10/19: Jackson EMS linemen win; MTI Baths and art; Medicare for all

A NEW ARTISTIC STRUCTURE, a 40-foot “Koan,” will be coming to the Georgia Tech campus in 2019, the art work of Tech alumnus and famous architect John Portman. The art piece is now being fabricated by Sugar Hill’s MTI Baths, coming out of their successful work in fiberglass technology. For more details on this project, see Elliott Brack’s perspective below.

TODAY’S FOCUS: Jackson EMC Linemen’s Team Wins 35^th Annual International Awards

EEB PERSPECTIVE: Sugar Hill Firm Working on Innovative John Portman Art Project

ANOTHER VIEW: Medicare Needs To Provide Coverage for Everyone in the USA

SPOTLIGHT: Lail Family Dentistry

FEEDBACK: Do We Want Government Mandating Women on Corporate Boards?

UPCOMING: Ninth Annual Print Big! Art Event Is Saturday at The Hudgens

NOTABLE: Bond Referendum Would Fund Major Gwinnett School Improvements

RECOMMENDED: Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville

GEORGIA TIDBIT: Central of Georgia Railway Organized To Help State Cotton Industry

MYSTERY PHOTO: It’s a Beautiful Setting for This Edition’s Mystery Photo

CALENDAR: Trick or Treat Festival Coming to Yellow River Water Treatment Center

Jackson EMC linemen’s team wins 35^th annual international awards

Jackson EMC’s journeyman teams competing in the 35th Annual International Lineman’s Rodeo won some of the highest awards on Saturday. Shown are: Justin Cash, Austin Gragg, Clay Phillips, Kevin Grant, Matt Tolar and Scotty Tompkins. Photo by Kerri Testement.

By April Sorrow

JEFFERSON, GA  |  A journeyman linemen team from Jackson EMC was named the top electric cooperative team at the 35th Annual International Lineman’s Rodeo in Bonner Springs, Kansas last week. The event features some of the top linemen from around the world to compete in traditional linemen skills and tasks.

Jackson EMC sent two journeyman teams, each with three competitors, to the rodeo. Both teams won some of the highest awards at the international event.

The journeyman team with Justin Cash, Austin Gragg and Clay Phillips, all of Jefferson, won first place overall in the electric cooperative division at the rodeo. The team also placed second as the top overall team at the International Lineman’s Rodeo with a total time of 22:03.89. In addition, they won second place in an event to replace polymer insulators and seventh place in an event to change switches on a pole.

Kevin Grant, Matt Tolar and Scotty Tompkins, all of Oakwood, won third place as the top overall journeyman team with a total time of 22:17.83. They also won second place overall in the electric cooperative division, eighth place in the polymer insulator replacement event and eighth place in the switch changeout event.

Tommy Parker, Jackson EMC’s director of operation services, says: “The rodeo is a great opportunity for our linemen to show their skills and knowledge of safety in this profession. We’re proud to support these linemen who participate in the rodeo and their fantastic results against so many other top competitors.”

This year’s International Lineman’s Rodeo featured more than 300 apprentices and more than 200 journeyman teams competing in a series of events to test their skills. Apprentices compete as individuals, while journeyman teams include three team members.

Both apprentices and journeyman teams compete in hurt man rescue and pole climb events. In addition, there are two mystery events that are revealed to participants the day before competition. Apprentices also complete a written test that’s part of their overall score.

One of Jackson EMC’s apprentices, Dillon Welborn of Jefferson, placed ninth in the hurt man rescue event with a time of 1:02.13. The hurt man rescue simulates the rescue of an injured worker stranded at the top of a utility pole.

Jackson Electric Membership Corporation, the largest electric cooperative in Georgia and one of the largest in the nation, is headquartered 50 miles northeast of Atlanta in Jefferson, Ga. The cooperative serves more than 229,000 meters on 14,000 miles of energized wire. For more information, visit jacksonemc.com.

JACKSON EMC SENT 30 linemen, three foremen and one mechanic to Grady EMC on Friday, Oct. 12. On Oct. 19, those linemen will come home and we’ll send additional linemen, foremen and a mechanic to continue the work. After Hurricane Michael, more than 86 percent of Grady EMC members were affected by active outages. Grady EMC’s service area stretches from Banbridge to Thomasville and covers Decatur, Grady and Thomas counties. According to the FEMA, Decatur County was one of the six hardest hit counties in the state. And, even with all of the resources that have been deployed to the area, impacted utilities and government agencies estimate that it could still be weeks before the region is fully back online with power, water, cellular reception and other services.

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

Sugar Hill firm working on innovative John Portman art project

By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum

OCT. 19, 2018  |  Russell Adams, president of MTI Baths of Sugar Hill, supplied shower pans for a John Portman hotel project in Hotel Indigo a few years back, which eventually has led to a new opportunity for his company. (MTI Baths manufactures high-quality acrylic and bath products, including whirlpools, soaking baths; lavatories; shower bases; and kitchen sinks.)

Adams ended up spending several visits with Portman, the world famous architect who originated the atrium design for hotels.  The first atrium hotel was the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, opened in 1967. We remember coming from South Georgia to see the new hotel concept, and like everyone else on entering the lobby, looked up at the soaring 22 story lobby, mouth opened.   Now atrium hotels are common all over the world, many of them Portman-designed. Mr. Portman died Dec. 29, 2017.

Adams remembers: “Here I was in John Portman’s office, and everywhere, there was lots of art, much of it designed by Mr. Portman. The office had an 18 foot ceiling, and full glass windows looking out on downtown Atlanta.”

Portland was interested to see if MTI Baths could take their expertise in fiberglass molding of tubs and replicate pieces of art. “I left there with one of his valuable art pieces, to see if we could copy it.”  The art piece was about 18 inches tall, and Portman wanted to replicate it—only 21 feet tall!

Adams

Adams says: “We did it in plaster and then poured castings, using the lost wax process. It was to be made out of sculptured stone, which we use in our high end tubs. We created the process and the pricing structure, and Portman understood that. But Portman instead asked MTI Baths to look at another idea, another Portman art design.

It is to be a massive 40 foot tall “Koan,” a Buddhist term, which Portman said means for people to “sit and discuss things.”  Portman felt it was perfect to be located on the campus of his alma mater, Georgia Tech, which seeks meaning through “Knowledge, Research and Creativity.”

This structure is highly futuristic, basically three connected thin rings which look like they are flipping in the wind, connected in a fluted white design, to be made from a new mineral composite made from crushed Georgia granite and resin.  The material is stronger than steel, and expensive, but light.  This material is anticipated to be a major building element in the future. The design is now being tested by engineers and architects in wind tunnels.

The Koan will weigh 8,000 pounds, and will be anchored directly to the ground, resting on three footings. It will have a ceramic coating, which if vandals attack, can be wiped clean. The project is expected to be finished in early 2019.

“What we will fabricate is three molded rings and hope to make it a perfect modular structure. The ring circles will connect unseen in innovative ways. We’re real excited about it.”

WHILE MTI BATHS is venturing into uncharted waters in this Portman art project, it continues at a rapid pace on producing bathtubs, sinks and shower stalls. The firm now employs 229 persons. Most of the operation is in Sugar Hill in 150,000 square feet of space, where the company produces about 140 tubs a day, “though we build then only after they are ordered,” Adams notes.

MTI Baths has also recently bought a 43,000 square foot facility in Commerce, Georgia. There 10 employees are producing a new high-end tub made with mineral composite from granite quarries, with a matte finish.

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

Medicare needs to provide coverage for everyone in the USA

By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga.  |  Modern Healthcare is the most influential magazine for hospital professionals. I was both surprised and concerned about two very negative single payer letters appearing in the Aug. 13, 2018 edition.

Surprised because someone receiving the magazine should know the difference between: 1) Medicare for All (as described by Bernie Sanders, Physicians for a National Health Plan, Healthcare-Now and other advocates);  and 2) our Veteran’s Administration system or 3) the British National Health System. These writers did not distinguish between them. (And we add, the magazine should have done so.)

I’m concerned because if these two writers are not knowledgeable, then why are they purposefully misleading readers about a subject that they know absolutely nothing about? And, what will readers believe after reading their non-factual, ideologically based, false analysis?

Here are the facts. Medicare is one of the USA’s most efficient and popular programs, having an overhead of just two percent versus an average of 12 percent for private insurance. Few Americans over 65 believe that their Medicare represents socialism. All providers are private, as will be the case when it is finally expanded.

Both the USA VA and British NHS have employees who are government workers. Yes, both have problems…but that has nothing at all to do with expanding Medicare, which uses private providers.

Countries with single payer and similar systems all provide universal care at a fraction of the cost here while covering everyone. According to the respected OECD, France’s per capita healthcare cost is just $4,902; Italy’s is $3,542…while in the United Sates it is  $10,209.

All other systems have better healthcare outcomes. Some of this is undoubtedly due to a healthier lifestyle. But, I doubt that all my distant relatives in Naples, Sorrento, and Avellino turn down many second helpings of pasta while bicycling to work daily.

It is a real pity that the word “socialism” scares politicians who would otherwise endorse Medicare for All. Remember, President Trump repeatedly endorsed single payer until he became a politician. Then, he quickly changed his tune. The swamp creatures known as lobbyists got to him, assisted by the leaders of the GOP who have been dwelling in that swamp for many years.

To be clear, this is not a problem that will resolve itself via minor changes. Since my time as Director of Health Planning for Georgia, national expenditures on healthcare as a percent of GDP has risen from 8 to over 18 percent. This situation has meant less money for infrastructure and education.

But, there is hope. The majority of Democrats now supports single payer. Someday, so will the GOP. If for no other reason than cost, change will inevitably come.

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

Lail Family Dentistry

Lail Family Dentistry has been serving the community in Duluth and Gwinnett County for 50 years. Being the longest serving dental practice in the county, our roots run deep within our community and will continue to do so for generations to come. The doctors at Lail Family Dentistry are all members of the Lail family and are here to provide for you and your family. If you are looking for a traditional, hometown dentist with convenient hours that utilizes the latest dental techniques and technology, then we would be glad to welcome you to our practice. For more information please visit our website at DRLAIL.COM.

• Go to drlail.com for more information, or call (770) 476-2400 to make an appointment.
• For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.

Do we want government mandating women on corporate boards?

Editor, the Forum:

In his letter of Oct. 12, George Wilson praises the voluntary actions of Amazon to increase its minimum wage to $15 per hour.  But he also supports the use of government force to impose diversity on the boards of directors of public corporations.  The former is laudable, the latter, not so much.

Mr. Wilson wants government to mandate the representation of women and labor.  Now, corporations operate under state charters.  And while it may be possible for California to impose its will on corporations chartered in California they probably should not be able to for those chartered in say, Delaware.

I support the idea of diversity on corporate boards.  I think women in particular would bring a fresh perspective.  But is it really something we want government to mandate?  To the extent they choose not to they will be punished by the market for their bad decisions.  Not everything done in California should be followed by the rest of the country.  The encroachment of government into the governance of corporations is one of them.

— Theirn J. Scott, Lawrenceville

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

Ninth annual Print Big! Art event is Saturday at The Hudgens

The ninth annual Print Big! Art event will be Saturday, October 20 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at The Hudgens Center for Art and Learning in Duluth. This free event focuses on fun, creativity and collaboration.

Participating groups from Georgia – featuring artists, community organizations, and college, university, and high school students – have designed and carved 4’x8’ woodblocks that will be printed on Saturday with a steamroller. The oversized fabric banner prints celebrate a different theme each year; and the prints are displayed at the event and later at various locations.

During the Print Big! Steamroller Print Event, the community is invited to attend and participate in the festivities including watching the printing extravaganza, viewing artwork on display, and making their own print at the hands-on print tent. Print Big! also features festivities that include an artist market, food, and much more.

Atlanta Printmakers Studio developed this project in an effort to promote community involvement and to celebrate the art of printmaking. To engage the arts and non-arts community alike, APS invites several artist groups to participate annually; ranging from university students, students from neighboring elementary, middle and high schools to community art centers. The goal of Print Big! reflects the mission of the Atlanta Printmakers Studio – to support and celebrate the vitality of printmaking and to educate the community about this historic image-making medium.

Open house Friday for students interested in osteopathic medicine

Students interested in learning about programs in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, biomedical sciences and physician assistant studies are invited to an open house Friday, October 19, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. It is at the Georgia Campus of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM)  at 625 Old Peachtree Road in Suwanee.

Program directors and student ambassadors will be available to answer questions at the open house. In addition, a light dinner will be served and the campus will be open for tours.

GA-PCOM is a private, not-for-profit branch campus of the fully accredited Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, a multi-program institution of educational excellence founded in 1899. The campus, located in Suwanee, Georgia, is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment.

Open houses are scheduled three times a year in the fall, winter and spring. The winter open house will be held Friday, January 25, 2019. To learn more about GA-PCOM’s doctoral and master’s degree programs and to register for the open house, visit www.pcom.edu. For further information, call 678-225-7500.

Johns Creek Symphony plans “Culinary Fantastique” on Nov. 3

The Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra is bringing back its popular four-course dinner/cooking extravaganza—“Culinary Fantastique”—on Saturday, November 3, from 6 to 8 p. m. at the Publix Aprons Cooking School at Alpharetta Commons, 4305 State Bridge Road.  The theme for this meal (paired with specially-selected wines) will be holiday cooking, featuring mouth-watering new twists on traditional recipes.

The Orchestra’s Executive Director Linda Brill says: “Our first culinary event in April was so well received that we decided to bring it back for the holidays.” Just like seasonal music, the tastes of the holidays evoke memories of simpler times shared with friends and loved ones. Proceeds from this fundraising event benefit the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra.

The evening will be a feast for both the eyes and the ears, as attendees will be treated to parlor-style musical performances by individual Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra musicians at periodic breaks in the evening. Attendees will also learn the backgrounds of the various dishes they are eating, how to prepare each one at home, special cooking techniques, and at the conclusion of the evening they will receive the recipes plus a coupon for a 20% off cooking items purchased from the Publix Aprons Cooking School.

The admission price to this special event is $75 per person. While the RSVP and pre-payment deadline is not until Monday, October 29 at 5 p.m., only 48 seats will be sold so patrons are encouraged to reserve their place at the table early. Reservations can be made by visiting www.JohnsCreekSymphony.org or by calling (678) 748-5802. No tickets will be sold at the door.

Bond referendum would fund major Gwinnett school improvements

As early voting has begun already, Gwinnett voters have the opportunity to support $350 million in improvements throughout the Gwinnett County Public School system without raising taxes on the November 6 ballot. They can do this by voting yes on a general obligation bond referendum at the end of the general election ballot.

Norwood Davis, chief financial officer of 12Stone Church and co-chair of the Gwinnett Kids Count campaign says: “There is no question that Gwinnett County’s economic success and quality of life are directly tied to our award-winning public schools.  This investment, which will not raise taxes, will allow for improvements and renovations throughout our public school system and ensure a world-class learning environment for students and teachers.”

Bond proceeds will be used system-wide to fund general building renovations and improvements, enhancements to school safety and extensive technology upgrades, as well as the district’s needs for additional classrooms and capital improvements across its 140 schools and support facilities.

Projects also include the construction of a new high school in the Mill Creek Cluster area, build out an additional floor at Discovery High School, and renovations to the Fine Arts area at Central Gwinnett High School, as well as upgrades to athletic facilities, labs and instructional spaces throughout the district.

Norwood concludes: “Gwinnett voters have traditionally been willing to support our public schools and we are encouraged by the positive response we have received as we have talked to members of our community.  Residents and businesses agree that investing in public education should be a high priority for our county.  This is a non-partisan issue we can all support and we hope that all voters will go to the bottom of the ballot and vote yes for our schools.”

• For more information about the bond referendum, visit www.gwinnettkidscount2018.com.

Local historical repositories in Georgia eligible for $5,000 grants

Grants up to $5,000 are being offered by the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Council (GHRAC) to local historical repositories in Georgia to develop and/or implement projects to identify, preserve, and provide access to historical records. There is a total of $21,840 available for these grants.

Any size local historical repository with permanently valuable archival materials may apply. A historical repository is defined as a non-profit or government organization/institution that houses, preserves, and provides access to historical documents on a regularly scheduled basis. Recipients of grant awards must provide a minimum one-to-ten ($1 for $10) match of grant funds requested. The match may be met through cash and or in-kind contributions.

Eligible projects must identify, organize, and/or improve access to historical records. Eligible activities include rehousing collections, adding collections to an online catalog, scanning collections, or creating an online database or websites designed to support access to researchers.

Grant applications must be received by Georgia Archives by November 9, 2018. Applicants will be notified of GHRAC’s decision by November 30, 2018. Projects should start by January 1, 2019 and be completed by December 31, 2019.

Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville

From John Titus, Peachtree Corners  |  This excellent museum contains paintings, sculptures, various Native American artifacts, photographs, and a Presidential Gallery featuring original signed letters and an image of each President. Several large sculptures are also on the grounds. Currently there are two special exhibits. “American Ballads: The Photographs of Marty Stuart” is a collection of images taken by the country music star of country music legends and Native Americans on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. It will end November 18, 2018. “Treasures from the Frederic Remington Art Museum and Beyond” is the largest and most comprehensive survey exhibition of its kind ever mounted in the South depicting many aspects of the life and work of this important American artist. It will end January 13, 2019. If you have not visited this museum, it is worth the trip. If you have, it is worth a return visit. Contact information for the Booth is www.boothmuseum.org or 770-387-1300.

• 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

Central of Georgia Railway organized to help state cotton industry

The Central of Georgia Railway was one of the most significant railroads in the American South and a vital part of Georgia’s transportation infrastructure for more than 100 years. From its start the Central was a classic expression of the developmental American railroad, serving as a leader in the region’s economic growth.

In response to the innovative South Carolina Railroad that was diverting cotton and other products from the Piedmont area to Charleston, S.C., Georgians officially organized the Central in 1833. Originally known as the Central Railroad and Canal Company of Georgia, it was reorganized as the Central Rail Road and Banking Company in 1835.

Through state charters, a steady increase in local investments, and the labor of Irish immigrants and African American slaves, the line reached from Savannah to the outskirts of Macon by 1843. At that time the Central was perhaps the longest railroad under one management in the world. It did not keep that distinction for long, yet expanded in the 1840s and 1850s, with direct ownership and indirect control of lines that reached to Atlanta and Columbus, and into southwest Georgia.

With tracks that passed through some of the most productive cotton lands in the state, the Central was a vital element in the antebellum Georgia economy. The extensive and innovative roundhouse complex built in Savannah in the 1850s survives today as the most complete antebellum railroad complex in the nation.

During the Civil War (1861-65) the Central remained operational and served Confederate military, manufacturing, and economic objectives until the summer of 1864, when Union forces began a systematic destruction of bridges, track, and rolling stock. Images of “Sherman’s bowties,” the term for pieces of rail heated and then twisted around Georgia trees, have become part of the iconography of General William T. Sherman’s destructive march to the sea. The Central recovered rather quickly from this destruction, however, and was operational again by June 1866.

In the postbellum era, the railroad underwent another phase of expansion and profitability. It expanded operations into Alabama and Tennessee, founded numerous short lines that connected Georgia cities and towns, created a steamboat line that linked Georgia to the major port cities of the Atlantic seaboard, and positioned itself as an important player in a chaotic era of takeovers, mergers, and fraud in the railroad industry. After losing control to outside investors in 1892, the Central regained nominal independence as the reorganized Central of Georgia Railway in 1895 before the Illinois Central System acquired control in 1907.

In the early 20th century the Central promoted the development of the coal and iron industry in Birmingham, Ala.; actively recruited chemical and textile industries into Georgia; and fostered investments in new agricultural, forestry, and clay products as substitutes for the declining economic importance of cotton. As part of its passenger service, the Central lured tourists to Tybee Island, among other southern destinations, and it offered relatively inexpensive connections between Atlanta, Macon, Columbus, and Savannah. Nevertheless, economic hardships forced the Central into receivership in 1932, where it remained until 1948.

A last gasp of diesel conversion and route consolidation took place in the 1940s and 1950s, making the Central the target of a takeover plan by the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway. The Interstate Commerce Commission ruled against that scheme in 1961, but approved a plan by the Southern Railway to purchase a controlling interest in the company. The Central became a subsidiary of the Southern in 1963, which was in turn subsumed into the Norfolk Southern Corporation in 1982.

The Central of Georgia Roundhouse Railroad Museum is administered by the Coastal Heritage Society and has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

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

It’s a beautiful setting for this edition’s Mystery Photo

This edition’s Mystery Photo is a beautiful older building set off a spacious lawn. Figure out where this photo was made, and you get the prize, our most gracious congratulations. Send your idea to elliottt@brack.net and be sure to include your hometown.

The most recent Mystery Photo was a stunner!  No one could pinpoint its location, so a big Hurrah! Goes to Molly Titus of Peachtree Corners for stumping everyone.  The photo was taken at the Blue Springs Heritage Center, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where 38 million gallons of cold clear water pours out of the ground each day into the trout-filled lagoon.  You can also visit the historic bluff shelter, now on the National Register of Historic Places. Walk on ground that nurtured the Cherokee people during the Trail of Tears.

MURDER AT WEATHERFIELD is the next performance of Lionheart Theater in Norcross, the weekend of October 19-21. This is a farcical “whodunit” which particularly spoofs the style of Agatha Christie. Revelations come flying out like a runaway train! (This show contains content that may not be suitable for children. It is recommended for adults only. To purchase tickets, go to this link.

RECYCLING  EVENT at LAN Systems, 4711 Peachtree Boulevard in Berkeley Lake, Friday, October 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Bring electronic items you no longer need or use to send them for recycling. Plus enjoy hot dogs and hamburgers and roasted marshmallows and more. All proceeds are donated to Prevent Child Abuse. More info: 770-662-0312.

THIRD ANNUAL SPROUT FILM FESTIVAL will be Saturday, October 20 at the Sara A. Williams Fine Arts Center of Greater Atlanta Christian School. It is presented by Hi-Hope Service Center. By presenting films of artistry and intellect by, for, and about people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the Sprout Film Festival hopes to reinforce accurate portrayals of people with disabilities and expose the general public to important issues facing this population. To reserve your free ticket, go to https://hihopecenter.org/sproutatl.

BRASELTON ZOMBIE 5K RUN, the fourth annual, will be Saturday, October 20beginning at 8:30 a.m. from the Braselton Brothers Department Store building. Check in begins at 7:30 a.m. For more information, visit www.DowntownBraselton.com.

WALK IT OUT 5K will be held Saturday, October 20 at 8 a.m. at Rabbit Hill Park in Dacula. It is sponsored by IamBeautiful.org.  The walk supports support the Gaining Insight and Real Life Skills (GIRLS) Leadership Program. For more information, visit this site.

LAWLESS SPIRIT TOURS through downtown Norcross will take place October 25-28, put on by the Lionheart Theatre. Let the past come alive as you wander through Historic Norcross and witness gun fights, bank robberies, family feuds and train wrecks. History buffs will enjoy this walking tour. There will be two tours nightly, at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. For more details, visit this link.

FREE TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP at the Gwinnett Library’s Buford-Sugar Hill Branch, 2100 Buford Highway in Buford, on October 27, at 2 p.m. Join the Georgia Nature Photographers Association (GNPA) for this informal talk and Q&A travel photography workshop in conjunction with the library’s new announcement about becoming a passport issuance location. GNPA will provide information about what to take when you travel and tips for improving your travel photos.”

TRICK OR TREAT Festival at the Yellow River Water Reclamation Facility will be Saturday, October 27 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Join for a fun-filled and educational festival. This family-friendly day will include science, games, giveaways, pumpkin decorating, free food, and a tour of one of Gwinnett’s innovative water reclamation facilities. Be sure to wear your best costumes. The location is 858 Tom Smith Road Southwest, Lilburn.

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• Contributing columnist: Debra Houston
• Contributing columnist: George Wilson

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