COBB COUNTY - The Cobb County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday officially named a new park off Dallas Highway, but the naming of another near downtown Kennesaw will have to wait.

In 2008, Cobb County purchased 112.46 acres of open pasture, meadows and trees at 4915 Dallas Highway as part of the 2006 Parks Bond Program. The property, commonly known as the Bullard/Stockton property, was officially named Green Meadows Preserve with a 5-0 vote by the board.

The history of the property dates back to 1831, when William G. Green assembled more than 400 acres, which he later left to his wife, Piety, when he died in 1862. Historical records show a heavy Civil War presence, with evidence that Confederate Brigadier General L. S. Ross had his headquarters at what was known as the Green House. Battle activity is also believed to have happened to the west of the house on June 17, 1864, and a historic marker was placed on-site by the State of Georgia Historical Commission, acknowledging the Green Plantation as the site of a battle during the Civil War.

A stakeholders group was tasked with providing potential names for the property to the Cobb County Recreation Board, and on Aug. 24, the recreation board selected the name Green Meadows Preserve, based on the meadow landscape, the original owner William G. Green and the 2006 Parks Bond initiative to "preserve" land for future parks.

Commissioners decided to pull the naming of another park from Tuesday's agenda because of the concerns of some citizens that an alternate name be considered.

The property, which is within walking distance to downtown Kennesaw businesses, outdoor recreation facilities and the Southern Museum of Civil War History, and is one block from Cobb Parkway, was recommended to the board to be named Kennesaw Springs Park. The name was suggested because of the four springs that combine to form a perennial stream on the property, which was a main factor for shaping the property's industrial and military history.

But four Cobb residents suggested Tuesday that the property be named Camp McDonald Park. Camp McDonald was the name given to the area when the 1861 Georgia governor chose the site to establish a Civil War military base.

One of those in favor of the name Camp McDonald Park was Jim Hamby, whom the county originally purchased the land from during its 2006 Parks Bond parcel purchases.

"I think the historical significance of the property is an important factor, and is the main reason that developers were discouraged to build on the property, and why the county bought it to preserve the area," Hamby said.

All of the residents who spoke in opposition to the name Kennesaw Springs Park said the name should reflect the fact that the property is in the historic register as Camp McDonald.

Commissioner Helen Goreham, the property's district representative, motioned to hold the item and give residents time to discuss it and "come together on the name."

Chairman Sam Olens said, "The city of Kennesaw should also be present, and really I'm not sure we would have it ready for the first meeting in December with all discussions completed. So I think it should be withdrawn until people have a chance to meet about it."

Also Tuesday, the board heard a presentation by Fred Cox, a senior engineer with Georgia Power, concerning how the Morgan Falls Dam in east Cobb operated during the September floods. According to Cox, the Morgan Falls Dam has no flood control due to its small size, and instead smoothes the flows created from Buford Dam and the tributaries that enter before Chattahoochee River reaches the Cobb dam.

"There is no flood storage capacity, so once you reach full pond, you have to open the spillway gates to open flow, and to pass what's coming in. The gates are not designed to be flooded, and the waters can't go over the top of the gates because logs and other debris could damage or destroy them," Cox said.

From Sept. 21 to Sept. 22, Cox said the dam encountered 71,683 acre-feet of water, enough to fill up the dam 31 times.

"As the waters got further down the river, peak flows became higher because the river was picking up tributary flows. A gentleman from the corps of engineers told me that if the Buford Dam had not done the flood control that it did, levels would have been four feet deeper," Cox said.

The board also heard a presentation by Cobb planner Dana Johnson about the Powers Ferry Master Plan. The county has been working with the Cumberland Community Improvement District to develop a plan for a more vibrant and commuting area from I-75 to the Chattahoochee River from Windy Ridge Parkway to Delk Road.

Plans for the area include more bicycle trails, attract more diverse housing choices, and create economically efficient buildings.

Members involved in the study have held several public meetings.

"Each of the public meetings had 100 people in attendance, so this is obviously very important to residents and the community," Commissioner Bob Ott said.

The next steps for the plan are to go before a final stakeholder meeting, draft a document, present the draft during a planning commission work session and obtain approval by the board of commissioners.