Georgia's All-America City finalist is ...
A Cobb County delegation won't make its presentation to the National Civic League until the middle of June.
But Acworth Mayor Tommy Allegood says he expects his town to be named a winner in this year's All-America City Awards. He just found out the town is one of 27 finalists for this year's competition, which will select 10 winners across the country.
"We're packing our bags," Allegood told the AJC on Tuesday. "We're not leaving without our award."
To enter the competition, cities completed an application explaining community projects that address the area's most pressing needs, according to Mike McGrath with the National Civic League.
Acworth had plenty of options to choose from, said Allegood, now in his third term as mayor.
The city raised $1 million to build its special needs field to give more children the chance to play sports. Acworth's police department and citizens ran the bases for 24 hours as part of a fund raiser for the field.
Other success stories include the Horizon program, which provides special opportunities to children in the community, and a program that created a computer lab at a public housing complex, Allegood said.
"We're a community that gives and gives and gives," Allegood said.
Only a handful of other Georgia cities have been named finalists in the competition, which began in 1949. Atlanta, Savannah, Toccoa, DeKalb County and Marietta were previous winners. Marietta was the most recent to win, taking the honor in 2006.
In mid-June, Allegood will be among at least 30 delegates from Acworth that will travel to Kansas City to make a presentation. No audio or visual equipment is allowed, so the city will demonstrate its success with a live presentation, he said.
A few days later, the finalists will be named.
"We’re going to win this award, there’s no doubt in my mind," Allegood said.
