FUTURE LOOK? Peachtree Corners government has taken steps toward building of a Town Center. Here is an artist’s conception as part of the area will look. For more details on the city’s action, see Upcoming below.
IN THIS EDITIONTODAY’S FOCUS: Christian Singles Group Meets in Peachtree Corners
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Buford and Gwinnett Schools Among High Districts in Nation
ANOTHER VIEW: Gwinnett Native Finds New York Gun Laws Distasteful
FEEDBACK: Wants Foreign Policy Bill of Rights; On E-SPLOST Voting
UPCOMING: City of Peachtree Corners Steps Toward Having Town Center
NOTABLE: Road Work Coming to Five Forks Area; Norcross Gym To Get Renovation
RECOMMENDED TRIP: Gibbs Gardens, Ball Ground, Ga.
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Period of 1752 to 1775 Known in History as Royal Georgia
TODAY’S QUOTE: One Way You Can Be Sure of Winning Any Game
MYSTERY PHOTO: Several Find Mystery of the Bells
LAGNIAPPE: GACS Students Make Sandwiches for the Homeless
TODAY’S FOCUSChristian singles group meets regularly in Peachtree Corners
By Louis Detweiler
PEACHTREE CORNERS | Alone, in the middle of a church service in 2004, Sally Knapp recounted, “I was feeling out of place with all the couples and I was thinking other singles must be feeling the same way.” A member of Christ the King Lutheran Church, Sally presented the idea of Christian Directed Singles to the pastor and the group officially opened within the church and to the community. The church is located at 5575 Peachtree Parkway in Peachtree Corners.
Detweiler
Christian Directed Singles, currently just over 250 members, is strictly volunteer and non-profit. CDS (Christian Directed Singles) is open to age 40-plus single men and women of all denominations. It is a safe place for Christian Singles to share, fellowship, and have fun. Joanne, a long-time member, says: “CDS is a singles group where meeting a partner is not the focus, but having a safe place to make new Christian friends and attend social events in a group setting is prevalent.” To keep the group running, organization is paramount. The group holds meetings twice a month, plus gathering for activities at other times, often an outing.
Every month team leaders within CDS develop a calendar of events. Events include trivia, hiking, dancing, dinner, plays, concert events, sporting events, and museums, to name a few. We also help the community by being involved in a “Hugs” project for service men, make available a Thanksgiving dinner to people in the community, and support Family Promises of Gwinnett.
Roger, a member of Christ the King Church, provides leadership in coordinating the team planning meetings and presenting an abundance of activities to choose from. The events are formed into a calendar then sent out to local publications in Gwinnett County and churches in Northeast Georgia. Carol, a team leader, keeps all the email addresses of everyone, sends out the monthly calendar to members, and a weekly reminder listing the activities for that particular week. This way, all the members know the scheduled list of events for the week and month. Besides meeting for fun and fellowship Christian Directed Singles provides support in other roles.
Through the years the members of CDS have been there for each other to share joys, worries, good times, celebrations, and crises. Members have joined with others to mourn the passing and celebrate the life of a fellow brother or sister in Christ. With the support gained through Christian Directed Singles we feel more capable of fulfilling God’s word through our lives.
The past 10 years CDS has seen changes, growth, and adaptation. The lives of singles tend to fluctuate more often than others through time and Christian Directed Singles provides an anchor in a quickly-changing society. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are now more singles than married couples in the United States. Some churches have singles but aren’t able to address their issues because there are so few of them in their congregation. Christian Directed Singles hopes to reach out to singles and provide an outlet for fellowship.
- Through social media on the Internet, CDS has a Meet-up presence and a Facebook page.
Buford, Gwinnett schools score well among 8,735 school districts
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher
OCT. 27, 2015 | Buford and Gwinnett County Public Schools score high on a ranking by Niche.com.
The Buford school district were ranked 137th out of 8,735 districts in the nation, while Gwinnett County Public Schools came in at No. 990 in the nation.
On its web site, the ranking niche.com says that it seeks to transform: “……the way people make big life decisions. By providing reviews and insight from everyday experts, we make choosing a neighborhood, college, or K-12 school a more transparent process.” Founded in 2002 by Carnegie Mellon University students as CollegeProwler.com, the site has since grown into one of the largest content startups in the country.
The survey results are based on dozens of key statistics and 4.6 million opinions from 280,000 students and parents. A high ranking indicates that the district contains great schools with exceptional teachers, sufficient resources, and a diverse set of high-achieving students who rate their experiences very highly, the site says. Click here to see the individual rankings of these two districts.
Gwinnett’s school district teachers also ranked high on niche.com, scoring No. 415 among the nation’s 8,735 school districts.
The top 10 school districts in Georgia, as ranked by niche.com, were:
- Buford City Schools
- Decatur City Schools
- Oconee County Schools
- Forsyth County Schools
- Bremen City Schools
- Calhoun City Schools
- Gwinnett County Schools
- Carrollton City Schools
- Rome City Schools
- Morgan County Schools
Among private schools in Georgia, Killian Hill Christian School came in sixth; Wesleyan school was No. 17; Greater Atlanta Christian School scored 25th; and Providence Christian Academy was ranked 39th.
- To learn more, go to niche.com, then to k-12 and type in Gwinnett County Schools. To see how individual schools within Gwinnett ranked, go to https://k12.niche.com/mapsearch/ and type in the name of the school.
NEW SUBJECT: If you have a birthday coming up, it’s time to check your driver’s license to see if it expires soon. The licenses expire every five years.
Here’s one reason why: the firm sending out notices that your license is about to expires for the Department of Driver Services has gone bankrupt. Some may not get this notice in time to renew their license before it expires.
Not only that, but if it’s time to renew your license, go to the department’s online site and you may be able to renew without going to the local office. However, if you are age 64 or more, you must go to the offices to renew, for you must pass a vision test.
- To renew online, go to https://online.dds.ga.gov/onlineservices/preapply/.
This site is a busy one, allowing you to get a new car title, change your address, renew your driver’s license, and several more services.
Another suggestion: If you are applying for a license for the first time, be sure to bring several documents with you, including identification (certified U.S. birth certificate or passport); your Social Security card or W-2 form; and a utility bill or bank statement to show your current address.
One more item: When getting a new license or renewal, to the site above to “pre-apply” online. This will save you about 20-30 minutes of having to stand in line and await others who are filling in a form at the license office. If you have pre-applied, you go immediately to start the wait to get served!
ANOTHER VIEWGwinnett native finds N.Y. gun laws distasteful
By Dustin Houston
(Editor’s Note: The writer is from Gwinnett County, and the son of occasional contributor Debra Houston. Do I need to add that his views are not necessarily the views of the editor? —eeb)
NEW YORK, N.Y. | In New York City, being caught with a gun carries a minimum 3 to 5-year prison sentence for first time offenders. Young minority men and women who have done nothing to interfere with others’ liberty are being carted off to prison for simply owning a gun in their home to defend their family without any intention of carrying out a crime. The consequence of these strict laws is a disproportionate number of minorities being jailed, leaving behind broken homes and families in record numbers.
And now we hear politicians demanding even greater restrictions on guns. How many of the poor from high-crime cities can afford to spend thousands of dollars in permits and new mental evaluations? As we make it harder to own a firearm, we invite underground markets to flourish where guns go unregistered and untraced. Many believe there are more guns in NYC than ever before, but we have no idea because they all flow on the underground market.
We are asking the criminal elements in inner cities to disarm (won’t happen) and to make those who want to defend their family, criminals. To these citizens, we say, “Because you are poor, you have no right to defend yourself, even though you live in the most violent crime ridden areas in the country.”
If we make the case that $20 is too burdensome for inner-city dwellers to pay for a photo ID before they’re allowed to vote, then we are essentially telling those same people that because they’re poor, they have no right to defend themselves as the rest of us do.
So, today, please do some reflecting.
IN THE SPOTLIGHTGwinnett Braves
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Suggest United States needs a Foreign Policy Bill of Rights
Editor, the Forum:
This comment is also sent to Rob Woodall, our Seventh District Congressman.
We need a Foreign Policy Bill of Rights. Instead of making decisions based only on what gives American companies the best advantage, shouldn’t we be focusing on policies that respect the basic rights of all people, even if their government does not?
Wouldn’t it be better to deal with all nations equally as people rather than the ideologies of their leaders? What could be a better way to export freedom and the ideas of democracy than to treat all people as if they were American citizens and protected by the same rights that we enjoy? After all wouldn’t it be cheaper in the long run to deal with people in other nations if they were happy and contented rather than disillusioned and angry?
Make no mistake: no written document can make these things happen by itself. But a guide that every president must follow will go a long way to making our foreign policy more consistent. While we expect regular changes in leadership, other nations will often not see major shifts in their government for several generations. A good example is when we say one leader is our friend, and then later, he is our enemy.
Our dealings with other nations need to be more consistent and fair. And we certainly need better guidelines for our leaders about how to choose our friends. There are too many examples of times we have made deals and then broken them.
Each president’s administration can largely treat our national foreign policy any way they want. And this leads to friction and mistrust. Time and again we find that short term goals are inferior to long term planning. But then again this is a constant problem with our decision-making in this country. Not just in Washington, but even in our own homes.
— Charles Blair, Lawrenceville
Schools benefit when E-SPLOST continues for Gwinnett County
Editor, the Forum:
Gwinnett’s public school system has made our county a place where families want to live and companies want to locate. If we want our success to continue into the future, then we all need to say “Yes” to the renewal of the one-cent sales tax for education on November 3.
Gwinnett’s public schools benefit directly from this funding, supported by everyone who shops in our county, in the form of new and renovated schools, 21st century technology, available transportation, and a learning environment that is preparing students for college or the workforce. It is hard to believe that anyone would disagree that is an investment worth making.
I encourage all voters to join me in voting “Yes” for a continued investment in our children’s education and for the future of Gwinnett’s public school students.
— Carla White, Lawrenceville
- SEND FEEDBACK AND LETTERS: elliott@brack.net
Peachtree Corners approves $15.3 million bond for town center
Peachtree Corners leaders took a step to create a Town Center for Gwinnett County’s newest city by establishing the funding for the mixed-use development that will feature restaurants, retail, office space, townhomes and a town green.
The City is partnering with Atlanta-based Fuqua Development on the 20.6-acre project located on Georgia Highway 141 near the intersection of Medlock Bridge Road. The City will build the roads, parking deck and town green on the undeveloped site, Fuqua is responsible for the development of the retail, restaurants and office space.
The residential component will be built by John Wieland Homes. At its Oct. 20, 2015 meeting, the City Council approved a $15,250,000 bond resolution to pay for the city’s portion of the construction cost. The city will ultimately use SPLOST funds, which are distributed annually, to pay for the project.
Mayor Mike Mason says: “The Town Center is part of the city’s long-range plan to create a downtown that will connect the business and residential communities.”
The plans include at least 10 restaurants, retails shops, office space, a theater, 70 townhomes – and a two+ acre town green for community gatherings. Additionally, the plans show two restaurant outparcels and 16 townhomes overlooking the green. John Wieland Homes plans on constructing three-and-four-story townhomes, with a minimum of 2,500 square feet. The price of the homes has not been established.
The city purchased the property in 2013 and later entered into an agreement with Fuqua to build a mixed-use development. In July of this year, the City Council approved the elevation plan for the city’s signature project.
The property had previously been slated for 267 garden apartments. City leaders thought a Town Center was a much better fit for the strategically-located property and stepped in to purchase the site.
The city expects to close on the sale of the property in March 2016 with a groundbreaking to follow. The Town Center is expected to be complete in mid-2017.
Lilburn Woman’s Club wants people to “Make a Ripple”
Always looking for ways to impact our community, The Lilburn Woman’s Club is offering a $50 Ripple Effect scholarship contest open to students of all ages who attend public schools with a Lilburn address.
The scholarship will provide a student a $50 opportunity to make a difference (“Make a ripple”) in our community just like a ripple in a pond spreads out to the edges of the pond. Share your act of kindness idea by visiting the website at www.lilburnwomansclub.org/Scholarships.html, and completing a form for submission to www.lilburnwomansclub.org/contact.html.
Entries should be returned by no later than November 20. The club will be awarding ten $50 scholarships in December. Don’t miss this chance to make a difference!
Third Suwanee Wine Festival will be Nov. 7 at Town Center
The world of wine returns to Suwanee at the third annual Suwanee Wine Fest on November 7.
Presented by The Fresh Market Suwanee and brought by the organizers of the Suwanee Beer Fest, the third Annual Suwanee Wine Festival will be at Suwanee Town Center Park from 1 – 5 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at suwaneewinefest.com and in the store at The Fresh Market and Beverage SuperStore in Suwanee.
Attendees will taste wines from all around the world. The wine-tasting menu is to feature over 150 of the world’s best blends. Event programs that include wine descriptions, will give wine-lovers the opportunity to take tasting notes and notate their favorite selections.
A portion of festival proceeds will benefit local nonprofit Annandale Village. On the morning of Suwanee Wine Fest, November 7, Annandale Village is hosting their second annual “Extra Mile Run/Walk 5K” at Town Center Park – to kick off the day’s festivities! Annandale provides care and life assistance to adults with developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries, and enables them to maintain their independence in the least restrictive environment possible.
Suwanee Wine Fest tickets and additional information are available at suwaneewinefest.com. Tickets to this event may sell out. Advance purchase is requested.
NOTABLERoad work on Five Forks-Trickum Road; Gym upgrade near Norcross
Garner Road will get a new bridge over Garner Creek and Five Forks Trickum Road will get a new left turn lane at Chesapeake Drive under two contracts Gwinnett commissioners awarded to low bidder, CMES Inc. Both projects are funded by the 2009 SPLOST and include sidewalk, curb and gutter and drainage improvements.
The Garner Road bridge project will replace an existing structure and raise the roadway to improve sight distance. The work will also include some sidewalk, curb, gutter, and drainage improvements. The $3.4 million project will take about 20 months to complete.
The safety and alignment project on Five Forks Trickum Road runs between Lake Lucerne Road and Timberland Drive. New sidewalk on the south side will connect Lake Lucerne to existing sidewalk near the Silver Hill subdivision. The new left turn lane will serve the Old Dominion subdivision. The cost is $815,978 and should take about 6 months to complete
The oldest gymnasium in the Gwinnett County park system, built at Best Friend Park in the mid-1970s, will look like new again soon. County commissioners have agreed to a $1.68 million renovation contract with low bidder, Kevin Price General Contractors Inc.
The 2014 SPLOST program will pay to replace the roof, wood flooring and ceilings; renovate office space, locker rooms, restrooms and entry; and improve drainage, landscaping and handicapped parking.
The 43-acre Best Friend Park, at 6224 Jimmy Carter Boulevard near Norcross, also has outdoor pools, 17 lighted tennis courts, indoor badminton courts, outdoor basketball courts, baseball/softball fields, a pavilion and grill, a playground, and a three-quarter mile paved, multi-purpose trail. Gwinnett recreation staff offers summer day camps, year-round basketball play, general recreation and facility rentals at the park.
Lawrenceville DAR chapter honors Gwinnett police officers
Four Gwinnett County’s police officers have been honored by the Philadelphia Winn Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. They include Sergeant Roger Bell, Police Officer Senior Daniel Bennett, Police Officer Senior Victor Cortez and Police Officer Senior Austin York.
On the morning of June 9, 2015, a DAR member’s home was invaded in a violent attack. Thanks to the brave and valiant intervention of these officers, her life was saved. The Philadelphia Winn Chapter acknowledges and thanks the Gwinnett County police officers for their heroic acts of service.
Officer Aaren Dieffenbacher, Gwinnett County Police, Special Operations/Crime Prevention coordinator, was the speaker for the October meeting. Major Jesse Jones, precinct commander, South Precinct, also spoke to the chapter about his officers’ courageous actions. Each of the officers being honored was given a DAR Certificate, Challenge Coin and card from the chapter.
- For more information regarding the Philadelphia Winn Chapter of the NSDAR, visit our website at: philadelphiawinn.georgiastatedar.org.
Brookwood High band gets invitation to 2017 London parade
The Brookwood High School (BHS) Marching Band has been invited to participate in the 2017 New Year’s Day Parade in London, England. On October 22, Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London and Representative of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Roger Bramble, presented the band with the official invitation
On Jan. 1, 2017, Brookwood’s marching band students will perform in the 2.2 mile parade, the largest event of its kind with more than 10,000 performers from around the world. The parade attracts a street audience of around 500,000 and a global television audience of tens of millions and is a major entry in the United Kingdom’s calendar of events.
The band will be raising funds for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity through community donations, business sponsorships, and fundraisers. For more information on how to donate or become a sponsor, visit the Brookwood Marching band website at: www.brookwoodband.org or call Dr. Laura Stanley, Brookwood’s director of bands, at (678) 344-9366. The Brookwood Band Booster Association is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.
RECOMMENDED TRIPGibbs Gardens, in Ball Ground
Recently I visited Gibbs Garden, with the Japanese Gardens featured. Throughout the Garden calendar, operating between March and December, various parts of the garden are showcased. There was Japanese food available for purchase, a martial arts demonstration and a tea ceremony, to name a few of the exhibits. For about the next three weeks, the Japanese Maples (over 2,000 of them) will be in full color — who needs to go to New England to see the leaves? The Japanese Maple Festival will be held on November 7-8 and 14-15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gibbs Garden is located near Ball Ground — about an hour’s drive from Atlanta. The gardens are the 40-year vision of Jim Gibbs, who has cultivated about 300 acres, has been honored by two presidents along with many other awards for his designs. Best of all, he says he’s still not finished with his garden!
— Lee Schermerhorn, Dacula
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 TIDBITPeriod of 1752 to 1775 known in history as Royal Georgia era
Royal Georgia refers to the period between the termination of Trustee governance of Georgia and the colony’s declaration of independence at the beginning of the American Revolution (1775-83). During that period the province was administered in theory by the King of England but in practice by a member of his cabinet known at various times as secretary of state for the Southern Department and secretary for America.
A provincial council provided a semblance of government during the years 1752-54 while the Georgia charter passed through parliamentary committees and received the royal signature. John Reynolds, the first royal governor of Georgia, proved ineffective and was recalled at the end of 1756. The second royal governor, Henry Ellis, established a sound foundation for government during his four-year administration. James Wright, who replaced Ellis in 1760, proved to be an efficient administrator and a popular governor. During his tenure in office Georgia enjoyed a period of remarkable growth.
In 1752 a committee of Parliament called the Board of Trade acquired the authority to nominate colonial officials. George Montagu-Dunk, Lord Halifax, the board’s president, intended Georgia’s charter to be a model for other American colonies. The charter provided for a strong governor empowered to convoke an assembly, pass on legislation, propose the erection of courts, approve land grants, enforce the laws, and otherwise administer the province. Other officials included an attorney general, a provost marshal, a clerk of council, a receiver of quitrents, a surveyor, and various customs officials.
The legislature consisted of an assembly of two representatives from each county of the colony, which were created as soon as possible. In addition, there would be a council that would act as an upper house, as well as a court of appeals. The Board of Trade nominated the governor and members of the council, subject to the approval of the king.
Most Georgians welcomed Governor John Reynolds when he arrived from England on October 29, 1754. However, Reynolds, a career naval officer, lacked the political experience and skills necessary to the establishment of a model government. At the outset he alienated a backcountry faction headed by Edmund Gray, a Quaker planter and an influential Georgia politician, by refusing to inquire into claims of fraud in Georgia’s first election in 1754 and by branding the protestors as rebels. Then the governor frustrated the members of his council by awarding the most lucrative colonial offices to William Little, a naval surgeon who accompanied him to Georgia. When the council turned against him, the governor allied himself with his former enemies, the Gray faction, who shared his dislike of the Savannah-dominated council. Reynolds showed an equal lack of skill in Indian diplomacy, a crucial matter because his first year of office coincided with the beginning of the French and Indian War (1754-63). Georgia was dangerously exposed to raids by the Creek and Cherokee nations, and the Louisiana French hoped to instigate such attacks.
(To be continued)
- To access the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Suggest a price for selling this distinctive home place
You Gwinnett Realtors might like to suggest a price for which you think you could sell this house for, which is this edition’s Mystery Photo, and get the owner the best price. Seriously, if you think you know the location of this somewhat distinctive home, let us know. Send your answers to elliott@brack.net and be sure to include the town where you live.
Karen Burnett Garner was first in with the identification of the most recent Mystery Photo. She said it was “Torre Del Orologio (Mark’s Clocktower or the Moor’s Tower) in Venice, Italy.” The photo came from Ross Lenhart of Pawley’s Island, S.C. Other early arrivals with the right answer included Joe Hopkins, Norcross; Philomena Robinson, Flowery Branch; Chuck Warbington, Auburn; and Bob Foreman, Grayson;
Ruthy Lachman Paul gave a more detailed response: “Once you enter Venice’s Piazza San Marco, you will notice right away the old tower, which was built in 1496. The clock mechanism is running now and is the original mechanism of the clock from day one. At the top of the tower are two Moors striking the bell every hour. You can explore the inside of the tower and learn about the ancient mechanism. This became famous for the blue and gold watch center, featuring not only the day and time, but also the position of the moon and the stars in relation to the zodiac.”
Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill said: “The last time I was there, I sat nearby at a little outdoor cafe sipping hot almond tea and listening to a small orchestra play Vivaldi. So fine!”
LAGNIAPPEGreater Atlanta students make sandwiches for the homeless
SERVICE TO OTHERS: Greater Atlanta Christian Senior High students partnered with 7 Bridges Ministry to prepare more than 1,000 lunches recently. Organized by chapel class students, the service project gave the students an opportunity to serve others during school hours. Together, small groups brought sandwich-making supplies from home and prepared meals that were distributed by 7 Bridges to Atlanta homeless. Chapel student leader Molly Joseph, who helped organize the event, notes that “everyone can help end hunger no matter how old they are.”
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