GwinnettForum | Number 21.41 | May 31, 2022
A 90,000 SQUARE-FOOT EXPANSION of the Gas South District convention center exhibit hall is now taking place. This is a photo of what the expansion is looking like. It essentially doubles the present convention hall square footage and boasts of 30 foot ceilings. This new wing will also be physically connected to the new Westin Hotel, west of the center. The hotel’s completion date is in March of 2024.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Becky Pope plans to retire from specialty of designing schools
EEB PERSPECTIVE: One small act of common courtesy cheered my day
ANOTHER VIEW: Will the war in Ukraine mean the end of Putin?
SPOTLIGHT: Heaven and Alvarez, LLC
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
UPCOMING: GGC seeks applicants for summer wellness program
NOTABLE: Community Foundation makes awards of $355,000
RECOMMENDED: Vanderbilt by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Plant location has particular significance in Xeriscaping
MYSTERY PHOTO: Here’s another lighthouse for you to identify
CALENDAR: Gwinnett County is offering free grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches
Pope plans to retire from specialty of designing schools
By Brian Luders
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | Local architect Becky Pope has announced her plan to retire at the end of June from Lindsay Pope Brayfeld and Associates. She was an early employee of the company, starting in 1981.
Luders
During her time with the firm, she has specialized in designing elementary schools, and has worked on some phase of design and construction of virtually every school in the county. The late Jim Steele, former chief operating officer of the Gwinnett schools, thought Becky Pope was “…..the best architect in the state,” says the firm’s senior partner, Buck Lindsay.
Becky Pope was born in Durham, N.C., and went to North Carolina State. Her first job was with a contractor in North Carolina (“on the other side”), then moved to Lawrenceville in 1980.
She knocked on Winford Lindsay Associates’ door in 1981 to market her sign business. The call ended with her “…being offered a job by Buck Lindsay,” with her early work as a draftsman. Except for a five year period when she was raising a family, she’s been with the firm since.
Named a principal of the firm in the late 90s, she was a pioneer as a female designer and project manager back when the architecture and construction industry was more dominated by men. She earned the respect and admiration of both men and women in the field. Much of her early design work was on hotels until 1988, with her since leading the k-12 design studio element of the firm.
Pope
Becky Pope has overseen design and construction of almost 500 buildings, mostly elementary schools, often in Gwinnett County, but her work spanned school systems throughout metro Atlanta and many counties in North Georgia.
During the period when Gwinnett schools were the fastest growing in the country, getting students out of portable classrooms and into buildings was critical. One major consideration, taxpayers demanded, was that their dollars be spent as efficiently and effectively as possible. Using prototypes and with a firm hand on the process, Becky worked with the school systems to deliver schools on time, under budget, and with buildings the community could be proud to support. Her prototype process became a standard for the industry with Gwinnett County leading the way .
One source of pride for Becky was her pro bono work in converting an insurance agency building in Lawrenceville into a permanent home for the Hope Clinic. It is a Christian, nonprofit clinic that provides medical care to patients who are uninsured, underinsured, or indigent. She continues to support the clinic and serves on their board of directors.
With the calm and genteel personality of a Southern belle, she has been a force to be reckoned with when a contractor runs astray and assumes her gender could be used to their advantage. Known simply as “The Pope” around the office, her experience, guidance, and mentoring has been a treasured gift for all whose lives she has touched.
She lives in Dacula and has her son and daughter nearby in Dacula and Suwanee. She has five grandchildren. Her husband died in 2013.
Senior partner Buck Lindsay says: “She has been a major part of our business, and put in a long career. We will miss her. She deserves a relaxing time in retirement.”
Becky is looking to the North Georgia mountains for her next adventure in life. There may be one more building for her to design and build.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
One small act of common courtesy cheered my day
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
May 31, 2022 | It was a small act, a bit of kindness and courtesy, and it cheered me up on a week when a lot of us were upset over yet another shooting, this time in Uvalde, Texas.
Here I was at Lowe’s buying one item, waiting in the left line where there were two cash registers. I was third in the lane, and there were two people in the right lane. My lane was moving slowly, and the right lane was down to one customer. A guy with a flat cart with several heavy items arrived in the right lane after I got in line.
In my lane, I was now second when the lady in the right lane completed her purchase. That’s when the guy with the cart behind the lady in the right lane said to me “Go ahead, you were here before I was.”
I took him up on it, thanked him, and bought my item within 30 seconds, and left the store.
Then it hit me. That guy moving me to the head of his line was performing a kind act. He didn’t have to do that. But he understood propriety, giving me the courtesy of checking out ahead of him since I had been standing in line long before he arrived.
You don’t see such common courtesies as often these days. Some of today’s youths don’t have the nourishing family lives that many in my generation did. Many live in single-parent and often broken homes. Standard tools of raising children aren’t as prevalent as they once were.
That train of thought took me back to the Uvalde shootings. No longer will this town be known as the home of John Nance Garner, who served from 1933-41 as vice president for Franklin Roosevelt. From this time forward, that small Texas city will be known as where 21 people died from a crazed youthful gunman who legally bought a gun that mowed 19 unsuspecting children and two teachers down.
And it makes you wonder: at what time will our Congress, and especially Republican senators, realize that they are the ones blocking legislation to curb violence? Do they realize that they bring continued mass shootings to these United States because of their dependence of support of campaign cash from the National Rifle Association? When will they understand that semi-automatic rifles should be looked upon as weapons of mass destruction, not as “sporting rifles?”
Think too of our recently re-nominated Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. How does he speak of sadness for the Uvalde victims when he signed legislation to allow open purchasing and carrying of weapons in a state when shootings and death occur almost every week? How does he live with himself?
Legislation, of course, is not the only remedy. Many are right that mental health comes into the picture. How do 18 year olds grow up with hate in their heart and commit these random shootings? Here we must look to parents to bring up their children right, so that by the time they are old enough to buy a weapon, that they won’t go off on a rampage.
By Robert Ariail, courtesy Charleston City Paper.
So in a week when Americans were upset because of shootings like Sandy Hook and Columbine and El Paso and Buffalo and Las Vegas and Orlando and Sutherland Springs and Blacksburg and Charleston and Uvalde.and yes, Atlanta…an unexpected kindness had a terrific wallop.
We need more of these common acts of courtesies. Take the time to find ways to help your fellow man. They will appreciate it, and it might cheer their day.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Will the war in Ukraine mean the end of Putin?
“This war will be the end of Putin.” — Zinovy, Ukrainian-born American citizen.
By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. | I was in Los Angeles recently, visiting my brother, a longtime band leader who plays ethnic music of all sorts (Irish, German, Persian, Jewish and so on). One of his clarinetist musician buddies is from Ukraine, where he was once with the Kviv Radio and Television orchestra.
After being at a practice session consisting of most entertaining classical as well as Eastern European music, I struck up a conversation with him. He went through the history of Russian-Ukrainian relations, zeroing in on Putin. He also spoke about his countrymen. He detailed how they despise the Russian aggression. His view was that their spirit was such that the dispirited Russians would never win.
A strong conservative, his view was that President Biden was at fault for not providing weapons sooner. I agree. But what about Donald Trump? As a recording of a conversation shows, Trump refused to send weapons to Ukraine unless Ukrainian President Zelensky agreed to investigate Hunter and Joe Biden. That’s one of the main reasons behind his first impeachment.
The unwarranted invasion of Ukraine has been condemned by many, many nations. A few stand out nations have not yet done so…obviously for political reasons. They include:
- Israel, a traditional United States ally, which needs the Russians to permit Israeli defensive military measures in Syria against Muslim radicals;
- India, which wants Russian assistance in regard to Pakistan, its traditional adversary; and
- China, which has sought close ties with Russia going back to Chairman Mao.
On a purely financial level, the USA has sent far more humanitarian, military and financial aid to them than any other nation. This is logical in that our economy is so much more than many nations.
However, the situation is much different when we consider support for Ukraine as a percentage of a nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). Larger givers of aid, in relation to their GDP, are Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Sweden. It is most interesting that all of these nations border Russia.
Other nations contributing significantly, but less than the USA as percentage of GDP, include (in descending order), the Czech Republic, Croatia, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Germany. All are NATO members.
France, Italy and Germany, the major NATO drivers, are each at less than half proportionally.
Here’s the real question: why aren’t these larger countries contributing more in funding for arms and humanitarian aid, etc, in that they are on the European continent, while we are not?
Furthermore, how can we get them to give more? What can be done about it?
So far, no one on the left or right seems to be addressing this issue. And Ukraine, valiantly defending itself against what was once thought of as a Russian powerhouse, can they pull it off? Will it eventually be the end of Putin?
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net.
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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: elliott@brack.net.
GGC seeks applicants for summer wellness program
Summertime is almost here, and with it comes a renewed interest in health and wellness. Georgia Gwinnett College’s (GGC) School of Science and Technology is offering a chance for several individuals to work on their personal fitness.
The exercise science program at GGC seeks volunteers to participate in a six-week exercise program. The purpose of the program is to help GGC’s exercise science students sharpen hands-on skills while gaining experience in a practical fitness setting. Volunteers will undergo a pre-training and post-training fitness assessment with a free personalized fitness training regimen.
Duluth plans free citywide clean-up day on June 11
The City of Duluth will have a free citywide Community Clean-Up Day on Saturday, June 11. It will be hosted at the Duluth Public Works facility, 2450 Main Street from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. As an amnesty dump day, the city will be accepting the following household items from City residents on this day only:
- Up to four car tires;
- Leftover paint;
- Debris from your home renovation project (tile, lumber, carpet, sinks, toilets, etc.)
- Vehicle parts and fluids (motor oil, batteries, or antifreeze);
- Garden and household chemicals;
- Lawnmowers, appliances, grills, furniture, mattress, electronics, cardboard, etc.;
- Yard debris (tree limbs, grass clippings, leaves, etc.)/
This year, the city will expand the event to include e-waste recycling and paper shredding. Residents must bring a current utility bill and driver’s license to enter the event.
Community Foundation makes grants of $355,000
The Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia recently awarded 36 grants to area nonprofits at their annual grant awards celebration. The grants were awarded, totaling $355,000. Including nonprofits who received challenge grants, the total impact being funneled into area nonprofits is $735,000.
The Community Foundation’s Good2Give Community Fund provides the funding for the grants, along with the help of the Community Foundation’s generous fundholders. The grants received are just a portion of the estimated $12 million the Community Foundation will pour into nonprofits this year, along with education programming and other support services.
2022 Grant Winners
Arts:
- Asian Student Alliance $5,000
- Hudgens Center for the Arts $25,000
- Education:
- Corners Outreach $20,000
- Fresh Films $15,000
- Georgia Center for Opportunity $10,000
- Georgia Gwinnett College $15,000
- Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce $5,000
- Gwinnett County Public Library $5,000
- Special Kneads and Treats $5,000
- Path United $10,000
- Prospera Georgia $20,000
- Upper90 $20,000
- Vision to Learn $10,000
Food Insufficiency
- Atlanta Community Food Bank $10,000
- Feed My Sheep $5,000
- Lawrenceville Cooperative Ministry $15,000
- LETTUM EAT! $10,000
- North Fulton Community Charities $10,000
- North Gwinnett Co-op $10,000
- Nothing But The Truth $5,000
Healthcare
- Asian American Resource Foundation $5,000
- Families First $15,000
- Freedom Path Counseling $5,000
- Gwinnett Coalition $10,000
- Medical Reserve Corp. $5,000
- Mosaic Georgia $15,000
- Pregnancy Resource Center of Gwinnett $10,000
- Summit Counseling Center $5,000
Homelessness
- Duluth Cooperative $5,000
- Home of Hope at Gwinnett Children’s Shelter $15,000
- Home Repairs Ministries $10,000
- Hope Clinic $10,000
- Impact46 $15,000
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty
by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe
From Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill: To say Anderson Cooper tries to distance himself from his famous ancestors is an understatement. In this book, the son of the late Gloria Vanderbilt takes a critical look at the flaws of the Vanderbilts who preceded him. I liked this book but thought Cooper included a few chapters that didn’t fit in. I preferred the not-very-detailed stories of how Cornelius Vanderbilt amassed the largest fortune in America and how his son doubled that fortune. I particularly liked the detailed stories of how the hard-nosed Alva Vanderbilt clawed her way to the top of New York society. Cooper tells his own story and also that of his mother (with her lavish, unchecked spending). And he doesn’t shrink from revealing how everything came crashing down. If you enjoy Gilded Age history, you may enjoy this look back at the rise of over-the-top opulence and indulgence and its failure to last.”
- An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (150 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. Send to: elliott@brack.net
Plant location has particular significance in Xeriscaping
(Continued from previous edition)
Soil analysis is critical to optimize the soil’s water-holding capacity, yet provide good drainage. Organic amendments, for example compost, benefit most soils. It is recommended that four inches of an organic material be applied to the soil surface and incorporated into the top 12 inches.
Appropriate plant selection is important to any landscape, but it has particular importance in a Xeriscape. Select plants that are adapted to the site conditions and plant them in the appropriate water-use zones. Any plant in the nursery trade can be used in a Xeriscape, provided it is zoned according to the amount of water the established plant will require.
Practical turf areas emphasize the use of turfgrass for its function in the landscape, such as for erosion control or as a recreational surface. Avoid using large expanses of irrigated turfgrass just to fill space in the landscape. When selecting turfgrasses, consider their ability to withstand hot, dry periods in summer.
Efficient irrigation makes every drop count. By irrigating between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m., less evaporative water loss occurs than in the hot midday sun. Water also can be saved by resetting the irrigation time clock regularly according to changes in rainfall patterns and by installing a rainfall sensor to prevent the irrigation system from operating during rain. Drip irrigation and hand watering help target irrigation to plants that need it.
The use of mulches helps conserve water in the soil and insulates the roots of plants from extreme heat in summer and cold in winter. Mulches also reduce soil-borne foliar diseases by acting as a barrier between the soil and the foliage. Such organic mulches as pine straw, pine bark, and shredded hardwood bark are excellent mulch choices.
Appropriate maintenance is critical once the other water-saving steps are in place. Reduce the amount of fertilizer applied, particularly during dry periods, and minimize summer pruning that encourages new, succulent growth, which has a high demand for water. Grasscycling, the practice of leaving grass clippings on the turf area instead of bagging them, adds moisture and nutrients back to the turf and conserves moisture by acting as a mulch at the base of the grass blades.
Xeriscape gardening is a practical, common-sense approach to quality landscapes that conserves water and protects the environment. It is a beautiful way to have twice the landscape for half the water.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Here’s another lighthouse for you to identify
Yep, today’s mystery Photo is another lighthouse, though not a very tall one. One guy told us recently that perhaps one day we’ll use all the lighthouses in the United States alone. That may not be possible, for there are about 700 of them. Send in a photo of your favorite, and we’ll probably use it next. By the way, we get few photos of lighthouses in other countries. Send a guess of where today’s lighthouse is located to elliott@brack.net, and include your hometown.
The last Mystery Photo was recognized by several people. First in was Billy Chism of Toccoa: “It’s a beautiful structure in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. I took a similar photo several years ago. And yes, Frederick Law Olmsted designed this park, too. We need more parks in all our towns and cities.” Charles Anderson of Lawrenceville sent in the photo of the Boathouse and Audubon Center.
George Graf, Palmyra, Va. explained more: “Located at the historic 1905 Boathouse, the Prospect Park Audubon Center is the first urban Audubon Center in the United States and was opened on April 26, 2002. Olmsted built the original Boathouse in 1876 as a rustic canopied structure on piers straddling the north end of the Lullwater. In 1905, this first Boathouse was replaced with the current Beaux Arts style building, designed by Frank J. Helmle and Ulrich Huberty. Its design was inspired by the lower story of Sansovino’s Library of St. Mark, built in 16th-century Venice.
“After boating facilities were moved elsewhere, the Boathouse alternately housed the Prospect Park Visitor Center, a cafe and the Brooklyn Borough headquarters of the Urban Park Rangers. Although years of neglect triggered the City’s decision to demolish the building in the 1960s, community protest saved the historic Boathouse 48 hours before its scheduled demolition. The City of New York granted it landmark status in 1968, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It was designated as a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1965.”
Others recognizing it included Allan Peel, San Antonio, Tex.; Lou Camiero of Lilburn; and Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill, who wrote: “I don’t know what it used to be but it’s a wedding venue now. Would look good on Lake Lanier.”
Gwinnett County is offering free grab-and-go school meals
School may soon be out but summer meals are in! From May 31 through August 2, Gwinnett County is offering free grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. while supplies last. Curbside pick-up of nutritious meals is for 18 years or younger or those 19 years of age or older with a physical or mental impairment. See all 21 meal locations in GwinnettSummerMeals.com.
Authors Visit: Meet the bestselling father and son writing team of Michael and Matthew Carson, as they discuss their book, How Did Black History Month Begin: Preserving the Legacy of African-American History. This event will be at 3 p.m. on June 5 at the Suwanee Branch library. Books will be available for sale and signing.
Free clinic on personal wills will be held on Saturday, June 11 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Lilburn Library. Get free assistance with filling out a will and advance directives. Attorneys will be available one-on-one to assist. Register for an appointment at www.gwinnettpl.org/adultservices.
Meet the Author: A talk with bestselling author Lynn Cullen, will be Thursday, June 16 at 7: p.m. at the Duluth Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Books will be available for sale and signing, complimentary refreshments, and a silent auction.
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