FIVE MILES OF NEW TRAIL: Hikers will soon be able to explore the new Eastern Gwinnett Regional Greenway Trail. The southern trailhead features boulders for seating, a pavilion for gatherings, an open lawn play area, parking for 25 cars, restrooms, landscaping, and a bioretention stormwater area. The northern trailhead lies just east of Auburn on U.S. Highway 29 near the Apalachee River, while the south end of the trail is at Harbins Road south of Georgia Highway 316. A ribbon cutting ceremony on July 22 will officially open the trailhead and two miles of trail from Harbins Road to Georgia Highway 316. The remaining sections of trail are under construction and will open over the next few months. The $19 million greenway project is funded by the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax program. The ceremony will also commemorate completion of the new Apalachee pump station. Both projects are part of a county government initiative to provide water, sewer, and trails for 8,500 acres of land in east Gwinnett . Click here to see a larger PDF of the trail.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Aurora’s 29th season begins with The Color Purple
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Return to regional postal sorting centers
SPOTLIGHT: Heaven and Alvarez, LLC
FEEDBACK: Passing buck no excuse from exercising free will
UPCOMING: County holds tax rate to be same as last year
NOTABLE: Governor names transition team for Mulberry
RECOMMENDED: Bleak House by Charles Dickens
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Treaty of Indian Springs cost McIntosh his life
MYSTERY PHOTO: Flags tell us this mystery could be an official site
CALENDAR: Dispose of hazardous waste July 20 at Gwinnett Fairgrounds
Aurora’s 29th season begins with The Color Purple
Amitria Fanae plays the lead role in the coming production of The Color Purple. Photo provided.
By Tony Sandrew
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | Lawrenceville Arts Center, home of Aurora Theatre, launches its 29th season by presenting The Color Purple. This poignant and uplifting musical runs August 15 to September 15 in the Clyde and Sandra Strickland Grand Stage.
Based on Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and the film by Steven Spielberg, and nominated for 11 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Original Score, this musical adaptation has touched hearts worldwide with its unforgettable story and soul-stirring music.
Co-Founder Ann Carol Pence says of presenting this musical to open Aurora’s 29th season: “Alice Walker wrote an award winning piece of literature that shows one woman’s strength, resiliency, and hard-earned glory. It is a community of women who guide the show, Shug Avery, Sofia, Nettie, the Church Ladies – all different and wonderfully complex and worthy.”
Ann Carol adds: “I have spent my entire professional career amplifying the female artist. To get the opportunity to work alongside Director Candy McClellan and Choreographer Pytron Parker on a musical that I have loved since its inception is a triumph. In an era where representation and inclusive storytelling are more important than ever, we uphold the vision and values that Aurora leads by daily. We provide a space for all. The Color Purple will not only entertain, but the show will encourage greater empathy and understanding.”
The Color Purple brings to life the emotional journey of its characters, celebrating the bonds of sisterhood, the healing power of love, and the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Set in early 20th-century rural Georgia, the musical tells the story of Celie played by Amitria Fanae, a young woman who faces oppression and abuse, yet finds strength and resilience through her relationships with other women in her life. The narrative explores themes of identity, self-discovery, love, and empowerment as Celie navigates through hardship and ultimately discovers her own voice and worth.
Ann Carol Pence will oversee the music direction of a soulful and powerful score blending jazz, gospel, blues, and ragtime.
Rounding out the principal cast are Tiffany Denise Hobbs (Shug), Shena Renee (Sofia), Adam Washington (Mister), Lawrence Flowers (Harpo), Jasmine Renee Ellis (Nettie), BriAnne Knights (Church Lady Doris), Roline Delva (Church Lady Darlene), and Daja Rice (Church Lady Jarene).
The production team will be led by former Aurora Theatre Apprentice Company member Candy Nicole Davison, making her main stage directorial debut. Other members of the creative team include: Pytron Parker (Choreographer), Katie Chambers (Director of Production), Daniel Pope (Production Manager), Ashley Hogan (Technical Director), Rachael Blackwell (Lighting Designer), Chris Lane (Sound Designer), Nairobi L. Moss (Costume Designer), Alexander Whittenburg (Scenic Designer), Kristin Talley (Prop Designer), and Marshall Lee Smith Jr. (Stage manager).
The Color Purple show times are as follows:
- Thursday and Friday: 8 p.m.;
- Saturday: 2:30 and 8 p.m.; and
- Sunday: 2:30 p.m.
There will be a special matinee performance at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, August 21. Tickets start from $31 and are on sale now. Visit www.auroratheatre.com or call 678-226-6222. The Color Purple contains mature content, adult themes, and may not be suitable for children under 12.
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Return to regional postal sorting centers
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JULY 19, 2024 | The post office almost tries to hide the cost of a first class stamp, since we now have “forever stamps.” There’s no association with the cost of the stamp printed on it. It’s like they are trying to pull the wool over our eyes about how much it now costs to mail a letter.
Today to mail a letter is now 73 cents. That’s right. That’s almost three quarters. The problem is that I am old enough to remember when to mail a first class letter, the price was once three cents!
Most of the people living today cannot imagine such low prices for mailing a letter. Let’s add another element to those older days of the 1940s of postal delivery: the service was good, no, it was excellent. There were seldom delays.
We are not up-to-date on the rules governing the management of the Post Office. But one aspect is clear: Postmaster Louis DeJoy clearly ought to be let go immediately.
Why President Biden and former President Trump haven’t canned DeJoy already is beyond me. I would be “overjoyed!”
Look at the Atlanta mailing area in particular. We can remember back, was it about 1990?, when the Post Office built regional centers to transfer mail from distant post offices to a central location. Mail in northeast Georgia, for instance, was sent from local post offices to the regional sorting center off Boggs Road in Duluth, where it was sorted and dispatched to other locations. If I am not mistaken, there were 96 loading docks at the Duluth dispatch center.
There were similar locations in Cobb County, downtown Atlanta, Augusta and Macon, serving similar geographic areas.
Meanwhile, higher muckety-mucks of the Postal Department sought ways to improve on these regional postal centers. Their plan: to have all these dispatch centers combined into one giant super-regional center. After all, bigger is better, right? Then the post office could build this super giant center, and have trucks from all over half of Georgia come to one location for sorting and dispatching mail. Won’t this be better, one central facility? What could possibly go wrong? Everything under one roof!
Now you understand the thinking of the muckety-mucks, who probably never worked even in a local post office, much less a regional center.
What could go wrong?
Well, several things:
- Being in metro Atlanta, a water main could burst, flooding that center, and put it out of business. And in Atlanta, who would ever think a water main might gush with water?
- Lightning could strike this one giant postal center.
- Highway construction could make it difficult for all these many postal trucks to get to this one site.
- Or once there, mail machines might back up, and letter processing might be slow, and cause hundreds of trucks coming to the center to be delayed at parking, and causing traffic congestion beyond belief, sitting there unloaded, and delaying the mail sorting and delivery to its destination even further.
Naw! We’re in the 21st century. Nothing like that could happen in Palmetto!
Well, it did. And though postal officials maintain that it’ll all work out, we beg to differ.
The U.S. Postmaster needs to can his massive sorting plan, admit that it flopped, and return to the regional sorting centers. Sending all our mail to Palmetto isn’t working out, and may never work out. It’s unreal to load your entire operation on such a massive sorting plant.
First fire Postmaster DeJoy, then return to regional sorting centers, and see better mail delivery in north Georgia. Hopefully, some day soon we’ll get our 73 cents worth.
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Passing buck no excuse from exercising free will
Editor, the Forum:
Yes, I cringe when I hear a well-meaning religious person blame the state of the world on a mass departure from our Judeo-Christian roots. “Only God can save us” is a nice way to pass the buck and excuse us from exercising our freewill to address the problems that the misuse of our freewill created in the first place.
– Gary Christensen, Chamblee
Recalling public housing success in New York
Editor, the Forum:
The recent article on public housing was a good one. Growing up in New York, specifically Canarsie, meant I was next door to Starrett City, which took the opposite approach of small neighborhoods. It was never considered the “Projects” like BedSty. It had a very different approach, and for the time, it was exceptional. Though the “two waiting list” system was a problem by its nature, it got past that and became a place that many people wanted to live in. Check out in this article.
I’ve talked with Peachtree Corners leadership about creating affordable housing in our city. There are many ways to do it, and mandatory inclusionary zoning is one way. Plus, moving from rental to equity ownership is another way, if it can be made affordable. It takes political will and federal and state programs to help subsidize it.
I remember that small affordable housing (under 20 units) was tried to be placed in New York neighborhoods throughout the city. It would be “Sprinkled into communities” so no area would face a 1,000-unit project. But “Not in my back yard” was powerful in the shadows of those neighborhoods in the 70s and 80s.
Your piece brought back my time with Sen. Chuck Schumer as a young congressman and my year with him working on local constituent issues like tenant/landlord programs.
Love getting your newsletter.
– Rico Figliolini, Peachtree Corners
Dear Rico: thanks for that link to workable public housing in New York. Though long, it explains what to do and what not to do in regards to public housing. –eeb
- 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 by to: ebrack2@gmail.com.
County holds taxes to be same as 2023 rate
Gwinnett Commissioners this week adopted the 2024 millage rate at 6.95 mills for the general fund, which is no change from the 2023 rate.
The 2024 total property tax millage rate for property owners for all services in unincorporated Gwinnett County will be 14.71. The millage rates for special service districts and countywide levies for recreation and economic development also remain unchanged from last year. Millage rates for service districts in Gwinnett are based on property location and county services provided, such as police, fire and emergency services and code enforcement.
Details on the 2024 millage rates and additional information about how property taxes are calculated are available online at GwinnettCounty.com.
Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson says: “Holding the rate steady means we’re able to continue delivering the superior government services residents rely on without homeowners who benefit from the value offset exemption paying more this year.”
Property taxes are based on millage rates set by county government, the school and the cities. One mill equals a dollar tax per thousand dollars of assessed property value. Most homeowners in Gwinnett benefit from the value offset exemption, which means this week’s action paves the way for the Tax Commissioner’s Office to mail property tax bills in August. Payments are due in October.
Nonprofit capacity grants have deadline of Aug. 30
Gwinnett County will begin accepting applications for its Non-profit Capacity Building Grant on Thursday, August 1. The grant program provides financial assistance to nonprofits negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners has allocated $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to help nonprofits increase their effectiveness and enhance their impact on the community.
In alignment with the County’s Human Services Strategic Plan, funding will be awarded to organizations providing services in food security, housing, health and wellness, youth, literacy and learning and cross-cutting barriers to access like transportation or culturally and linguistically responsive services.
Nonprofits can apply for assistance for capital support or operational support. Capital support focuses on projects that improve capacity by fulfilling a capital need such as equipment, software solutions and vehicles. Operational support focuses on providing technical assistance and learning modules to grow the organization’s capacity.
- Applications may be submitted until August 30 and can be accessed in the grant application portal. For more information on the grant, visit GwinnettCounty.com.
Kroger seeks artist for Gwinnett store’s wall panels
The Hudgens Center for Art and Learning, in partnership with the Kroger Company, will commission a professional artist to create indoor artwork for a new Kroger grocery store located in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Deadline for submission is July 29.
One artist will be awarded a commission of $10,000. This amount includes all artist fees and the cost of the design, including fabrication and installation on said panels, and will include transportation and insurance costs to deliver said artwork to the new Kroger grocery store.
This opportunity is open to professional artists in the Metro Atlanta area with the ability to produce exemplary large-scale art. Interested artists must submit the following documents and supporting materials.
- A current resume.
- Five images documenting previously completed works that demonstrate the ability to design, create and install large-scale art. Each image must be no larger than 10 MB.
- An annotated information sheet with the title, date, and brief description of each image.
The artwork will be prominently displayed on a wall inside the store as part of the Kroger Company’s commitment to involving artists in beautifying new stores in Georgia and throughout the nation. The artwork will be expected to celebrate the spirit of the community and the unique identity of the neighborhood and its surroundings.
Governor names transition team for Mulberry
On July 12, 2024, Gov. Brian Kemp appointed a team of interim representatives to serve on behalf of the City of Mulberry and aid residents as the new city plan begins to take shape. These five transition team members will serve until Mulberry City Council elections are held in November and will assist the city with the negotiation of intergovernmental agreements and preparation for providing municipal services. Under state law, members of the transition team are ineligible to hold elected city office in the new municipality.
Members of the Mulberry transition team include House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, Senator Clint Dixon, state Rep. Derrick McCollum, Jerry Hanes, and Chuck Warbington.
Efstration is a lifelong resident of Gwinnett County and sponsored the legislation to create the City of Mulberry in the House of Representatives. A former felony prosecutor, Efstration lives in Mulberry with his wife, Ashley, where they hope to preserve northeastern Gwinnett’s rural roots for their two young boys.
Dixon sponsored the legislation to create the City of Mulberry in the Senate and has been a vocal voice for local control in northeastern Gwinnett. He currently represents the area in the State Senate and lives in Buford with his wife, Hayden, and their three children.
McCollum was a co-sponsor of the legislation to create the City of Mulberry and represents the northeastern portion of the area in the House of Representatives. A firefighter and retired Marine, McCollum resides in South Hall with his wife, Gina.
Hanes currently serves as president of the Hamilton Mill Board of Directors in the Mulberry area. A resident of Hamilton Mill for more than 20 years, Hanes was a vocal supporter of the referendum to approve the City of Mulberry’s charter, which voters passed by a 14 percent margin.
Warbington is city manager Lawrenceville. He lives in the Mulberry area with his wife, Stacey, and children.
In a joint statement, the Mulberry Transition Team voiced their desire to get Mulberry up and running as soon as possible.
“Voters in our community have spoken loud and clear – they want local control over planning and zoning. As we approach the November council elections, we will be working tirelessly to ensure our new council members have a smooth transition to cityhood and that Mulberry is prepared for success on Day One,” their statement read.
- More information about the Mulberry Transition Team will be made available soon. In the meantime, people with questions should direct them for the team to transition@cityofmulberryga.com.
Bleak House, by Charles Dickens
From Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill: This is an unfortunate title for a colorful book. It’s about a 19th century London court case that has dragged on for generations, leaving death and despair in its wake. A fortune is at stake, but conflicting wills have made it impossible to decide who gets the money. Several potential heirs have pinned their financial hopes on winning the wealth for themselves, but the case drags on for decades. By today’s standards, the plot is not particularly gripping and some of the subplots are frivolous, distracting and unnecessarily complicated. On the plus side, however, Dickens is wonderfully descriptive and equally brilliant at depicting the opulence of the British aristocracy as well as the deplorable conditions of the poor. He even throws in a mystery. Bleak House gives us memorable characters in a rare mixture of comedy, lightheartedness and tragedy. This is a cautionary tale and, fortunately, it’s not all bleak.
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Treaty of Indian Springs cost Chief McIntosh his life
(From previous edition)
In 1821 John Crowell replaced Indian agent David B Mitchell as Indian agent. Crowell severed William McIntosh’s access to resources, weakening McIntosh’s influence among the Creeks, who were compelled to sell some of their land to pay debts and to acquire food and supplies. However, for his role in the first Treaty of Indian Springs, in 1821, McIntosh received 1,000 acres of land at Indian Springs and another 640 acres on the Ocmulgee River.
After that treaty, Governor George Troup was determined to enforce the Compact of 1802 that called for the extinguishment of all Indian titles to land in Georgia. Despite the fervent opposition of many Upper Creeks, and with Troup’s assurances of protection, Chief McIntosh, together with a small contingent of mostly Lower Creek chiefs, negotiated the second Treaty of Indian Springs, in 1825. This treaty provided for the cession of virtually all Creek land remaining in the state of Georgia in exchange for a payment of $200,000. A controversial article in the treaty provided additional payment to McIntosh for the lands granted to him in the 1821 treaty.
On February 12, 1825, only six chiefs, including McIntosh, signed the document. McIntosh’s motives have since been debated. His supporters suggest that he acted pragmatically, believing that the Georgians’ relentless demand for Creek land made its loss inevitable. His detractors suggest that he acted to spite his enemies, flouting Creek law and profiting personally.
Whatever his motivations were, McIntosh’s participation in the 1825 Treaty of Indian Springs cost him his life. According to a Creek law that McIntosh himself had supported, a sentence of execution awaited any Creek leader who ceded land to the United States without the full assent of the entire Creek Nation. Just before dawn on April 30, 1825, Upper Creek chief Menawa, accompanied by 200 Creek warriors, attacked McIntosh at Lockchau Talofau to carry out the sentence. They set fire to his home, and shot and stabbed to death McIntosh and the elderly Coweta chief Etomme Tustunnuggee.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Flags tell us this mystery could be an official site
Today’s Mystery Photo could be an official site because of the many flags. Try to figure out where this is, and send your idea to ebrack2@gmail.com. And tell us your hometown.
The last Mystery Photo was recognized by many people, after Michelle Cobb Dolske of Orlando, Fla. sent the photo, saying: “We stayed there for a few nights while we were bringing our new boat down to Florida.”
Those spotting the location included D.H. Malcolm, Duluth; Matt Willis, Lawrenceville; Cathy Loew, Peachtree Corners; Stew Ogilvie, Lawrenceville; Jim Savadelis, Suwanee; Cindy Evans, Duluth; Ross Lenhart, Stone Mountain; Jay Altman, Columbia, S.C.; John Moore, Duluth; George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; Mikki Dillon, Lilburn; Rick Krause, Lilburn; Mike Tennant, Duluth; and Lindsay Borenstein of Atlanta.
Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. gave us some history of the area where the photo was taken: “Today’s mystery photo is of the red-and-white-striped Harbour Town Lighthouse, located at the Marina, which is part of the Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island. Although it was never an officially sanctioned light, this lighthouse is privately owned and only functions as an aid to navigation around the marina and is a popular tourist site and an iconic symbol for the area.
“The Harbour Town Lighthouse was designed by Charles Elbert Fraser, the developer of Sea Pines Resort, and his brother Bacon Fraser Jr. At 93-feet tall, the octagonal tower was first lit in 1970 with a 2.5-second flashing white light. This was later changed in 2010 to a white flashing light every 30-seconds that could be seen from 25-miles away.
“The lighthouse is open to the public, and visitors can climb 114 steps to the observation deck. As you make the climb though 10-levels of stairs, you will be presented with a number of historic exhibits and photos of Harbour Town, dating all the way back to when the area was first inhabited approximately 10,000 years ago. Continue the climb to see what the area looked like when the Spanish first traveled through Calibogue Sound in the 1500s and continue on until you reach the 10th level that documents the history of the area in the late-1800s. Once you reach the observation deck, you will be rewarded with breathtaking panoramic views of the Calibogue Sound, Daufuskie Island and the surrounding marshland.”
- 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: ebrack2@gmail.com and mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
Dispose hazardous waste July 20 at Gwinnett Fairgrounds
Household hazardous waste collection day is Saturday, July 20, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds, 2405 Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville. The Environmental Protection Agency defines household hazardous waste as “leftover household products that can catch fire, react, or explode under certain circumstances, or are corrosive or toxic.” Among the items to be collected are from aerosols to wood preservatives, including such items as all sorts of batteries, fire extinguishers, insecticides, latex and water based paints, pesticides and propane cylinders. Questions can be directed to GC&B Program Coordinator Kim Davis at 770-822-5187 or gwinnettcb@gwinnettcb.org.
Writers’ Workshop is coming to the Lilburn Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. The workshop will be July 20 at 1 p.m. Learn more about writing, network with other writers, and listen to accomplished authors who will offer tips to improve your writing. In partnership with the Atlanta Writers Club. Registration is recommended.
Gwinnett Historical Society is re-scheduling its July meeting, which will now be on Monday, July 22 at Rhodes Jordan Park Community Center. Temporary disruption of electric service at the site caused the newly-scheduled meeting. Stewart Ewing, a local historian and amateur genealogist with deep roots in Gwinnett, will be the featured speaker as originally planned. His presentation for the meeting will focus on road development during colonial times and is more specifically entitled “The Road to Georgia – Colonial Road Development into the Southeast and the Great Migration.” Gather at 6 p.m. for snacks followed by a business meeting. The program begins at 7:30 p.m.
Lionheart Theatre in Norcross presents The Enchanted Bookshop by Todd Wallinger on July 25-28. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday; on Saturday at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday at 3 p.m. The playhouse is located at 10 College Street. For tickets at $12, call 404 919 4022.
Braselton 5-K run benefiting the Braselton Police Foundation will be Saturday, July 27, starting at 6:30 a.m. This is a certified run and the time can be used as a qualifier for next year’s AJC Peachtree Road Race. To register, go to this site.
Celebrate Harry Potter’s birthday: Come to the Duluth Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library at 7 p.m. on July 31 to join the party. Enjoy themed snacks and drinks, participate in wizarding games and activities, and celebrate your love of the Harry Potter universe! Costumes and wizarding attire are highly encouraged. This event is for adults only. Advance registration is preferred.
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