GwinnettForum | Number 21. 40 | May 28, 2021
BIG MOMENT FOR DULUTH: Gwinnett officials snip the county’s own logo-ed ribbon for the new Duluth Library on Monday. The facility, at 22,038 square feet, is more than double the previous Duluth Library size, and is on Main Street between the Norfolk-Southern railroad tracks and Duluth Cemetery, near the City Hall. From left armed with scissors are Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris; County Commissioners Kirkland Carden; Chairman Nicole Hendrickson; Ben Ku; and Marlene Fosque; Dr. Wandy Taylor, chairperson of the Gwinnett Library board; and Commissioner Jasper Watkins.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Cobb EMC subsidiary (Gas South) to be new name on Gwinnett arena
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Though a year away, 2022 political season has begun
ANOTHER VIEW: Snellville finds drastic speed reduction with school zone cameras
SPOTLIGHT: Walton Gas
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
UPCOMING: County to build $6.2 million addition to police training center
NOTABLE: Park is first Asian American female Recorder’s Court Judge
RECOMMENDED: We need more of your recommendations!
GEORGIA TIDBIT: English architect responsible for classical homes in Savannah
MYSTERY PHOTO: Old-time workmanship shows in this sturdy older structure
LAGNIAPPE: Snellville Senior Center to re-open starting on June 14
CALENDAR: Memorial Day ceremonies are Monday
Gas South to be new name on Gwinnett arena
By Adam Schick
DULUTH, Ga. | Gas South, the largest retail natural gas provider in the Southeast, announced the renaming of Infinite Energy Center, which soon will be known as Gas South District. The rebranding follows Gas South’s acquisition of Infinite Energy in 2020. Gas South is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cobb Electric Membership Corporation.
Kevin Greiner, Gas South’s President and CEO, says: “Among the numerous opportunities the acquisition of Infinite Energy has presented for Gas South, our team is especially excited about the affiliation with Gas South District. As the leading natural gas provider in the Southeast, it’s fitting to also have our name attached to one of the premiere live entertainment destinations in the region.”
The Gas South name will now be ubiquitous throughout the District. The 13,000-seat Gas South Arena will host some of the first large-scale concerts since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with marquee acts like James Taylor, Reba McIntyre, Blake Shelton and others scheduled to perform over the next few months.
Additionally, the 50,000-square-foot exhibition hall is to be renamed as the Gas South Convention Center. The intimate, 708-seat performance hall, will be morphed into Gas South Theater.
Stan Hall, COO for the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau, adds: “At this pivotal time for the live entertainment industry, we are grateful to have a partner like Gas South to help us welcome guests back to the unforgettable experiences you can only find within venues like Gas South. We look forward to a long and successful relationship that further bolsters our goal to be one of the foremost entertainment destinations not only in the region, but also nationwide.”
While the change is effective immediately, a formal unveiling of the new signage and branding around Gas South District will take place this summer.
More about Gas South: It is the largest provider of natural gas in competitive retail markets throughout the southeastern U.S. Gas South now serves more than 425,000 residential, commercial, industrial, and wholesale customers in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio and New Jersey. Gas South offers simple and straightforward rate plans, is known for outstanding local customer service, and a promise to give back five percent of profits to support children in need. Gas South is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cobb EMC, one of the country’s largest electric cooperatives. For more information, visit www.GasSouth.com.
About Gas South District (formerly Infinite Energy Center): Just minutes outside of Atlanta, Gas South District’s 118-acre campus can accommodate a variety of events from concerts, performances, meetings, trade shows, conventions, banquets, and celebrations. The multipurpose campus includes a 13,000-seat arena (Gas South Arena), a 708-seat theater (Gas South Theater), 23 versatile meeting rooms, a 50,000-square-foot exhibit hall, and a 21,600-square-foot grand ballroom (Gas South Convention Center). The campus, operated by the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau, distinguishes itself by hosting a diverse range of events, including the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators, NLL’s Georgia Swarm, Carrie Underwood, Justin Timberlake, Ron White, JapanFest, J. Balvin, Paul McCartney, George Strait, Eric Clapton, NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships, Disney On Ice, U2, Orange Conference, Beyoncé and other entertainers.
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Though a year away, 2022 political season has begun
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MAY 28, 2021 | Though we are a year away, the 2022 political season saw its practical start when Gov. Brian Kemp put forth recently he would seek an endorsement term as the state’s chief executive officer. So for the next 12 months, watch out: political blowhards will be busy positioning themselves to look as good as they can at all times to the voters. Just remember: what you see in them may not be what you’ll get.
Already others in the Republican Party have said they would be a candidate for governor. These include the fallen-from-grace Democrat, now cuddling up to Republicans, Vernon Jones; and the Baxley educator who ran for the U.S. Senate in 2020, Kandiss Taylor.
Then there’s the Libertarian Party. They will probably put up a gubernatorial candidate (Shane Hazel?), and may draw enough votes to send this election into a runoff.
Governor Kemp could even draw serious primary candidates from the Trumpist wing of the party. If this should happen, and it might come to pass, this could really deal a significant blow to the Grand Old Party, essentially splitting the party into two weaker wings, fighting among themselves. With the Republicans coming off the heels of losing not one, but two Senate races in 2020 to upstart and revived Democrats, this split could signal big trouble, and even reach into the bowels of the Legislature and could change its line-up.
While we don’t see the General Assembly turning entirely blue in 2022, the Democrats could make some significant gains. The 2022 elections might be the last year that the Republicans could expect to virtually automatically retain control of the legislature. The Republican’s best arsenal is the upcoming ten-year reapportionment, since they will be in control of how all statewide district lines are drawn. They might carve the state into such districts that even the Democrats might lose some ground in the number of seats they hold. That’s terrifying, that is, since it destroys any possibility for bipartisanship, when one party is in such an over-controlling position.
Though Democrat Stacey Abrams has said little about the 2022 nomination of her party for governor, she stands waiting-in-the-wings to take on Governor Kemp, perhaps without other potential candidates willing to challenge her in her own party. After all, why challenge the obvious leader?
The big question for the state may be whether the candidacy of Ms. Abrams will be strong enough to pull along other Democratic hopefuls to victory, from Congressional districts, statewide offices and for the Legislature. If so, her vitality could bring about significant change in the political outcome of our state for years to come.
Another statewide race that could be a barnburner will be that of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Again, some Republicans are particularly upset that he did not go the extra mile for President Trump, and question Raffensperger doing a good job at running the election. (Can you believe he might be punished for doing his job correctly?) So here comes the tub-thumping Trumpist, Congressman Jody Hice, saying: “I’ll take him on.” The best part of that, with Hice seeking this office, is that Georgia will get rid of a bad Congressman in Washington. The worst part is that Hice likely will be replaced by the voters with another close-minded, far-right person. Or could possibly Stacey Abrams’ strong positioning in the state find a Democrat attractive enough to win voters in that new district?
We’ll see. Politics is already gathering speed for the 2022 voting. Hang on!
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Snellville finds drastic speed reduction with school zone cameras
By Brian Arrington
SNELLVILLE, Ga. | Since speed-monitoring cameras were erected at three area schools, incidents of speeding have decreased drastically there, Snellville Police Roy Whitehead told the Snellville Council this week.
Whitehead
The cameras, operated by independent company RedSpeed, have curbed speeding in front of South Gwinnett High, Snellville Middle and Britt Elementary schools and are working as they are intended, the chief said, ADDING: “Every day, more and more people are slowing down.”
In April, the last full month of camera use, the number of daily violations dropped from 733 prior to the cameras to 296.
The data also revealed that since February:
- U.S. Highway 78 Eastbound – 56 percent reduction in violations;
- U.S. Highway 78 Westbound – 68 percent reduction;
- Skyland Drive North – 86 percent reduction in violations;
- Skyland Drive South – 64 percent reduction in violations;
- Pate Road Eastbound – 73 percent reduction in violations; and
- Pate Road Westbound – 80 percent reduction in violations,
Whitehead said the cameras are an additional protective measure similar to the cameras installed on school buses to stem the danger created by passing stopped buses in an effort to keep students safe.
Enforcement is authorized for speeding 11 miles per hour (mph) over the posted speed limit beginning one hour before classes start and ending one hour after each school lets out. This will also be in force when summer school is in session for four weeks in June and July. Warning signs indicating Photo Speed Enforcement is in effect are placed as required and authorized by the Georgia Department of Transportation before entering each school zone.
Yellow flashing lights on school zone signs are not required for enforcement. These lights reduce speed when flashing at the middle and elementary schools to 25 mph, but the speed remains a constant 35 mph on U.S. Highway 78, 24 hours per day, seven days per week as it has been for decades. Speed limits revert to the normal posted limit of 30 mph after the flashing lights ends and violations begin at 11 mph over those posted limits when not reduced. Citations are only issued according to the hours and attendance requirements authorized. The speed camera citations are only issued on days when students are physically present. Citations are not issued on digital learning days, holidays, teacher planning days and other absences.
Whitehead points out that if a motorist is stopped by an officer when the lights on the school zone sign are flashing, the fine is triple the civil fine and points are assessed against a license at a minimum of two points and up depending on speed. The civil fine for a first offense on the speed camera is $80 and no points are assessed.
“Again, no fines are assessed for vehicles traveling 10 mph or less over the posted speed limit,” Whitehead said. “Please keep the safety of our young people in mind as you traverse school zones.”
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Walton Gas
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Walton Gas is a Georgia Proud hometown company that serves the natural gas needs of many Gwinnett citizens. Anyone on the Atlanta Gas Light natural gas pipes system is eligible for service – you do not have to get electricity from Walton EMC to be our customer! Be sure to visit us at many local events including Suwanee Fest, Snellville Live on the Lawn and the Snellville Fall Festival. To get Walton GAS competitively gas rate, call 770-GAS-HEAT.
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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, and include your hometown. The views of letters are the opinion of the contributor. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net.
County to build $6.2 million addition to police training center
Gwinnett commissioners recently approved a $6.2 million contract for an addition to the police training center at 854 Winder Highway in Lawrenceville. Hogan Construction Group, LLC, of Norcross, was the lowest of five bidders for the project.
The expansion will include a two-story addition with offices, training rooms, and a multipurpose room with a physical ability course that meets Peace Officer Standards and Training Council requirements.
Gwinnett Police Chief Brett West says: “Our department has grown by 13 percent since our existing training facility opened in 2007, and we are now running two much larger academy classes simultaneously most of the year to train both police officers and sheriff’s deputies.”
The Gwinnett County Police Department is the second largest police agency in Georgia with an authorized strength of 905 sworn officers serving a population of more than 800,000 residents across 437 square miles.
Public safety night will be on June 8 at Briscoe Park in Snellville
Snellville Police Department is hosting its annual Public Safety night from 6 to 8 p.m. June 8 at T.W. Briscoe Park. Members of the Snellville Police Department will be out in force and encourage citizens to bring the family for some fun and get information on protecting yourself, your family, your pets, your home and business, and your personal identity.
The event is free and all are encouraged to attend. Area mascots will be on hand, along with activities to entertain children. Food and refreshments will be sold. Social distancing will be in effect and masks are strongly encouraged.
Police vehicles with anti-crime accessories, tactical equipment and weapons and the Special Response Team will be on display. County police and fire equipment personnel will be on hand to meet the community. Emergency Medical Service officials and first responders will be available with information
Park is first Asian American female Recorder’s Court Judge
Norcross attorney Mihae Park has been named to fill the unexpired term of Recorder’s Court Judge Michael Greene, by the six-member Gwinnett State Court bench.
Park
Park is the first female Asian American to serve as a Recorder’s Court Judge and the second Korean American to serve in this role. She will be sworn in May 28.
Ms. Park graduated from the University of Florida with a BS in political science. Soon after earning a law degree from the University of Florida in 1988, Park joined the Gwinnett Solicitor’s Office where she worked for over 10 years. She also served as solicitor for Suwanee Municipal Court. She most recently was a criminal defense attorney for Taylor Lee and Associates, where she focused on DUI cases. Park was born in Seoul, South Korea. After her family immigrated to the United States, she became a United States citizen at the age of 19. She has two children, and she and her husband reside in Suwanee.
Greene’s term expires Dec. 31, 2023. In the event of an opening in Recorder’s Court, the State Court bench appoints a successor. Gwinnett currently has three Recorder’s Court judges.
Right Choice program surpasses 10,000 homes constructed
Jackson EMC’s Right Choice new home program has surpassed a milestone – certifying the 10,000th local home constructed under the home building program. The milestone home is in Linden Park at Mundy Mill, a subdivision in Hall County. Right Choice homes are built exclusively in Jackson EMC’s service area. Local builders follow Right Choice’s new home construction standards for energy efficiency and comfort. Buyers of a Right Choice home receive Jackson EMC’s lowest residential rate, along with a one-year comfort warranty and three-year energy usage warranty. Jackson EMC’s Evan Breakspear sticks into the ground a sign of another Right Choice home.
Send your recommendation
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English architect responsible for classical homes in Savannah
William Jay was an English-trained architect who, from 1817 to 1820, practiced in Savannah, where he built Greek revival–style public buildings and fashionable neoclassical houses for the city’s wealthiest residents.
Jay was born in 1792 or 1793 in Bath, England, to a family of stonemasons. From 1807 to 1813 he apprenticed in London with the architect David Riddall Roper, who built mostly in the Greek revival and Gothic revival styles. Jay’s only known commission in London is the neoclassical-style Albion Chapel (1816), Moorgate, a square-shaped church with a recessed Ionic entry and a Pantheon-like dome.
In December 1817 Jay arrived in Savannah as the city’s premier architect and one of the best-trained architects in America. The Owens-Thomas House (1819), a commission he received through a family connection, was the first of a series of neoclassical-style mansions Jay designed and features a Regency-style side porch supported by foliated consoles (leaf-shaped decorative brackets).
The interior plans of the William Scarbrough House (1819), which later became the headquarters for the Historic Savannah Foundation (1976-1991) and the Ships of the Sea Museum (1996-present), and the Alexander Telfair House (1819), which later became part of Telfair Museums, are configured in circular, oval, and elliptical shapes. In the Bulloch House (1818-19) Jay called for a dramatic spiral stair surrounded by Corinthian columns. Jay’s last commission in Savannah was the Bank of the United States (1821), an early Greek revival–style building dominated by a hexastyle (six-columned) Doric portico. During the years he worked in Savannah, Jay also practiced in South Carolina. In 1820 he was appointed architect of the South Carolina Board of Public Works, for which he provided designs for district courthouses and jails.
After returning to England in 1822, Jay produced designs for Pittville Parade, a large, six-unit row house. When the speculative Pittsville development failed in 1829, Jay went bankrupt and in 1836 was forced to accept the position of colonial architect and civil engineer on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. Jay worked on the island until his death in 1837 in Port Louis, Mauritius.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to http://georgiaencyclopedia.org
Old-time workmanship shows in this sturdy older structure
You won’t find a building made like this one anymore. It was constructed largely before power tools were standard, and the structure was a sound one with workmen taking pride in their work. Tell us where you think this building was located, and give what history you can about it. Send your answer to elliott@brack.net to include your hometown.
Jim Savadelis, Duluth, immediately spotted the recent Mystery Photo. “Today’s picture is of Mabry’s Mill in Virginia. Mabry Mill is one of the most popular, and most recognized landmarks of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Parkway. Located at Milepost 176 in Meadows of Dan, Va.
“According to the website Virtual Blue Ridge: “Edwin Boston Mabry (1867-1936) built his water- powered, but had no way of knowing it would become one of the most photographed places in the United States. The mill draws several hundred thousand visitors each year. The gristmill and sawmill have been restored by park naturalists so visitors might see live exhibits, a real mill, and a working miller to demonstrate the milling process. The grounds of the mill include other interpretive media designed to tell about mountain industry.
“The mill was originally constructed in 1905. It was in operation by 1908 and was used by many in the region who brought their corn to be ground. The mill had slack water power, earning it a reputation as a ‘slow mill,’ but because of this, the mill would not grind too fast or scorch the corn, which resulted in the Mabry’s mill being known for producing some of the finest tasting corn meal in the region.” The photo came from Raleigh Perry of Buford.
Lynn Naylor of Norcross sent a link to a photo of the Mystery Photo, with this comment: “The link is my answer to today’s mystery pix. I found this picture online but, woe is me, there’s no description as to where this particular grist mill is located. Do I get at least half-credit for my so-called answer?”
Yep, Lynn gets half right for locating another photo, but no geography credit.
Others getting it right include Lou Camerio, Lilburn; George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill; and Allen Peel of San Antonio, Tex.
Peel suggests that “If you ever make your way up there, consider stopping in at the Floyd Country Store, especially on a Friday evening so that you can attend a fun-filled evening of Bluegrass music and Clog Dancing (watch or participate!) at their regular Friday Night Jamboree. More information can be found at their website here.”
Snellville Senior Center to re-open starting on June 14
Snellville Senior Center
After being closed for more than a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Snellville Senior Center will return to regular hours starting June 14. Members will still be required to wear masks and social distance. There will be hand sanitizer stations throughout the facility and frequent cleaning will take place regularly. The center will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
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Johnson
Memorial Day ceremonies in Gwinnett will be conducted virtually beginning at 1 p.m. on May 31. The ceremony will be available on demand at GwinnettCounty.com, and will be televised on the county access cable channel, premiered on Facebook and posted to Twitter. The keynote speaker will be retired Air Force Master Sergeant L.C. Johnson of Duluth.
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