TO THE NINES: The Gwinnett Old Courthouse surroundings are beautifully dressed up these days all around the block by the flowering begonias. Roving Photographer Frank Sharp says: “I was greatly impressed with a drive by the historic courthouse recently. This is a visual delight — a paradise of begonias. It’s the perfect time of year to photograph our lovely courthouse.”
IN THIS EDITION
TODAY’S FOCUS: Gwinnett Animal Alliance Rains Praise on County Commission
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Ports of Call Inspire Trip to Canada
ANOTHER VIEW: Is Gwinnett Losing Future Growth by Fighting Rapid Transit?
UPCOMING: Check Changes to Suwanee Master Plan at City Hall on July 9
NOTABLE: City of Lawrenceville Adopts Long Range Special Events Policy
RECOMMENDED DAY TRIP: Gibbs Garden, near Ball Ground
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Walter Brown Career Leads to Forming of Watson-Brown Foundation
TODAY’S QUOTE: Talk About Your Peaceful Feelings!
MYSTERY PHOTO: No One Could Identify Lunenburg
LAGNIAPPE: Grinning for the Duck Derby
TODAY’S FOCUS
Gwinnett Animal Alliance praises Commission for new ordinance
By Jennifer Hart
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga., July 3, 2015 | Citizens of Gwinnett County should applaud their Board of Commissioners. On June 23, the Board amended the tethering ordinance that was set to take effect on July 1. The previous ordinance, modified and adopted by the commissioners on March 17, would have allowed up to 14 hours a day of unsupervised tethering on a trolley system.
Gwinnett Animal Advocates have joined forces to become Gwinnett Animal Alliance. The goal is to make Gwinnett County a safer place, for animals and people, through research, education and outreach.
Research by animal behaviorists and veterinarians and the Centers for Disease Control suggests that tethering contributes to aggression and is inhumane. The new ordinance, which passed unanimously, will permit tethering only when supervised by an adult and only when a trolley system is used. Single point tethers will no longer be permitted. Supervised only tethering and all out bans on tethering are being adopted by progressive communities all over the United States.
Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash stated that it was “polite persistence” that won her over. She also researched the issue further. Immediately prior to the vote, Commissioner Lynette Howard thanked all the people who contacted her about the tethering issue. Commissioner Tommy Hunter also expressed thanks for communications he received. Citizens also recognize Gwinnett County Animal Control Director Chip Moore for his extensive research on this issue and dedication to the welfare of the animals and citizens of Gwinnett County.
The following statistics likely played a role in the decision to change the ordinance:
- Almost 26 percent of all dog-on-human fatalities are caused by intact male dogs that are tethered or routinely tethered. The CDC also states that tethered dogs are 2.8 times more likely to bite than a non-tethered dog.
- The American Veterinary Medical Association advises, “never chain your dog because it can lead to aggression.”
- A report in the Journal of the American Veterinary Association states that “in 87 percent of fatal dog attacks, there was no able-bodied person present to intervene.”
This staggering statistic shows how vital it is for a responsible person to be present in case of an incident between a dog and a child, or any person who is unable to defend him or herself, in case of an attack.
Susan Ruelle of Bethlehem says: “The health and well being of the dogs, as well as the safety of children who may wander into a dog’s space, can only be monitored if a responsible person is present.” After the vote, Jennifer Summers, of Dacula, addressed the commissioners and said, “We are so grateful that you brought the issue back up. I certainly applaud you.”
Gwinnett Animal Alliance is comprised of members from all over Gwinnett County. The next task for the group is to support and assist during the transition of the new ordinance, by helping to educate pet owners and by connecting those in need to available resources. They will also provide support to other counties and communities that are trying to improve animal ordinances.
Lila Hunter of Duluth says: “We are excited about rolling up our sleeves and helping our neighbors.”
- To learn more about Gwinnett Animal Alliance or get involved, find us on Facebook: Gwinnett Animal Alliance. Or contact: info@gwinnettanimalalliance.org.
Ports of call in Maritime Canada are beautiful places to visit
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher
JULY 3, 2015 | The ports of call were enough to spark our interest: Portland and Bar Harbor Maine, then in Atlantic Canada the areas of Lunenburg, Halifax, Pictou, Charlottetown, Ile de Madeliene, Gaspe, plus on the St. Lawrence River, Baie-Comeau and Saguenay. The final destination was Quebec.
The ports hooked us.
We’ve just returned, and found the experience a great one. There were only 200 people on the Pearl Mist, a ship just put into operations last year by Pearl Cruises. The only snag in the trip is that forecasts of bad weather canceled the trip to Ile de Madeleine. After some choppy open seas one day, that didn’t seem all bad either.
Not only that, but the weather cooperated. While Georgia was seeing high 90s for the temperatures several days of the trip, the high on the trip was 72 degrees. One day the temp drifted down to the high 40s.
One question asked often: how was the food? It was good, not great, but came in relatively small portions, which these days we don’t mind. There were constant snacks, too, and plenty of time in the free mixers.
Each day there were excursions into the ports visited, usually on comfortable buses, all part of the pay-once package. Local guides provided continual insights.
Highlights:
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Sailing ship at Lunenburg
Bar Harbor: We walked around the quaint town of 5,000 year-round residents, which swells in the summertime to 15-18,000. A three hour bus tour of Acadia National Park showed off the many features. We were amazed at the rocky Maine coast, with waves constantly crashing.
- From here on out, we were in Canada. Lunenburg is a colorful sailing town of old. Visiting the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic gave more understanding of the problems of fishing the cold Atlantic for a living. Had some of the worst expensive ice cream here.
Titanic gravestones in Halifax
- Halifax: we had been before to this massive harbor town, but learned a lot more about that town, particularly in visiting the gravesites of 121 bodies recovered from the HRS Titanic at Fairview Lawn Cemetery.
- Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. What a great place this is, 140,000 people on a tiny island of 50 miles width. They produce mostly potatoes, lobster and a relatively new crop, mussels here. The way they farm mussels is an amazing one, too complicated to explain here.
- Pictou: Its Industrial Museum proved much more interesting than we thought. Here Scots landed to start the first colony in Canada.
- The Gaspe peninsular: having heard of it from geography years ago, we never thought we might visit. A gorgeous and sparsely populated area, known for its Perce rock.
- Baie-Comeau, where we visited an old-time logging camp replica. The contrast to South Georgia logging is overwhelming, with their two month growing season.
Perce Rock at Gaspe
- To get to Saguenay, we cruised for four hours up a Canadian fiord, then found a town of 147,000 at its base. Two products, smelted aluminum, and newsprint making, dominate the town, which was founded in 1937. Gliding back toward the St. Lawrence, with the sun shining, we enjoyed the upper deck, glancing left and right at the high rocky cliffs. That was enjoyable!
Finally, after 10 days, we docked at Quebec, itself one of the great places to visit, and also the city with the first bridge across the St. Lawrence River from the ocean. Having been to Quebec before, we scooted early to catch a flight which would put us back home before sunset, with flight connections and customs in Philadelphia.
Oh, yes, my weight gain was eight pounds. Happily, with steady normal diet, we’ve already cut five pounds off that.
Is Gwinnett losing future growth by fighting rapid transit?
By George Wilson
JULY 3, 2015 | When NCR announced the move from Gwinnett to Atlanta, that started me thinking about the future of Gwinnett, especially as it related to the concerns of millennial (18-35), seniors, and a large work force that needs the ability to have public transportation to get to jobs. Also, consider the numbers of new companies moving into the metro area and wanting to locate within reach of rapid transit.
Furthermore, we need to be mindful of competition in the metro area that has access to rapid transit. For example, Midtown draws in R& D offices and the Perimeter area serves as an in-between place that attracts young in-towners and Northside executives. The developer of the old GM Doraville assembly plant area, Egbert Perry, said he “Wants to draw businesses from Gwinnett that want to be closer to mass transit.” This location is adjacent to MARTA’s Doraville station.
From the comments made by our present chairman, Charlotte Nash, it appears she thinks that the issue of rail transportation might be too divisive to even bring to the table. We need visionary, forward thinking leadership instead of bureaucratic caretakers prevalent on the current commission. Someone who is not afraid to bring up tough and even unpopular issues to solve future problems.
Perhaps this is because we have had a one party government so long that it has run out of ideas on improving the county’s transportation system. It appears that real leadership for change is taking place in Clayton County which recognized the need for public transportation, and did something about it by joining MARTA.
Meantime, Gwinnett, burdened with the old status quo under the mantra of no change because the commissioners might upset someone. Or, they say, let us create another study group to mull over an issue because we can’t decide. Isn’t it pathetic?
IN THE SPOTLIGHTGwinnett Medical Center
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UPCOMINGCheck changes to Suwanee Master Plan at City Hall on July 9
TSW consultants working with the City of Suwanee to update the Downtown Suwanee Master Plan told participants in a recent email that the draft of the update “….presents an exciting vision for new development, park space, street and greenway extensions, and more.” Now, the planners and City of Suwanee are inviting residents to offer their input and “make sure [TSW and the City] got it right.”
Studying the city plans
The draft of the updated Downtown Master Plan will be available for public review, questions, and comments at an open house from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, July 9, at City Hall, 330 Town Center Avenue. This is a drop-in event; no formal presentation will be made.
Previous Downtown Master Plan public meetings have included a March 5 kick-off and April 20 visioning workshop.
At the April workshop, planning consultants with TSW and Noell Consulting Group shared market analysis information and reviewed discussion topics while participants shared ideas and feedback related to parks and transportation as well as what kinds of uses and buildings might make for good additions to the Town Center and Old Town areas.
South Gwinnett Rotary Club planning Duck Derby to benefit youth
Children and youth will be the winners as the Rotary Club of South Gwinnett County hosts the Gwinnett Duck Derby at the Mountain Park Aquatic Center this September. Gwinnett residents and businesses are invited to help sponsor this fun, family event, while individuals are urged to adopt a duck for only $5.
The event will be held on Sunday, September 20 from 1 until 4 p.m. Five thousand ducks will be launched from a slide into a lazy river which is part of the aquatic center. The ducks will flow into a catch basin and the first three finishers will be awarded prizes. The first place prize is $2,500, the second place prize is $1,000, and the third place prize is $500.
Proceeds will go towards the club’s local and international programs for children and youth. The South Gwinnett Rotary Club, founded in 1982, is known for its service to the community and support for such organizations as the Lawrenceville Boys and Girls Club, Corley Elementary School, and the Brookwood High School Interact Club. Visit www.gwinnettduckderby.com to learn more about the duck race. The South Gwinnett Rotary Club will have a booth at the Mall of Georgia prior to the July 4 fireworks show. Ducks will be available for adoption at the booth.
NOTABLECity of Lawrenceville adopts long-range special events policy
The Lawrenceville City Council has approved a new Special Event Policy and Application process for all events taking place in 2015 and beyond.
The new policy is currently in effect for any of the following requests:
- Use of the Lawrenceville Lawn;
- Road closures due to rental of the Historic Gwinnett County Courthouse Grounds; and
- Pre-Approved Parade Routes, 5K or 10K Run/Walk Events.
For all events occurring in 2016, applications will be accepted during the dates of May 1 to July 6, 2015. Event organizers will be contacted regarding application status by August 4, 2015. This will be the standard application window for all subsequent years going forward.
Please note that submission of an application does not constitute or guarantee approval. Applications are reviewed in accordance with the policy. The City will notify event organizers regarding their application status by the date specified above.
Once the City’s event calendar for the designated time frame has been established, no events will be added or road closures granted. When the next application window opens, events will be accepted for the following calendar year.
The Special Event Policy and Event Applications for 2015 can be found at www.LawrencevilleGa.org.
Loganville resident wins Georgia Author of Year for literary fiction
A Loganville resident has been named the Georgia Author of the Year for 2015 for literary fiction, Somewhere a River. He is Mike Brown, who received the award at the Georgia Writers Association’s annual banquet Saturday. He is also currently the president of the Atlanta Writer’s Club.
RECOMMENDED DAY TRIPGibbs Gardens near Ball Ground
I woke up Sunday to a gloriously cool morning that prompted a spur-of-the-moment visit to Gibbs Garden, near Ball Ground, Ga. It was my first visit, and I enjoyed it so much I bought an annual membership! I had expected rows and rows of colorful flowers like those at Butchart Gardens of Canada. But Gibbs Gardens is a “pleasure” garden and is primarily wooded. And, believe me, that is not a bad thing ~ especially on a hot summer day. There were loads of shade gardens and, yes, sunny flower gardens, too. I was grateful for trams that took us to the manor house and Japanese gardens and the snack bar in the woods with pre-packaged food made fresh locally. An added treat was being able to talk at length with owner and designer Jim Gibbs in the visitors’ center. The day was a mini vacation. Remember, Gibbs Garden is closed on Mondays and most Tuesdays. Details: http://gibbsgardens.com.
— Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill
An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (100 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. –eeb
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA TIDBITWalter Brown’s career leads to forming of Watson-Brown Foundation
Walter J. Brown was a journalist and a pioneer broadcaster. After managing his own news bureau in Washington, D.C., through the 1930s, Brown worked in the offices of economic stabilization and war mobilization in U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s administration. He also worked in the secretary of state’s office under U.S. president Harry S. Truman. After these appointments, Brown moved to South Carolina, where he founded Spartan Communications, Inc., a radio and television company. Brown served as its chairman and chief executive officer.
Born into a humble farming family in Bowman on July 25, 1903, Walter Johnson Brown nevertheless inherited a rich agrarian political tradition. His father, J. J. Brown, was elected mayor of Bowman in 1910. With the political support of Thomas E. Watson, Brown’s father was elected Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture for five consecutive terms (1917-27).
Brown in 1945
Brown graduated from Georgia Tech High School in Atlanta and discovered a flair for writing while subsequently attending the Henry Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia. After marrying Georgia Watson Lee, one of Watson’s two granddaughters, Brown moved to Washington, D.C., in 1929 to report for James S. Vance’s Fellowship Forum and to edit Vance’s National Farm News. In 1930 Brown established his own news bureau, reporting primarily for daily newspapers in North Carolina and South Carolina.
While reporting in Washington, Brown met South Carolina senator James F. Byrnes. The two became friends, and Brown championed Byrnes’s political career in private and through the press. When President Roosevelt named Byrnes director of the office of economic stabilization in 1943, Byrnes tapped Brown as his special assistant.
Brown handled press relations for Byrnes through his appointments as the head of the office of economic stabilization, director of the office of war mobilization, and under President Truman, secretary of state. Brown was a member of the American delegation to the peace conferences at Potsdam and to the Council of Ministers in London.
Brown returned to Spartanburg, S.C. permanently in 1945 to resume in earnest his broadcasting career. In 1956 WSPA-TV signed on the air, culminating years of litigation that ended successfully by moving Channel 7 from the Columbia, S.C. television market to Spartanburg. With WSPA-AM-FM-TV as lead stations, Brown guided Spartan Radiocasting Company into the television era. Eventually his company, as Spartan Communications, Inc., would include13 television properties in the Southeast and Midwest, including Georgia television stations WJBF (Augusta), WNEG (Toccoa), and WRBL (Columbus).
Brown never forgot his heritage. In 1947 he purchased Thomas E. Watson’s last home, Hickory Hill, in Thomson, ensuring its preservation. In 1970 Brown, inspired by the Byrnes Foundation, created the Watson-Brown Foundation, primarily to provide scholarships for college students from Georgia and South Carolina. Today it is one of the largest private foundations in Georgia.
Brown’s broadcasting-related manuscript collection is housed at the University of South Carolina; his political papers are at Clemson University in South Carolina. The Walter J. Brown Media Archives is housed at the University of Georgia Libraries.
- To access the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Not many like this
You don’t see many photographs like this edition’s Mystery Photo. Can you figure out what this is, and where it is located? Send your idea to elliott@brack.net and be sure to include your current hometown.
That colorful image from the last edition we thought someone would be sure to recognize. But there were no correct guessers. It was a photograph of the harbor at Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, taken on a recent cruise to that area. (See EEB Perspective above.)
LAGNIAPPEDucks galore
Members of the South Gwinnett Rotary Club are smiling as they each hold a miniature rubber duck that will eventually be part of a fund-raising project for the club’s Duck Derby to benefit youth of the area. (See story above). You have to wonder if that bigger duck might have an advantage over the other ducks. Or maybe that’s just the mother duck. To learn more about the race, visit www.gwinnettduckderby.com.
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