Mt. Bethel UMC to Buy Blumenthal Park

After several years of looking, Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church has found the perfect place to build its long-desired high school. 

The church has agreed to purchase Shirley Blumenthal Park in East Cobb from the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta for the expansion of Mt. Bethel Christian Academy.

The agreement was announced Monday after nearly a year of negotiations, according to Jim Callis, the MBCA's Head of School. A purchase price was not disclosed.

The 32-acre Blumenthal Park property on Post Oak Tritt Road, just west of Holly Springs Road, has been up for sale since early 2012, with the Marcus JCC citing demographic, geographic and economic reasons. 

But what is being left behind -- an existing building that was formerly the venue for Marcus JCC summer camp programs and recreational facilities -- has made has the purchase ideal for Mt. Bethel.  

Callis said Mt. Bethel previously looked at a number of properties, but Blumenthal Park represents "a number of advantages. We wouldn't need to build a new building right away. We can grow for four or five years before we would need to add."

Mt. Bethel Christian Academy, which opened in 1998, currently enrolls 500 students from kindergarten through the eighth grade. It is located on Lower Roswell Road on the grounds of Mt. Bethel UMC, one of East Cobb's largest faith communities with around 9,000 members.

Callis said expanding the academy through high school has been an objective "since day one," but there hasn't been enough room on the present campus. Mt. Bethel began its property search in 2005, he said. 

The sale is contingent upon rezoning, and Callis said Mt. Bethel is likely to file a request within 30 days. 

After that, fundraising would commence to pay for renovations to the existing building. If that is successful, and rezoning is approved, he said the first high school freshmen at MBCA could begin classes next August. 

Callis said the first phase would call for classes of up to 50 students to be added until the high school goes through the 12th grade.

"Although the facility may have outlived our purpose, we are very appreciative of the generous donors that helped create it and the many families it has served,” Steven Cadranel, president of the Marcus JCC, said in a statement. 

“We are also delighted to be working with such a reputable organization as Mt Bethel UMC and to know that the park will continue to serve and educate Cobb County’s children and families."