1/29: On our Green Community; MARTA vote; Shutdowns

THE GWINNETT JUSTICE AND ADMINISTRATION CENTER is the heart of county operations. Now Gwinnett adds another distinction, being the first county in the state to achieve the platinum level of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Green Community program. See details in Today’s Focus.

TODAY’S FOCUS: Gwinnett Is First County Achieving New Green Community Level

EEB PERSPECTIVE: Encourage Others To Talk Up and Support March 19 MARTA Vote

ANOTHER VIEW: About Governmental Shutdowns and Her Democratic Father

SPOTLIGHT: Peach State Federal Credit Union

FEEDBACK: Feels Recent Opinions Veer Away from Journalistic Integrity

UPCOMING: Sponsors and Judges Needed for February 22 Gwinnett Science Fair

RECOMMENDED: Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, Peachtree Corners

GEORGIA TIDBIT: Galleries at Brenau University One of State’s Best College Art Collections

MYSTERY PHOTO: Another Statue Asks for your Identification and Location

CALENDAR: Gwinnett Symphony Concert Coming on February 10

Gwinnett is first county achieving new Green Community level

By Kate Sweeney

ATLANTA, Ga.  |  Gwinnett County has advanced to the Platinum level under the Atlanta Regional Commission’s (ARC) Green Community program.

Sweeney

Gwinnett is the first county to achieve Platinum level certification. Its journey to Platinum began in 2010, when it certified at the Bronze level, and continued in 2014 when it recertified at the Gold level.

In addition, two cities, Norcross and Decatur, achieved the Platinum level certification.

The Green Communities program is a voluntary certification program that helps local governments implement measures that will reduce their environmental impact. It recognizes their commitment to environmental stewardship and their leadership in sustainability practices.

All winners earned certification points for sustainable measures implemented in their communities. Some measures that earned Gwinnett certification points include:

• Giving preference to alternative fuel and/or hybrid vehicles when purchasing new or replacement vehicles. To date, Gwinnett has purchased three hybrid vehicles.
• Hosting environmental education programs at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center. The county also educates young people and the general public about the importance of sustainability at youth workshops and special events.
• Passing a policy requiring the installation of native and drought-tolerant plants at multiple facilities. This strategy provides beautiful landscaping that requires minimal pesticides, fertilizer, and water.
• Encouraging the reuse of rainwater in government and commercial facilities, as demonstrated at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center and the Mall of Georgia.
• Reclaiming biosolids from the wastewater treatment process and repurposing nutrients as fertilizer. This process helps protect water resources via the Ostara nutrient recovery system. Profits from sales of Crystal Green fertilizer help offset the cost of running the plant.

In metro Atlanta, 20 local governments — 13 cities and seven counties — are currently certified under ARC’s Green Communities program. This is the first program in the country to promote sustainability through a green certification program for local governments at the regional level. This year, the cities of Alpharetta, Chamblee, Decatur, and Sandy Springs, as well as Cherokee, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties were honored.

“These seven communities are making significant strides in reducing their environmental footprint,” said ARC Chairman Kerry Armstrong. “They are creating a greener region through cleaner water, less energy use, reduced waste, and restored natural resources. Their efforts serve as a model for communities across metro Atlanta that are looking to become more sustainable.”

ARC developed the Green Communities Program in 2009 to recognize local governments that invest in programs and policies that lead to a more sustainable region. The nationally recognized program showcases the many ways that local governments can reduce their environmental footprint.

In the past four years alone, these seven communities have had the combined impact of:

• Adding 503 acres of protected greenspace;
• Reducing utility bills by $658,000;
• Diverting over 190,000 tons of waste from landfills; and
• Saving or reusing 50 million gallons of water.

More information about ARC’s Green Communities certification program, including the measures each community has implemented, is available at atlantaregional.com/greencommunities.

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

Encourage others to talk up and support March 19 MARTA vote

By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum

JAN. 29, 2019  |  Many people in Gwinnett are astounded that the county is approaching having a population of a million people. The estimated current population is 950,000.

They are astounded, that is, in one way.

When you live and pretty much stay in one area of the county, and don’t get out of that area much, you know the streets are usually crowded. But it doesn’t seem like there are about a million people around you.

But if you have to move about the county much at all, especially during the two-and-three hour-long rush periods, you very well know it.  Even as far out to the edge of the county at Hamilton Mill, or in the edge of Hall County at near Flowery Branch, you know it by the zoom-zoom-zoom of cars passing you if you are holding to the speed limit. And by the time you see Georgia Highway 316 coming into Interstate 85, from 6 to 9 a.m. and from 4 to nearly 7 p.m., it’s traffic, traffic, traffic.

Another feeder into the Metro Atlanta area, U.S. Highway 78, has its own bumper-to-bumper problems even on its four lane highway.  Other feeder routes, U.S. Highway 29, Buford Highway and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, see traffic backed up at every traffic light during rush hours.

And even more foreboding: during rush hours, there’s a whole lot of traffic in the opposite lane, going the other way.  Soon that will be crowded, too, during rush hour.

Isn’t there something that can be done about it?

A recent Gwinnett poll found some 48 comments on what is wrong with the county. In 40 of 48 responses, someone mentioned traffic or transportation.   That shows the seriousness of the problem.

At least in 2019, Gwinnett is moving to provide one answer toward solving some of the problem. The March 19 referendum on providing a modern transit system by Gwinnett becoming part of the regional transit network is part—we emphasize only part—of the solution.

Granted, it will take quite a few years for heavy rail—that is the current MARTA system—to provide much relief in Gwinnett.  But it we don’t start now, it will take even longer.

Encourage your neighbors to go to the polls on March 19 and vote YES for long-term traffic relief. That’s your job as a citizen, to encourage your fellow Gwinnettians to find a better way in solving our transportation problem. Turn out and vote to move us forward.

New subject: One of the major national columnists, Russell Baker, died last week. In a tribute in the New York Times, Robert Semple, who knew Baker well, remembered Baker, in writing about President Richard  Nixon on the campaign trail: “There were darknesses in his soul that seemed to leave his life bereft of joy. He was a private, lonely man who never seemed comfortable with anyone, including himself, a man of monumental insecurities for whom public life, I thought, must be a constant ordeal.”

Semple adds: “In those two sentences lie a good part of the explanation of Watergate.”

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

About governmental shutdowns and her Democratic father

By Debra Houston, contributing columnist

LILBURN, Ga.  |  My father was a Democrat and a federal employee who always believed the Republican Party was out to get him. While the government shutdown continued for three long weeks, I could only guess what Hank would say about it.

Were he alive, he might tell his Republican daughter: “See, I told you so. A Republican president has caused government employees to miss paychecks and made their families suffer.”

A child of the Depression, he watched helplessly as the downturn destroyed his father. The family went from a brick mansion in Decatur to a tiny wooden house off Ponce. Adolescent Hank sold peanuts on the corner to put food on his parents’ table. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he chose a government job over a civilian one because it represented security.

Hank bristled when people would comment, “I guess your job is pure gravy.” There was nothing gravy about it. He worked harder than any civilian I’ve known. He left work before the sun rose and came home oftentimes after the sun had set. He developed high blood pressure keeping his boss’s hands off the female office staff. The work relationship with his boss was always contentious.

After he retired, he’d read AARP.  “It says Reagan is going to cut Federal pensions.” I’d respond, “Don’t read the magazine if it upsets you.”

I don’t like government shutdowns. They’re childish and solve nothing. I think Mr. Trump backed himself into a corner. If he opened shop without getting border security funds, diehard supporters might desert him. He couldn’t go back on his word; he made too big of a deal about it when he ran for office.

Then he did; he went back on his word.

Speaker Pelosi and other Democrats refused to sit down and bargain with him, while more stories surfaced on how real Americans were hurting. The Leftist media has blamed him alone and doubling down as they always do against him.

The Democratic Party has become unabashedly socialist since Hank’s death in 1989, and though he was a fiscal and social conservative, he wouldn’t have been a Trump man. Just that much more to worry about.

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

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Feels recent opinions veer away from journalistic integrity

Editor, the Forum:

I feel that over the course of the last couple of years you have veered away from your previous journalistic integrity. Not so much in your own articles and writings.  You yourself are fair.

But the guest writers you publish are terribly skewed.  George Wilson frequently spouts his biased opinions as facts mixed in with his sometimes accurate description of current events. He is almost comical in his exaggerated takes.

Today you counteracted him with an overzealous right wing commenter, Gregg Stropher.  While I agreed with him philosophically, his broad overstatements were too biased as well.  Too radical, almost to the point to make me believe your intent was to give the conservative viewpoint a black eye.

Then today you let Jack Bernard state outrageous lies as fact, sure you pointed out there were three different takes, but the bottom line is you allowed him to call innocent kids racist, and worse.  Very poor decision on your part.

Bottom line: neither you nor I are responsible for these writers’ prejudices, but from my long time of reading your publication, I have seen better, and expect much better from you. I am disappointed, but then maybe these writers are the best you have to choose from.  Or maybe they are just your tools to promote your ideology and keep your hands clean.

I would like to counterpoint Mr. Bernard’s prejudiced viewpoint with this. He is either badly informed about the events at the Lincoln Memorial, or an unabashed liar.  I hope it is the former. The Catholic boys from Kentucky did not chant “Build that wall” and were the harassees not the harrassers.  Do some more research.

Also, going on a field trip to our Nation’s Capital and wearing MAGA caps in support of our president of the United States is patriotic, not racist.

My two cents worth,

— David Simmons, Norcross

Dear David: Thanks for your letter. At least you realize that we seek to be a forum of public opinion, that is, trying to be fair in providing more than one side of a question. The give-and-take of a forum is where the facts speak out. And our contributors usually seek us out; we don’t go out looking for them.  As Jim Brooks of Norcross recently mentioned, the late Ralph McGill pointed out that he (and also I) was unfortunately blessed with being able to see both sides of many arguments. –eeb

Two readers remember the writings of the late Ralph McGill

Editor, the Forum:

Thanks for taking the time and effort to bring Ralph McGill’s name out again.  I can remember the verbal violence some of his detractors spewed. With appreciation and reverence, my family members supported him regardless of their view.

While I was a student at Grady, one of my teachers had us read his article everyday looking for spelling and grammatical errors.  What a wonderful way to educate.

I do so wish there was a published compendium of his front page and other articles.

— Ashley Herndon, Oceanside, Calif.

Dear Ashley: Go to the Internet and put the book title in Google. His short book of 40 columns, The Fleas Come with the Dog has recently been republished by Kessinger Legacy Reprints.  –eeb

Editor, the Forum:

Ralph McGill was required reading for my mother in South Georgia every day. She would read passages to me on many mornings. I got it.  I loved his columns about his visits to north Georgia.

— Billy Chism, Toccoa

“Oooops” from recent columnist on identification of individual

Editor, the Forum:

One of my well-informed friends caught a factual error in my write-up in Friday’s edition of GwinnettForum.

Bruce Ohr was a Department of Justice employee (#4 in the pecking order), not a Federal Bureau of Investigation employee. I apologize for the error, thank my friend for correcting me, and now await whether one of your sharp-eyed readers will give me my “just desserts.”

— Gregg Stropher, Peachtree Corners

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

Sponsors and judges needed for Feb. 22 Gwinnett Science Fair

By Rachel Jeffers

JAN. 29, 2019  |  The Gwinnett County Regional Science, Engineering + Innovation Fair, which is now in its 41st year of inspiring the next generation of science and engineering leaders, is currently seeking sponsors and judges.

Jeffers

Participation as judge or sponsor provides an opportunity to join in the “Promise of Innovation,” which is the theme of the event that seeks to encourage students, judges and partners of the event to look forward to creative and innovative STEM application in our world. This year’s event will be held on Friday, February 22 at Infinite Energy Center. It will feature project presentations and judging as well as a college fair, breakout speakers and an  elementary showcase.

For businesses, sponsorships are an investment in the future, making the event possible and providing awards and scholarships to encourage the pursuit of careers in science and engineering. Sponsorships provide an important resource for this regional event where students from across the county come together to enter their winning projects. Collectively, these students will continue to experience the wonder and excitement of exploration in the fields of Science and Engineering.

Judges will have the opportunity to meet and interact with talented middle and high school students who are exploring their passions in science and engineering. Also serving as ambassadors of their respective professions, judges will have the opportunity to provide insight and wisdom potentially influencing career choices for these future leaders. For many of these students, this will be the first encounter with science and engineering professionals.

The Gwinnett County Regional Science, Engineering + Innovation Fair is an annual tradition that has been in place for over 41 years.  Gwinnett County recognizes the urgent need for our nation to produce science-literate citizens and skilled, knowledgeable engineers and researchers to meet the needs of our nation and to compete in a global economy.

We’ve seen firsthand how successful students can be when challenged to inquire, design, and investigate scientific and engineering concepts through experimentation. Participation in science fairs helps students to improve their problem-solving and communication skills, while inspiring them to consider careers in science and engineering.

The Fair will highlight career opportunities that await our students in the fields of science and engineering. The goal of breakout speaker sessions is to heighten awareness of opportunities in research and industry and identify for them avenues that can lead them to an exciting position in the field of science.

Students who have been awarded first place in their local school science fair are eligible to participate in the Gwinnett Regional Science, Engineering + Innovation Fair.  From there, the top 30 high school projects and top 20 middle school projects will advance and be eligible to participate in the Georgia State Science and Engineering Fair held at the University of Georgia. In addition, three select projects will directly advance to the prestigious Intel® International Science Fair in Phoenix, Arizona, May 12-17, 2019.

• To secure a sponsorship, sign up to be a judge or learn more about the Science Fair, visit www.gwinnettsciencefair.com.

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, Peachtree Corners

From Cindy Evans, Duluth:  My husband and I recently had lunch at the just-opened Firebirds Wood Fired Grill in Peachtree Corners. The staff was really friendly and the restaurant had a nice ambience. We got one of the shareables (Ahi Tuna), which we liked. I ordered the salmon with two sides and everything was tasty. My husband got the sirloin which he enjoyed. They also brought fresh bread. Would definitely recommend. Looks like they’re off to a successful start! The eatery is located  5215 Town Center Boulevard, Peachtree Corners. It is open daily. The website is https://firebirdsrestaurants.com/ while the telephone is 770 225-466.

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

Galleries at Brenau University are one of state’s best college art collections

Brenau University Galleries, located on the campus of Brenau University in Gainesville, features one of the finest university art collections held by an educational institution in the state of Georgia.

Until 1985, when John S. Burd became president of the university, Brenau lacked a designated art gallery; student and faculty work was displayed in various buildings across the campus. Burd, recognizing the need for a gallery, converted a small chapel outside the balcony of the university’s Pearce Auditorium into the Presidents Gallery. Director of visual arts Mary Jane Taylor became the first gallery director and began expanding the frequency and breadth of art exhibitions on campus throughout the late 1980s.

Burd also initiated the creation of Brenau’s permanent art collection in 1986. The first important acquisition during this period was a still life painted by the American artist William Merritt Chase. The collection of more than 1,100 pieces is periodically exhibited on campus and is open to the public.

Highlights include early oil paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cezanne; watercolors by Eugene Delacroix; artifacts from the pre-Columbian period of American history; an oil painting by Anna Elizabeth Klumpke; sculptures by Jean Arp, Maria Artemis, Clyde Connell, and William King; a gouache by Amelia Pelaez; and prints by Jasper Johns.

In 1990 Brenau’s Neoclassical library building (1914) was redesigned to house the Simmons Visual Arts Center. The second art gallery director, Jean Westmacott, was appointed by the university that year.

Brenau held its inaugural art exhibition, featuring Jasper Johns’s prints from the Leo Castelli Collection, at the Simmons Visual Arts Center in March 1991. This exhibition also launched an outreach program focusing on art education. Gallery tours and hands-on workshops for children have become a regular feature of this educational curriculum.

Since the opening of the Simmons Center, the university has hosted a wide range of art exhibits, including the work of Brenau’s faculty and students as well as the work of nationally and internationally acclaimed artists. The works of Benny Andrews, Beverly Buchanan, Lamar Dodd, Nancy Graves, William King, Roy Lichtenstein, Marisol, R. A. Miller, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Donald Saff, Frank Stella, and Neil Welliver have appeared in the university’s galleries. The Brenau galleries have also featured such group exhibitions as the women artists from the Vogel Collection.

In March 2002 the Burd Performing Arts Center opened and gave the university a new home for visual art on campus. The center’s gallery is known as the Leo Castelli Gallery, in honor of the New York art dealer and university trustee responsible for several major art acquisitions and exhibitions by the Brenau University Galleries. The gallery’s primary function is to house long-term exhibitions of art from the permanent collection of the university.

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

Another statue asked for your identification and location

Today we have another statue for you to consider. Tell us who this is, and where the statue is located. Send your ideas to elliott@brack.net, and be sure to include your hometown.

George Graf of Palmyra, Va. sent in the most recent Mystery Photo.  John Titus of Peachtree Corners spotted it immediately.  “This are statues of James and Dolley Madison, located at Montpelier the Madison family home in Montpelier, Virginia.”

Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill and Ross Lenhart of Pawley’s Island, S.C. also recognized it.

Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas, added more:  “Today’s mystery photo is of the James and Dolley Madison Statue located at the ‘Montpelier’, the plantation house of the fourth president of the United States and his wife Dolley. Over the course of the Madison family’s time at Montpelier, there were over 300 enslaved individuals who lived on the property. As such, the 2,650-acre property is a memorial to James Madison and the Enslaved Community, a museum of American history, and a center for constitutional education that engages the public with the enduring legacy of Madison’s most powerful idea: Government by the People.

“The statue was created by Ivan Schwartz and dedicated on May 27, 2009. It depicts an intimate and touching portrait of the relationship between the Father of the Constitution and the woman who initially defined the role of First Lady. They are portrayed as they would have been together at their Montpelier home. James Madison is seated reading a book (in the back lawn of the home), pointing out a particularly interesting passage to his wife. Dolley, her hand resting on James’ shoulder, involved and supportive, looks as if she just returned from a stroll in the garden. I include a wider view of the statue.”

Beginning Soap-making will be January 29 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center, Classroom 32, 2020 Clean Water Drive, Buford. Create your own soap. For ages and 10 and older. Cost: $10 per person. Preregister online at https://secure.rec1.com/GA/gwinnett-county-parks-recreation/catalog.

Georgia Business Breakfast of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce will be Thursday, January 31, at 8 a.m. at Improve USA, 6945 Button Gwinnett Drive in Doraville. Speaking will be Jesse Morado of Remodeling Business Systems, Inc. Cost is $15 for members, $20 for non-members. To register, go to: http://www.laccgeorgia.org/events/details/business-breakfast-january-92.

Ashley Brown Film: Artist Ashley Bryan has dedicated his life to creating beauty and joy and spreading love and awe through his art.  He is a poet/illustrator of over 50 children’s books, and he makes magical puppets and sea glass windows from found objects inspired by his African heritage.  His life story and the art he makes from this wellspring of experience is an inspiration to people of all ages. Gwinnett Library will present this film viewing on Saturday, February 2 at 2 p.m. at the Lilburn Branch, 4817 Church Street, Lilburn.  It is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.

STATE OF LAWRENCEVILLE will be the topic for the city’s mayor, Judy Jordan Johnson, to present on Monday, February 4 at the City Hall at 7  p.m. Those attending will hear the mayor’s view on what will take place in the city in 2019, and the successes of 2018. Updates will be given on the anticipated expanded arts complex, the College Corridor, new public utility facility, two way street conversion, and other plans.

CHOCOLATE WALK and fun strolling in downtown Braselton, Saturday, February 9, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. The fifth annual Chocolate Walk treats you while you shop. Tickets are $10, and have sold quickly in the past. For details, visit this site.

Celebrate Virtuosity with the Gwinnett Symphony Orchestra on Sunday, February 10, at 4:30 p.m. at Discovery High School Theater, 1335 Old Norcross Road in Lawrenceville. Under the director of Robert Trocina and Gregory  Pritchard, conductors, this program will feature Jose Manuel Garcia on piano  and Nancy Schechter on violin. Tickets are $10 and will be sold at the door. For more information, visit www.GwinnettSymphony.org.

QUR’AN EXHIBITION, exploring women’s empowerment, is scheduled for the Five Forks Branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library on February 10 from 12:30 until 3:30 p.m. The purpose of this exhibition is twofold. First is to eliminate the misconceptions about the Qur’an and second is to highlight the peaceful message of Islam. Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community will be available to answer questions about Islam.

LILBURN POLICE ADADEMY is accepting applications for its 13 week course. Registration deadline is February 15. Preference is given to Lilburn residents or to someone working in Lilburn. The minimum age is 21. For more information, go to https://www.cityoflilburn.com/281/Citizens-Police-Academy.

State of the County Annual Report will be February 20 at 11:30 a.m. at the Infinite Energy Center. Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlotte Nash will review 2018 achievements and present the vision for 2019 and beyond.

ANNUAL PLANT SALE, from the University of Georgia Extension Service, runs through March 6. Plant experts are offering a host of fruit shrubs and trees. Purchasers must pick up their prepaid order on March 14 at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds, 2405 Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville. No orders are shipped. For order forms or for more information, visit www.ugaextension.org/gwinnett, or call 678-377-4010.

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