GwinnettForum | Number 21.66 | Aug. 27, 2021
THIS AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH gives you an understanding of the site of the new Norcross library, anticipated to be open by the end of October. The building is adjacent to Buford Highway, while the vehicle entrance of the library turns off Brett Avenue, in the center of this photo at the right side. The green plot in the center is Lillian Webb Park. Left of the library site are the Brunswick Apartments. To read about this walking tour through the yet-incomplete library, go to Elliott Brack’s Perspective below.
After 37 years of experience and a solid year of preparation, it is a month away for the Duluth Fall Festival. This great community signatory event will be held Saturday and Sunday, September 25 and 26 in Downtown Duluth. It begins on Saturday morning with a huge parade, followed by the opening ceremony. There will be more than 300 booths of Arts and Crafts, food, sponsors, etc., and entertainment on two stages. Sunday starts with a Road Race at 8 a.m. followed by Worship on the Green by Duluth First United Methodist Church. Then follows entertainment, booth shopping and FOOD, FOOD, FOOD until 5 p.m. when the Festival closes. Plan to ride one of our ten FREE large shuttle buses and you won’t have to worry about parking. Moore: duluthfallfestival.org.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Urban bow-hunting can help control the deer population
EEB PERSPECTIVE: New Norcross library influenced by famed Frank Lloyd Wright
ANOTHER VIEW: Snellville OKs second phase of Snellville Greenway Trail
SPOTLIGHT: Howard Brothers
FEEDBACK: Plenty of blame to go around for both political parties
UPCOMING: Pet adoption fees waived at Gwinnett’s “Clear the Shelters” drive
NOTABLE: County awards two contracts for intersection improvements
RECOMMENDED: Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Rabun County is state’s most prolific area for waterfalls
MYSTERY PHOTO: What’s the name of the intersection depicted in this Mystery Photo?
CALENDAR: Fire and Emergency Management Department to lead 9/11 observance
Urban bow-hunting can help control the deer population
By Terry Swaim
AUBURN, Ga. | As a born and bred Gwinnettian, a lot of my fondest memories growing up were spent with my father and friends in the pursuit of the elusive white-tailed deer. We were taught to enjoy, respect and to truly steward the woods in which we enjoyed spending time. We drove hours to “deer camps” for fellowship with other hunters. Opening day was like a southern holiday. I looked forward to each year as we piled into the four wheel drive Jeep Wagoneer to head to the “Big Woods”.
Abigail (7), Reilly (11) and Terry Swaim are out in their hunting gear.
Like most things in life, change is the only constant. Where I have found myself along several other like-minded hunters pursuing table fare and trophy deer, the location we hunt has changed. We have transitioned from the “back woods” to “back yards” in suburban Atlanta.
Growing up in the 80s, I remember seeing a deer on Peachtree Industrial, which was a treat. Nowadays deer, because of development reducing habitat and exponential deer population growth, can be seen almost daily in urban areas. In some places they are so abundant they are considered pests as they may destroy gardens, flowers, create “browse lines” in wooded areas and may end up addressing front bumpers of automobiles. According to State Farm Insurance, the likelihood of a collision with an animal is 1 in 89. I don’t like those odds.
So, what are we as reasonable citizens to do? What does the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) say? In the Georgia wildlife 2015-2024 deer management plan they address this issue specifically. It says: “The Committee strongly encourages DNR, local governments, private landowners, homeowners and homeowners’ associations to use regulated hunting methods to manage deer in urban settings.”
Generally speaking, this means that legal bowhunting (with a bow and arrow, but not a gun) is the best way to manage the herd. It is quiet, safe and in most cases effective when done from elevated positions. Every deer taken is one less that may end up on some one’s hood. In addition, they help feed a family.
But what about the liability? The Georgia Recreation Property Act explicitly shields landowners from civil liability.
Recognizing it is legal, and recommended by DNR authorities, is bowhunting the right thing to do? That is still up to the homeowner and the hunter. Property owners may or may not grant access for bowhunting. If you are a homeowner considering allowing access, make sure your hunter has a “hold harmless” letter and a valid Georgia hunting license. Make sure you have a clear understanding of their hunting plans. The landowner has that right to decide. Next time someone knocks on your door and asks permission, consider it.
I love being in the outdoors hunting in the burbs. It is amazing the wildlife that has adapted to live among us and occasionally dine on our shrubs. Being able to hunt locally is a true gift to me. It is the convenience to be with my daughters, to show them what being a responsible sportsman and good steward is, and when to pass on a shot or when to take one. It’s also great not to have to drive several hours to the big woods anymore. As a matter of fact, in most cases after a hunt we can be home for dinner and are in bed on time (even on school nights).
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
New Norcross library influenced by famed Frank Lloyd Wright
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
AUG. 27, 2021 | The designs of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright are influencing the features of a new library now being built on Buford Highway in Norcross, facing into Lillian Webb Park.
The library is no Falling Water, or Robie House or Guggenheim Museum, all designs of Wright.
But as designed by Chad Smith of CAS Architecture in Lawrenceville, you can see the Wright features in several ways:
- The building’s inside horizontal sight lines are 160 feet in length.
- There are no hard, dark corners in the building. Each corner consists of windows.
- The building embraces the landscape.
- The design extends the outside inside, as the inside and outside blur.
- The three horizontal layers have a base of concrete, the overall shaft in brick, and the upper level of metal.
Smith
The 22,745 square foot building, with some sight lines of 160 feet, is anticipated to be open by the end of October, replacing the former library’s 10,000 square foot building. Build-out cost of the building is $12.3 million, a joint venture of Gwinnett County and Norcross. Contractor for the library is Cooper and Company of Cumming. The previous library is closed, preparing to transfer books to the new library.
The new building is constructed on a hilly site, with a concrete parking deck below the single floor of the library. The parking deck is entered from Britt Avenue, and can accommodate 135 vehicles. An elevator takes patrons to the main floor and entrance. This front of the library faces directly onto a plaza and drop-off for patrons, with the greenery of Lillian Webb Park beyond that.
Another Wright design feature is using Roman brick on the building. These bricks are twice as long as regular brick, and accentuate the horizontal quality of the building.
The entrance and its plaza are north-facing, meaning they will always be shady. A 14 foot cantilever overhang along the north side extends the sight lines. Many new libraries, as this one, have “exterior rooms” with benches and table tops for patrons to sit outside, with Wi-Fi access.
Meanwhile, a feature of the main floor is a “living room” atmosphere for patrons to enjoy, made popular by Ray Oldenburg’s 1989 concept of “third place.” This will bring a feeling of warmth to the area, and allow people to “take ownership of the library” as if it were as comfortable as their home. The ceilings at nine feet, four inches high, adds to the openness.
The new Norcross Library is another library designed by Chad Smith, who has specialized in library design. He is currently about to open a new library in LaGrange, Ga., and has started design work on the new Hooper Renwick Library in Lawrenceville. He is also designing the new Hickory Flat library in Cherokee County, and the Gritters library in Cobb County.
Before starting his own firm, Smith worked for Precision Planning of Lawrenceville, and designed the Hamilton Mill Library. That library was the first LEED Gold library in Georgia. Other library projects which he has completed include those in Bogart, Barnesville and Sewell Mill in Marietta.
Gray Booth, who is the Gwinnett County project manager for the Norcross library, is a veteran of building libraries in the county. He now has supervised the construction of eight Gwinnett libraries. That includes every library Gwinnett has built since 1997. Which does he like best? “I like to build. I like them all.”
When open, the new Norcross library will charm patrons in its design, inspired by a giant of the architectural world.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Snellville OKs second phase of Snellville Greenway Trail
By Brian Arrington
SNELLVILLE, Ga. | Soon pedestrians and bikers alike will be able to safely and easily travel in Snellville from The Grove at Towne Center to T.W. Briscoe Park. Funding for the second phase of the city’s Greenway Trail has been approved by the city council.
Mayor Barbara Bender says: “ “We will have a trail from our downtown to our city park.”
Alpharetta-based Tri Scapes, Inc. was the lowest bidder with a bid of $606,367.40 to create a trail from the corner of Oak Road and U.S. Highway 78 to T.W. Briscoe Park off of Lenora Church Road. The new trail way will link to phase one of the project which runs through the Historic Cemetery, behind Wisteria Drive and into The Grove at Towne Center.
The cost of the project will be covered by $385,000 in Community Development Block Grant money and Special Local Option Sales Tax funds.
Last year, Mayor and Council approved a $1.1 million contract to the Dickerson Group for Phase 1 of the Greenway Trail. Phase 1 of the Towne Center Spine, is a 0.7-mile trail running parallel to Wisteria Drive along a mostly dry creek bed. Phase 2 of the project, expected to start within a month, will be from Oak Road to Main Street to Church Street to Fremont Street. It will then connect to a path off Fremont Street into the Briscoe Park public use area. Phase 2 could be completed within nine months, City Manager Butch Sanders says.
For the future, the Greenway Trail Plan also calls for a 4.5-mile path from Snellville to Lawrenceville mostly following North Road and Old Snellville Highway, providing an additional connection to Alexander Park, between the two cities.
There are also plans for a Main Street West-U.S. Highway 78 trail. At almost 5 miles in length, this is the longest and most ambitious of the greenways being planned by the city and Gwinnett County for the area. The goal is to give Snellville and the South Gwinnett area a connection to the existing trail network around Stone Mountain. This is a key connection for the future, as it links the growing Gwinnett County greenway network to the web of trails and greenways in the rest of Atlanta Metro and beyond.
- The Greenway Trail Master Plan can be viewed at https://www.snellville.org/snellville-greenway-master-plan-1.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Howard Brothers
The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s sponsor is Howard Brothers Outdoor Power Equipment and Hardware. John and Doug Howard are the “brothers” in Howard Brothers. This family-owned business was started by their dad, and now John and Doug’s children are helping to lead in the business. Howard Brothers has locations in Alpharetta, Athens, Doraville, Duluth, Lula and Oakwood. They specialize in hardware, outdoor power equipment and parts and service. Howard Brothers are authorized dealers of STIHL, Exmark, Honda, Echo, and other well-known brands in the green industry. Howard Brothers is also an authorized Big Green Egg dealer, and is one of the only Platinum Traeger Grill dealers in the state of Georgia.
- Visit their web site www.howardbrothers.com.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
Plenty of blame to go around for both political parties
Editor, the Forum:
Allow me to offer a different perspective from Debra Houston on our withdrawal from Afghanistan. All will agree it has not gone well. Blaming it all on President Biden is overly simplistic. He will have to accept some responsibility because it happened on his watch. His strategy was based on a consensus view by U. S. intelligence that the Afghan government could hold off the Taliban for several months. That turned out to be wrong. We need to consider whether a clean solution ever existed – probably not. Our choice was probably between a permanent low level war and a messy exit.
Over the course of 20 years, we did much good in Afghanistan, but we underestimated the fragility of the Afghan government and its ability to create long term stability. Historians will delve into this and deliver judgments.
Perhaps more instructive is to look at President Trump’s actions with the Taliban. In February 2020, his administration negotiated a withdrawal agreement with the Taliban which excluded the Afghan government. During the following months we complied with the terms of the agreement while the Taliban did not, i.e., we withdrew troops and while the Taliban did not attack us, they continued attacks elsewhere. In November 2020, Senator Marco Rubio warned we were facing a “Saigon situation.” By January 15, 2021 the Trump Administration announced that only 2,500 U.S. troops remained. President Biden agreed with the decision to withdraw, but by his inauguration he had been presented with a “baked cake.”
Ms. Houston consistently bashes the Democrats, but in this case she ought to look at her own party as well. There is plenty of blame to go around.
— John Titus, Peachtree Corners
Too few people seem interested in medicine as a career
Editor, the Forum:
Jack Bernard brings up a real problem facing Georgia and the country—that of a shortage of general practice doctors. He points to the Resident Physician Act of 2021 to provide some relief. But the bill doesn’t do anything to address the underlying problems of why there are not more young people interested in that career.
Perhaps the perfect storm of COVID and Afghanistan will convince Americans that Afghanistan country would have gone a long way toward our own ability to survive this pandemic and the actual threats that face this country.
— Joe Briggs, Suwanee
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.
Pet adoption fees waived at Gwinnett’s “Clear the Shelters” drive
Gwinnett Animal Welfare and Enforcement joins shelters and rescues across the country to find forever homes for shelter pets during the Clear the Shelters adoption drive. Since 2015, more than 411,000 pets have been placed in loving homes through this campaign.
Animal Welfare and Enforcement Manager Alan Davis says: “Like shelters all over the country, our hope is to find happy forever homes for the many great pets in our care. We would love to literally clear our shelter.”
From now until September 19, adoption fees are being waived for people adopting pets. All the animals will be spayed/neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. Most pets can go to their new homes the same day as adoption. The county will also host its fun-filled Clear the Shelter Celebration on Saturday, September 18, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. There will be music, pet vendors, face painting and other activities at this celebration.
Those interested in adoption can view available pets by visiting GwinnettAnimalWelfare.com on Facebook to complete the adoption application before coming to the shelter for a meet-and-greet. Gwinnett’s Bill Atkinson Animal Welfare Shelter is located at 884 Winder Highway in Lawrenceville.
County awards contracts for intersection improvements
Gwinnett Commissioners earlier this month awarded two road improvement projects in the northwest section of Gwinnett.
The Board awarded Omshiv Construction, LLC of Lawrenceville, a project to widen Thompson Mill Road near its intersection with Georgia Highway 13/Buford Highway. The project will widen Thompson Mill to four lanes with a center turn lane and includes the installation of sidewalks, curb and gutter and related drainage improvements. The project is funded by the county and the City of Buford. The project cost is not to exceed $1,492,473.
The Board also awarded an intersection improvement project at Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Suwanee Dam Road to Archimetric Design and Construction, Inc. of Norcross. The project will add a southbound through lane along Peachtree Industrial from Suwanee Dam to Grand Teton Parkway. Construction includes converting the single left-turn lanes on Suwanee Dam to dual left-turn lanes, along with the installation of new traffic signals. Additional improvements include sidewalk, curb and gutter and related drainage upgrades. This project cost is not to exceed $2,896,561.
The 2017 SPLOST Program provides the county funding for both of these items.
Snellville hires Pepper as new assistant city manager
Pepper
The city of Snellville has a new assistant city manager. He is Matthew Pepper, previously manager of Oxford in Newton County. He has previously worked for the City of Alpharetta’s Economic Development Office. Pepper earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Georgia.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
From Karen J. Harris of Stone Mountain: Demons, (Possessed) is Dostoyevsky’s novel about the battle between nihilism and political factions in 1860s Russia. There is a thread of dark humor throughout this title which is loaded with many characters at cross purposes as they strive to affirm their ideologies. Though not an easy read, it is engaging enough to pull the reader into a different culture and time in Russia, a massively complex country.
An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (150 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. Send to: elliott@brack.net
Rabun County is state’s most prolific area for waterfalls
Most of Georgia’s waterfalls occur in the central and northern part of the state because a fall line runs across this region from Columbus to Augusta. The fall line is a geologic boundary that marks the divide between the hard, crystalline rocks of the Piedmont to the north, and the softer sedimentary rocks of the Upper Coastal Plain to the south. Erosion of the sedimentary rock by streams flowing off the crystalline rock creates steep stream gradients and waterfalls.
The most notable of the falls in central Georgia is High Falls at High Falls State Park, near Jackson in Monroe County. High Falls is the site of a once-prosperous town that grew up around a gristmill powered by the Towaliga River’s falling waters. In the 1880s High Falls became a ghost town when a major rail line bypassed it.
Rabun County, in northeast Georgia, is the state’s most prolific waterfall location. The abrupt change in elevation, combined with several large, plateau-like drainage areas, makes the area ripe for waterfalls. Wet-weather falls, such as Ada-Hi Falls at Black Rock Mountain State Park, occur where drainages are small. Waterfalls located in northwest Georgia also are of the wet-weather variety. Often the falls on Johns Mountain (Keown Falls), near Villanow in Walker County, are just a trickle or are completely dry. However, colorful mosses and algae cover the perpetually moist rock.
The “spray zones” that surround most waterfalls support rare plants and animals (most notably salamanders) that can exist only in humid environs such as these. The air temperature and humidity are relatively stable in these spray zones. Dipper-type birds hunt the rich, oxygenated waters at their base, and trout thrive in cooler waters found in the mountain locations.
Waterfalls also act as natural barriers to certain types of aquatic life. A pool below the falls on Overflow Creek, in Rabun County, is known locally as the “Eel Pool,” for it limits the migration of native eels.
Rainbow trout (from the western states) and brown trout (from Europe) were introduced into southern mountain streams in the mid-19th century. The native species (brook trout) do not compete well with these transplants. On many streams brook trout are stocked and exist without this introduced competition because of the natural barrier protection that a waterfall affords.
Stream levels fluctuate widely from season to season. Waterfalls are an obvious indicator of an abundance or lack of rainfall. During the severe drought of 1999-2000 stream levels were down by two-thirds in many cases. Northeast Georgia traditionally is the state’s wettest region, receiving upwards of70 inches of rainfall annually. The northwest is the state’s driest region. Winter and spring are generally the wettest seasons; fall is the driest.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
What’s the name of the intersection in this Mystery Photo?
Here’s a clue to today’s Mystery Photo, if you haven’t spotted it yourself. This city is in the relatively flat countryside. Now your job is to figure out which city this photograph depicts, and if you really want to score, you’ll tell us the names of the two streets in the main intersection. Send your answer to elliott@brack.net, and include your hometown.
Lou Camerio of Lilburn sent in last edition’s Mystery Photo, and no one could figure out what it was, nor where it was. It was a stumper! That seldom happens.
The photo was taken at the Scott Antique Market, held at the Atlanta Expo Centers in Jonesboro recently. While several readers thought the figures might be the work of the well-known Meaders family of Cleveland, Ga. However, Mr. Camerio tells us that these jugs came from Marvin Bailey of Lancaster, S.C., a self-taught artist, who saw his work take off once he branched out to folk art.
Southern authors, southern voices: Tim Westover and Alayne Smith in conversation with Emmy Award winner Kolinda Scialabba will be held on Thursday, September 9 at 7 p.m. Westover’s book The Winter Sisters is literary historical fiction, set in 1822 in the colorful frontier town of Lawrenceville. Alayne Smith’s book, This Is Ellen Jones Reporting, is the fictional story of Ellen Jones who follows her desire to become a broadcast journalist. This is being presented by the Gwinnett County Public Library in partnership with the Friends of the Library.
Sept. 11 Remembrance ceremony will be held at the Fallen Heroes Memorial, 75 Langley Drive at 8:30 a.m. The Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services will coordinate the service.
Largest British Car Show in the Southeast will be Saturday, September 11 in downtown historic Norcross, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Nearly 400 cars and motorcycles will be on display, including British car legends and exotic sports and sedan automobiles. Profits are donated to the Amanda Riley Foundation.
Grow your business: join Gwinnett County Public Library and marketing specialist Julia Maldonado to learn how to grow your small business through social media. Come to the September 11 session at 10 a.m. at the Suwanee Branch of the Gwinnett Public Library, 361 Main Street, Suwanee. This session will focus on how to elevate yourself and brand as a social media expert.
Memoir Writing Workshop Series will be on September 12 and again on October 19 from 1 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. at the Bethesda Park Senior Center, 225 Bethesda Church Road, Lawrenceville. Join Gwinnett County Public Library and Gwinnett County Community Services for a six week memoir writing workshop series. Your experiences and life lessons can entertain and inspire others. Registration recommended due to limited space. Register at GCPL Adult Services.
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