GwinnettForum | Number 22.51 | July 18, 2023
HERE’S ONE WAY HOW GWINNETT’S OLDEST FIRM STARTED: The Snellville-based company, E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc., is marking its 100th year of operation. In 1923 G.F. Snell, a professional rock mason who specialized in rock culverts and walls, started a small contracting business, G.F. Snell and Sons, building headwalls. Work quickly expanded to include rubble culverts and arc bridges in the late 1920s and 1930s. In 1934,
The bridge was selected personally to be built by President Franklin D Roosevelt because it led to Warm Springs, near Pine Mountain. The bridge today is still there and called the Franklin D Roosevelt Memorial Bridge, as G.F. Snell and Sons built its earliest recorded bridge. This company became E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc., creating a legacy that has lasted 100 years. It is one of the largest prime road contractors in Georgia. In November, the company is planning a gala at the Gas South Center to mark its 100th anniversary. It is the oldest continually-operating company in Gwinnett County, and always managed by members of the Snell family.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Because One Matters goal is to help foster children
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Visiting the Finger Lakes region in New York
SPOTLIGHT: E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc.
ANOTHER STORY: Reconstructed Rogers Bridge opened after 15 years
FEEDBACK: Watch out! “Moms of Liberty” chapter is in Gwinnett
UPCOMING: New parking deck opens in downtown Sugar Hill
NOTABLE: Gateway85 CID votes to lower millage rates
RECOMMENDED: Past Lives by Celine Song
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Veteran Georgia political journalist Bill Shipp dies
MYSTERY PHOTO: This nearby scene may prove a difficult mystery
LAGNIAPPE: Lilburn twins win awards at DAR national convention
Because One Matters goal is to help foster children
By Andrea Barclay
Founder and CEO, Because One Matters
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | Because One Matters (BOM): Empowering Lives and Celebrating Milestones, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to influencing the lives of children impacted by foster care and young adults from economically disadvantaged communities. BOM recognizes that every child deserves a chance to thrive, and works to provide support, resources, and opportunities for those who need it most.
Barclay
With its upcoming Splash and Dash 5K and Family Fun Day fundraiser on July 29 at Coolray Stadium, BOM aims to raise awareness and funds to further their mission.
One of the programs that BOM offers is the “Celebrating Milestones” program. Birthdays are special occasions for every child, filled with joy, laughter, and the warmth of celebration. However, these moments can often be overlooked for children impacted by foster care. BOM believes that every child’s milestone should be cherished and celebrated. It organizes birthday parties for these children, ensuring they feel loved and valued on their special day. Additionally, the organization provides outings and experiences that expose children to new opportunities, helping them grow, learn, and develop their full potential.
Clothing insecurity is a hidden crisis affecting millions of children across the nation. BOM recognized this pressing issue and launched the “Wrapped in Love Closet” program to address it head-on. The program aims to alleviate the burden of clothing insecurity for foster, adoptive, kinship, and economically disadvantaged families. At the Closet, families can shop for new or like-new clothing items, toys, and books, all free of charge. This helps alleviate financial strain and ensures that children have the essentials they need for school, home, and play. Additionally, BOM provides children entering foster care with a duffel bag filled with essential items, offering comfort and security during their earliest days in placement.
The upcoming Splash and Dash 5k and Family Fun Day fundraiser serve as a beacon of hope and solidarity for BOM’s mission. This event raises funds and provides an opportunity for the community to come together and support a worthy cause.
The Family Fun Day aspect of the event adds an extra layer of joy and togetherness. With bouncy houses, face painting, live music, and delicious food vendors, there will be something for everyone to enjoy. Families can create lasting memories, fostering a sense of community and connection. This event raises funds for BOM’s programs and awareness about the organization’s work, encouraging others to get involved and make a difference.
The upcoming Splash and Dash 5k and Family Fun Day fundraiser is a testament to BOM’s commitment to their mission. By joining forces with the community on July 29 at Coolray Stadium, participants can contribute to the betterment of countless lives, spreading hope, joy, and opportunities for a brighter future.
Because One Matters has an office at 480 N. Perry Street in Lawrenceville. Members of the board of directors include Krista Ifill, Lithonia; Mary Swift, Mableton; Alec McMiller, Braselton; Ralphael Bruce, Grayson; Rip Pruitt, Duluth; Bonnie Pruit, Duluth; Vaughn Mootoo, Alpharetta; and Amy Rainer, Buford.
- Click here for a link to sign up for the race or to donate to the BOM programs.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Visiting the Finger Lakes region in New York
The water falls 215 feet.
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JULY 18, 2023 | Last week was our first trip to the Finger Lakes region of New York, a scenic area of lakes, waterfalls, outdoor recreation, wineries galore, and lots of farming and treed hills. Though some harsh rains poured on eastern New York earlier, our week saw nice days.
The entire northern tier of New York was primarily settled after the Erie Canal was finished in 1825, all the way 363 miles from near Albany (really Waterford) on the east, to Buffalo on the west (ending at Tonawanda) and made Buffalo at one time the 10th largest city in the USA. It was four feet deep and 40 feet wide. The project was foresightedly funded by the New York Legislature, with the construction taking eight years and costing $7 million. A widening of the canal in 1835 cost four times as much as the original construction!
There are 11 Finger Lakes, with the largest two, Seneca and Cayuga, 40 miles long, and 600 feet deep, and these two lakes connect to the Erie Canal. The Finger Lakes are dotted with vacation (and permanent) homes clustered around the lakes. Low mountains with deep gorges sprout numerous waterfalls.
The largest, Taughannock Falls, plunges 215 feet, more than Niagara. We lodged at the Inn at Taughannock, in business since 1873. It’s closed only in January, for refurbishing and repair. The views out toward Cayuga Lake are relaxing.
Our journey took us to Rochester, Seneca Falls, Geneva, Ithaca, Elmira, Corning, Watkins Glen and to Syracuse.
A highlight city is Ithaca, a town of about 30,000, home of Cornell University, Ithaca College and a community college. Altogether, the students add another 30,000 to the area population. The Cornell campus is like no other we have seen, not compact at all, but spread out on hills above the city amid many gorges, with several major stunning waterfalls nearby.
We were somewhat surprised at the amount of farming going on in the area. Hay and corn are primary crops. Hay is being mown now, with a second crop to be ready by fall. A major tourist attraction are the 130 wineries, plus cider producers and even a few distilleries, along the roads around the lakes. We didn’t see any one major winery, like you see in California. The Finger Lake wineries are all small operations, with the grapevines just starting to put on berries in mid-July.
The high point for me on the trip had to be realizing the heavy influence of the Erie Canal in the formative years of upper New York. Entire towns sprung up as the canal was built, with laborers only using primitive tools. The building of the canal also gave rise to the profession of the engineer, not seen as a job before the canal. Innovative individuals figured ways to clear land (and pull stumps mechanically), dig the canal and build 32 stone aqueducts (OVER rivers and gorges), develop a cement mixture that would cleave watertight huge blocks of stone together, and raise boats up and down the waterway through its 83 locks The canal was groundbreaking engineering, which had far-reaching results for the development of many industries for our country.
The canal upshot, moving cargo both ways, west to east, and east to west, reduced transportation cost immensely. What once cost $100 per ton to transport prior to the canal, afterward cost less than $10 a ton. Today the Erie Canal is mainly for recreational boating, though heavy cargoes can still ply the canal.
The Finger Lakes: well worth the scenic trip, and to understand the area’s history.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc.
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s sponsor is E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc. of Snellville. Founded in the 1920s, E. R. Snell was built on Christian beliefs with honesty and integrity leading the way. So 2023 marks its 100th anniversary, which the company will celebrate in several ways this year. The fourth and fifth generation of the Snell family continues to run the company. Specializing in roads and bridges, its goal is to build a safe and modern highway system while preserving our natural environment. Through quality production and high safety standards, it strives to be the best contractor possible, while continuing to be a positive influence on its employees and the community.
- Visit online at www.ersnell.com.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
Reconstructed Rogers Bridge opened after 15 years
Monument and bridge. Photo provided.
By Talore Ruedt
DULUTH, Ga. | Rogers Bridge over the Chattahoochee River between Duluth and Johns Creek is now open, after a ribbon cutting last week. The pedestrian bridge connects Duluth’s Rogers Bridge Park to Johns Creek’s Cauley Creek Park. The work was done by the two cities, in partnership with Gwinnett and Fulton counties.
Ruedt
The City of Duluth also unveiled the park’s newest piece of public art, called “The Shape of Time and Water,” a 27 foot tall structure of two massive concrete columns, topped with 110+-year-old steel from the original bridge. The Rogers Bridge Art piece was selected because it incorporates the metal and pins from the original bridge, but it is supported by the concrete foundations used for bridges today.
The completion marks 15 years in the making. In 2006, Gwinnett County commissioned a study of Rogers Bridge to determine its structural integrity. The goal was to repurpose the bridge for pedestrians and in doing so, reconnect the communities on each side of the Chattahoochee River.
In 2014, the City of Duluth took over the project and confirmed the study results. Duluth then applied for a grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission in order to develop construction plans for the bridge. The grant provided $560,000 to the city and required a local match in the amount of $140,000. As the project is of regional significance, Duluth teamed up with the City of Johns Creek and both Fulton and Gwinnett Counties to come up with the $140,000 match. Evenly split, each local partner contributed $35,000 toward what is referred to as the “preconstruction” effort, which culminated in the development of construction plans.
At the time the plans were in their initial stages of development, it was not yet known if the bridge would be rehabilitated or replaced. It was soon found that the existing bridge was eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, because of its unique construction method. The existing bridge was a 228’ long pin-connected Pennsylvania Petit truss. Ultimately, it was agreed that the bridge could not be salvaged as was approved for replacement.
The preconstruction process took about four years to complete. Once again, the city reached out to the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Georgia Department of Transportation to assist with funding of the construction. And again, the four local partners came together, this time to participate with $350,000 each for a local match of $1,400,000. GDOT covered approximately $700,000. And ARC covered the remaining approximate $5,100,000.
The artist behind this piece is Phil Proctor from Nucleus Sculpture Studios. Proctor is a professional sculptor practicing in Atlanta since 2003 who has developed a professional reputation in the public art community by his involvement in the infrastructure of public art.
Phase II Improvements at Rogers Bridge Park will be underway soon. The new bridge will remain open (with possibly temporary brief closures during construction) but park and boat launch access will still be restricted during the construction process. Phase II will include two large parking lots with 118 new spaces, a walking trail, a new pavilion, the trailhead, and the repaving of Rogers Bridge Road as it leads into the park. All is expected to be completed by early 2024.
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Watch out! “Moms of Liberty” chapter is in Gwinnett
Editor, the Forum:
There is a MAGA movement in this country designed to change the very nature of our schools. “Moms of Liberty” has organized to protect against “woke” teaching. This is a national organization that seeks to influence school boards to act according to ultra- conservative conspiracy theories. One chapter has even a quote of Hitler as one of their goals. Beware! There is a chapter in Gwinnett County.
– Alan Schneiberg, Sugar Hill
Pharma alone is not causing all the medical problems
Editor, the Forum:
It certainly is not just Pharma causing all the medical problems in this country. The combining of drug companies, hospitals, chain drug stores, multi-office PCP chains, insurance companies, all have profits, which are ridiculously egregious.
The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled a corporation is like a person. The only breath coming from a corporation is Hot Air and foul aromas.
– Ashley Herndon, Oceanside, Calif.
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.
New parking deck opens in downtown Sugar Hill
New parking deck. Photo provided.
Sugar Hill residents and visitors will have more places to park now with the opening of the new parking deck in Downtown Sugar Hill. The deck is jointly owned by Sugar Hill’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and Solis Sugar Hill, an apartment facility. Of the 650 parking spaces, 250 are owned by the DDA and 300 spaces are for Solis Sugar Hill. The remaining 100 parking spaces are for joint use by the public and Solis Sugar Hill.
Mayor Pro Tem Marc Cohen says: “The deck is five-stories and consists of nearly 200,000 square feet, the largest area for public parking currently downtown. We will continue to add parking capacity downtown with the new Bowl Plaza called ‘The Landing,’ located at the end of the pond.” Altogether, the city will have available about 600 places to park.”
The parking deck is beside Sugar Hill’s Downtown campus with a direct view of The Bowl, the city’s award-winning outdoor amphitheater. This deck will provide more parking for The Bowl concert series as well as downtown events and activities. The new deck has two separate entrances. Public parking is accessible from Temple Drive, closest to The Bowl, while Solis residents parking is accessible from Hillcrest Drive. The parking deck is surrounded by 294 luxury apartment units and 11,200 square feet of commercial space owned by the DDA.
Downtown parking remains free with the Sugar Hill Marshal’s Office monitoring parking restrictions along West Broad Street. Signs showing areas subject to four-hour parking limits and overnight parking signs are located at most downtown parking areas.
Gateway85 CID votes to lower millage rates
Gateway85 Community Improvement District’s (CID)board of directors has voted to lower the 2023 millage rate from five-mills to four-mills. This came at the recommendation of Executive Director Emory Morsberger. This is a historic decrease for the CID, which is a self-taxing district that uses commercial property taxes to accelerate infrastructure improvements and promote economic development, since its formation in 2006.
Because of the efforts of Gateway85 CID in promoting prosperity and commerce in the area, local property values have increased to allow sustained value from a lower tax rate. In 2021, the CID’s property values equaled $1.7 billion.
Morsberger says: “I see it as an incredible indication that the CID’s efforts to improve our district and increase property values have been successful. The board felt, and I agreed, that we could maintain Gateway85 CID’s investment in projects, studies and more while achieving the same level of success for the CID’s programs and initiatives.”
Through partnerships with government and municipal organizations, Gateway85 CID has executed $110 million in improvements since 2006. Gateway85 CID’s office is located at 6305 Crescent Drive, Norcross, Ga. 30071.
City of Lawrenceville has management reorganization
The city of Lawrenceville has announced a reorganization aimed at improving operational efficiency, fostering stronger community relationships, and promoting strategic visioning. The reorganization involves the expansion of the Executive Management Team, the creation of new positions, and the appointment of key individuals in leadership roles.
Three new positions have been added to the Executive Management Team, led by City Manager Chuck Warbington, to address the city’s growing needs.
- Barry Mock, formerly assistant city manager and public works director, will assume the newly created assistant city manager, in a community development role.
- Jim Wright, the city engineer, has been appointed the public works director, while the city actively seeks a new city engineer.
- Michael Fischer joins the team as the assistant city manager, operations, having served in leadership for the City of Roswell.
- John Mullin, Chief of Police, will now join the Executive Management Team.
All will work alongside Melissa Hardegree, the chief communications officer, and Keith Lee, the chief financial officer.
Auto Mopar CAP at Gwinnett Tech is accredited
Program Director Andy Lindman instructs students. Photo provided.
Gwinnett Technical College’s Automotive Service Technology Mopar CAP program has been accredited by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). The accreditation assures students receive a quality education in automotive technology, which is current with emerging technologies and requirements in the automotive industry.
Gwinnett Tech is one of 11 public colleges in Georgia to hold this level of certification.
To achieve this recognition, the school’s automotive training program underwent rigorous evaluation by the ASE Education Foundation. Nationally accepted standards of excellence in instruction, facilities, and equipment were used.
Dr. Jennifer Roberts, dean of Public and Professional Services, adds: “During the past few months, we have worked closely with the ASE Education Foundation to make certain that our program would meet strict industry standards, and now we are delighted to join the ranks of the ASE accredited training programs.”
Past Lives by Celine Song
From Karen J. Harris, Stone Mountain: Past Lives is a poignant meditation on friendship, lasting ties and nameless longing that happens when a relationship is abruptly severed. The film opens with Nora and Hae Sung and Arthur sitting together in a restaurant pondering relationships and changes that occur over time. It then moves back 24 years when the Nora, (then Na Yung) and Hae Sung are 12 years old returning from school, and then having a playdate. Na Yung’s family immigrates to the United States with contact lost for 12 years. After intermittent contact via social media, they again lose contact. Twelve more years pass before they see each other. As they share and speak in Korean and English, the years and experiences are both broad and deep. Questions about reincarnation are lightly touched upon, but what shines through is the lasting impact they had on each other’s lives during their childhood in Korea.”
- 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
Veteran Georgia political journalist Bill Shipp dies
During a journalistic career that stretched over half a century, Bill Shipp distinguished himself as one of the country’s premier political commentators, whose pronouncements and predictions were heeded by policymakers and activists at all levels of government.
Shipp
William Shipp was born on August 16, 1933, in Marietta to Grace and Ralph Shipp. He graduated from Marietta High School and attended Emory University and the University of Georgia (UGA), where he was the managing editor of the student newspaper, the Red and Black. Shipp worked as a summer intern at the Atlanta Constitution in 1953, and in the fall of that year he wrote sharply critical editorials in the Red and Black protesting the decision by Georgia governor Herman Talmadge and the Board of Regents, including member Roy V. Harris, to bar Horace T. Ward’s enrollment at UGA.
Shipp’s support for integration ultimately resulted in his removal from the staff of the Red and Black, and according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he was subsequently encouraged to leave campus altogether. From 1954 to 1956, he served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, where he met and married Renate F. Reinelt; the couple had two daughters.
After Shipp came home from military service in 1956, he worked full time for the Atlanta Constitution. He went on to cover the civil rights movement, along with the early days of the space program, numerous political campaigns, and breaking stories all over the world during his three decades of writing and editing at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Shipp broke the story that Jimmy Carter planned to run for president. “Nobody believed me,” he later recalled. “I had to beg the news editor to put it on page one.”
In 1987 he resigned his position as political editor to start Word Merchants, which produced Bill Shipp’s Georgia, a weekly newsletter. In the 1990s it became the country’s first serious political journal online, making Shipp, an old-school newspaperman, a digital pioneer.
Shipp sold the company in 2000, but his twice-weekly columns continued to appear in more than sixty newspapers in the years that followed, and he was a regular panelist on The Georgia Gang, a weekly televised roundtable discussion of current events.
A consummate insider, Shipp was both a critic—and a confidante—of a generation of state leaders that included Governors Jimmy Carter and George Busbee. He maintained a years-long feud with former governor and U.S. Senator Zell Miller, though the two men reconciled late in life. “You couldn’t help but like Shipp,” remembered former governor Roy Barnes. “I don’t care what he said about you and how hard a time he gave you, he was such a likable soul and you knew he was doing what he thought was right.”
Shipp retired in 2009 and died July 8, 2023, at the age of 89. His papers are held at the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies at UGA. In 2016 he was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
This nearby scene may prove a difficult mystery
Today’s mystery photo might turn out to be difficult. So here’s one hint: it’s around here nearby. Put on your thinking cap, figure out the clues, and tell us where this photograph was taken. Send your answer to elliott@brack.net, and include the town where you live.
Ruthie Lachman Paul of Norcross recognized the recent photo, that of a new museum of Liverpool, England. She wrote: “3XN is a Danish architectural practice with head office in Copenhagen. In 2005 3XN won the competition for the new Museum of Liverpool which opened in 2011.The 3XN was founded in Århus, Denmark in 1986 as Nielsen, Nielsen and Nielsen (later 3 X Nielsen).”
Others recognizing it were Allan Peel, San Antonio, Tex.; Jay Altman, Columbia, S.C..; George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; and Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill.
- SHARE A MYSTERY PHOTO: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send to: elliott@brack.net and mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
Lilburn twins win awards at DAR national convention
Embroidery first place winner. Image provided.
Two members from Lilburn of the Philadelphia Winn Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Lawrenceville are national prize winners. Twin sisters Martha Ruppert (left) and Mary Frankiewicz (right) designed and created and won first place nationally in the Fine Arts/Embroidery category for their themed “Educating the Next Generation on Our Historic American Trails.”
They also won first place in the Evelyn Cole Peters Award, which represents the “best of the best” in an American Heritage Committee category. The award was presented to them at the 132nd DAR Continental Congress in Washington recently. Between the two sisters is Ann Keller of Bolivar, Mo., national vice chair of the Fine Arts category.
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