ of real estate news
Hardy Realty posted another huge year in 2022. Among the “2022 Circle of Excellence recipients” who helped get the company there was Steve Graves, with $20 million-plus in sales. Also in that neighborhood with sales of $17 million or more were Realtors Brooke Brinson and Michele Rikard. Those with $8 million to $12 million in sales included Jimmy Kelley, Kimberly Prusakowski, Larry Cagle, Melissa Williams and Jim Harrington.
Graves also was the 2021 agent of the year with more than $23 million in sales; Brinson and Rikard also were in the top tier with sales of $15 million or more in 2021.
Homebuilder Ivy Lowrey has been named the president of the Rome Home Builders Association, the group’s first female board president. Formed in 1956, the organization includes professionals “dedicated to promoting, educating and advocating the advancement of the residential construction industry.”
Lowrey also is a Realtor with Toles, Temple & Wright. Among her first duties as president: Welcoming Jeffrey Dorfman, state fiscal economist and professor of applied economics at the University of Georgia, who will discuss Georgia’s housing marketing at the association’s noon Wednesday meeting at Coosa Country Club.
Peaks & Valleys
Peak to Wendy Davis and others pushing Georgia to the front of the presidential sweepstakes: Over the weekend, the Democratic National Committee affirmed the concept of shifting the 2024 primaries to put Georgia near the front of states casting primary votes (Feb. 13 would be the date, which also is Fat Tuesday that year). That’s where the state should be as Georgia has become a hub of national politics. Let’s forget which party is backing this; do what’s right for the state.
Valley to Super Bowl Sunday: We join the chorus of those promoting the idea of moving the Super Bowl to Saturday night. It has grown into a Hallmark holiday with food, drink and other amenities; why not make it an opportunity for all to enjoy into the night rather than battling those alarms Monday morning? Of course, there’s a petition you can sign on change.org (beware; they’ll next ask for contributions). It is nearing 150,000 signees.
