GwinnettForum | Number 25.08 | Jan. 28, 2025
BUFORD CITY SCHOOLS has taken its tried-and-true path to pick its next school superintendent: it has promoted again from within its staff. Dr. Amy Chafin, currently the deputy superintendent, will become its Buford City School superintendent at the end of this school year. She will replace Melanie Reed, who will retire in May after 31 years with that school system. School Board Chairman Phillip Beard says the district’s tradition of “honoring talent within” has worked well. “We have seen tremendous success when we have promoted leadership from within.” Chafin, a native of Sylvester, graduated from Worth County High school, has a bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State University, and master’s degree from Georgia Southwestern, a specialist degree and a doctorate degree from Valdosta State. She is married to Scott Chafin, who plans to retire from teaching at Buford Academy at the end of the school year. They have a daughter, Emma, a nursing student at Georgia Southern, and a son, Ian, who is a 10th grader at Buford High.
TODAY’S FOCUS: California needs lots of craftsmen to rebuild housing
EEB PERSPECTIVE: How one city operates without property tax
SPOTLIGHT: Centurion Advisory Group
FEEDBACK: Major debt means USA is headed for big financial problems
UPCOMING: Improvements coming to four county areas
NOTABLE: Georgia Gwinnett enrollment up five percent for spring
RECOMMENDED: That One Should Disdain Hardships by Musonius Rufus
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Famed coach Pop Warner began career at UGA
MYSTERY PHOTO: Can you pinpoint this mountain scene?
CALENDAR: Health Literacy Fair is Jan. 29 in Lawrenceville
California needs lots of craftsmen to rebuild housing
By Raleigh Perry
BUFORD, Ga. | Some sources list 10,000 and others say 20,000 structures have burned to the ground in the California wildfires. They will need to be rebuilt.
You are not going to find a carpenter in an Armani suit with Allen Edmonds shoes and a Rolex going to Lowes, Home Depot or Menards to buy a claw hammer to do this work. Even if someone did, he would not know what weight of hammer was needed for different jobs. Hammers come in weights and you do not want to use a 10 ounce hammer to frame a house.
I watched a neighbor build a shed with a 10 ounce hammer. He hit a ten penny nail about a zillion times to nail it down. I went to the house and got my 22 ounce hammer and knocked one in with two whacks.
You are also going to need a circular saw, but what kind (not brand) do you need to build a house? If you just want a board shortener, you can get one for $50, but if you need a framing saw, you are going to spend more. You gain some muscle to use that one, since they are heavy. You have to have the tools and the knowledge to build even a shed. To do it right, how far apart will you put the studs?
So you finally get the basic structure in and you move inside to hang the sheet rock, mud it, let that dry and then sand it. I have done that before and would rather face a firing squad than to do it again.
So there are a lot of elements that have to be in place to build a house. You are not going to get instructions from PEOPLE magazine. You need a person who knows how to do all of that and more. There are, of course, Handy Andys that can do that, but you will pay out the nose.
I called Angi’s List to put a new gate in my fence and they sent a man without enough tools or knowhow. He did not even have a level, and his saw was from Big Lots. I had to show him how to make the gates and, believe it or not, at age 80, I did most of the whole thing. But Angie wanted to charge me even though they sent an incompetent.
The truth of the matter is that there are precious few people to do the odd jobs and do it right anymore. The work is demeaning for most of the people in the U.S. When is the last time that you saw a man painting his own house? He would rather pay a substantial amount for a crew to do it and you must keep an eye on them.
My point is that we need a vast labor pool to take care of the massive amount of work that needs to be done. And that is talking about here. California needs a boatload of craftsmen to rebuild the many homes needed there. It’ll take a long time.
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How one city operates without property tax
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JAN. 28, 2025 | Some people lament paying taxes. They don’t understand that taxes allow us to live in a more civilized manner, helping and protecting us all along. That’s why I don’t mind paying reasonable taxes for the safety of everyday living.
Many don’t recognize it, but you are often paying a small tax without realizing it as you go about your everyday business….but it’s not called a tax.
It’s called a “fee.” Each time you pay your power or utility bill and cable bill, your insurance premium, when you rent a hotel room or car…and other ways…you are providing a few cents or dollars to help fund mostly local government.
The newly-minted City of Mulberry (and previously Peachtree Corners) will run its government without taxing property owners paying a tax to fund its operations. How so? Entirely from fees.
Let’s visit what the other city without property taxes, Peachtree Corners, is doing.
We talked with Cory Salley, who is the finance director for Peachtree Corners. He sent along a graphic which shows where Peachtree Corners gets its funding, as well as how it is spent. (See graphic.)
For the most part, Peachtree Corners is funded by fees. The biggest comes from Georgia Power Company, paying $2.8 million in fees for the city for 2025. Other utilities include $450,000 from Atlanta Gas Light Company; $250,000 from Comcast; $70,000 from Direct TV; and $42,000 from AT&T. (That last figure was interesting, in effect, showing how few people have land-line telephones any more.) Altogether, utility fees brought in $4.3 million in Peachtree Corners for 2024.
Another bucket of fees include $3.8 million in insurance fees. This comes in one check from the Department of Revenue, which collects insurance fees for all cities.
Each business in Peachtree Corners pays an occupational business license tax. With lots of professional offices in the city, these businesses contribute $4.4 million to the city coffers.
Other fee collections for 2024:
- Alcoholic licenses and sales: $1 million.
- Zoning and land development permits: $1.4 million.
- SPLOST funds on sales within Peachtree Corners: $10 million.
- Automobile and vehicle purchases: $1.7 million. This is interesting: no matter where you buy an automobile in Georgia, part of the sales tax reverts to the city where you live.
Then there are other funds coming to the city; stormwater fees, grants, solid waste, etc. Altogether, it added up to approximately a $40 million income to run the city.
Some specifics and the way they are figured:
- Real estate transfer taxes: This tax is imposed at the rate of $1 on the first $1,000 and 10 cents on each additional $10 on any conveyance of real property when the value of the interest transferred exceeds $100.
- Distilled Spirits—up to 22 cents per liter on package sales and up to 3 percent of the sale price of a drink on sales to the public;
- Wine—up to 22 cents per liter; and
- Malt Beverages—up to $6.00 per bulk container (no more than 15.5 gallons) to be paid by the wholesaler and up to 5 cents per 12 ounces when sold in bottles, cans or other containers.
- A municipality may levy a business license tax on depository financial institutions (such as a bank.) The maximum rate of this tax is 0.25 percent.
- Hotel-motel tax: a municipality may levy a hotel-motel tax at a rate of 3 percent or less or at a rate of 5, 6, 7, or 8 percent. (Yes, let the out-of-towner pay!)
Perhaps this gives you an idea of how a city, like Mulberry in the future, can operate without property taxes.
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Major debt means our country headed for big financial problems
Editor, the Forum:
Randy Brunson made some good observations in GwinnettForum recently, but he did not address our $36 trillion national debt and the increased cost of living in the last four years. I traded U.S. government securities on Wall Street in the first half of my career with a primary dealer of the Federal Reserve Bank. With the excessive government spending and other financial issues with our government, we are heading for big problems unless we change courses.
– Stewart Ogilvie, Rehobeth, Ala.
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Improvements coming to four county areas
The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners acted on several initiatives during its January 21 meeting. A recap of what the Board approved follows.
East Park Place Intersection Improvements: To ease congestion during peak morning traffic, the Board approved a $1.18 million contract with Azimuth Contractors LLC of Suwanee to improve the intersection of East Park Place Boulevard at Stone Mountain Highway. The project includes constructing triple left turn lanes on the northbound approach, upgrading traffic signals and replacing sidewalks and curb and gutter. Funded by the SPLOST program, this improvement aims to enhance traffic flow in one of Gwinnett’s busiest areas.
Braselton Highway Pedestrian Enhancements: Vertical Earth Inc. of Cumming was awarded a $1.23 million contract to construct new sidewalks along the west side of Braselton Highway, connecting Meridian Drive to Ironwood Briar Drive. This project, funded by the 2017 SPLOST program, will link residential neighborhoods to nearby commercial areas. Additional upgrades include installing curb and gutter along Braselton Highway and Crabapple Circle, increasing pedestrian safety and accessibility.
Renovation and Expansion of Bill Atkinson Animal Welfare Center: The Board approved a significant investment to renovate and expand the Bill Atkinson Animal Welfare Center. The 3,520-square-foot addition will enhance animal intake, adoption services, and training spaces. Exterior improvements include new shade structures over outdoor animal areas.
The project will also convert the existing K-9 unit building into specialized high-risk and quarantine isolation kennels. Expanded parking and reconfigured intake and adoption spaces will improve accessibility and streamline operations, reflecting the County’s commitment to prioritizing animal welfare. The $4.4 million contract awarded to Place Services, Inc., of Canton is funded by the 2023 SPLOST.
Georgia Gwinnett enrollment up 5% for spring
New year. New semester. More students. That’s how Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) is starting its spring semester. Enrollment increased five percent over the spring 2024 semester to 11,636 students. This is the eighth consecutive semester that the college has seen growth.
Dr. Jann L. Joseph, president of GGC, says: “More residents in Gwinnett County and beyond are attracted to GGC for several reasons. When you offer bachelor’s degrees that are designed to give students the knowledge and practical skills needed for a career, people take notice.”
Joseph added that several GGC initiatives have contributed to the continued growth of the college, including instant decision days, the college’s central location, low tuition rates and small class sizes. “There’s an added value when you offer students on-campus learning opportunities that extend to the surrounding community,” said Joseph.
Joseph added that 76 percent of GGC’s students are from Gwinnett County.
That One Should Disdain Hardships by Musonius Rufus
From Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill: Can a person say he has courage if he’s never had a chance to practice courage? Can he say he has discipline if he’s never practiced discipline? Facing and embracing actual hardships are the best ways to improve oneself and live a better life, according to first century AD Roman Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus. In this collection of his teachings, Rufus tells us that mankind is born with an inclination toward virtue. However, even though studying virtue is admirable, it means very little if we don’t put virtue into practice. The book title can be confusing, but a clearer idea of the author’s message can be found in the Italian title which translates as ‘it is necessary to have hardships.’ This is not the best book about Stoicism I’ve ever read, but I enjoyed it when I took it in small bites. This translation is short and easy to read.” The full title is That One Should Disdain Hardships: The Teachings of a Roman Stoic. (Translated by Cora E. Lutz)
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Famed coach Pop Warner began career at UGA
One of the most successful coaches in college football history and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Glenn “Pop” Warner received his start at the University of Georgia in Athens, where in 1896 he coached the Bulldogs to their first-ever undefeated season.
Glenn Scobey Warner was born on April 5, 1871, in Springville, N.Y.. ]In June 1894 he graduated with a law degree from Cornell University, where he captained the football team during his last year of school. The oldest player on the team, he was given the nickname “Pop.”
After practicing law for four months in Buffalo, N.Y., Warner turned to coaching. In September 1895, the University of Georgia, which had only 248 students at the time, hired him to coach its fledgling football program. Although the team lost four of its seven games in Warner’s first season, UGA won all four games his second year, marking the school’s first undefeated season. Despite his success, Warner was discouraged by the low salary and poor facilities. Homesick, he returned to Cornell to coach in 1897.
In spite of an impressive two-year record of 15-5-1 at Cornell, he moved on in 1899 to coach at the Carlisle Indian School in Carlisle, Penn. In five years he transformed the school into a national power, amassing a record of 11-2-1 in 1903. After spending three more years at Cornell, he returned to Carlisle in 1907. His return coincided with the arrival of Jim Thorpe, generally considered the greatest athlete of the first half of the 20th century.
During Warner’s second tenure at Carlisle, four of his eight teams lost only once, often against larger and more talented teams. In 1915, lured by a higher salary and better facilities, he took over the University of Pittsburgh program, remaining through the 1923 season. Four of his teams went undefeated.
In 1924 he moved to Stanford University, where he coached the team in three Rose Bowl championships and went undefeated in 1926. His Stanford teams were noted for their speed and were led by legendary player Ernie Nevers.
Warner finished his career at Temple University in Philadelphia, where he coached from 1933 to 1938. After winning just three of ten games in 1938, Warner retired. His teams had won 313 games when he retired, more than any other coach at the time. (Since then most experts have acknowledged six additional wins.) As of 2010 Warner was sixth on the NCAA list of college football coaches with the most victories, with an overall record of 319-106-32.
During Warner’s 44 years as a head coach he introduced many innovations to the game, including the spiral punt; naked bootleg; double reverse; three-point stance; screen pass; single- and double-wing formations; the numbering of players’ jerseys; the employment of shoulder pads, thigh pads, lightweight uniforms, and safer helmets; and the use of blocking sleds and tackling dummies at practice.
From Warner’s viewpoint his most important contribution was the formation, in 1929, of the Pop Warner Youth Football League for children. In 2010 approximately 250,000 football players and more than 160,000 cheerleaders participated in league programs all over the world. Known today as the Pop Warner Little Scholars Program, more than 65 percent of all players in the National Football League have participated in Pop Warner football.
Warner died in Palo Alto, Calif., on September 7, 1954. Two 32-cent stamps bearing his likeness were issued as part of a four-stamp set featuring Bear Bryant, George Halas, Vince Lombardi, and Warner.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Can you pinpoint this mountain scene?
Look closely and you’ll find a flag flying in this Mystery Photo. Can you determine from this where this photograph was taken? Send your answer to ebrack2@gmail.com, and include your hometown.
Holly Moore of Suwanee instantly recognized the recent mystery. “This is the ‘historic’ Dutch Mill Motel and restaurant in Duluth. I think it might still be standing when we moved here in 1991, but it didn’t last long after that.” The photograph is from archives of Gwinnett Daily News.
Others eyeballing it were Barbara Knox Luckhurst, Duluth; Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; Bob Hanson, Loganville; Jay Altman, Columbia, S.C.; Kay Montgomery, Duluth; Ann Odum, Duluth; and Michelle Staab, Dacula, who said: “My family ate there when I was a small child. The pineapple cake was so good. There was interest in renovating it to its former glory in the 90s; however, it burned down and was ultimately demolished.”
It was originally located along Buford Highway between Georgia Highway 120 and Rogers Bridge Road. It was built and operated in 1948, by Mr. Lowry L. Arnold (1905–1970) and his wife Lenora Love Hogan-Arnold (1909–1966) and their two daughters, Dorothy “Dot” Arnold Turner and Jean Arnold Corley (1931–2023).
Allan Peel of San Antonio added: “It was the first formal sit-down restaurant in Duluth. It was famous for its fried chicken and barbeque that was cooked and smoked in a fire pit just outside the kitchen, all served with fresh vegetables from the farmers’ market each day. The banana pudding and pineapple cake were highly popular as well.
“In 1965, the Arnolds sold the property to Ray Burns, who ran it for another 23 years. The Dutch Mill Motel and Restaurant were totally destroyed in a fire in 1998 and then demolished. The only artifact that remains of the building today is the Dutch Mill Motel ‘Air Conditioned’ neon sign that was rescued by a local Duluth resident, Jason Moore, who, in partnership with the developers of Parsons Alley and the City of Duluth, had the sign restored and is now installed on a brick wall at the Good Word Brewing and Public House in Parsons Alley.”
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Health literacy fair on Jan. 29 in Lawrenceville
Prospective Foster Parent Information Session is scheduled for January 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the Five Forks Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Learn how to become a foster parent in Gwinnett County.
Health Literacy Fair: Gwinnett Coalition along with 20+ health-related partners are holding a bilingual Health Literacy Fair for adults on January 29 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Our Lady of the Americas Church, 4603 Lawrenceville Highway, Lilburn. There will be workshops, a food demonstration, vaccines, hygiene kits, a mental health panel discussion, health screenings, and door prizes.” Those wanting to participate must register beforehand at bit.ly/2025HealthLiteracyFair.
Author Talk with Clint Smith: Join history author Clint Smith as he discusses his book The Georgia Air National Guard. Books will be
available for sale and signing. This will take place at the Buford Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library on January 31 at noon.
Personal Goals Workshop will be presented on February 1 at 1 p.m. at the Norcross Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Learn how a structured approach to personal goal-setting can refine your values, cultivate self-love, and foster acceptance.
Father-Daughter Valentine Dance sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of North Gwinnett will be held February 7 and 8 at the Braselton Civic Center. Cost is $100 a couple. Tickets are still available. To purchase tickets, go to: https://www.bigtickets.com/events/ngkc/fdd2025/.
Are hazardous products mounting up at your home? Relief is on the way. Household hazardous waste collection day is on the way, and will be February 8 from 9 a.m. until noon at the Gwinnett Fairgrounds in Lawrenceville.
Small Business Book Club will meet on February 10 and 24 at noon in the Norcross Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. This group isn’t just about reading, it’s about dynamic interactions that can reshape your business strategies. Join us to engage in insightful discussions and connect with like-minded entrepreneurs.
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