7/31, full issue: Revel property; 3 election winners so far; more

ANOTHER BIG CHANGE is coming to Gwinnett, as developers have released plans for the Revel center at the Infinite Energy Center.  This is a concept of the way the area will look when it is fully developed, expected by 2020. For more details, see Today’s Focus below.

TODAY’S FOCUS: Revel Property at Infinite Energy Center To Offer 750,000 Square Feet

EEB PERSPECTIVE: Congratulations to the Only Three People Who So Far Have Been Elected

SPOTLIGHT: Mingledorff’s

FEEDBACK: Four Letters from Readers about Current Topics

UPCOMING: Lawrenceville’s Southlawn To Be $200 Million Mixed-Use Project

NOTABLE: Peach State Federal Credit Union Has Towns-Union Merger Partner

RECOMMENDED: The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

GEORGIA TIDBIT: Man-Made Lakes Differ from Natural Lakes in Several Ways

MYSTERY PHOTO: Historic Spot Begs Your Identification of This Mystery Photo

CALENDAR: With August Nearing, Activities Picking Up in Gwinnett

Revel property at Infinite Energy Center to offer 750,000 square feet

By Liana Moran

DULUTH, Ga.  |  North American Properties (NAP) has retained CBRE to lease 750,000 square feet of high-tech office space at Revel, a $900 million entertainment-focused mixed-use destination anchored by Infinite Energy Center in Gwinnett County. Anchored by Gwinnett’s Infinite Energy Center, the mixed-use community will open in 2020.

In addition to the 750,000 square feet of Class A office space, the 118-acre mixed-use community will feature 400,000 square feet of street-level retail, restaurant and entertainment uses, which include a bowling alley, a 25,000-square-foot food hall, a 55,000-square-foot movie theater, a 20,000-square-foot grocery market and a 35,000-square-foot fitness center. It will also include 840 multifamily homes, 50 single family homes, a 300-room four-star hotel, and a public realm that hosts over 1,000 events for the community each year. NAP recently filed plans with the state to have the project reviewed as a development of regional impact.

Heather Lamb, first vice president at CBRE, says: “Modern office tenants want an authentic, walkable community experience that excites their employees to be at the office every day. There is pent-up demand for office space with access to urban amenities in suburban markets.  Since the announcement of Revel, we are seeing strong interest from cutting-edge companies looking for workspace in an experiential mixed-use environment to recruit and retain the best talent available.”

According to CBRE research, the Class A Sugarloaf office market is currently at nine percent vacancy with the largest available space at 20,000 square feet. Revel is the first new office construction in the Sugarloaf market since 2009. Within a 30-minute drive time of Revel, there are 1.6 million residents with an average household income over $98,000. With direct access to the Interstate 85 corridor, Gwinnett County is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. The CBRE office leasing team includes Lamb; senior vice president Bryan Heller; first vice president Peter McGuone; and associate Parker Nelson.

Revel’s office space will be equipped with Gigabit connectivity and smart technology required by high-tech users today. Office tenants will also enjoy the resort-level concierge services and experiential retail environments that NAP is known for providing.

Mark Toro, managing partner of NAP, says: “Revel will not only transform the experience for 1.2 million event goers at Infinite Energy Center, it will also create an entirely new destination for Gwinnett’s residents, office workers and visitors to commune. Great food, great entertainment and resort-inspired hospitality are the cornerstones for the Revel experience. Just like Alpharetta has Avalon and Midtown has Colony Square, we look forward to delivering a project that will become the heartbeat of Gwinnett.”

• Have a comment? Send to:  elliott@brack.net

Congratulations to the only 3 people who so far have been elected

By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher, GwinnettForum

JULY 31, 2018  |  Though Gwinnett residents may be tired of all the 2018 politicking, the November election is still before us.  It’s not over yet, since so far we have mostly nominated political candidates for the General Election more than three months away.

There’s been much hullabaloo in the recent primary and its runoff, but so far locally the only persons to be elected who had competition are three new Gwinnett Judges.

Tracie Cason and Tracey Mason are now duly-elected Superior Court Judges, while Ronda Colvin-Leary got the nod from the voters for a State Court seat.  We offer congratulations to all three new judges, and note, they are all female. Court diversity is improving!

(By the way, we again inject that election of judges during the primaries is a poor way to select people for the bench, since fewer people vote in primaries. Switching election of judges from the primary to the General Election is one of GwinnettForum’s Continuing Objectives. We look for this to be accomplished one day.)

Were we surprised at the outcome of the runoff primaries?  Somewhat. While we thought that the race between Casey Cagle and Brian Kemp for the Republican nomination might be tighter, we were truly surprised at the overwhelming victory for Brian Kemp, who won with better than a 2:1 margin over the heavily-funded Cagle.

It even now appears that had President Trump not endorsed Kemp, he could still easily have beaten Cagle. Though many people dissect and pontificate about the election results, one thing is certain: you can easily lose your money betting on political races. One small incident can get the attention of the multitude and turn an election. But sometimes it is difficult to determine what small incident it was that the people turned on.

Again, it must be galling for Casey Cagle to have done so well in the first balloting of the primary—having a huge lead—-and then to do so poorly in the runoff. After all, he got 38.9 percent of the first vote, to Kemp’s 25.6 percent. That only proves again the adage that placing second in the first voting isn’t a bad slot. Add to Cagle’s frustration, he even lost the Hall County vote, his home county!

Voter apathy can be seen in the number of people voting in the primary runoff. Only 10 percent of the Georgia registered active voters cast ballots in the runoff for governor. And yes, that means that though Brian Kemp can claim victory with seven percent of those registered, a runoff win doesn’t even come close in the number of votes that should be cast in the General election.

And though Georgians in recent gubernatorial elections have sided with Republicans, a strong run by the Democratic candidate is expected. In other words, Brian Kemp is not assured of an automatic victory in November. We, and most Georgians, would be surprised if he lost, but yes, it could be possible.

The 2018 governor’s race could even boil down to not so much which particular candidate the voters like, but might turn on whether Georgians want to repudiate President Trump by electing a Democrat. We doubt it could happen, but that is why they have horse and political races, that is, to determine a winner.

• Have a comment? Send to:  elliott@brack.net

Mingledorff’s

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s featured sponsor is Mingledorff’s, an air conditioning distributor of the Carrier Air Conditioning Company. Mingledorff’s corporate office is located at 6675 Jones Mill Court in Norcross Ga. and is proud to be a sponsor of the Gwinnett Forum. With 37 locations in Georgia, Alabama,  Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina, Mingledorff’s is the convenient local source with a complete line for the quality heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration parts and supplies you need to service and install HVAC/R equipment. Product lines include Carrier, Bryant, Payne, Totaline and Bard

• For all of your HVAC needs, and information on the products Mingledorff’s sells, visit mingledorffs.com and www.carrier.com.
• For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.

Two readers appreciate getting degrees from Georgia State University

Editor, the Forum:

From Georgia State, I earned my MBA by taking classes at night while working full time. Most of my fellow students were in the same situation. From what I recall, acceptance to the program required two years of work after obtaining one’s undergraduate degree, so those enrolled had a foundation that made the experience and degree more valuable. We learned from one another. Likewise, our professors had real-world jobs that delivered practical insights, not pie-in-the-sky theories and ideologies.

The investment of my time and money in my GSU MBA was definitely worthwhile.

—  Sallie W. Boyles, Duluth

Editor, the Forum:

As a ’68 Grad in Urban Life living out of Georgia State, I appreciate Jack Barnard’s article.

— Ashley Herndon, Irvine, Calif.

There are important issues to discuss; turn back the mere slogans

Editor, the Forum:

I would hate this to be just a Democrat saying, “I’m black and I’m a woman; vote for me,” versus a Republican saying, “I’m white and I like guns; vote for me.”  There actually important issues to discuss.

Those of us who worked on Ralph Reed’s campaign for lieutenant  governor against Casey Cagle experienced some deja vu as we heard Cagle go after Brian Kemp.  I have a special satisfaction in the huge margin that should end Cagle’s political career.

Hopefully,  we can hear about some actual issues that Georgians care about in the General Election.

— Byron Gilbert, Duluth

Reader compares Truman’s “buck stops here” with Trump

Editor, the Forum:

A reader recently mentioned Harry Truman’s “the buck stops here,” comparing Truman’s supposed frugality with Trump’s spending. Truman’s famous quote was empty talk. He embraced big government spending, continued the Roosevelt programs, joined NATO, gave half of Europe to Soviet Communist Stalin after WWII, invented unconstitutional foreign aid and meddlesome no-win foreign adventurism, starting with Korea. We’re still there  years later.

— Marshall Miller, Lilburn

Dear Marshall: While you see it this way, many count Harry Truman among the greatest presidents. The voters seemed to like his first term, as he upset Thomas Dewey in the 1948 election.  Or don’t you remember that famous photograph? -eeb      

Send us your thoughts:  We encourage you to send us your letters and thoughts on issues raised in GwinnettForum.  Please limit comments to 300 words.  We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length.  Send feedback and letters to:  elliott@brack.net

Lawrenceville’s Southlawn to be  $200 million mixed-use project

Rendering of “SouthLawn” development in Downtown Lawrenceville along Clayton Street.

Lawrenceville’s 32 acre Town Center Project has officially broken ground. It is a $200 million mixed-use project by George Berkow Inc., Novare Group and Batson-Cook Development Company (BCDC).

Called SouthLawn, it will add more than 600 residences, more than 15,000 square feet of retail space and a town green in close proximity to the historic downtown. It will connect City Hall and the Police Station with the Lawrenceville Lawn and create a walkable environment that includes the Lawn as well as the Historic Lawrenceville Square.

“We are pleased to be off and running with SouthLawn, which is the City of Lawrenceville’s vision to continue the ‘mixed-use development’ that has been in the making there for almost 200 years,” said George Berkow, President, George Berkow Inc. “The city has been an excellent partner, with its commitment to bring more people into the town core, create walkability and add greenspace.”

“Novare Group is excited to be underway with the multi-family residences at SouthLawn and grateful to be a part of the entire mixed-use community with George Berkow and his team,” said Jim Borders, President, Novare Group. “This project will spark renewed interest in town center living in Lawrenceville.”

Lawrenceville City Manager Chuck Warbington says: “The partnership with these developers has delivered to Lawrenceville a much needed renaissance in the community, executing the council’s vision for a more urban and sustainable activity center in our community. We are  looking forward to ensuring a strong future for the City.”

The residential development will include urban-style three- and four-story apartments and townhomes, and single-family detached cluster houses.

The multi-family residences will include two offerings. SouthLawn is a luxury apartment residences, with three and four-story urban apartments along Clayton Street in a town center format. It will have an elevated pool area looking over the entire development. Conclave is a four-story building on a one-acre park with larger residences, enclosed air conditioned corridors, elevators and a private pool, club and fitness area.   The single-family and townhome component, which is led by George Berkow, Inc., will have over 150 home sites.

Deadline approaching for Snellville Citizen’s Police Academy

The Snellville Police Department is offering a Citizen’s Police Academy class in order to strengthen the bond of friendship and cooperation between citizens and the police department. The class runs for 12 weeks, beginning August 30 and ending November 15.

This program is open to all Snellville and Gwinnett residents 18 years and older. There is no charge for attending and participants do not have to live in the city limits to participate. A background investigation will be conducted on all applicants prior to acceptance in the Academy.
An application can be found at http://www.snellville.org/Data/Sites/1/media/police/scpa-application—revised.pdf.

Peach State Federal Credit Union has Towns-Union merger partner

From left are Marshall Boutwell, president/CEO at Peach State; Jennifer Marshall, CEO/manager at Towns-Union; Margaret Forrester, chairman of the Board at Towns-Union; John Fair, chief of staff at Peach State.

Members of Towns-Union Educators’ Federal Credit Union have approved a merger with Peach State Federal Credit Union.  The financial merger, which has been approved by the National Credit Union Administration, is effective August 1, 2018. The merger is the result of a mutual goal on the part of both credit unions’ Boards and management to ensure that quality financial services are available throughout the community.

Towns-Union was chartered to serve the needs of the employees of the Towns County School System, Union County School System, Young Harris College, Towns County Government, and Union County Government. Their footprint encompasses the towns of Hiawassee, Young Harris, Blairsville, and Suches.

Jennifer Marshall, CEO/Manager for Towns-Union, says: “Our decision to merge with Peach State was a strategic action to ensure a strong future for our credit union and our member-owners. With an enhanced suite of products and services, Peach State is better positioned to have a positive impact on the lives of our members and their families.”

Marshall Boutwell, President/CEO of Peach State, says he is pleased to bring new products and services to the Towns-Union members. “This is an important time for our credit union,” he commented. “Peach State is growing rapidly with a goal of meeting the needs of credit union members throughout the entire Northeast Georgia and Southwestern South Carolina region. We look forward to welcoming Towns-Union and their members to the Peach State family.”

Local economy gains $1.49 billion from Gwinnett Health System

In 2016, Gwinnett Health System (GHS) generated approximately $1.498 billion in revenue for the local and state economy, according to a recently released report by the Georgia Hospital Association, the state’s largest hospital trade association. The Gwinnett Health System includes the Gwinnett Medical Center campuses in Lawrenceville and Duluth.

GHS also had direct expenditures of $651.2 million in 2016. The total economic impact of those expenditures, when combined with a Georgia output multiplier to hospital spending, pushes total economic output attributable from GHS to $1.49 billion for the year.

Phil Wolfe, president and CEO of GMC, says: “We take pride in our ability to provide our community access to the best healthcare possible, support the education of new healthcare professionals and drive innovation in healthcare technology. We will continue to create jobs, build new facilities and contribute to the enhancement of our community’s economic health.”

GMC has long-standing partnerships with a number of institutions including Gwinnett County Public Schools, Gwinnett Tech, Georgia Gwinnett College and Partnership Gwinnett.  Such a comprehensive approach also contributes to Gwinnett’s sustained economic vitality.

In calendar year 2016, GHS employed 5,737 people throughout Lawrenceville and Georgia. The Georgia employment multiplier, which takes into account the “ripple” effect of direct hospital expenditures on the economy such as medical supplies, durable medical equipment and pharmaceuticals, increases the total number of full-time jobs tied to the health system to 13,350.

The GHA report does not reflect recent expansions GMC has implemented, such as the:

• Center for Cancer Care in Hamilton Mill, designed to provide patient-centered, personalized care to the north Gwinnett community.
• Behavioral Health Holding Unit at GMC-Lawrenceville developed to address the behavioral health resources gap on a local level while caring for patients in a respectful manner.
• Primary Care and Specialty Center in Suwanee, providing family medicine services such as rheumatology, cardiology, gastroenterology, obstetrics and gynecology.

Heard against having MARTA question on ballot

Heard

Gwinnett County Commissioner John Heard has announced his opposition to an upcoming vote to add MARTA to the November ballot.  Heard calls the proposed vote “premature and a rush to judgment, the equivalent of asking Gwinnett voters to buy ‘A Pig in a Poke.’”

He says: “The current MARTA plans are fatally flawed. Those plans call for rail service to be brought to Gwinnett 10 years from now.  That means the average Gwinnett family will pay $763 a year in additional sales taxes for 10 years before receiving rail service. It will be an unprecedented transfer of wealth from Gwinnett taxpayers to the MARTA Board, over $1,555,000,000 before the first rail car runs in Gwinnet

“The rail service will be limited to the northern corridor – Norcross, Duluth and Suwanee. There will be little benefit to the middle and southern parts of Gwinnett: Lawrenceville, Snellville, Grayson, Braselton, Buford and Sugar Hill, even though those residents will be required to pay taxes for service they will receive little or no benefit from.” continued Heard.

“I will do everything I can to ease our traffic burden but I am convinced MARTA is not the answer. Atlanta, Fulton and DeKalb all have MARTA and their traffic is worse than Gwinnett’s. Raising taxes without any real benefits is just irresponsible government.”

Lilburn chief is new officer of Georgia Association of Police Chiefs

Hedley

Lilburn Police Chief Bruce Hedley was sworn in as the new fourth vice president of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP) recently in Savannah. The GACP is the organization that represents Chiefs of Police from across the State of Georgia and, as one of its duties, is responsible for the training and professional development of all Chiefs of Police. Chief Hedley started with the Lilburn Police Department in 2008 after serving 20 years with the Atlanta Police Department, retiring as a unit commander. Chief Hedley oversees a department with 32 sworn officers, eight civilian employees, and many part-time employees and volunteers.

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

Reviewed by Billy Chism, Toccoa  |  Every now and then, you read a novel you know you will want to reread years later.

Why? Because it deals with the great themes… love, friendship and life itself.

This is such a book. Set in Paris, the 370-page novel is about a 50-year-old French bookstore owner who believes in the power of books, and feels each individual needs a certain book at a certain time in his or her life. The bookstore owner even refuses to sell a best-seller to one of his customers because he believes it would be bad for her. The action moves from Paris to a boat trip down the Seine River on a beat-up barge – a floating bookstore, really – headed toward the Mediterranean. This book should be read slowly, to allow the reader to savor every sentence and enjoy getting to know the wonderful characters.

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.  Send to:  elliott@brack.net

Man-made lakes differ from natural lakes in several ways

(Continued from previous edition)

Constructed  lakes differ from natural lakes in several significant ways. The drainage basins of reservoirs are typically much larger in relation to the lake surface area than the drainage basins of natural lakes. Reservoir basins tend to be narrow, elongated, and dendritic (branching) because they are most commonly formed in river valleys.

Reservoirs receive runoff from large streams and rivers, and they are not typically intercepted by wetlands or shallow interface regions. The result is that runoff inputs are larger, are more closely linked to rainfall, and affect a larger portion of the lake than is the case in most natural lakes. These characteristics lead to high inputs of nutrients and sediments in rainy weather.

Natural lakes tend to be located at the headwaters of rivers or streams, whereas reservoirs tend to be closer to the mouth of the river or stream. Natural lakes therefore tend to have lower nutrient and sediment concentrations than those in constructed systems. The water levels in natural lakes are fairly constant, while those in reservoirs are typically managed for flood control, hydropower production, and/or navigation. Reservoirs frequently release water from the bottom of the dam pool, which contains little dissolved oxygen; this may cause problems with water quality downstream. Natural lakes, in contrast, typically release well-aerated surface waters.

Management of reservoir water levels result in large areas of sediments that are alternately flooded and exposed; frequent manipulation of water levels prevents the establishment of stabilizing wetlands and shoreline vegetation, and increases shoreline erosion and sediment loading. The frequent alternation between flooding and exposure may encourage sediments to release more nutrients than are found in natural lakes. The higher nutrient load encourages the growth of algae and other organisms that sink to the sediments upon death. The sediments gradually fill in the reservoir, so that the life span of the reservoir is shorter than that of natural lake systems.

Smaller reservoirs and ponds also have characteristics different from natural lakes. The creation of these impoundments can alter the shape of the basin to inhibit the establishment of emergent and shoreline vegetation necessary to prevent bank erosion. Small reservoirs frequently have no outflow point and hence accumulate sediments and nutrients at a faster rate than natural lakes. The result is that small constructed lakes support different flora and fauna from those in natural lakes.

The biota (animal and plant life) of reservoirs may be very different from natural systems. Reservoirs are stocked with fish to develop sport fisheries for recreation. Small constructed lakes and ponds are also frequently stocked with fish for recreation, and to control the growth of submerged vegetation.

More than 100 reservoirs were under construction or awaiting approval in the state in 2003. Georgia’s constructed lakes provide many benefits, including recreation, water supply, flood control, navigation, and agricultural irrigation. The potential consequences of further fragmenting our natural river and stream systems, however, should be carefully considered to assure that the benefits of these proposed systems justify the financial and environmental costs.

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

Historic spot begs your identification in this Mystery Photo

Some of you may have been to this historic spot. And you may be wondering why people are climbing onward in this photograph. Tell us what you know about this scene, sending your answer to elliottt@brack.net, and include your hometown.

Only two people were able to identify the simple homestead in the most recent Gwinnett Forum. Joseph Hopkins, Norcross: “It is Ivy Green, home of Helen Keller. I first guessed because of the Alabama flag, then confirmed it. Keller is depicted on the Alabama 25 cent quarter issued in 2003.” George Graff of Palmyra, Va. also identified the photo.

GEORGIA TECH President Dr. Bud Peterson will be at Prototype Prime in Peachtree Corners on Thursday, August 2, at 4:30 p.m. to announce a new partnership with the city’s start-up incubator. Some of the pioneers of Technology Park/Atlanta will be present. Prototype Prime is located at 147 Technology Parkway.

FOURTH ANNUAL DUCK DERBY will be Saturday, August 4 at 3  p.m. at West Gwinnett Park Aquatic Center. Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Sugarloaf, it will include an afternoon of free pool time. Two food vendors will be on hand, Habanero Grill Food Truck and Snowie Days Shaved Ice. For more info, and to adopt ducks, visit www.GwinnettDuck Derby.com.

LILBURN’S NINTH ANNUAL National Night Out is Tuesday, August 7, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.  at Plaza Las Americas, 733 Pleasant Hill Road. Sponsored by the Lilburn Police Department, it will feature exhibitions and 40 participating vendors. The Georgia Law Enforcement Moving Memorial will be on display at the event.

SEPTIC TANK MAINTENANCE workshop will be on August 9 at 1 p.m. at the Five Forks Branch of the Gwinnett Public Library, 2780 Five Forks Road. Participants may qualify for a five percent Stormwater Utility Fee credit.

LUNCH AND LEARN about the history of the Atlanta Braves on Friday, August 10 at noon at the Georgia Archives in Morrow. Carolyn Serra, of the Braves staff, will talk of the heritage of the team and its Hall of Fame members. Lunch and learn programs are free and sponsored by the Friends of the Georgia Archives. No advanced registration is required.

GROUNDBREAKING at Graves Park Expansion, 1540 Graves Road, Norcross, will be Tuesday, August 14, at 9:30 a.m. Directions: From I-85 at Jimmy Carter Boulevard, go east to McDonough Drive, turn south until dead end. Turn left on Graves Road. Park is on the right.

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