GwinnettForum | Number 25.24| March 25, 2025
VALET PARKING: The City of Norcross is testing a new service for people visiting the downtown stores and restaurants: a valet parking service. Its first weekend has just passed, with good reviews. The new service is available on Fridays through Sundays. For more details, see Upcoming below.
TODAY’S FOCUS: School Board misses point of why people are upset
EEB PERSPECTIVE: There is one situation worse than ROBO telephone calls
SPOTLIGHT: Centurion Advisory Group
FEEDBACK: Article on LaFayette draws three responses
UPCOMING: Norcross testing valet parking three days a week
NOTABLE: New film and production studio open in Flowery Branch
RECOMMENDED: The Last Castle, by Denise Kiernan
GEORGIA TIDBIT: A Distant Flame is successful Civil War novel
MYSTERY PHOTO: Tall building during fall is today’s mystery
CALENDAR: Heritage of Duluth hosts reception at 5 p.m. today
School board misses point of why people are upset
By Lisa Ramsey
SUGAR HILL, Ga. | The Gwinnett County Public School’s (GCPS) board continues to miss the point of why so many are upset with the board’s fiscal irresponsibility and support HB767.
Ramsey
That was never clearer than the social media posts from the “poor bullied Black women” on the board. But this has never been a black vs. white issue. This is about fiscal irresponsibility and a lack of trust in the board. Being a public servant isn’t easy, but as the face of GCPS, these five individuals are subject to public opinion, good and bad.
Many supporters and detractors agree on the following points:
- Former Supt. Calvin Watts should have been fired with cause (i.e.: the clear backpack fiasco). There are consequences for actions. His consequence should have been to be fired.
- We want a forensic audit of the entire system. If nothing is wrong, they should welcome an audit. The price of the audit would be far less than some of the financial decisions over the last four years.
- The increase in positions at the Instructional Support Center averaging $200K plus doesn’t match student growth. Those positions must be justified going forward or eliminated.
Where we disagree:
This has never been about demographics. We don’t worry about color; that is a simple distraction. It’s about whether the board’s policies and decisions benefit all the students, so that they will have a chance at the next level.
Here are some examples of their choices not benefiting the students:
- Non-renewal vs. firing with cause of Supt. Watts. This is costing the taxpayers a minimum of $1 million in severance, plus the cost of another superintendent search
- Clear backpacks.
- $1 million for a promo video for their program within a GCPS school. However, the “program” they were hired to do never happened.
- Expeditionary Learning Education: this was brought in by Nakia Towns after failing in Tennessee and was highly panned by the teaching staff before it was forced upon them. Now they spend their time working around it. It does not close the achievement gap, it widens it.
- Blaming Alvin Wilbanks. He wasn’t perfect, but under his tenure GCPS was a top school system; a place where teachers wanted to teach not flee; where students succeeded at the next level because the bar was raised for all. Under Watts, GCPS has gone backwards no matter how they try to spin the numbers.
So, which is it? Is the board serving for the good of ALL students and staff?
Or are the board members serving to further their own agenda and ego at the expense of the students and staff?
It is never too late to make better decisions to make Gwinnett County Public Schools great again. But it will take all of them to work together and put aside their individual agendas and egos.
- Have a comment? Click here to send an email.
There is one situation worse than robo telephone calls
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MARCH 25, 2025 | There might be something worse than ROBO telephone calls.
The other day I had over 100 calls, asking me, “Did you call my number?”
That’s right. They thought I had called them. I had not.
On the first several calls, starting just after 9 a.m., I simply told them: “I have not called you.”
But as the calls started coming in every few minutes, I changed my answer: “I have not called you. I don’t know what is happening, but I have already had a dozen (later more, then 50, then 75) calls today from people who think I called them. I beg your pardon for you thinking I called you, but it appears to be a telephone company problem.”
All the people thinking I called them, once I explained, they were gracious. “Oh, sorry to hear that. I hope you stop getting them.”
We did not. On and on the phone kept ringing until about 6 p.m. This was quite disruptive. Every time I began working on something, here’s another call. Once when I left the phone for about an hour, when I came back, there were 14 calls waiting, all thinking I called them.
Trying to be reasonable, since they sincerely thought I called them, I returned those calls with the short explanation I had by then perfected. “Oh, sorry,” they usually said. “Hope they stop.”
One guy told me during the afternoon when I explained what was happening: “Call the FBI so that they will know.” I did, and they told me to go to the website to register a complaint. By then, I was so exasperated that I didn’t do that. Maybe I should have.
Another of my unexpected callers was kind enough to explain what he thought was happening, “Some of the robo callers are using your number to call people, and when the person being called is not available, their phone shows who called (your number), so they have missed a call, and are returning it.” That made sense.
Meanwhile, the calls kept coming. I did not unplug the phone, for who knows? The person on the other end might be someone I needed to talk to, friend, relative, bank or reader.
Eventually, I called the phone company. They switched me around a few times, and altogether, I probably spent an hour on the phone with them. A technician finally told me they had fixed the problem. They did not say how.
Time I got off the phone with the technician, here came more calls. Initially, I thought that perhaps the new calls came to those people while I was talking to the phone company, so maybe the situation was fixed. After four or five such calls, I asked those calling at what time they got the call….and they said a few minutes ago, so it was obvious the phone company had not fixed the program, so I unplugged the phone.
Next day, guess what? Next morning, after I plugged in the phone, came four or five more, but they were those from the previous day. Three days later I still got a few people calling, thinking I had called them.
But it was soon apparent: the robo people were not using my number any more. It appears that they just used it one day. And since, no more “did you phone me?” questions.
So yep, there is something worse than robocalls, if the robo-ers are using your number to place their calls!
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Article on LaFayette draws three responses
Editor, the Forum:
After reading Tom Fort’s comment about LaFayette, a great associated book (although historical fiction) is The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray. Contains interesting information regarding Lafayette’s early and married life, highlighting his wife Adrienne and her support of his causes.
– Tanya Moore, Norcross
Editor, the Forum:
Years ago I read the book Lafayette wrote after his extensive tour of the United States. I recall his assertion that (obviously I’m paraphrasing) the American system of government would last until the people who’d been elected find that they could use their positions to increase their personal wealth. He predicted that would take between 200 and 250 years. Bingo!
– Fran Stewart, Lawrenceville
Editor, the Forum:
My childhood and early adult years were spent in the Philadelphia suburb of Lafayette Hill. Its name was changed from Barren Hill in the 1830s because Lafayette led troops in the brief Battle of Barren Hill to which he had been sent by George Washington to determine British troop movements outside of Philadelphia. He was almost surrounded by the British, but managed to escape and return to Valley Forge in the spring of 1778. The scene of this small battle was about 200 yards from my home.
To add some interesting details to this brief history of Lafayette, as the French Revolution proceeded, foreign troops gathered on its borders. Lafayette was in command of the Army of the Center opposing them. In 1792 he was ordered by the National Assembly to relinquish his command and return to Paris. Realizing that he would be charged with treason, he fled across the border, but was promptly imprisoned in Austria.
His wife, Adrienne, had no idea where he was. Finally locating him, she traveled to the prison where she was informed that he would not be freed, but she and her two daughters could live with him in prison. This was in 1795.
Adrienne and the two daughters lived with him in prison for almost two years. Her health deteriorated during this time. The captors agreed she could leave to receive medical attention, but if she did, she could not return. She refused and her health continued to worsen. The family was freed in 1797.
Adrienne finally died on Christmas Eve of 1807. Lafayette had her bedroom sealed and would enter through a secret entrance and always spend Christmas Eve there.
– John Titus, Peachtree Corners
Lawrenceville doesn’t need more money from taxpayers
Editor, The Forum:
Civic engagement is the process of local governments and members of the communities actively working to improve on their community through knowledge, values, skills and motivation. It is considered essential in relation to community morale and quality of life for the residents.
On Monday, March 31 at 7 p.m., the City of Lawrenceville mayor and city council members will convene. The main topic to be discussed is asking the great people of the City of Lawrenceville for more money.
Why does the city always want more money? Don’t we pay enough as it is now in taxes? The CFO meets with the mayor and city manager. Those who oppose higher taxes should attend this March 31 meeting to oppose this unnecessary increase. The city should not increase its revenue from taxpayers, but do as we do, get along without added money from taxpayers.
– Tracy Britt ,Lawrenceville
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: ebrack2@gmail.com.
Norcross testing valet parking three days a week
More parking, more possibilities! The City of Norcross is introducing a new opportunity aimed at improving parking convenience in downtown Norcross. The Valet Parking Pilot Program, launched in partnership with G5 Parking Solutions, officially kicked off on March 14 and was met with great success—over 50 cars utilized the service!
As the city heads to its second weekend, a few adjustments were based on specific needs and demands observed during the initial launch.
How It Works: drop off your car at the valet station located in the city parking lot next to The Crossing—just follow the signs.
The city offers this service on Friday and Saturdays from 3:30 until 11 p.m., and on Sundays from 3:30 until 9 p.m.:
For $5 per vehicle, guests can skip the parking search and spend more time enjoying all that Downtown Norcross has to offer. This is an option since all standard public parking spots remain available, including City Hall and The Crossing lots. The valet station only occupies a limited number of spaces, ensuring ample parking options for those who prefer to park themselves.
Since this is a six-month pilot program. We anticipate ongoing adjustments to better accommodate interest and demand. For the latest updates and more information about the Valet Parking Pilot Program, sign up for the city’s communication platforms. Visit norcrossga.net/signup to select your preferences.
Gwinnett Shelter seeks foster care homes for animals
Gwinnett County has reached a critical capacity at its animal shelter, and is desperately seeking help.
Katrina Helman, director of the Bill Atkinson Animal Welfare Center at 884 Winder Highway in Lawrenceville, says: “Some animals that enter the center need a little extra care before they’re ready to find their adoptive home. Fostering is a great way to make a difference in an animal’s life without the long-term commitment of adoption. It gives these pets a chance to thrive while also helping open space for other animals in need.”
Foster homes are needed for a variety of reasons, including pets too young or small for adoption, animals recovering from illness or injury, those that are under-socialized or pets in protective custody. All foster homes will receive veterinary resources and supplies, including food and leashes at no cost.For those ready to adopt a shelter pet, adoption fees are waived, and all pets are spayed/neutered, microchipped and vaccinated for free before they are adopted.
Organization is the key when it comes to your tax return
The April 15 tax filing deadline is just a few weeks away.
The process of filing your taxes starts with organization, says Benjamin Akins, associate professor of legal studies and taxation at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC).
“You should have most of the forms you need to file your taxes by the end of January, though a few may come in February or March,” he says. In addition to the standard W2 or 1099, other forms people receive may be from savings accounts, investment accounts, lottery ticket winnings or casino winnings.
“Keep all of your forms in one, safe place,” he suggests “You don’t want to have to search for forms when you’re ready to file.”
Once you have the forms you need, Akins thinks the first decision is to determine how you’re going to file. Part of this is determining your most advantageous filing status. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offers five options depending on your life circumstances: single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household or qualifying, surviving spouse.
“Each status is unique and will affect how much you might owe, credits you can claim and your standard deduction amount,” says Akins. If you made $84,000 or less last year, you can file for free through the IRS’ Free File program.
For all taxpayers, choosing the best way to file really comes down to their comfort level.
“The IRS has fillable forms you can use,” he says. “You can also use tax filing software, or you can hire a certified public accountant (CPA) to manage it for you. It really comes down to what option helps you sleep better at night.”
Another thing to consider is whether you want to take the standard deduction or itemize them.
“Some of the things you can itemize include charitable contributions, home mortgage interest, certain property taxes and certain medical expenses. If these amounts add up to more than your standard deduction, it’s more advantageous to deduct these specific expenses.”
For 2024, the standard deduction is $14,600 for single and married filing separate taxpayers. For a married couple filing together, the standard deduction is $29,200.
“If you decide to itemize your deductions, always, always have receipts to prove contributions or expenses,” maintains Akins. “That way, if there are any questions later from the IRS, you have the documentation you need.”
Some additional factors to consider when filing your taxes are life changes.
“If you’ve had a change in your family – like getting married or divorced, children living at home or leaving home – these are events that can impact your tax return,” he notes, “One great thing about reaching the age of 65 is that the tax code becomes more favorable to you. For instance, your standard deduction meaningfully increases.”
New film and production studio open in Flowery Branch
Studio B at Film Quality Studios. Provided.
Film Quality Studios, the first woman-owned film and media production facility in Hall County, announces its grand opening. Located in Flowery Branch, minutes from Lake Lanier and the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility, this new 12-acre site provides a full-service production space designed to meet the diverse needs of creators and production teams.
Owned and operated by Debra Chesneau, Film Quality Studios marks a significant addition to the North Georgia creative landscape. As the only woman-owned facility of its kind in the area, it offers a unique space where projects can be shot, edited, and managed from start to finish.
For nearly four decades, Chesneau ran the family business selling fuel additives and biocides. She sold the assets and retired from that business. She then converted the storage warehouse into a studio, a year’s work.
The studio features two 4,000-square-foot, climate-controlled stages; a 40’ x 20’ pre-lit Cyc wall with RGBWW lighting on a MOD X truss system; 200-amp power distribution; back up generators; and internet redundancies. It includes 75-car parking and a loading dock for streamlined operations. On-site resources include kitchenettes, green rooms, hair and makeup areas, editing suites, broadcast rooms, and server rooms, with equipment rentals available. Leading-edge technology is deployed throughout the studios.
Chesneau says: “Our studio brings new opportunities for production teams to work in a facility designed to support all phases of a project. We’re excited to provide the North Georgia community with a much-needed production resource just minutes from Lake Lanier.”
Film Quality Services (FQS), the new studio’s production company, partnered with major brands like the Atlanta Braves, NFL, and Dreamhack to produce content for streaming platforms.
Led by Cody Chesneau, the head of Broadcast, the family-run business has established a reputation for delivering high-quality broadcast solutions. The launch of Film Quality Studios marks the next step in the company’s ongoing evolution, as it is now accepting bookings, For more information or to schedule a visit, visit www.filmqualityservices.com.
The Last Castle, by Denise Kiernan
From Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill: It was the Gilded Age and the robber barons (or their wives) were trying to outshine each other with the construction of magnificent and resplendent homes in both New York and Rhode Island. But the grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt had his eye on another location altogether. The Blue Ridge mountains in North Carolina had captured his heart and his imagination. The Last Castle is an incredibly detailed look about how George Vanderbilt dreamed of and built what is now the largest privately owned home in America, Biltmore House. Hiring the best of the best and overcoming many obstacles, Vanderbilt created an estate unlike any other in this country. The book also reveals the kind hearts of Vanderbilt and his wife, Edith, and how they took care of the people in the village that grew up around them. This book is about art, forestry, community, compromise, money, responsibility and, ultimately, endurance.”
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A Distant Flame is successful Civil War novel
Georgia novelist Philip Lee Williams’s A Distant Flame (2004) is about the struggle of an old man, Charlie Merrill, to make sense of his memories and his life. Williams’s most ambitious and successful novel to date, A Distant Flame received the 2004 Michael Shaara Prize for Civil War Fiction and in 2005 was among the Georgia Center for the Book’s top 25 notable books by Georgia authors.
A veteran of the Civil War and small-town newspaper editor, Charlie Merrill is known nationally for his columns and books. Through alternating chapters set in 1861-63, 1864, and 1914, the novel recounts a love story, a war story, and Charlie’s efforts to come to terms with his life. The novel’s final chapter is set in 1918.
The chapters covering 1861-63 follow the relationship between Charlie, who lives in fictional Branton, Ga., and Sarah, a girl from Boston, Mass., who has come to live with her uncle in Branton while her parents are divorcing. The relationship ends in 1864, when Sarah leaves for England to live with her father.
The chapters set in 1864 recount Charlie’s experiences as a soldier and sharpshooter with the Confederate army as it retreats before Union general William T. Sherman’s forces, during the Atlanta campaign. From the vantage point of an old man in 1914, Charlie prepares to deliver a speech commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Atlanta. While doing so he recalls his wartime experiences and his relationship with Sarah.
Williams’s research for A Distant Flame was prodigious, and his detailed knowledge of the Civil War provides a rich historical context. In his afterword, Williams describes how he prepared to write the novel by reading letters, journals, diaries, and other accounts from the era. Through such firsthand sources, he learned much about how men and women from that era talked and thought, and there is good reason to trust the novel’s portrayal of life on the home and battlefronts during the Civil War. (The town of Branton is based on Madison, where Williams grew up.)
The novel focuses mainly on the white inhabitants of a small Georgia town, but Williams is careful to document the social realities of the times in which they lived, including the reality of slaves and slavery. Although he shows a close relationship between the Merrill family and some of their slaves, he makes clear that the slaves had no choice in their condition, that their lives were constrained, and that sometimes they expressed unhappiness about their condition. As an old man, Charlie is convinced that slavery was an evil.
Ultimately A Distant Flame is about Charlie’s efforts to understand and accept the realities of his life, including his lost love, the fates of family members, his experiences during the retreat toward Atlanta, his feelings about war, and his sense of himself as a journalist and a public citizen.
It is similar in that respect to Williams’s first novel, The Heart of a Distant Forest (1984), which is also about an older man assessing the progress of his life. In the end, Charlie achieves some sense of accomplishment for his life, yet he also feels disappointed and bitter. His disappointment illuminates one major theme of the novel: as we grow older and look back at our past, life seldom seems as full as we would like.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Tall building during fall is today’s mystery
Check out this fall scene showing a traditional building against a blue sky. Your job is to tell us where this photograph was taken. Send your answer to ebrack2@gmail.com, and include your hometown.
The last Mystery Photo came from the smooth lens of Bruce Johnson of Lawrenceville, and was a view of Trahlyta Lake and the surrounding mountains in Vogel State Park, approximately eight-miles south of Blairsville, Ga., as Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas described. The wooden building in the distance is the park’s group shelter, which offers amenities including a kitchen, restrooms, and picnic tables, all with scenic views of the lake and surrounding mountains. The shaded mountain peak in the center of the photo is Wolfpen Ridge, the site of Vogel Overlook, and the mountain further in the background is Blood Mountain, which also offers another scenic overlook.
“Founded in 1931, Vogel State Park is the second-oldest state park in Georgia (the oldest is Indian Springs State Park in Flovilla). The land was donated to the state in 1927 by August H. Vogel (1862–1930) and Fred Vogel, Jr. (1851–1936) of Milwaukee, Wis. The two brothers were heirs to the Pfister and Vogel Leather Company, a Wisconsin tannery founded by Frederick Vogel (1823–1892). The Vogel family harvested bark from oak and hemlock trees located on land they owned in North Georgia, including the land that is now Vogel State Park. The bark was shipped to their leather tanning facilities in Wisconsin. But because of increasing demand during World War I, a synthetic method to tan leather was developed, thereby eliminating the need for North Georgia forest resources, so the Vogels gave their land to the state of Georgia to create the state park.”
Other readers recognizing the photo included Tracy Brookshire, Duluth; George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; Stewart Ogilvie, Rehobeth, Ala.; and Judy Knox McCorkle, Duluth.
- 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!) Click here to send an email and please mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
Heritage of Duluth hosts reception at 5 p.m. today
Heritage of Duluth will host a reception celebrating the cultural heritage of Duluth on March 25 at 5 p.m. at Dreamland Barbecue. The Society will unveil its newest art acquisition, an original painting of The Belle, a railroad locomotive, by Ann Odum. The Belle was famous for its daily commuter run from Toccoa to Atlanta. Kathryn Willis will receive the Society’s Impact Award, and her sister, Ann Odum, will be honored as historian of the year. The Society is fundraising to preserve the Knox Family Cabin at the Duluth Depot Museum.
Speaking at PDC in Norcross at 45 South Café on March 26 will be Attorney Jonathan Tonge, on the subject of bringing suit against those in sexual trafficking. The meeting starts at 8:15 a.m. All are welcome. There are no attendance or dues requirements.
Gwinnett Economic Outlook will be March 27 at 11:30 a.m. at the John C. Maxwell Leadership Center at 12Stone Church. Speaker will be Dr. Alfie Meek, director of the Center for Economic Development Research at Georgia Tech.
Science, Spiders, and the Wolbachia Mystery is the subject of a discussion by Dr. James Russell, professor of biology at Georgia Gwinnett College. This will be March 28 at noon at the Lawrenceville Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. He will discuss Wolbachia spiders in general, and the research findings at Georgia Gwinnett College on the infection in Joro spiders found in Georgia.
Recycling and Spring Clean Up Day in the City of Norcross will be Saturday, March 29, from 8 a.m. until noon at Norcross Public Works, 345 Lively Avenue. Residents will be able to drop off their paper for shredding, as well as electronics, batteries, scrap metal, and paint (limit to five containers) for recycling as well as bulky junk items for disposal or donation.
Braselton Community Clean-Up Day will be Saturday, March 29. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at 100 High Point Parkway, located near Hwy 211 and Friendship Rd (behind the Chick-fil-a.) From there, groups, teams, individuals, and families will be dispersed into different areas of our community to pick up trash.
Arbor Day Plant Sale and Swap will be on the Peachtree Corners Town Green from noon until 5 p.m. on March 29. The event will feature activities, as well as opportunities to connect with fellow nature lovers and find everything you need to enhance your garden.
Two high school principals will address the April 1 meeting of the Snellville Commerce Club. The club will be at noon at Snellville City Hall. Speakers will be Dr. Brett Savage, principal at Brookwood High, and Rodney Jordan, principal at South Gwinnett High.
Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s will be presented on April 4 at 11 a.m. at the Five Forks Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Learn to recognize the common signs of Alzheimer’s Disease during this information session.
The 53rd annual Lilburn Daze is now accepting applications for vendors and sponsors. This event will be held in Lilburn City Park on Saturday, October 11, 2025. For more information and applications please visit Lilburn daze.org.
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