COMING TO DULUTH: Here’s an exclusive first public view of what the new Duluth library is expected to look like. The one story building will be slightly west and across Main Street from the City Hall. The anticipated construction time is 16-20 months, with the groundbreaking set in the fall this year. The library is being designed by the Atlanta firm of Lord Aeck Sargent. The 22,000 square foot, one-story building is to be LEED-certified, with parking for about 100 vehicles.
TODAY’S FOCUS: For This Writer, It’s Been a Happy Lifelong Journey with Words
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Many Ramifications To Announcement from Chairwoman Charlotte Nash
ANOTHER VIEW: What We Need Are Much Saner Laws Concerning Firearms
SPOTLIGHT: Infinite Energy Center
FEEDBACK: Every Effort Made So Jurors Are Not Prejudiced About a Defendant
UPCOMING: ARC Awards Two Livable Centers Initiatives for Gwinnett Studies
NOTABLE: Infinite Energy Center Unveils New Look, New Feel, New Energy
RECOMMENDED: Love Your Enemies by Arthur C. Brooks
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Trisha Yearwood, from Monticello, Established as Female Vocalist
MYSTERY PHOTO: Today’s Mystery Photo Asks Where This Massive Library Is Located
LAGNIAPPE: Norcross Cuts the Ribbon for 12 Acre Pinnacle Park, Its 13th
CALENDAR: Shoal Creek Water Department Open for Tour on Saturday
For this writer, it’s been a happy lifelong journey with words
By Keni Woodruff
LITHONIA, Ga. | Let me preface this by saying that I am a professional wordsmith, which I couldn’t help. I was raised in a family headed by a writer/reporter, who was a gifted, if Victorian man, who died much too soon, much too young. Words were all. We did not play “games” (except for Monopoly, poker and gin rummy). However, we played with words – anagrams, crossword puzzles, spelling bees, made up bedtime stories, etc. Slang was a punishable offense (so was chewing gum). To this day the word “guys” brings back a plethora of memories, which, now, make me smile.
Woodruff
He shaped my life! There was nothing I wanted to do but write. No field I wanted to enter except that of the written word…banged out on a Royal, just like his. Of course, I graduated to an IBM Selectric; then to a computer, an IBM XT. It took up most of my desk, but I vowed I would never type a four-part 50,000-word each, story again! The computer is so much easier.
I worked for a newspaper then on Long Island, N.Y., and typesetting hadn’t yet caught up with technology. We had people who were typesetters, and the typesetters made errors. This mean someone had to proofread every story. There were many more in-print typos. Yes, Virginia, we really did use red pencils.
Then, there’s punctuation. Commas, quotes (periods and commas really do go inside quotation marks, between both single and double quotes); semicolons and exclamation points; parentheses, and, my favorite, the ellipse…three little dots! I love them! Use them all the time! My nickname became “Dot…” No space before or after. They’re breathers. They help the reader to breathe between thoughts. Have you ever read a paragraph or page and found yourself holding your breath? An ellipse solves the problem and allows you to progress smoothly…from thought to thought.
I think that encapsulates my writing philosophy…writing is breathing. If you can’t breathe, you can’t focus, you can’t absorb or enjoy the words…you’re so busy holding your breath, the words become blurred…you often have to re-read the paragraph (grammar check says must, not have to – but that’s a bit too authoritative). And, if you do that enough times, you put the book down, unfinished.
As a professional writer/editor, I subconsciously edit everything I read. It’s the nature of the beast. We’re snobs…word snobs. We can’t help it, especially if we’re older. We were brought up on proper grammar, proper punctuation, proper word usage. We’re shocked at today’s writers.
I’m greeted every morning with the day’s news, either relevant and important, or silly and frivolous, but almost always filled with misspellings, infantile word choices, poor punctuation and hip-hop slang. There has always been an unspoken editorial guideline governing language: don’t use words too far above your readers’ ability to understand. I appreciate that, but I think we’ve gone too far. We seem to have become a society of pop writers, easy readers. Sophisticated writing has become tedious, too slow to read, too difficult to absorb. Today’s readers want it, quick, easy, forgettable! Too bad: their loss.
Pardon me. Sounds like I’ve become pompous (laughter) and wordy. Now I have deadlines to meet, an article to write and a day to finish.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Many ramifications to announcement from chairwoman Nash
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MAY 17, 2019 | The ramifications abound now that Charlotte Nash has said that she will not seek re-election as the Gwinnett County Commission Chairman in the 2020 elections. Consider:
Gwinnett will see a major change in governmental leadership for the first time in nearly a decade.- It’s likely that several department level managers will retire, and new people will fill their ranks.
- The next chairman of the commission will most likely be a Democrat, while there may be a major swing toward Democratic domination in most elected offices.
- Mrs. Nash’s announcement in May of 2019 gives plenty of time for potential candidates for the chairman’s office to get their ducks in a row to run for office.
- And hopefully, governmental operations will continue to function smoothly, and the citizens see little change in what we consider relatively efficient county operations.
While Gwinnett in general has seen good government since the major growth began in 1950, it has not always been so. Perhaps the most serious breach of faith in government came when Charles Bannister was county chairman. Happily, he was convinced to resign, and Mrs. Nash ran for and won the balance of his unexpired term, plus won two terms on her own. Bannister no longer lives in Gwinnett, now residing in Walton County.
Nash
Charlotte Nash was in a perfect position to replace Bannister, having served as chief financial officer of the county, as well as county administrator during Wayne Hill’s time as chairman. She will have served nearly 10 years as the chair of the commission. She has done it with distinction, aplomb and hard-nosed common sense.
Now perhaps the most significant need for Gwinnett is a new plan that attacks the transportation problems of the county. Since Gwinnett did not approve the recent ill-timed transportation vote, what is most important now is for the county to work with other area entities to formulate a new transportation plan that the citizens will address in the 2020 General Election.
The person best suited to draw up this plan is Mrs. Nash. We look for a plan that will have ramifications that are easily understood, and will be good enough that the citizens will adopt it in the 2020 election. Her steering of this plan for the long-term good of the county can be a crowning jewel in her years of service to the county.
ONE OTHER ELEMENT that requires change for Gwinnett concerns how much we pay its leaders, most notably the salary of the commission chairman. It is now a paltry $58,362, and should be much higher. Remember, this is a full-time position. A similar job, that of CEO of DeKalb County, has a salary of $166,209.
Meanwhile, Gwinnett District Commissioners are paid $45,900. Their positions are not full time jobs; only the Gwinnett chairman’s position is considered full time.
This is a job for the new Democratic Party-led Gwinnett legislative delegation. They should get together and devise this change to raise the chairman’s salary. One suggestion has been to raise it to the level of the Superior Court judges in Gwinnett, who receive a state pay of $126,265, plus a Gwinnett supplement of $52,670. By tying the chairman’s salary to the Gwinnett Superior Court Judge’s pay, this arrangement could float when the judicial pay was increased, and make the chairman’s compensation more reasonable. Perhaps Chairman Nash can convince the delegation to take this step toward a more realistic salary for the chairman for future office-holders.
THURSDAY, MAY 16, was the 242nd anniversary of the duel between Button Gwinnett and Lachlan McIntosh, fought in Savannah on May 16, 1777. Both men felt they had been wronged, and were serious about dueling, to regain their honor. Both were gentlemen, shooting each other in the leg. McIntosh recovered, but Gwinnett got gangrene in his leg and died three days later. Gwinnett County is one of the few places named for Gwinnett, one of the three signers of the Declaration of Independence from Georgia.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
What we need are much saner laws concerning firearms
By George Wilson, contributing columnist
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. | According to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research organization, it reckons that so far this year guns have killed 4,764 Americans, including 873 teenagers—and 196 children. Every day 109 Americans die from guns. Other advanced industrialized countries show us solutions everyday to this grave problem.
Furthermore, we can see what a democratic country like New Zealand does after a terrorist attack on Christchurch. They voted immediately to eliminate assault rifles, a measure that passed in about four weeks. This was record time in their parliament of 120 members, with only one opposed.
Any attempt to control firearms is something that our state and national representatives are afraid to do, even though most American citizens, according to reliable polls, would not object to reasonable solutions. This is also true of many National Rifle Association (NRA) members. Again, the NRA has strayed from its original goals. It is in the iron grip of gun manufacturers and paid lobbyists that feed off membership dues created by fear. This is something some of their members are becoming aware of, as the recent dissension in that organization proves.
Consequently, we should ban assault weapons, close loopholes that allow domestic abusers to buy guns and prevent the bulk sale of firearms. Accordingly, we need to create a national licensing program. This would require prospective gun-buyers to undergo an extensive background check by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, entailing fingerprinting and an interview, to obtain a five-year gun license.
Moreover, a study from 2015 that shows gun deaths in Connecticut dropped by 40 percent after the state introduced a gun licensing program. Massachusetts, which requires buyers to obtain a permit—a weeks’ long process involving an interview and a background check—has one of the lowest gun death rates in America. In 2016 it had 3.4 gun deaths per 100,000 people. Nearby New Hampshire, where buying a gun is a much simpler process, had 9.4 deaths per 100,000.
Of course, any comprehensive legislation would have to pass Congress. While the Republican Party remains controlling the Senate, that is unlikely to happen. In March, having taken control of the House, Democrats passed a universal background check bill, the first major gun control bill since 1994. Though such a step is backed by a majority of Americans, it has not gone anywhere in the Senate, controlled by Republicans. If you agree, then let us all work together make these important changes in our gun laws which will make America much safer again.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Infinite Energy Center
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum to you at no cost to readers. Today’s underwriter is Infinite Energy Center, home to four distinct facilities in Duluth: Infinite Energy Arena, Infinite Energy Theater, Infinite Energy Forum, and The Jacqueline Casey Hudgens Center For Art and Learning. Infinite Energy Arena has had 16 years of tremendous success hosting countless concerts, family shows and sporting events, and is home to the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators and the NLL’s Georgia Swarm. Some past concerts include George Strait, Carrie Underwood, Beyoncé, Foo Fighters, Eric Clapton, Katy Perry, Kid Rock, James Taylor and Michael Bublé. Infinite Energy Arena also hosts many family shows including Cirque du Soleil, Disney On Ice and the Harlem Globetrotters. Infinite Energy Forum offers patrons the opportunity to host or attend a wide variety of events, from corporate meetings to trade shows to social occasions. Infinite Energy Theater has an intimate capacity of 708-seats and is home to many local events, family shows and even some comedians. The Hudgens Center For Art and Learning showcases a range of artwork throughout the year along with offering a wide range of fine art classes.
- For further information, please visit www.InfiniteEnergyCenter.com.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
Every effort made so jurors are not prejudiced about a defendant
Editor, the Forum:
Pre-conviction, you as a juror would not see a person in shackles in the courtroom, just as you would not see them in a jail uniform. Defendants are presented equally to jurors so no one knows who is in custody, who is on bond, etc.
In high risk situations, there are other options that a defendant can wear such as an electronic belt.
Every step is taken to ensure a jury is not otherwise prejudiced about a defendant. For example, the defendant would be sitting at the defense table prior to the jury entering the courtroom. That way the jury does not know the defendant was brought out ( in civilian clothes) from the holding cell.
— Carla Brown, Judge, Gwinnett State Court
Looks more and more what Pogo said, applied to deficit, is true
Editor, the Forum:
Recently the Treasury Department projected that the United States would be borrowing $990 billion this fiscal year. It also said that annual budget deficits of over $1 trillion are projected through 2020. A brief search of the Internet reveals that the last time the U.S. was debt free was in 1836. World wars, other conflicts, a Great Depression, and several recessions have contributed to the nation’s inability to achieve that goal since.
Interestingly, in the 1830s Alexis de Tocqueville, a French diplomat, toured the U.S. and published his findings and reflections in a book entitled Democracy in America. One of his observations was “The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.”
I believe that is the other major cause of our continuing and growing deficit. Congress long ago learned how to bribe the public with our own money and the recent major tax cut is only the latest example. As a people we love the benefits we can receive from the Federal government, but always look for “someone else” to pay the bill. Congress and we have developed a distaste for maintaining a balanced budget. As the cartoon character Pogo said, “We have met the enemy, and they is us.”
— John Titus, 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
ARC awards 2 Livable Centers Initiatives for Gwinnett studies
The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded $470,000 in Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) study grants to help Gwinnett County and Sugar Hill develop plans and policies that create more vibrant, walkable, and connected places. The investments are among $1.6 million in LCI study grants that ARC has awarded to eight metro Atlanta communities.
Gwinnett County received a $400,000 LCI planning grant to work with the Gateway85, Gwinnett Place, and Sugarloaf Community Improvement Districts to study the land use and development implications of potential bus rapid transit service connecting Jimmy Carter Boulevard and Sugarloaf Parkway. Bus rapid transit utilizes rubber-tire vehicles that operate primarily in dedicated lanes, to provide more reliable, faster service than local buses.
The city of Sugar Hill received a $70,000 LCI planning grant to design an extension of the Sugar Hill Greenway and perform a feasibility analysis of a crossing over Georgia Highway 20 to improve connections from residential areas to the city’s downtown. Sugar Hill will also examine pedestrian safety along the highway.
Duluth plans 3rd annual Clean-Up Day for May 18 at Public Works
On its third annual Clean-Up Day on May 18, the City of Duluth will once again extend hours at the Duluth Public Works Department for getting rid of trash for Duluth residents.
The Community Clean-Up Day is part of a wider effort brought by the Duluth Neighborhood Outreach Work program, created to improve the city’s quality of life.
Residents can dump trash at Duluth’s Public Works Department on May 18 from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.. Residents can eliminate many items, such as vehicle tires, left over paint, debris from renovations; lawnmowers, appliances, grills, furniture, clothing, electronics, vehicle parts and fluids (motor oil, batteries, antifreeze). You can dispose of garden pesticides, herbicides, fertilizer, and insecticides; household chemicals; and tree limbs, grass clippings, leaves, etc. Normally, many of these items would not get picked up on trash day.
This event is FREE only for residents who live in Duluth City limits. Those who want to participate are asked to bring a utility bill and a driver’s license and/or trash card to dump. While there, residents are encouraged to stop by for lunch and meet the Duluth Public Works team who work hard to maintain our community.For more information, click here.
Kudzu’s “Spotlight Four” exhibit continues through June 16
Kudzu Art Zone now has underway its fourth showing of a selected group of member artists for 2019. Participating artists are: Melonie Weatherford, Elizabeth Stallings, Grace Arledge, Laurenthia Mesh, Karen Phillips, and Katrina Yurko.
“Mystical Valley”
The Spotlight Four exhibit is open now and continues through June 16. Kudzu Art Zone is located at 116 Carlyle Street in Norcross and is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to the large, well-lighted gallery space, there are individual artists’ studios, classes and workshops. Further information can be found at www.kudzuartzone.org or by calling 770-840-9844.
Noteworthy is a large oil painting by Elizabeth Stallings titled Mystical Valley. She is a popular instructor of drawing and painting at the Hudgens Art Center. She says: “My paintings are personal expressions of mood, atmosphere and place.”
Grace Arledgeworks works in several media. Battery Street Mansion, a Greek Revival mansion, reflects the artist’s love of antebellum architecture, and is rendered in colored pencil.
Between You and Me expresses Katrina Yurko’s sentiment about this exhibit. Her expressive work is a portrait of a musician and her inspiration is a local group of musicians whose music is their social network.
Melonie Weatherford’s Tropicana Rose is an example of her love of color and form. She is an instructor of art at Dacula Classical Academy, where she teaches not only painting and drawing, but also various other art classes including classical sculpture and fiber and metal crafts.
Infinite Energy Center unveils new look, new feel, new energy
Infinite Energy Center has unveiled its new website design. The site, designed by carbonhouse, brings a new look and several updated features to enhance the overall user experience. The modern design is user-friendly, eye-catching, and fully responsive across all devices.
The new homepage design will welcome visitors and event attendees with a simplified interface to easily navigate upcoming events and related announcements. Additionally, new features include an A-Z Guide, an interactive visitor’s guide, and smart search technology to provide the user with in-depth information to plan their visit to the campus.Visit www.InfiniteEnergyCenter.com to experience the “New Look, New Feel, New Energy.”
Love Your Enemies by Arthur C. Brooks
From Thein Scott, Lawrenceville: In this book the author argues there is a culture of contempt in our politics. Both sides suffer from Motive Attribution Asymmetry: ‘My ideology is based in love while your ideology is based in hate.’ Contempt is the result and it’s bad for the recipient and worse for the deliverer. Our system requires debate. Nobody wants to live in a one-party state. We all believe in the competition of ideas so we need the other side. Therefore, Brooks wants to start a movement to subvert the culture of contempt using five steps:
- Refuse to be used by manipulators on your side of the debate.
- Escape your bubble.
- Say no to contempt. Treat others with respect.
- Disagree better, competition of ideas requires disagreement.
- Tune out unproductive debates.
The country needs a change in discourse. There are many books defining the problem. Here’s one that presents solutions. The full title is Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from the Culture of Contempt.
- 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
Trisha Yearwood, from Monticello, established as female vocalist
With numerous successful albums and many major awards under her belt, Trisha Yearwood is well established as one of country music‘s most popular and appealing female vocalists. Starting with her debut release in 1991, she has amassed an enormous following of listeners who are drawn to her “everywoman” songs of fortitude and vulnerability.
Yearwod
Patricia Lynn Yearwood was born in Monticello on September 19, 1964, to Gwen and Jack Yearwood. She grew up on a 30-acre farm, absorbed the influence of Elvis Presley and other pop stars as a child, and sought out a broad range of popular music—from the traditional country artists in her parents’ record collection to southern-based rock and roll.
After graduation from high school, where she performed in musicals and choral groups, Yearwood received a two-year business degree from Young Harris College and subsequently attended the University of Georgia in Athens for one quarter. In 1985 she transferred to Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., and graduated in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in music business. That same year she married her first husband, Christopher Latham; the couple divorced in 1991. Yearwood began her career as an intern and as a receptionist at MTM Records and sang demo tapes, for which she was paid $50 apiece.
Fellow country music performer Garth Brooks heard Yearwood and asked her to provide backup vocals on his 1990 release, No Fences. In 1991 she became his opening act—the same year she released her solo debut, Trisha Yearwood. Her first single, She’s in Love with the Boy, spent two weeks at the top of the country charts; it was the first of four hits from the album. The album sold two million copies and earned her the Academy of Country Music award for top new female vocalist.
From the beginning of her career, Yearwood combined the pop sensibility of one of her idols, Linda Ronstadt, with the more traditional sound of such country artists as Tammy Wynette. Her sensitive interpretive skills and strong, versatile voice have allowed her to blend pop, folk, and adult contemporary music and achieve tremendous crossover appeal.
Her recordings include Hearts in Armor (1992), The Song Remembers When (1993), The Sweetest Gift (1994), Thinkin’ about You (1995), Everybody Knows (1996), and Songbook: A Collection of Hits (1997), featuring the break-out hit “How Do I Live,” which earned her two Grammy awards. Her other albums include Where Your Road Leads (1998), Real Live Woman (2000)—whose title song became an anthem for many of her female listeners—and Inside Out (2001), for which she received three Grammy award nominations.
In 1994 she married Robert Reynolds, a bass player for the country music group the Mavericks, in a ceremony in Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The couple filed for divorce in 2000.
Yearwood has also enjoyed a successful acting career, with a recurring role on the TV series JAG. She has appeared in other TV shows and movies, including Ellen; The Thing Called Love; Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman; and The Naked Truth.
She was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1999 and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2005 Yearwood released the album Jasper County, named for her home county in Georgia. That same year she married her longtime collaborator Garth Brooks; the couple lives in Oklahoma.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Today’s Mystery Photo asks where this massive library is located
Wow! Look at this book collection. Think of all the reading you could do if you had access to this library. Now tell us where you think this library is located, and a little about the site. Send your answers to elliott@brack.net and include your hometown.
Last edition’s Mystery Photo was a simple photo that lots of people recognized. Jo Shrader of Suwanee must get up early as she was sending in the right answer as some of us were waking. She said: “This picture is of the John Lennon Memorial in Central Park West, New York City. Strawberry Fields. It is across the street from his last home and where he was shot at The Dakota.” The photo came from Sandy and Rick Krause of Lilburn.
Lynn Naylor, Atlanta, contributed this: “Strawberry Fields is a 2.5-acre landscaped section in New York City’s Central Park, designed by the landscape architect Bruce Kelly, that is dedicated to the memory of former Beatles member, John Lennon. It is named after the Beatles’ song ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ written by Lennon. The black-and-white tile mosaic featuring the word ‘Imagine’ in the middle; this was dedicated on October 9, 1985 on what would have been Lennon’s 45th birthday.”
Others with Eagle Eyes spotting it were Joseph Hopkins of Norcross; Jim Savadelis, Duluth; Elizabeth Neace, Dacula; Robert Foreman, Grayson; Lee Klaer, Duluth; Jean Harvel, Duluth; and Lou Camiero, Lilburn.
George Graf of Palmyra, Va. added this: “Fashioned similarly to the original flowing design of the park, Strawberry Fields is lined with tall elm trees, shrubs, flowers and rocks. This area is designated as a quiet zone in Central Park.”
Fran Worrall, Lawrenceville, told us: “ Today’s mystery photo is the medallion in Strawberry Fields in New York City’s Central Park. Recorded in 1966, the Strawberry Field’s title comes from an orphanage in Liverpool, England where Lennon went to play with children. His aunt, who raised him, disapproved but he insisted it was ‘nothing to get hung about.’ Hence, the song’s famous lyric. My own notes: This is a particularly beautiful area of Central Park. Very serene and meditative. It’s a lovely tribute to John Lennon.”
Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. adds: “In addition to the ‘Imagine’ mosaic, designed by a team of artists from the Italian city of Naples, there is also a bronze plaque that lists the more than 120 countries that planted flowers and donated money for the maintenance of the area; they have also endorsed Strawberry Fields as a Garden of Peace. ‘Imagine’ is certainly my favorite song from my favorite Beatle. Lennon composed the song one morning in early 1971, on a Steinway piano, in a bedroom at his Tittenhurst Park estate in Ascot, Berkshire, England. Yoko Ono watched as he composed the melody, chord structure and almost all of the lyrics, nearly completing the song in one brief writing session.
“Perhaps less known is that the song was first inspired by Ono’s poetry in her 1964 book…Grapefruit. In the poem ‘Cloud Piece’ Yoko wrote, ‘Imagine the clouds dripping, dig a hole in your garden to put them in.’ While the song is technically credited to John Lennon, he himself said in a 1980 interview with the BBC that Ono played a significant role in writing the song. He said it ‘should be credited as a Lennon-Ono song, because a lot of it, the lyric and the concept, came from Yoko.’
“In the song, Lennon was asking us to imagine a place where things that divide people (religion, possessions, etc.) did not exist. He felt that would be a much better place to live. The strong political message of the song could have no more significance than it does in today’s world of political division, religious conflicts, and wealth disparity that are prevalent today. Imagine that!”
Norcross cuts the ribbon for 12-acre Pinnacle Park, its 13th
Norcross officials cut the red ribbon Monday for its 13th park, Pinnacle Park, just off Brook Hollow Parkway on the east side of Norcross. The land for the 12th acre park was purchased and renovated at a cost of $2.7 million. The park is oriented around a small lake which previously functioned as a storm water retention facility. Numerous recreational and green infrastructures have been added as well as additional parking spaces. The city originally brought in 42 goats to clear the vegetation that had overgrown the area. Two of the goats were present for the event, no doubt recalling a great chewing time.
Plant Tour: Citizens are invited to tour the Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources Shoal Creek Filter Plant on Saturday, May 18 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. This free event will include facility tours, arts and crafts, complimentary lunch and refreshments. Bring the family and learn about safe drinking water and protecting water resources. Along with numerous other awards throughout the years, the Shoal Creek Filter Plant won the Plant of the Year award for 2019 from the Georgia Association of Water Professionals. The Plant is located at 1755 Buford Dam Road in Buford.
Indie Green Festival will be May 18 on Duluth Town Green from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.. The first ever vegan festival in Gwinnett County is brought to you by Freeze Cream and the City of Duluth. It will feature guest speakers, fitness classes, a kid’s zone and food options and information about modern, eco-friendly lifestyles. There will also be food demonstrations for those who are interested in plant-based living and not really sure how to make the transition. For more information visit http://indiegreenfestival.com/.
Author Visit: Meet FB Smit on Saturday, May 18 at 1 p.m. at Gwinnett County Public Library’s Suwanee Branch, 361 Main Street. Her picture books are based on traditional Korean folktales and highlight bilingual narration, dialogue, and culturally diverse characters. Free and open to the public, and all ages are welcome! Books will be available for purchase and signing. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.
Ribbon Cutting of renovated Club Drive Park is scheduled to be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21. The park is located at 3330 Club Drive, Lawrenceville. The park is a short distance from the intersection of Shackelford Road and Pleasant Hill Road.
Memorial Day Ceremony on May 27 at 1 p.m. The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners invites citizens to the annual ceremony, held in front of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville, at the Fallen Heroes Memorial. Gwinnett County honors fallen military and public safety heroes. At this year’s ceremony, the county will remember the life of Gwinnett County Police Officer Antwan D. Toney, who was killed in the line of duty October 20, 2018. Colonel George S. “Steve” Pitt (ret.), 42nd commandant of cadets and dean of students for Georgia Military College, is to be the keynote speaker this year.
GwinnettForum is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday.
Meet our team
- Editor and publisher: Elliott Brack, 770-840-1003
- Managing editor: Betsy Brack
- Roving photographer: Frank Sharp
- Contributing columnist: Jack Bernard
- Contributing columnist: Debra Houston
- Contributing columnist: George Wilson
More
- Location: We are located in Suite 225, 40 Technology Park, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30092.
- Work with us: If you would like to serve as an underwriter, click here to learn more.
Subscriptions to GwinnettForum are free.
- Click to subscribe.
- Unsubscribe. We hope you’ll keep receiving the great news and information from GwinnettForum, but if you need to unsubscribe, go to this page and unsubscribe in the appropriate box.
© 2019, Gwinnett Forum.com. Gwinnett Forum is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA.
Follow Us