Attention gentlemen (and ladies), Valentine's Day is Tuesday

This is a friendly reminder from Smyrna-Vinings Patch that Tuesday, Feb. 14 is Valentine’s Day. If you forgot or still don’t know what to get your sweetheart, check out for date ideas. 

In other news, Monday, Feb. 13 begins advance voting for next month’s presidential preference primary and Cobb County’s special election. Voters can make their pick for the Republican presidential candidate and decide whether Austell, Marietta, Powder Springs and Cobb County will authorize package sales of alcohol on Sunday.

No reason is required to vote early and it can be done in person Feb. 13 through March 2, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the board of elections and registration office, 763 Whitlock Avenue in Marietta. The polls will also be open Saturday, Feb. 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Cobb County board of commissioners meets Tuesday at 9 a.m. at 100 Cherokee Street in Marietta. District 2 Commissioner Bob Ott said at he’d be introducing more than 200 pages of revisions to the county’s redevelopment code. Ott said he hopes that removing some of the hurdles in the code will help to revitalize some areas of Cobb County.

“We all know that if we can start turning these areas around it will start moving out from that center,” he said. “Because what happens is as those centers go down, the surrounding communities go down and you get crime coming in there and a whole lot of other things. So the idea is that we’re going to start in the middle and move out.”

Citizens will have the chance to comment on the proposed revisions at the meeting.

The city of Smyrna will hold a Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 4 p.m. Fire Station No. 5 will be built at 750 Cooper Lake Road near the intersection of Cooper Lake Road and East West Connector. The construction manager at-risk contract awarded to Catamount Constructor’s stipulates that the station be completed in 160 days weather permitting. Ron Fennel, Smyrna’s Ward 7 city council member, estimated that the structure will be completed by Labor Day.

Several Smyrna-Vinings civic clubs have meetings this week. meets Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. the . This week’s speaker is William Borden who will talk about his adventures on Alaska’s Iditarod Trail.

also meets Tuesday. This week’s speaker is Derek Schiller, executive vice president of sales and marketing for the Atlanta Braves. This will be the Rotary Club’s last meeting at the . Future meetings will be held at 12:15 p.m. at Taylor Brawner Hall.

Erica Prewitt is scheduled to speak at ’s noon meeting at the Wednesday.

Thursday Lions Club International, Smyrna’s newest civic club, will hold an informational and organizational meeting at noon at the Smyrna Community Center. For more information call Jane Price at 770-596-0303 or email her at jtp13@bellsouth.net.

Smyrna Business Association holds its monthly “Alive After Five” networking event Thursday at , 3016 Atlanta Road Southeast in Smyrna. The event is free, but attendees are asked to make a donation to , a program that pairs an underprivileged elementary student with a public safety officer or member of the military for a day of Christmas shopping.