IN THE MOVIES: Ever heard of Westchester County, Georgia? It doesn’t exist, but anyone traveling by the Historic Gwinnett Courthouse recently and seeing this sign might wonder where they actually were. It’s another result of the movie-makers enjoying Georgia these days, as a television show based on the Fox Network’s Sleepy Hollow, New York, some of which is being filmed in Lawrenceville. Other parts of the show are being filmed in Conyers. Roving Photographer Frank Sharp had the sharp eye in finding this unusual view of the Historic Gwinnett Courthouse.
IN THIS EDITION
TODAY’S FOCUS: New Mixed-Use Apartment Complex Anticipated in Suwanee
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Fascinating Story of Sautee-Nacoochee Valley in Two Versions
FEEDBACK: Raises Some Questions Concerning Roundabouts
UPCOMING: New Artist at Snellville City Hall; Seminar Concerns Internet Safety
NOTABLE: Brenau University Opens Campus in Jacksonville, Fla. Today
RECOMMENDED READ: Night and Day by Virginia Woolf
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Spanish explorers venture into Georgia from 1525-1646
TODAY’S QUOTE: The Duty of Every Patriot
MYSTERY PHOTO: No One Recognized Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library
LAGNIAPPE: Gwinnett Manager is Labor Department Team Play of the Years
TODAY’S FOCUS
Suwanee Town Center could get $46 million in high-end apartments
By Lynne DeWilde
SUWANEE, GA., Sept. 1, 2015 | The City of Suwanee Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has taken initial steps to enter a public-private partnership with developer Terwilliger-Pappas that will create a mixed-use multifamily/retail building at Chicago Street and Buford Highway adjacent to Town Center. The proposed development, on a 3.5-acre tract currently owned by the DDA, is expected to feature a five-story structure with 10,000 square feet of street-level commercial/retail/restaurant space and 235 high-end apartments. The project also is expected to include a parking garage around which the mixed-use structure will be built. The City Council will consider a re-zoning to allow such a project at its September 8 meeting.
Anticipated view of new Suwanee project.
Mayor Jimmy Burnette says: “The City of Suwanee DDA is pursuing an exciting public-private partnership that will extend our incredible Town Center. This project would bring more residents, commercial opportunities, and energy to Town Center’s vibrant ‘live, work, play’ lifestyle. This could be a win for all of us.”
The Suwanee DDA and Terwilliger-Pappas have executed a letter of intent and are currently negotiating details on the $46 million project. Under the terms of the letter of intent, Suwanee’s DDA would receive $600,000 in cash for the property plus ownership, at no additional cost, of the 10,000 square feet of commercial/retail space. The approximately 3.5-acre property being purchased by Terwilliger-Pappas was acquired by the City of Suwanee over time for $497,000.
The primarily one-and-two-bedroom residences that are part of the project are expected to appeal to professional millennials and empty-nesters and would further the City’s efforts to be a lifelong community. Suwanee’s Downtown Manager Adam Edge says: “We fully expect that these apartments will set the bar for quality in Gwinnett County and that rental rates will exceed those of any similar existing Gwinnett County development. Studies have shown that Town Center has some of the highest property values in the county. We believe that this project will not just contribute to, but enhance, Town Center’s value.”
The new development will have a similar look and feel to the current Town Center area and will offer top-quality amenities. City Manager Marty Allen notes that previous master plans, dating back to the 2002 Old Town Master Plan and including the recently completed 2015 Downtown Suwanee Master Plan Update, which provided several public input opportunities, have created a vision for this property that includes multifamily units and complements the existing Town Center.
Developed from 2003-2009, Suwanee Town Center has won numerous planning awards, including the prestigious Atlanta Regional Commission’s Development of Excellence Award in 2009.
Elements of the selected proposal include:
- a single, five-story, mixed-use building wrapped around structured parking
- 10,000 square feet of commercial/retail/restaurant space fronting Buford Highway
- compatibility with Town Center’s look and form
- about 520 structured public and private parking spaces, some of which may be used for community events
- 235 upscale apartments
- residential units are constructed in a manner that may allow for conversion to condominiums in the future
- predominantly one- and two-bedroom units
- anticipated monthly average residential rent of $1,568.
Allen says: “We have a proven track record with Town Center of master planning our vision and thenworking with the private sector to implement that vision. People are always asking when we’re going to extend Town Center. We’re confident that this project will add depth and energy that not only physically extends Town Center but also further enhances the Town Center experience. We’re pleased that Terwilliger-Pappas is as committed to quality development as is the City of Suwanee.”
EEB PERSPECTIVEAuthor tells the fascinating story of the Sautee-Nacoochee Valley
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher
SEPT. 1, 2015 | One of Georgia’s most peaceful and scenic spots is just south of Helen, off Georgia Highway 75. It’s the Sautee-Nacoochee valley, highlighted by the cupola atop an Indian Mound close to the roadway, in White County, just after the road crosses the Chattahoochee River.
One person maintained that the cupola and Indian mound form the second most recognizable tourist feature of Georgia, outranked only by Stone Mountain.
Emory Jones. (Click image to see larger photo.)
The Sautee valley area is particularly popular with tourists, a destination spot for many because of its many activities. It is also a vibrant Art and Community Center, with galleries, a folk pottery museum, performing arts center, history museum, and other activities that keep Sautee jumping.
Someone who has written extensively about the area is Emory Jones, a native who lives on nearby Yonah Mountain. A retired advertising and public relations person who once lived in Gwinnett, he has written an historical book on the valley, penned a novel with the valley as its setting, and produced a DVD of the area. All are still in print except the DVD, a 62 minutes production which has different admirers discussing the valley in all its splendor.
The history book, released in 2009, is entitled Distant Voices, the story of the Nacoochee Valley Indian Mound. The novel, The Valley Where They Danced, came in 2013, and centers on the 1920s era in the valley. Both books are available on Amazon. The DVD also was released in 2013, but is no longer available.
Emory Jones, in retirement, operates Yonah Mountain Treasures north of Cleveland. He began writing about the area, including 101 Things to do in White County, and Zipping through Georgia with the late Ludlow Porch. He also did a travel guide for North Georgia, edited a Habersham EMC history, and soon found he had a lot of history of the Nacoochee valley.
He had an interest in the Indian Mound, and considered making a coffee table book of a year at the Mound, using one photograph a day. But in talking to people about the mound, the stories that many of them had were fascinating. Instead, he decided to encase that information in a book, using images that locals could provide, too. Distant Voices is 9×11 inches, with full-page stunning photos of the Indian mound and valley.
During the 1920s, a scientific group excavated part of the mound, finding many treasures in the mound. Those artifacts eventually landed at the Smithsonian Institute. Jones sought to use some of those photographs of these findings in the book, but the long-and-drawn out correspondence did not produce the items in time for publication. (However, shortly after the book went to press, all the photos from this “dig” was acquired by the White County Historical Society, where they can be seen now.)
Several years ago, the Hardman family (Lamartine Hardman was governor of Georgia from 1927-31), donated the gingerbread family-owned home and acreage across from the mound, to the State of Georgia. They also gave 160 acres around the mound to the state, which now operates these properties as a state park. Today 150-200 Holstein heifers graze on the land around the mound. (These are young dry heifers, not milkers, who get sold as breeding cows to dairies all across the country.)
These days Emory Jones is contemplating more stories on the Sautee-Nacoochee area, perhaps two more novels from different periods, and maybe another historical book, anticipated to be about the Tallulah Falls Railroad, which ran from Cornelia to Franklin, N.C. Emory’s retirement has been productive. We look forward to more from this gifted writer and historian.
IN THE SPOTLIGHTGeorgia Gwinnett College
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Questions American ability to negotiate roundabouts
Editor, the Forum:
If the government cannot adopt an educational program to teach people how to stop at school bus stops, how are they going to teach people to merge properly into a roundabout? Granted, we won’t have 52,000 roundabouts but I still see people who don’t know how to treat a Four-Way stop.
Maybe we could install cameras and fine the ones who are not sure what to do!
Overall, I have no problem with roundabouts; it’s the educational part that I see as the problem. Aggressive drivers are going to merge right into the circle and timid drivers are going to slow or stop and “not sure drivers” are going to maybe stop and maybe not stop which will confuse all the other drivers.
I don’t have the statistics on the good, bad and ugly about these types of intersections so I am only speaking from my perspective.
— Steve Jones, Peachtree Corners
Dear Steve: Maybe it’s the optimist in me, but if we build roundabouts, I figure we can learn how to negotiate them. People in other countries do, and I figure Americans are as smart innately as others. Come on! They are so much safer! –eeb
- SEND FEEDBACK AND LETTERS: elliott@brack.net
Snellville City Hall art gallery to feature Ingrid Bolton
Artist Ingrid Bolton will have her art displayed in Snellville City Hall beginning September 3. A reception for the area artist will take place that afternoon from 1:30 to 4 p.m. in the Community Room in City Hall, 2342 Oak Road. The art will be on display until November 4.
Bolton
Bolton refers to her work as an “artistic interpretation of a visual and emotional memory. She says: “They are representative of the very moment of inspiration and encompass many subject matters may these be landscapes, flowers, animals or architecture as they resonate in me. I strive to convey my memories with bold and rich colors. To me, colors express vitality, vibrancy and life.” She paints mostly with oil paints because “…they express harmony through their rich and deep satin-like properties.”
In 2002, Bolton earned a Bachelor’s Degree, Fine Arts Major, from North Georgia College and State University. Bolton has studied with many nationally known top master painters in the U.S. and abroad. She is a member of the North Gwinnett Arts Association, the Dunwoody Fine Art Association, the Kudzu Art Zone and the Georgia Heritage Center for the Arts. Born in Germany, Bolton came to the U.S. 49 years ago. She and her family have lived in the Atlanta area for 25 years.
Tips on Internet safety to be offered Sept. 14 at Buford library
Technology has changed tremendously in the past 25 years. The Internet has brought so many benefits; email, electronic messaging, and personal websites allow people to stay connected, informed, and involved with family and friends. The Internet also provides an easy way to shop, plan travel, and manage finances. However, with these increased conveniences comes increased risk. Protecting yourself, your computer, and your privacy requires awareness and caution when logging on to the Internet.
On September 15 Gwinnett County Public Library will be presenting a free seminar that offers guidance and tips on how to protect yourself online and ensure a more secure internet experience. The event will be held at the library’s Buford Branch, 2100 Buford Highway, Buford. beginning at 11 a. m. For more information, call 770-978-5154 or visit www.gwinnettpl.org.
NOTABLEBrenau to open Jacksonville, Fla., campus at cookout today
Brenau University plans to hold a ceremonial opening of its new campus in Jacksonville, Fla., on Tuesday, September 1, in preparation for beginning its first graduate school class in October followed by the first undergraduate program in early 2016.
Dr. Ed Schrader, president of the 137-year-old Gainesville -based, fully accredited, nonprofit comprehensive university, scheduled a cookout for prospective students and others interested in learning more about Brenau from 4 to 6 p.m. at the site of its Florida operation, 6622 Southpoint Drive South. The schedule also includes a “ribbon-cutting” ceremony at 6:30 p.m. with a welcome by Jacksonville City Council President Greg Anderson.
Weather permitting, the Tuesday festivities will include a cookout, games, music and a tour of the new facilities. However, Tropical Storm Erika could force the university to move activities indoors or to reschedule the event.
Peter Miller, chairman of the university board of trustees, and the board’s newest member – retired Rear Admiral Patty Wolfe of Jacksonville, who earned a Brenau Master of Business Administration in 1987 – will join Schrader for the festivities along with university faculty and staff.
Although Brenau began in North Georgia as a women’s college in 1878 and still maintains a thriving undergraduate residential single-gender program, all programs in Jacksonville will be coeducational. The university’s specialty today includes addressing undergraduate and graduate education for nontraditional students, men and women, at the home campus in Gainesville as well as locations in other cities. For example, it has operated on the Kings Bay Navy Submarine Base in Georgia for about 30 years. It has two campuses in metro Atlanta – Fairburn and Norcross – and another in Augusta.
Buford Methodists break ground for Christian Life Center
The 144-year-old Buford United Methodist Church is expanding. Groundbreaking was held recently at the annual Homecoming service for a new Christian Life Center. The new building will include an Activity Center that will seat more than 900 people, 22 classrooms, media center and indoor and outdoor playing areas, and other facilities. The existing building will receive upgrades as well, including an office remodeling and repairs to the bell tower. Church pastor the Rev. Sondra Jones, says that the church provides weekend lunches every Saturday afternoon for local children, and has done so since 2010, through their Sack Kids Hunger program. Their Tree of Life Garden, which is tended by members, provides fruits and vegetables for the community and for the North Gwinnett Co-Op.
In the photo above, the Rev. Travis Woodward, his wife, Juanita, and daughter Pam head for the groundbreaking. They are friends of the pastor. In the photo at right, Lay Reader Mike Rosenthal, Pastor Jones, Sen. Renee Underman and Buford City Commission Chairman Philip Beard work on “breaking ground.” (Photos by Ansley Brackin.)
GVCID completes sidewalks, landscaping on Buford Highway
The Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District (CID) strives to increase connections throughout the community in all modes of transport. A recently completed project along Buford Highway not only improves the safety and connectivity for pedestrians, but provides an aesthetic boost for the area as well.
The project was the second phase of construction that added sidewalks and landscaping from the DeKalb County line to Jimmy Carter Boulevard. The project also includes work on the curb and gutter and crosswalks at four intersections along the stretch. The project, which was just over $1 million, was funded through a combination of Gwinnett County, Georgia Department of Transportation and CID funds.
RECOMMENDEDNight and Day
A novel by Virginia Woolf
The inequity of society toward men and women is the backdrop of this stream of consciousness novel. In Victorian England, women were struggling to find fulfillment and empowerment beyond their traditional roles. The granddaughter of a famous poet with a secret passion for math and astronomy, a young lawyer smitten by love, a businesswoman campaigning for women’s rights whose love is unrequited, and a frustrated, mediocre poet looking for a romantic attachment, all live in a society in transition. Night and Day reveals how they move in and out of each others’ lives, sometimes finding their definition of success, and for one, great disappointment. Some might say the empowerment that women sought came at great price. Author Virginia Woolf was a key member of the English “Bloomsbury” group, who sought to bring enlightenment to straitlaced Victorian society. Worth a look!
— Karen Garner, Dacula
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
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA TIDBITSpanish explorers venture into Georgia from 1525 to 1646
The initial European exploration of Georgia was carried out in large part by Spaniards, first operating out of colonial bases in the Caribbean Sea and Mexico and later from the city of St. Augustine on the Florida coast. Between 1525 and 1646, expeditions large and small explored both the coast and the interior of Georgia, covering most of the inhabited portions of the Coastal Plain and parts of the lower Piedmont.
Spanish explorers. Image courtesy of the Georgia Encyclopedia.
The first documented exploration was carried out along the coastline in 1525 by two ships from Puerto Rico, which landed in South Carolina in 1521 on a slaving expedition. This brief reconnaissance of the entire coastline prefaced the subsequent colonial venture of Lucas Vazquez de Ayllon, whose 600 colonists first made landfall in South Carolina before moving south, following Indian trails, to the Georgia coast in 1526. There, in an as yet undiscovered location (perhaps near Sapelo Sound), Ayllon established the short-lived colony of San Miguel de Gualdape, which was abandoned just six weeks later, following political disputes and an African slave uprising.
In the spring of 1540 an army of some 600 Spanish soldiers under the command of Hernando de Soto marched north from Florida into southwestern Georgia in search of riches. The expedition crossed the Flint River near present-day Newton, visited the chiefdom of Capachequi located along Chickasawhatchee Creek, and then pushed northeast toward present-day Marshallville, where they recrossed the Flint and stopped briefly at a village called Toa.
The soldiers then moved east to the Ocmulgee chiefdom of Ichisi, with its capital at the Lamar Mound site near present-day Macon and then to the Oconee River villages of Altamaha, Ocute, and Cofaqui. The expedition continued east into South Carolina, turned north to cross the Appalachian summit in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, and finally dropped south again into northwestern Georgia during July.
The army stayed more than a month in the capital of the powerful Coosa chiefdom near present-day Calhoun and then marched south to Itaba (Etowah) near Cartersville before following the Etowah River west to Ulibahali at Rome, and subsequently downriver along the Coosa River to Apica and finally into Alabama.
The impact of the 1539-43 Hernando de Soto expedition was enormous. Not only did surviving Spanish chroniclers offer their first and last glimpse of pristine Native American chiefdoms across the interior southeastern United States, but also the accidental introduction of European plague diseases apparently resulted in massive epidemic population losses in these same regions.
In the aftermath of the de Soto expedition the Spanish crown first mounted an abortive missionary effort by Dominican priests under Fray Luis Cancer on the Gulf Coast of the Florida peninsula in 1549. In 1559 they launched a massive colonial venture under Tristan de Luna, when some 1,500 Mexican soldiers and colonists sailed from Vera Cruz to Pensacola Bay, where a hurricane destroyed most of their ships and supplies shortly after arriving.
The colonists moved inland in search of food at a town called Nanipacana, but when their supplies were exhausted, in April 1560, Luna sent a detachment of 140 soldiers and two Dominican friars northward, backtracking along de Soto’s earlier route toward the populous chiefdom of Coosa in northwest Georgia. Several of the officers were veterans of the de Soto expedition who had settled in Mexico. The detachment passed through Apica and Ulibahali before arriving at Coosa, where they spent several months. During this stay a detachment of these men accompanied the Coosa chief and warriors on a military raid against the rebellious province of Napochin near present-day Chattanooga, Tenn.
(To be continued)
- To access the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Picturesque scene tries to challenge your travel remembrance
The breeze is flapping the flags at this castle-like building, with a town below, and water in the distance. Now, tell us where this is located, and the significance of this location. Send your answers to elliott@brack.net and be sure to include the town where you live.
The mystery photo (right) in the last edition, that of August 21, stumped everyone. It was the presidential library of former President Woodrow Wilson in Staunton, Va., sent in by Susan McBurney of Sugar Hill. The city is also the birthplace of the former president.
Team player
Melrobin Cothran, center, manager of the Georgia Department of Labor’s (GDOL) Gwinnett Career Center, has been named the department’s Team Player of the Year. She is shown with GDOL’s Deputy Commissioner Tim Evans and Director of Regional Operations Patti Fort. Cothran was selected because of her willingness to assist management and staff of other Atlanta area career centers when a need arises and for offering solutions to customer service issues that have led to improved career center operations.
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