In the City of Norcross, the phrase “A Place to Imagine” is far more than a tagline; it’s a movement. With the adoption of the Norcross Master Arts and Cultural Plan earlier this month by Mayor Craig Newton and Council members, the city has a blueprint for the robust expansion of its public art identity, recognition of its rich history, and celebration of its cultural diversity. A labor of love for the Norcross Public Arts Commission (NPAC) for the last 14 years, Chair Bob Grossman and his fellow board members look forward to making this plan a reality. To ensure all stakeholders are represented, NPAC has issued a call for input from the public
Grossman says: “This is a major step forward for NPAC and for the citizens of Norcross. For the first time in our city’s long history, we have a strategic roadmap that will enrich the lives of our citizens and key stakeholders through arts and culture. This plan helps build upon our current assets and provides recommendations for improving in those areas where there are opportunities for growth. Based upon extensive interviews and community forums, there is clearly a mandate for the city’s support of the arts. We know that such arts and cultural activities can engage all the diverse communities within our reach.”
Grossman credits in large part the Commission’s partnership with Purpose Possible – a consultancy firm with the aim of transforming communities by empowering mission-driven organizations. Acknowledging that arts and culture are essential to any thriving community, the plan taps into Norcross’s unique legacy with its historic city center and stature as one of the most diverse communities in Georgia.
Grossman added, “We are already known as a city with a robust performance arts calendar between our festivals and live concert series. Focused primarily on public art like sculptures, mosaics, and murals, this forward-looking master plan will further celebrate our cultural diversity while fostering connections, enhancing the sense of a warm and welcoming environment, encouraging important dialogues, and delving into our rich history. We want to ensure that we are listening and responding appropriately to the diverse needs of our citizens. This will be an important economic engine for the city, and we have much to accomplish. We need to procure some early wins by completing several exciting public art projects already in the works.”
Among those projects for which a call for artists has already been issued:
- Beautifying public fences around the Downtown area – NPAC has requested renderings, ideas, and themes from local artists
- Creating a gateway to Heritage Park that involves the painting of a series of stairs that lead up to the park and will serve as a whimsical identifier of the pocket park, to which the Commission plans to add public art sculptures in the future
- Crafting interactive murals on various platforms around the city – a way to engage the community and visitors by creating a backdrop for photo ops.
“We have a blank canvas right now,” said Grossman. “This plan presents a wonderful opportunity to explore and examine what people would like to see and do here in Norcross from an artistic standpoint. We want to truly engage all stakeholders and encourage them to help us plant seeds for our actions in the future.”
Norcross residents wishing to share their ideas with the Commission are encouraged to email npac@norcrossga.net or message through their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/norcrossarts. Local artists are also encouraged to follow NPAC on Facebook to be apprised of projects when the city seeks requests for proposals.
Jackson EMC linemen help build power line in Guatemala
Four linemen from Jackson EMC volunteered with other linemen recently from Georgia’s electric cooperatives to bring electricity to a remote village in north central Guatemala.
In just 17 days, the linemen built four miles of electric lines to bring power to Sesaltul, a village that had never experienced the benefits of electricity. The linemen brought electricity to approximately 90 households, two schools and two churches.
Jackson EMC journeymen linemen from seven Georgia EMCs, including Walton EMC, participated in the work, sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association International Foundation.
Lineman Pete Arteaga, a Jackson EMC lineman in Gainesville, said the project initially seemed daunting – until the volunteer linemen from the participating cooperatives learned more about each other. “Once we started working together and realized what each other knew and were capable of, and what each person was good at doing, that really helped out a lot,” he said.
The linemen didn’t have the benefit of the tools and equipment they typically use for line work.
“Here at home, we have bucket trucks and line trucks and various battery tools. There—there’s nothing. It’s all on hooks and hand tools and very physical,” said Corey Willard, a Jackson EMC lineman in Jefferson.
Their work included building power lines along paved roads in Sesaltul. However, the real challenge arose when they extended electric service to homes, navigating through difficult terrain along trails in heavy vegetation leading to the villagers’ homes. Local villagers helped the linemen find each home.
“I’d say 99 percent of the huts were dirt floors,” said Michael Fraser, a Jackson EMC lineman in Lawrenceville. “They had bamboo walls or big palm leaves [on roofs]. And some of the huts had tin roofs with block walls. They slept in mainly hammocks or a makeshift little bed.”
Each village home received four lights, two switches and two outlets. Turning on the lights in the homes for the first time was an unforgettable and heartwarming experience.
“You would flip the breaker on and turn the switch on and they would look at the light, just look at it. Then, immediately they would go over there and turn it off like they were going to run out of power if they left it on,” Fraser said.
For Arteaga, the experience also brought back memories of his childhood. “When I was growing up as a kid, I didn’t have electricity until I was nine years old,” he said. “So, I knew what it was going to feel like for these people. It was very emotional for me because I was anxious to get it done so they could experience what I went through.”
Ben Campbell, a Jackson EMC lineman in Neese, said having electricity in their homes will make it easier for villagers to experience modern life. “There was a lot of joy, a lot of smiles,” he said. “You could almost see it in their faces the ideas they had and what they could do in their homes now [with electricity] and the things they can do with their lives moving forward.”
Employees at the cooperative raised almost $7,000 for supplies and equipment at two schools in the village, including ceiling fans the volunteer linemen installed at the schools during the project.
“I will never forget this opportunity and taking part in it,” Campbell said. “It was a long 17 days. It was well worth the experience.”
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