GwinnettForum | Number 21.61 | Aug. 19, 2022
FALL FESTIVAL: Two Duluth residents have been named honorary grand marshals for the 2022 Duluth Fall Festival. They are Ann Parsons Odum (right), a Duluth native, and Glen Faulkner, 96, who moved to Duluth in 1999. Odum and her two sisters and their families operated Parsons stores in Duluth and several nearby towns. Their Duluth stores were where Parsons Alley is today. Odum is a painting artist, and contributed covers for the Festival tabloid for over 30 years. Faulkner, a retired geologist, gardener and woodworker, can be seen often driving his scooter on West Lawrenceville Street. The Fall Festival is the last weekend in September.
“We are thrilled to be Co-Chairs for the 39th Annual Duluth Fall Festival. We have over 400 volunteers and 50 committees, and there are also many opportunities to volunteer throughout the year. We work hard, but we also have fun and build friendships along the way. The Duluth Fall Festival is ‘More than just a Festival.’ It makes a huge impact on the community in many ways. Funds the Festival raises through sponsorships are poured back into the community and also support many local charities. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday and Sunday, September 24 and 25!”
– Mary Buck and Steve Lynn, 2022 Festival Co-chairs
TODAY’S FOCUS: Three reasons why it’s important to exercise regularly
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Governor’s race may go down to the wire…until December 6
SPOTLIGHT: The 1818 Club
FEEDBACK: Two surprises when checks mailed at the Post Office were stolen
UPCOMING: Garbage fees going up for unincorporated Gwinnett residents
NOTABLE: Hudgens plans juried art show for its members
RECOMMENDED: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare
GEORGIA TIDBIT: During Revolutionary War, Savannah and Augusta rotated as capital
MYSTERY PHOTO: Here’s the address; now tell us more about this Mystery
LAGNIAPPE: A view from Gwinnett’s past Courthouse restoration
CALENDAR: Women’s wellness program at Five Forks Library August 23
Three reasons why it’s important to exercise regularly
By Collin Elder
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | Back to school, lack of time and record heat might cause most people to put exercise “on the shelf.”
Carl Woods, director of Wellness and Recreation at Georgia Gwinnett College, said it’s crucial to keep exercising. Woods cites three reasons why working out keeps your body working.
1. It reduces the occurrence of illness
Woods first notes that “The U.S. physical activity guidelines and the American Heart Association recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity weekly. This means that people need physical activity more than ever, as symptoms of heart disease, cancer and dementia can all develop when a person lives a more sedentary lifestyle.”
Woods said diabetes is directly correlated with those sedentary lifestyles. Diabetes is among the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States and has more than doubled in case count in the last 20 years, made even worse by the fact that these numbers may be underreported. People are living longer, and with that comes decreased exercise, which increases the risks of diabetes.
2. It improves mental wellness
Woods says the benefits of physical activity affect mental wellness. The “runner’s high” or Schwarzenegger’s “pump” mentality shows the emotional and mental benefit to working out regularly. The chemicals in our brains provide special responses to repeated exercise. This benefit is shown most of all in the treatment of mental wellness issues, like depression or anxiety.
“Taking up exercise seems to reduce the risk of mental illness,” says Woods. “Looking forward, it’s especially important we get in the habit of working hard on ourselves.”
3. It improves your physical fitness
It’s important to keep a balance in mind, according to Woods. His ideal workout regimen combines aerobic and anaerobic exercises. Aerobic exercises increase oxygen intake over extended periods of time and include walking, running or swimming. Anaerobic exercises involve doing things without large increases in oxygen intake and over short bursts, like lifting weights or stretching.
“Working hard on losing weight is one thing,” said Woods, “but the goal is to alter how your body works.” Cardio is a great way to get those pesky inches off your waist, but the physical activities can impact things like the muscle tension on your bones.
Looking at common health problems, Woods said that there’s a need to stretch and flex muscles in the hips for people with desk jobs, as sitting for long periods of time can lead to osteoarthritis, especially in women. Getting those 150 minutes a week is more important now than it ever has been, with the huge boom of desk and remote jobs hitting the market.
“But don’t get locked down on the idea of working out for three hours every other day,” says Woods. “It’s best to create small, realistic goals for exercise. Ten minutes of walking through the office here, 20 minutes gardening in your backyard there, 15 minutes of yoga poses in the morning before work all add up to different areas that improve your quality of life.”
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Governor’s race may go down to the wire…until Dec. 6
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
AUG. 19, 2022 | Cogitating today on the race for governor in less than three months: it appears that the race will be close.
When Brian Kemp first went into office four years ago, some thought that he would serve for only one term, since his Democratic challenger, Stacey Abrams, had run a close race, would probably be more powerful in 2022, and clip his wings. Meanwhile, Ms. Abrams has become the darling of many people in the country, as reflected in the vast amount of money she had raised for this race, and for other pro-Democratic causes. She seemed to be flying high.
Yet now that we are in the midst of the actual 2022 election year, Ms. Abrams is not polling as strong as we had thought she might. She seems to have lost a little all-out support among voters, and more importantly, among Black voters.
Of course, that’s what you might expect in a race against a sitting governor. A person in that office can wield tremendous support from different groups often by the appointments he makes, the inclinations he shows, and the money he raises. These are mighty symbols of power from the influence of a sitting governor, and can turn into votes.
Kemp
Brian Kemp is playing his cards in an all-out effort. Remember him sending a tax rebate to most Georgians? That’s tremendous political candy. And now he has announced another $350 return to low income residents. Can that be turned into votes? Possibly.
This comes in a year when his Republican colleagues in the Legislature have passed a bill (which Kemp signed into law) that won’t even allow someone to give a bottle of water to people waiting in line to vote, which makes that rebate even more flabbergasting.
Money OK, but water no?
You mean people can’t give a bottle of water to someone, and the governor can make headlines approving state checks to Georgia votes?
What’s wrong with this logic?
Remember, as noted above, the sitting governor has tremendous power.
Abrams
The recent polls show that the current governor’s campaign is certainly a close one. Will Georgia shift to a Democratic governor by one or two percentage points? And come November 8, it may not be decided. After all, the Libertarian Party is offering a slate of candidates for statewide offices, and could throw the election into a runoff….meaning the governor’s race outcome might not be decided until December 6.
There’s another major element that could impact the next governor’s election: the race for U.S. Senate between Sen. Raphael Warnock and football star Herschel Walker. That, too, could be a close race, and certainly will have nationwide attention, with the Senate up for grabs.
There’s talk of the possibility of a lot of people in Georgia splitting their ticket among the two parties, complicating everything. You can bet there will be a lot of money thrown at this race, too. Get ready for almost continuous political ads interrupting your television watching. And your Post Office box will be stuffed with a continuous barrage of mailings from candidates.
Meanwhile, the big overall question locally is whether Georgia will generally go blue in the two major races, for governor and the Senate. While the Legislature will certainly remain Republican, change is on the horizon. Will it come now, or later? The next three months will tell.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
The 1818 Club
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s underwriter is The 1818 Club, named for the year that Gwinnett County received its charter. The 1818 Club is a member-owned, private dining experience providing the best in food, service and meeting accommodations for its members. Whatever your business or social dining needs, the 1818 Club has the proper facilities, recently renovated, to gracefully host your gatherings.
- 100-seat formal dining room open for breakfast and lunch.
- Capital Room open for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as cocktails.
- Three private rooms which can be used for dining or meeting space. AV is offered in each room.
- 220 seat Virgil Williams Grand Ballroom, divides into three sections, all with AV.
- Gwinnett Room for upscale dining, with Frankie’s menu available.
Our top-notch service team enhances your experience by providing a sophisticated social atmosphere, engaging events and a full serving of dining and entertainment opportunities. If you want an urbane and central site to entertain people, consider joining the 1818 Club. For more details, visit https://www.the1818club.org/Home.
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Two surprises when checks stolen at the post office
Editor, the Forum:
Last year I had two checks stolen from the post office. One was not caught by the bank or even the Credit Union where it was deposited. When I saw it, it was not a good job. It is my opinion that the checks were stolen when in the post office because we take checks into the post office when we pay by check. I feel that the culprit was a postal employee. The bank cleared the first one, the second one never made it to the bank. It was canceled.
Two things surprised me. First, that a credit union would take a check that was obviously tampered with and that the bank would take it without question. Second, that the Postal Inspectors were asleep at the switch and did nothing.
– Raleigh C. Perry, Buford
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Garbage fees going up in unincorporated Gwinnett
For people who live in unincorporated Gwinnett, the cost of garbage pick-up is going up by $16.38 a year.
This comes as a result of rising fuel and labor costs, worker shortages, supply chain issues and a higher volume of trash and recycling. Gwinnett County has amended its contract with residential solid waste haulers.
Changes to the agreement will increase payments to haulers and provide them with the resources needed to deliver better services, while holding them accountable for services that are not provided – like missed routes.
Residential property owners in unincorporated Gwinnett County will see a $22.44 increase in their annual solid waste fee for 2023. The increase is based on the annual adjustments for fuel costs and Consumer Price Index changes that would have taken effect regardless of the revised agreement. In addition to the increase, residents will receive a $6.06 credit that will be applied to the annual solid waste fee from liquidated damages assessed to haulers last year. With the credit applied, the annual increase will be $16.38, or $1.37 per month.
The 25 percent senior discount will continue for qualifying accounts. The County will continue to assess how to best use liquidated damages to benefit residents.
Here’s a more in-depth look at the performance requirements haulers must meet:
- Haulers will be required to implement notification systems for missed routes when scheduled routes are not completed;
- Reporting requirements have been enhanced for better performance tracking;
- Specific performance measures and liquidated damages have been added missed collections;
- Standards for failure to correct missed collections and chronic problems have been strengthened; and
- Procedures for any suspension of service due to uncontrollable circumstances have been strengthened.
Additional costs for 2022 and a portion of the increases for 2023 will be paid from the solid waste fund. The current agreement expires in June 2026. The county will revisit its current Solid Waste Management plan to address residents’ needs within the next 10 years.
Gwinnett now able to use Lake Lanier for water storage
The Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted on a Water Storage Agreement with the State of Georgia to allow the county to use storage volume in Lake Lanier for water supply. The contract remains in effect for a minimum of thirty years.
Early last year, Georgia entered into a Master Storage Agreement with the United States Department of the Army to secure water supply for multiple jurisdictions, Gwinnett County included. While Gwinnett and others have used water in the lake for many years, this contract for the first time grants long-term rights to storage volume in Lake Lanier to meet Gwinnett County’s water supply needs.
As part of the agreement, the County will pay an annual fee to the State. A roughly $1.5 million annual payment goes toward the cost of storage. Additional fees for the county’s percentage of the cost of lake repair, rehabilitation and replacement, as well as operation and maintenance, will be assessed every year.
Water Resources Interim Director Rebecca Shelton says: “This contract is the result of many years of work to gain access to adequate storage volume to secure water supply for the communities that depend on Lake Lanier for their drinking water,” said DWR Interim Director Rebecca Shelton. “Recently, due to the hard work of DWR staff to properly treat the water from the lake, we recently received the award for best tasting water in Georgia.”
Hudgens plans juried art show for its members
The Hudgens Center for Art and Learning invites artists to submit works for review by this year’s juror, Artist and Curator Amanda Shelnutt!
This juried show is open to all current members of The Hudgens (as of September 2022). Artists aged 18 and over are invited to submit artwork in the following media: Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Mixed Media, Ceramics, Glass, Photography, Fiber Art, Textile and Sculpture. Artists will be sent juror results of accepted pieces via email on or before October 10.
Note that this is a competitive juried show for members of The Hudgens. Not all entries will be selected for inclusion in the exhibition. Artwork must not exceed 48 inches in any direction and cannot weigh over 75 pounds. Artwork must have been completed within the past two years.
Accepted pieces can be for sale or listed as “Not For Sale”. The Hudgens take a 30 percent commission of all exhibition sales.
All accepted works must be delivered to The Hudgens by Saturday, November 5.
The opening day of the Juried Members’ Show will be Saturday, November 12, 2022. The last day of the exhibition will be January 14, 2023.
Three “Hudgens Juror’s Award” will be given, at the levels of $300, $200 and $100 plus an honorable mention award of $50 will be selected by the juror and announced at the reception. The Hudgens Center will have a Purchase Prize of one piece of artwork (up to $1,000) from the exhibit to purchase for its Permanent Collection. Direct any questions to Kate Driscoll, exhibition and public programs manager at The Hudgens, at kdriscoll@thehudgens.org or 770-623-6002 extension 205.
Elder heads new county housing-development Division
Elder
Gwinnett County will soon have a new Housing and Community Development Division operating within its Department of Planning and Development. This division was created as a response to one of the recommendations in a housing study requested by the Board of Commissioners. Matt Elder has been named as the division’s director. He has nearly a decade of experience in housing and community development and served the last four years as the director of HomeFirst Gwinnett. He joins the department on August 22.
Peachtree Corners working with automated vehicle group
Peachtree Corners has announced a partnership with non-profit Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE), an educational coalition of industry partners and nonprofit groups with the mission of educating the public on autonomous vehicle technologies. As a member of PAVE’s Public Sector Advisory Council, the City will assist PAVE and academic experts in raising public awareness on autonomous vehicle technologies. It will also analyze the effects of these technologies in various areas including public transit and mobility, sustainability, public health and safety, infrastructure and more.
PAVE enhances public education of autonomous vehicles and driverless technologies through a variety of channels. That includes hands-on demonstrations open to the public, virtual educational panels and public forums. In addition, PAVE also holds policymaker workshops to aid public sector officials in making informed decisions around the usage and deployment of these technologies. The goal is to encourage the public sector to further explore the full capabilities of autonomous vehicles technologies to form the roadways of the future.
Three appointed to Leadership Gwinnett Foundation Board
Leadership Gwinnett announces the appointment of three new members of its Foundation Board. They are Lisa Anders, executive director of Explore Gwinnett; Jennifer Fennell, Gwinnett District Manager of Jackson EMC; and Tim Le, broker/owner of NDI Maxim Real Estate LLC. The Foundation Board of Directors are responsible for the overall governance and well-being of the organization. This governing board maintains the organization’s vision, mission and core values as well as provides strategic direction and fiscal health.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare
From Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill: I can’t tell you anything about this classic play that hasn’t already been said, but I can tell you I enjoyed it. I mean, what’s not to like? There’s an introspective young man in a constant state of confusion and a woman who married her brother-in-law less than two months after her husband died. Did I say “died”? I meant after her husband was murdered! AND murdered by her new husband! Don’t worry. You learn this early on. But the story continues with all sorts of plots and secrets, a stabbing, a sword fight, a poisoning – and a ghost! You can’t read more than a few acts before you’ve encountered dozens of sayings we still use today. Hamlet is adaptable for any time and any place and I think, in whatever form, it is well worth revisiting. Fortunately, there are a number of video versions available online.
- 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
When Savannah and Augusta rotated as colonial capital
Following the recapture of Savannah from the British during the Revolutionary War, the state legislative assembly convened in the coastal city on July 13, 1782. However, a rift between coastal and upland Georgia, which had been growing before the Revolutionary War, surfaced. The increasing importance of Augusta led the executive council to spend part of the year in that city, and the capital subsequently rotated between Savannah and Augusta until 1785.
In January 1783 the General Assembly met in Savannah, but in February the council resolved to move the capital to Augusta so that it would be nearer the growing backcountry. On May 15 lawmakers attempted to convene in Augusta, but no quorum was present until July 8. Once the session began, however, it remained underway for about a month.
On January 6, 1784, the General Assembly returned to Savannah, adjourning that session in February with a motion to meet in Augusta the following July. On July 5, 1784, lawmakers attempted to convene in Augusta, but for a week no quorum could be assembled, and the members present asked the governor to call the assembly, and name a time and place, when a meeting of the legislature should become necessary.
Such a meeting was called for on October 6, 1784, in Savannah. Again a quorum could not be assembled, and the session adjourned on October 14. On January 4, 1785, another session was convened in Savannah, marking the last episode of that city’s history as the capital of Georgia. Where precisely the assembly met in Savannah is uncertain, as there was no statehouse building. The legislature likely followed the earlier example of various revolutionary assemblies, which met in taverns, private homes, and perhaps other meeting halls.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Here’s the address; now tell us more about this Mystery
Today’s Mystery Photo gives you one big clue concerning its whereabouts: its street. All you have to do is figure out which town it is in, and what the building was used for. Send your answers to elliott@brack.net, and include your hometown.
Hey, readers, we need some informative and distinguished Mystery Photos. Scour your computer and send us some, the closer to Gwinnett the better.
Last issue, George Graf of Palmyra, Va. was first in to identify the former Tallulah Falls Railway Depot, Circa 1903, in Demorest, Ga. He added: “This historic depot has been used as a business for many years. It was built by master local carpenter George H. Cason, who also built the Methodist Episcopal Church South (Demorest Women’s Club). I believe it is now occupied by the Brass N Glass antique and gift shop located at 493 Maine Street. Note the unusual spelling of Maine, probably because of the influence of the Congregational Church, which founded Piedmont College in Demorest.” The photo came from Brian Brown’s Vanishing Georgia.
Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. also recognized the photo. He told us: “The Tallulah Falls Railroad, which owned and operated the Demorest Depot, ended passenger service in 1946, and the railroad itself was abandoned in 1961. Did you know that the depot was (very briefly) ‘featured’ in the opening scenes of the classic 1951 movie I’d Climb the Highest Mountain starring Susan Hayward.”
Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill and railroad expert Robert Hanson of Loganville also identified the mystery.
A view from Gwinnett’s past Courthouse restoration
Here’s a photo from about 1989-90, showing the major work that went on to restore the 1885 Gwinnett County Courthouse. Roving Photographer Frank Sharp made this photo showing the 12-story scaffolding around the tower that was included in the restoration to become the present Gwinnett Historic Courthouse on the Lawrenceville Square. The building’s brick previously had been painted white, but the work restored it to its red brick original. Today, among other uses, it houses the offices of the Gwinnett Historical Society. The restoration was paid for by funds included in Gwinnett’s first SPLOST, which primarily paid for the construction of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center (new courthouse.)
Author visit: Join Dr. Indie Jones for a talk and a wellness program on Tuesday, August 23 at 7 p.m. at the Five Forks Branch Library. Dr. Indie Jones, an internist and life coach for women, will discuss her book, Healthy Living for Women. Books will be available for sale and signing.
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