July 31: World champs; Rest Haven’s future

WORLD CHAMPS: A Gwinnett team has won a World Series championship. The 10 and under team from Peachtree Ridge won the tournament in Panama City, Fla. (See story in Today’s Issue). Team members are, front row, Korey Walton, Jordan Grant, Brandon Sunwoo, Andy Hamil, Jack Hrastar and Michael Foster. On the second row are Miles Massengill, Cannon Duncan, Dylan Lonergan¸ Tucker Baggett, Antony Manbeck and Ali Willis-Leon. On the back row are Coaches Chris Massengill, Rod Jones, and Brent Hamil.

IN THIS EDITION

TODAY’S FOCUS: Local Ten and Under Baseball Team Wins Title in Panama City
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Before End of Year, City of Rest Haven May Be No More
FEEDBACK: Describes Another “Social Movement Caused by Liberals”
UPCOMING: Gwinnett Tech Photograph on Exhibit; More Sidewalks Coming
NOTABLE: Gwinnett Saves Money By Recycling Ladders on Fire Trucks
RECOMMENDED AUTHOR: Louise Penny of Canada
GEORGIA TIDBIT: More Than 300 Pastors Sign Second Atlanta Ministers’ Manifesto
TODAY’S QUOTE: Here Is the Route If You Really Want To Be Noble
MYSTERY PHOTO: Apparently Few Gwinnettians Have Been to New Mexico
LAGNIAPPE: Four New Officers Sworn into GGC Police Force

Team from Peachtree Ridge wins championship in Panama City

By Bill Long

DULUTH, Ga., July 31, 2015 | The Peachtree Ridge Lions did something that the Atlanta Braves haven’t been able to do since 1995: they won a World Series title.

Long

The Lions, Gwinnett’s 10-and-under baseball team, dominated opponents from Alabama, Tennessee, East Cobb, and Texas in four consecutive games at the Grand Slam 10 and Under World Series in June at Panama City, Fla.

Rod Jones, the team’s head coach, says: “We beat the team from Houston, Texas, 9-0. The young men worked hard all year and it paid off. They were awesome in winning four games, including the championship game. In the tournament, our team scored 40 runs while holding opponents to only eight runs. While our bats were blazing, two of our pitchers threw no-hitters.”

Lleyton Jones and Dylan Lonergan both pitched no-hitters.

In one game, Lleyton Jones threw a no-hitter.

Coach Jones adds: “In the final game, our guys defeated a team from Alabama 10-0 with Dylan Lonergan pitching a no-hitter, for us again.” Jones added. “The league consisted of teams throughout the southern region of the United States with players ten years old or younger.”

The Lions, members of the Gwinnett Baseball League, play and practice at Peachtree Ridge Park. Several players on the current 10-U team played and won Peachtree Ridges’ first ever Georgia U state championship.

The current team played in six tournaments this year, winning three tournament championships and was runner-up in two tournaments. Coach Jones remembers: “I knew we had a special team when over 9-and 10-year old boys made it to the championship game in the 11-U division, losing only to one of the premiere 11U team in the state.”

“One of the things I’m most proud of,” Jones adds, “is the overall attitude and passion by the kids and parents on the team. At 10 years of age, the parents really play a big part of either the success or failure of a team. The parents were supportive and trusted the coaches throughout the process as we developed the kids. I’m sure there were times that the parents wondered what we were thinking, but never complained and stayed behind me and the coaching staff. Not only was our goal as a coaching staff to produce better baseball players, but we tried to offer an atmosphere where we are building great young men that are going to be successful in many areas of life.”

Next year this championship team will move up and compete in the 11 and under division. Jones says: “They are confident they can win again because they have already competed well against teams in that division.”

By the end of 2015, the City of Rest Haven may be no more

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher

JULY 31, 2015 | By the end of 2015, Rest Haven Mayor Kenneth Waycaster may no longer have the town’s top job. In reality, no one will, for by then, there may no longer be any residents of Rest Haven. They will be residing instead, by design, in Buford. Not one resident will be left to run the city.

For 10-15 years, Rest Haven has been trying to go out of business as a city. For one reason or another, including at least one law suit, and a few businessmen’s objections, city officials in Rest Haven have wanted to do away with their city.

Their city, and Sugar Hill, both were created in 1939. Rest Haven was always small, a half mile wide and a mile long, split down the road that bisects it. While Sugar Hill over the years grew and prospered, Rest Haven had little growth. The most people ever living in the city was 150 residents. Today there are only 37 residents, in seven families, all related to one another.

Today Rest Haven’s budget is only $25,000 annually, with most of it from franchise fees from Georgia Power, business licenses, or SPLOST tax sharing. The city charges no property tax. Expenditures are mostly for city lighting and road repair, if needed.

Mayor Waycaster says: “Our residents want to become part of Buford, so that we can enjoy their better services. And it’ll save us money, since Buford also has no property tax, and a lower school tax than does Gwinnett County. We want to have what the people of Buford have.” Buford’s school  tax is at 12.9 mills, compared with 20.5 mills for Gwinnett County.

Meanwhile, Buford has over the years been helpful to Rest Haven in a number of ways. It has already annexed most of the east side of the road through Rest Haven.  Of the original 320 acres in Rest Haven, only about 130 acres remain in the city.

Waycaster says: “If it wasn’t for Buford, I don’t know what we would do.”

Buford’s chairman of its city commission, Philip Beard, is willing to take in the residents of Rest Haven who want to come in.  “We’re cautious not to be injurious to the city, or take in anyone who does not want to be in Buford. We don’t want to infringe on any property owners.”  He admits the situation has dragged, since it “has not been No. 1 on our agenda” over the years.

But Beard also has been working on four-laning Buford Highway through Rest Haven, which is now set for a contract letting in June, 2016. It would take about a year for engineering and other preparations, with the road to be widened by 2017 or 2018.

The way the law reads, if Rest Haven de-annexes property within their city, Buford can then annex it. That’s the way much of Rest Haven has migrated to Buford.

Another way is for the State Legislature to do that, but that is usually more complicated.

Yet the possibility arises that if the 37 residents become part of Buford this year, there will be no one within the city limits to serve as mayor and council members of the town. There will be no one to set the budget, or even spend the few dollars the city previously took in. Rest Haven will have effectively become defunct.

Perhaps by then the Legislature can come to the position of recognizing this, and de-incorporate the city. That would clean up matters.

And Gwinnett will be back to having 15 cities within its borders—still the most in Georgia.

Aurora Theatre

The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s sponsor is Aurora Theatre, celebrating their 20^th anniversary as home of the best entertainment in northeast Georgia. With over 600 events annually, Aurora Theatre has live entertainment to suit everyone’s taste. Aurora Theatre’s Peach State Federal Credit Union Signature Series is comprised of Broadway’s best plays and musicals alongside exciting works of contemporary theatre. Additionally, Aurora produces concerts, comedy club events, children’s programs, and metro Atlanta’s top haunted attraction, Lawrenceville Ghost Tours. Aurora Theatre is a world-class theatrical facility with two performances venues. It is nestled on the square in historic downtown Lawrenceville, with free attached covered parking and is surrounded by myriad of restaurants and shops. Now playing Memphis, the musical, through August 30.  This regional premiere of the 2010 Tony Award-winner for Best Musical is a co-production with Atlanta’s Theatrical Outfit.

• For more information or to purchase tickets: http://www.auroratheatre.com or call 678-226-6222.

• For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: https://www.gwinnettforum.com/about/sponsors.htm/

Decries another social movement “caused” by liberal Americans

Editor, the Forum:

Earlier this week the national organization of the Boy Scouts of America voted to allow gay and lesbian adults as leaders in direct contact with the youth of that organization. In my opinion, after almost 50 years of supporting and volunteer involvement with that group, I believe they have finally found a way to end the history of that organization in the United States.  Another chapter of our past that will be gone due to aggressive liberal policies.

Many churches have already stopped sponsoring troops because of the gay youth policy approved earlier. Now with this move, I expect many more to follow. I have to believe the international organization, which still follows the founding principles that Lord Baden Powell, set in place will also soon pull the U.S. charter and stop the movement in this country.

Just one more sad step in our demise toward self destruction led by our liberal leaders and their blind followers.

— Steve Rausch, Norcross

Dear Steve: Apparently you feel it is impossible for a liberal to do anything right? Good thing, I’ll bet you even agree, that the liberal FDR started Social Security for you, eh? And how about weekends, public broadcasting, GI Bill, national parks, women’s voting, and the Civil Rights Act? And thanks to a certain person, we wouldn’t be communicating without the internet, right? -eeb

Gwinnett Tech student college photography on exhibit

The work of Gwinnett Technical College Photography students will be on display in the annual Portfolio Exhibition August 24 to September 4 in building 700 of the Gwinnett Technical College campus. Highlighting the work of students in both the associate degree and diploma programs, the exhibition will include portraits, commercial, artistic, landscape and documentary samples of their work. An artist reception is scheduled for Saturday, August 22, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Students participating in the exhibition will also be competing for the Best Portfolio Award, an annual award recognizing the commercial photography graduate who earns the highest total score on the evaluation of his/her portfolio. The Best Portfolio Award is presented at Gwinnett Tech’s annual Awards Ceremony, held in the spring prior to graduation.                 .

• More information on the exhibition, as well as the students and samples of their work, can be found at http://gtcphoto.com.

Gwinnett Technical College offers more than 150 degree, diploma and certificate program options that can be completed in two years or less. For more information, visit www.GwinnettTech.edu or call 770-962-7580.

County approves sidewalks and turning lane improvements

Pedestrian improvements are coming to Lawrenceville and Peachtree Corners. The improvements include new sidewalks on East Crogan Street in Lawrenceville from Stanley Court to Village Way near Rhodes Jordan Park east of downtown. The project will install a sidewalk and make drainage improvements.

Gwinnett County will contribute $100,000 from the 2014 SPLOST program with the city responsible for the rest. The city will manage design, right-of-way acquisition and construction.

The County also agreed to use 2005 SPLOST funds to pay half the cost of pedestrian improvements in the city of Peachtree Corners. CMEC LLC will build new sidewalk on the east side of Crooked Creek Road from Jay Bird Alley to the existing sidewalk at the entrance to Mary Our Queen Catholic Church. Curb, gutter and drainage improvements are also included. CMEC was the lowest of seven bidders at $198,779. Work is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The 2009 SPLOST program will provide funds to upgrade the intersection of Georgia Highway 316 at Harbins Road, including improvements to Harbins Road at Alcovy Road just south of Highway 316. The project will construct dual left turn lanes from Harbins Road northbound onto Highway 316 westbound and add a new left turn lane from Harbins onto Alcovy Road. The signal at Highway 316 and Harbins Road will be upgraded to include pedestrian accommodations at the intersection. CMES Inc. was the lowest of six bidders at $634,770. Work should be complete by mid-2016.

Pay particular attention to your pets during this hot season

The summer months can be uncomfortable, and even dangerous, for humans and their pets when faced with high temperatures, humidity and thunderstorms. As some of the hottest months of the year are now in Georgia, it is important to remind pet owners how to properly care for their pets during this time. Signs of heat stroke, how to prevent sun burn on your pet and proper ways to cool your dog down are just a few things pet owners should know.

The Humane Society of the United States can help people keep their pets cool and safe this summer. For more safety information and tips please visit these links

• Keep your pets save in a heat wave

• Warm weather pet tips

County saves money by recycling ladders on fire trucks

Gwinnett Commissioners will save money by recycling again — by harvesting the ladder and aerial platform assembly from an old ladder fire truck and mounting it on a new one. The county agreed to spend $2.07 million in SPLOST funds to buy two new ladder trucks used to provide elevated streams of water for firefighting and to gain access to tall buildings. The trucks will have new engines, drivetrains, chassis and body, but will be equipped with refurbished 95-foot ladders taken from two older units that are due for replacement. Both old units, from 1994 and 2004, were on reserve status because of high maintenance costs.

The manufacturer, Sutphen Corp., will provide warranty coverage for 20 years on the structure plus two years on the aerial assembly, chassis and body. Cost savings total about $135,000 compared to buying two all new units.

This marks the second time Gwinnett Fire and Emergency Services has saved money by recycling ladders and aerial platform equipment from a fire truck said Fire Chief Case Snyder.

Gwinnett Clerk of Courts’ website wins national award

The Gwinnett County Clerk of Courts’ website has been named one of this year’s Top 10 Court Websites by the National Association of Court Management (NACM). The website was transformed by the Clerk’s Technical Services web developer, Ming Li, right. Clerk of Court Richard Alexander accepted the award at the NACM Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky on July 16. The award follows the launch of a new and improved website, www.gwinnettcourts.com, completed in April.

Louise Penny

A friend suggested books by Louise Penny, a Canadian author who writes in a charming, distinctive style, never writing down to the readers. Some how, from the very first page, she grabs the reader with her beautiful structure of sentences so that the reader is compelled into the book. Her prose keeps the reader involved without effort, as she takes a simple plot, then adds the twists and turns to keep the story moving forward in leaps and bounds. The settings of her novels are in Quebec, as she writes about Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, head of the homicide department of the Sûreté du Québec, himself a character study with great depth. Americans can get some sense of the life in Quebec, often intertwined in the French and English language. Check out this author and her beautiful command of the language. –eeb

An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (100 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. –eeb

More than 300 pastors sign 2^nd Atlanta Ministers’ Manifesto

(Continued from previous edition)

The Ministers’ Manifesto, as it came to be known, was the first document of its kind: a clear, if cautious, challenge to the rhetoric of massive resistance by an established southern moral authority. Although it lifted the veil of silence that had previously prevented Atlanta’s racial moderates from debating alternatives to massive resistance, the manifesto’s influence appeared to wane in the months after its initial publication.

Concerns over the Little Rock crisis subsided in Atlanta until the next year, when the 1958 Temple bombing aroused new fears over the presence of extremism in the city. Although he did not sign the manifesto due to its strong Christological rhetoric, Jacob Rothschild, the Temple’s rabbi, helped draft the statement and endorsed it in an editorial published separately in the Atlanta Journal and the Atlanta Constitution. Rothschild remained steadfast and vocal in his defense of racial moderation following the manifesto’s publication, making the Temple a likely target of extremist violence.

In the wake of the bombing on October 12, 1958, city officials and members of the press denounced massive resistance as a foolhardy and irresponsible solution to the region’s racial woes. “Whether they like it or not,” stated Atlanta mayor William B. Hartsfield, “every political rabble-rouser is the godfather of these cross burners and dynamiters.” He also condemned those “who sneak about in the dark and give a bad name to the South. It is high time the decent people of the South rise and take charge.”

Area clergymen answered the mayor’s challenge by issuing a second Ministers’ Manifesto, “‘Out of Conviction’: A Second Statement on the South’s Racial Crisis,” in early November 1958, just three weeks after the Temple bombing. The pamphlet calls for an open discussion of the city’s impending integration crisis and encourages the governor to appoint a citizens’ commission to hold hearings on the matter throughout the state. Whereas only 80 ministers dared to sign the first manifesto, more than 300 signed the second.

In February 1960, after a federal court ordered the city of Atlanta to desegregate its schools, Georgia Governor Ernest Vandiver established the General Assembly Committee on Schools to determine public opinion on integration throughout the state. Referred to as the Sibley Commission, after its chairman, John Sibley, the group traveled to every congressional district in the state, holding hearings and assessing public sentiment.

Officially, state officials were still committed to closing schools in the event of a desegregation order, but Atlanta’s political leadership proposed a “local option” alternative that would allow local communities the option of closing schools or accepting token integration. Although the Sibley Commission’s hearings reflected strong support for “open schools” in Atlanta, statewide public opinion favored closing Georgia’s schools, if only by a small margin. Popular opinion notwithstanding, however, the commission’s Majority Report endorsed “local option” as a desirable alternative to the abolition of Georgia’s public education. Following the publication of the Sibley Commission’s findings, the General Assembly passed a local option bill that included a clarified pupil-placement process designed to limit the scope of integration.

A host of journalists descended on Atlanta in August 1961 to witness the desegregation of the city’s public schools. As the nation watched, Mayor Hartsfield presided over a peaceful desegregation process. Despite the relatively modest scope of the city’s integration policy—only nine black students integrated formerly all-white city schools—Atlanta received high marks from the national media. U.S. president John F. Kennedy recognized Atlanta’s effort in a press conference, and the national publications Good Housekeeping, Life, Look, Newsweek, and the New York Times ran stories applauding the city’s moderate racial climate.

• To access the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org

Photograph from New Mexico stumps readers of GwinnettForum

CLUE:  This building has a story behind it, but what is it and where?  Send your guess to Elliott Brack at elliott@brack.net — and be sure to include your name and hometown.

Not a soul among GwinnettForum readers have ever been to Artesia, New Mexico, it appears, for no one recognized the last mystery photo, send in by Sandy and Rick Krause of Lilburn. It was a four person statue of the Derrick Floor and Oilfield Pioneer Monument in that town. The Derrick Floor is a bronze artistic representation of a four-man crew on a drilling rig. The drilling rig is a 100 percent life-size sculpture while the four men in the crew are 125 percent life size, emphasizing the men who built the oil patch. The Derrick Floor was dedicated on April 24, 2004 “to the men and women who take the risks and do the work to find, produce and refine New Mexico oil and gas.”

‘Artesia” is the town’s third name. The first name was “Miller,” which came from a railroad employee. For a brief time it was known as “Stegman” after the first postmistress, Sallie Chisum Robert Stegman. With the discovery of artesian wells in the area, the fledgling town was renamed “Artesia” in 1903 and officially incorporated in 1905.

Artesia became an agricultural oasis until the early 1920s when many of the area’s artesian wells began to dwindle. Fortunately, in 1924 another kind of well was discovered when the Illinois #3 oil well came in, opening up the Artesia oil fields locally and the Permian Basin regionally. It continues to flourish today.

Swearing in

The Georgia Gwinnett College Office of Public Safety recently expanded the campus’ police force with the addition of four new officers, bringing its total to 22 officers, including K-9 officers.  GGC President Stas Preczewski (right) and Chief of Police Terrance Schneider (second from right) led the formal ceremony. After Officers Ashley Still, Ryan Borders, Chris Wragg and K-9 Officer Buddy were sworn in, family members pinned GGC police badges on their uniforms. “Buddy, the bomb dog,” is a two year old black Labrador Retriever. Chief Schnider says: “Buddy is a huge asset to our force.” The dog has completed a rigorous training course with his handler, Officer Chandler Smith, (holding Buddy), a four year veteran of the force.

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