THE LARGEST Community Improvement District in Georgia, the Gwinnett Village CID, began 10 years ago with Chuck Warbington as its executive director. Now he moves to the City of Lawrenceville, where today he begins as its city manager. The Gwinnett Village CID was the first in Georgia to fund high-quality intersection beautification, done with low-water vegetation, such as this scene of the Jimmy Carter Boulevard exit of I-85. See more details of the first 10 years of the Gwinnett Village CID below.
IN THIS EDITIONGwinnettForum begins 16th year of publication
Today’s publication marks the first issue of the 16th year of GwinnettForum. We never even considered that this publication could be in operation for so long, or would have such an amazing response from its readers and contributors. We are also most thankful for the continuing long term support of the business community in Gwinnett for its underwriting of the publication so that the Gwinnett community could have an independent voice for discussion of the issues and ideas of the day. We are most humbled for this reception and confirmation that the Gwinnett community would back such a venture. – elliott brack
TODAY’S FOCUS: Looking Back at a Decade of Progress for County’s First CID
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Governor Deal Protects State’s Name with Recent Veto
ANOTHER VIEW: Traveling Gwinnettian Now Plans to Climb Highest Peak in Africa
SPOTLIGHT: Primerica, Inc.
FEEDBACK: Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful Executive Director Retiring
UPCOMING: Boutwell Family Gives $100,000 to Aurora Theatre of Gwinnett
NOTABLE: Classmates at Collins, Two Local Grads Join GA-PCOM Faculty
RECOMMENDED: Kinky Boots Brings Life to the Fox Theatre Stage through Sunday
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Covington Native Become Authority on the History of Slavery
TODAY’S QUOTE: Do We Have Funerals and Birth Times Reversed?
MYSTERY PHOTO: Blue Skies, Mountains, All This Awaits Identification
TODAY’S FOCUSLooking back at a decade of progress for Gwinnett’s first CID
(Editor’s note: The first director of the Gwinnett Village CID is leaving his post after 10 years to become the city manager of Lawrenceville. He reflects on the decade of progress for this largest CID in the state.—eeb)
By Chuck Warbington
NORCROSS, Ga., April 1, 2016 — A decade seems like a long time, but in retrospect it feels no more than a blink of an eye. That’s how long the Gwinnett Village Community Investment District (CID) has been working to make southwestern Gwinnett County a better place, and it’s how long I’ve proudly held the position of executive director. The time has come to pass the baton of leadership to the next person, who will no doubt bring fresh ideas and a renewed energy to making a significant, positive impact on this community. As I transition to a new challenge, I have taken time to reflect on the work our CID team has accomplished to date.
Warbington
In 2006, when the CID was formed, the area was in decline, with high crime rates and decreasing property values. This once-bustling center of commerce had suffered from years of neglect and disinvestment.
There were a number of factors that motivated local property owners to push for the formation of a CID, but none greater than the issue of crime. From 2005 through 2015, our community achieved a staggering 77 percent decrease in total targeted crimes even through a nationwide economic downturn. Our largest decrease came with motor vehicle thefts, which dropped 83 percent. Results like this don’t happen by accident, and we certainly couldn’t have achieved them on our own. That success is the result of the tireless efforts of two amazing police departments (Gwinnett County and City of Norcross) and the dedicated leadership of our CID’s board of directors who refuse to rest on the successes and have always pushed me and the CID staff to work for more.
It also takes a big picture approach to achieve that level of success. There were some who thought we were crazy when we proposed spending just under $1 million on interchange landscaping along I-85. “How are some trees, shrubs and flowers going to fix our community?” (We were the first CID in the state to undertake landscaping at Interstate intersections.)
As we now can see, it is a tangible indication that communicates area pride and intentionally demonstrates a turning point to the community, both internal and external, that people do care about their community. Now communities are replicating this concept along interstates all over metro Atlanta.
This past year was also the culmination of many years of planning from a mobility standpoint. Many GwinnettForum readers followed along, patiently, as we worked with Gwinnett County to plan, engineer and construct our most impactful project to date; the Jimmy Carter Boulevard and I-85 diverging diamond interchange. We have seen significant improvement on traffic flow in the area since implementation. And as signal timing is finalized this month, we anticipate even less congestion in the area.
None of the success that this area has experienced over the last decade can be attributed to a single person or organization. This community has rebounded because we banded together and collectively worked to make this a better place. I’m proud of our many measured achievements, as well as the more subtle strides we’ve made with regards to perception, ownership, pride, and regional influence.
Still, there is much more work to be done. We have built a solid foundation of partnerships. The CID staff and the executive director will depend on this foundation as they work to write the next chapter. I anticipate great things ahead as the Gwinnett Village CID continues to be a beacon of progress in the years to come.
EEB PERSPECTIVENathan Deal keeps Georgia’s reputation by vetoing proposed bill
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher
APRIL 1, 2016 — Governor Nathan Deal made us proud last week when he vetoed the so-called “religious freedom” bill that the Georgia House had passed unanimously 161-0. While his action was courageous, we also see it as something that defines the people of the state of Georgia.
Governor Deal, on issuing the veto, said this:
“This is about the character of our state and the character of its people. Georgia is a welcoming state filled with warm, friendly and loving people. Our cities and countryside are populated with people who worship God in a myriad of ways and in very diverse settings. Our people work side by side without regard to the color of our skin, or the religion we adhere to. We are working to make life better for our families and our communities. That is the character of Georgia. I intend to do my part to keep it that way.
“For that reason, I will veto HB 757.”
We cheered on Monday when we heard of his decision. We feel it put the State of Georgia in a good light, as Governor Deal showed the nation that Georgia and its people are forward-thinking and progressive. But it also flew in the face of many of Governor Deal’s supporters.
But remember, this veto came toward the end of Governor’s second term of office. He doesn’t have to face the voters any more. He stood his ground and vetoed legislation which would have cast the state in a bad light. He did his duty.
Opponents of House Bill 757, prior to the governor’s action, saw in the bill several ways in which the State of Georgia would be harmed had the bill become law. In their interpretation of the bill, it would have been a disaster for economic development, possibly chasing some businesses, which could locate or operate anyway, away from Georgia. That red flag alone should have caused sponsors of the legislation to consider its worth. Yet these proponents did not read it that way, and pushed for the passage.
Deal
In striking down the measure, Governor Deal might have been remembering what happened in Indiana when a similar bill passed their Legislature last year. In that state, which sent a “religious freedom restoration act” to the desk of Gov. Mike Pence, all sort of fireworks erupted when he signed the bill. There was a nationwide backlash.
And in effect, it forced Indiana to do a 180-degree turn, considerably revising the bill.
Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, was quoted as saying: “Deal’s veto is important. I think Pence’s experience in Indiana, which is one where he gave the [social] conservatives what they wanted and got crushed…, was very instructive for Governor Deal.”
So now the bill aimed at protecting ministers won’t be given the light of day in Georgia. The Legislature wasted a lot of time on a bill that wasn’t needed. Happily, the governor recognized this. There are other problems that the Legislature could address than this ill-conceived measure.
ANOTHER VIEWTraveling Gwinnettian now plans to climb highest peak in Africa
By Daniel Forkner
Part Two of a Series
RABAT, Morocco — In late January of this year, I left home in Gwinnett County to travel the world. So far I have been to nine countries and many more cities. One of the most memorable experiences so far has been hitchhiking for three days on a zero budget.
Forkner
I met a French traveler in Prague who travels with no money as part of a personal project, and I decided to join him for a short time. Standing on a street corner with my thumb outstretched taught me humility, and being picked up, sheltered, and fed by locals drove the lesson home. As I go about my life, I hope to cultivate and extend the kind of generosity that I experienced during those three days. Now, as I write this I am lounging on a Mediterranean armchair in the capital city of Morocco.
I was nervous about visiting Morocco. I knew that it would be different from anything I had experienced before, and there would be a significant language barrier. I was also concerned that my naiveté might open myself up to being taken advantage of by local businesses. I was anxious enough that I spent an extra night in the Spanish port town of Algeciras, just to put it off.
Sure enough, when I finally stepped off the ferry in Tangier, Morocco, I felt overwhelmed by the simple task of finding my hotel for the evening. What followed was a crash course in being a tourist, in which I was led around the city by a man pretending to be giving an honest tour, but in reality was introducing me to all the vendors in town for high-pressure sales presentations. It was a valuable experience. Then, when I arrived in the capital city the next day, a large protest was occurring and my anxiety was heightened. I felt out of place, isolated, and alone in the foreign city.
Click to enlarge
I came to Rabat for a four-week sojourn in which I will participate in a program through the United Nations and a news analysis organization. Fortunately, my anxious feelings quickly eroded as I became involved in the community. I made friends through the program, and also through a martial arts club I joined.
Moroccans are proud of their hospitality. One of my favorite experiences involved spending the day with a local family. Grandmother Amina and Aunt Mimouna cooked a delicious meal, and I learned many things about what it’s like growing up in Morocco. Lunch was followed by tea and dessert, and it was humbling to be welcomed so generously into their home.
I’ve come to believe that a place is only as valuable as the people and the relationships formed. So far, I have met some incredible people and made memorable relationships. The more I learn about Morocco, the more I enjoy my stay here.
Soon I will visit the Sahara for a three-day desert tour on camels. I will conclude my stay here with a three-day excursion to climb Toubkal Mountain in the Atlas Mountains, at 13,671 feet above sea level, the highest peak in North Africa.
IN THE SPOTLIGHTPrimerica Inc.
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Primerica, Inc., headquartered in Duluth is a leading distributor of financial products to middle-income families in North America and is Gwinnett’s fourth largest employer, with 1,700 employees. Primerica representatives educate their Main Street clients about how to better prepare for a more secure financial future by assessing their needs and providing appropriate solutions through term life insurance, which it underwrites, and mutual funds, annuities and other financial products, which it distributes primarily on behalf of third parties. In addition, Primerica provides an entrepreneurial full or part-time business opportunity for individuals seeking to earn income by distributing the company’s financial products. It insures more than four million lives and approximately two million clients maintain investment accounts with them. Primerica is a member of the S&P MidCap 400 and the Russell 2000 stock indices and is traded on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PRI.”
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: Our sponsors..
Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful executive director is retiring
(Editor’s Note: Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful Executive Director Connie Wiggins is retiring. She recently sent this letter to many of her friends. We reprint with her permission. –eeb)
Wiggins
“Today is a bittersweet day for me as it is my last day in the office. Friday (April 1) is my last official day and it is not some April Foolery! I have enjoyed working with Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful and appreciate having the opportunity to work with each of you.
“As I head off to begin the next chapter of my life, I want you to know how much I remember and cherish our times together. It has been an amazing journey. I am so thankful for everything you have taught me and am grateful for being able to teach you a few things too. Gwinnett is a great place to live, learn, work and play because of you, the bright and talented people who care a lot about this community.
“Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful is in great hands. Our board and volunteers are hard at work and Sumner Gann will be serving as the Interim Executive Director. I look forward to seeing the great things that will continue to happen through GC&B in the future.
“If I could leave you all with just one thought, remember… ‘Unless someone like YOU cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s NOT. ~ The Lorax.’
“It has been great interacting and knowing each one of you. Even though I will miss you all here this isn’t goodbye…only haste luego or see you later.”
“Please do stay in touch.—-Connie Wiggins, Sugar Hill”
UPCOMINGBoutwell family gives $100,000 to Aurora Theatre of Gwinnett
Peach State Federal Credit Union President/CEO Marshall Boutwell and his wife, Lee, have pledged a $100,000 gift to the Aurora Theatre. The donation was announced at the Theatre’s Annual Gala event, in which Boutwell was the evening honoree and recipient of the Barbara Award. The award is given to an individual that is a vibrant part of the community and demonstrates a passionate commitment to the Aurora Theatre.
Marshall and Lee Boutwell
Anthony Rodriguez, co-founder/producing artistic director for the Theatre, says: “We are honored that Lee and Marshall have chosen to support the Aurora Theatre. Their gift represents their ongoing support of the arts and dedication to its growth for years to come.”
Boutwell responds: “We recognize the importance of supporting the arts in our community both by attending events and through financial contributions, “Lee and I are committed to making a difference in any way to that we can, and are fortunate to be able to do it.”
Boutwell has been President/CEO at Peach State for over 20 years. The credit union has provided sponsorship of the Aurora for years, helping to bring shows like Mary Poppins and Memphis to the community.
Rodriguez adds: “Lee and Marshall have been patrons of the Theatre for years. They truly understand the impact that the Aurora has on our community and have shown their devotion in many ways. We are honored to accept this gift and we look forward to using it to expand the theatre’s presence.”
Lilburn Relay Rally activities will kick off April 19 at 5 p.m.
The Lilburn Relay Rally is coming back to Lilburn City Park on April 29, at 5 p.m. Sponsored by the Lilburn Woman’s Club, this event is a fund raiser for the American Cancer Society’s Gwinnett Relay for Life.
Participant registration for the event is free. Survivors will be honored at a reception in the City Hall. Come to Lilburn City Park and join in the fun! There will be food, games, music, prizes and more!! Special thanks go out to our friends at Music on Main Street who will be providing the entertainment.
- You can be a part of this event! Go to http://tinyurl.com/lilburnrelayrally. For more information: Contact Pat Swan or Gail Zarnik.
Classmates at Collins, two local grads join GA-PCOM faculty
Two Gwinnettians who grew up in the area, left to pursue their interests, now have returned as faculty members to Georgia Campus – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM) in Suwanee.
Both Carrie (Smith) Nold, MPA, PA-C, and Deepa Patel, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, attended Gwinnett County Public Schools from elementary through high school.
The two remember having a few classes together during their time at Creekland Middle School and Collins Hill High School, especially one advanced placement math class. Nold is now an assistant professor and full-time faculty member at GA-PCOM’s Physician Assistant (PA) Studies Program, while Dr. Patel is an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the PCOM School of Pharmacy.
Nold earned her undergraduate degree from Clemson University before receiving a Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Prior to working at GA-PCOM, Nold worked clinically as a Physician Assistant in the Neuroscience Department at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. She delivered neurology lectures to the PA students and then completed a one-year Academic Fellowship with the PA Program there in June 2015.
Coming to GA-PCOM allowed Nold to combine her love for teaching and medicine; “After completing my fellowship, I wanted to pursue a full time teaching position with a Physician Assistant program. When I found out GA-PCOM was starting a distant campus for the PA program, I felt it would be a great opportunity to work as a faculty member,” she says, adding that “ My parents still live in the area so it was also nice to be closer to them.”
Dr. Patel attended the University of Georgia before earning her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Mercer University College of Pharmacy. After graduating from pharmacy school, she pursued a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System in Savannah, followed by a PGY2 specialty residency in Critical Care Pharmacy at Buffalo General Medical Center in Buffalo, N.Y.
Searching for a career opportunity that would bring her South, Dr. Patel says: “The position for a pharmacy practice faculty member at PCOM School of Pharmacy was a perfect fit, giving me the chance to return to Gwinnett and to share my experience and expertise with the next generation of pharmacists.”
Both professors agree that Gwinnett County has changed a lot since their growing up years. Dr. Patel, for instance, notes the significant increase in population and said, “There is a lot more diversity and opportunities, both culturally and educationally.”
Nold mentions that every time she returns from Charleston to Gwinnett, she is amazed at what was changing, “Just more of everything… more restaurants and housing, new schools.” She says: “I am pleased to be working in the same county where I received my own basic education, which prepared me to be successful in my undergraduate and graduate studies.” She adds: “I appreciate being a part of PCOM in giving back to the community I call home – whether it is with the Gwinnett Medical Center Medical Explorers program or the Gwinnett Science Fair.”
Blue Moon Cycles of Norcross adds Zero Electric brand to inventory
Zero Motorcycles of Scotts Valley, Calif., announces that Blue Moon Cycles of Norcross has been appointed as the newest motorcycle dealership to feature the revolutionary,100 percent electric Zero motorcycles. Blue Moon Cycle joins the nation’s leading motorcycle retailers in Zero’s expanding network.
John Landstrom, owner of Blue Moon Cycle, says: “After 30 years of selling, servicing, riding and owning some of the finest motorcycles on earth, I wasn’t ready for what happened the first time I jumped on and twisted the throttle on a Zero FX Stealthfighter. It’s like nothing I’ve ever ridden. The linear power band, acceleration and speed, the smoothness, and most of all the quietness deliver a totally new riding experience. It’s like the next frontier of motorcycling has opened up.”
He adds: “The response to our motorcycles is phenomenal, and the appeal reaches beyond the EV (electric vehicle) audience and now resonates with traditional riders.”
Zero Motorcycles 2016 model line offers six models to choose from. In addition to being quick, smooth and virtually silent, the 2016 models boast up to 197 miles city range, Bosch antilock brakes, Pirelli tires and wide range of features making them comfortable and remarkably easy to ride.
Zero Motorcycles combines the best aspects of a traditional motorcycle with today’s most advanced technology. The Zero products are high performance electric motorcycles and use a specially designed rigid, aircraft-grade aluminum frame to minimize weight
RECOMMENDEDKinky Boots
If you like a razzle-dazzle, high energy Broadway-style musical production, by all means get tickets to Kinky Boots, now through Sunday at the Fox Theatre. The road company of this production is giving an incredible performance, telling the age-old story of the relationship between a son and his father in two versions, both entirely different. There’re plenty of hi-jinks involved, and a staging in a set that creative and helps the show move along happily. To see this performance, get your tickets fast!–eeb
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 TIDBITCovington native becomes authority on the history of slavery
A scholar and historian of slavery in the United States, Georgia native John Blassingame spent almost 30 years on the history faculty at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. He is best remembered for his book The Slave Community (1972) and for editing the papers of abolitionist and author Frederick Douglass.
Blassingame
John Wesley Blassingame was born on March 23, 1940, in Covington and grew up in Social Circle. He received a bachelor of arts degree from Fort Valley State College in 1960 and a master of arts from Howard University in Washington, D.C., the following year. From 1961 until 1969 Blassingame taught at Howard University; Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Penn; and the University of Maryland in College Park.
In 1970 he became a lecturer at Yale, where he was pursuing his Ph.D. Upon receiving his doctoral degree in 1971, Blassingame accepted a position with the Yale history department. He became a full professor in 1974. In the 1980s Blassingame chaired Yale’s African American Studies Program.
Blassingame’s early success at Yale came as a result of three books that he produced within a few years of receiving his doctorate. In 1971 he edited a collection of essays entitled New Perspectives on Black Studies, which included essays from such well-known historians as Kenneth B. Clark and Eugene Genovese. The following year he published his best-known work, The Slave Community: Plantation Life in the Antebellum South. Unlike earlier works regarding plantation slave life, his sources were slaves themselves. The book received a great deal of attention and became the focus of a panel at the 1976 meeting of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. A year later Black New Orleans, 1860-1880 was published.
Starting in the mid-1970s Blassingame dedicated himself to the recovery and preservation of primary source material related to the African American experience. In 1977 he published Slave Testimony: Two Centuries of Letters, Speeches, Interviews, and Autobiographies, a collection of autobiographical materials about and by former slaves. At the same time, he assumed the editorship of the Papers of Frederick Douglass and between 1979 and 1999 oversaw the publication of six volumes.
During his career Blassingame emerged as one of the foremost scholars of black studies and African American history. He was on the editorial board of the Journal of Negro History, the American Historical Review, Reviews in American History, and Southern Studies, and he was a contributing editor to the Black Scholar.
New Perspectives on Black Studies has become a standard reference for schools looking to establish African American studies programs. his 1982 work, Long Memory: The Black Experience in America, coauthored with Mary Frances Berry, remains a standard textbook for classes on African American history.
Blassingame died on February 13, 2000, after a long illness. In 2004 the Southern Historical Association established an award in his name that recognizes African American scholarship and the mentoring of minority students.
- To access the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Blue skies, mountains, but not necessarily what you think
This Mystery Photo may surprise you, in several ways. There’s this large green space, the cars parked around it, and then in the distant, mountains, plus blue skies. Can you figure out where this is? If so, send your idea to elliott@brack.net and include your hometown.
Last edition’s Mystery Photo is as David McCulley of Johns Creek says: “…an entertainment complex of sorts.” It is the Tarragona Amphitheatre, Tarragona, Spain, a photo sent to us by Donny Loeber of Norcross. Bob Foreman of Grayson also spotted it. So did Rob Keith of Peachtree Corners.
Ruthy Lachman Paul of Norcross explains the photo: “In Tarragona, Spin, this amphitheater was built in the Second Century AD by the Romans. Like other cities in the Roman Empire, this amphitheater also served as a center of cultural encounters and among other things took place in gladiatorial fights against wild animals. It has earned the recognition of Tarragona heritage site.”
George Graf of Palmyra, Va. adds: “It was built during the first and second centuries BC in the Catalonia region of north-east Spain. At the time, Tarragona Amphitheatre was part of the Roman city of Tarraco, the remains of which are a UNESCO World Heritage site. The amphitheatre was also the site of the martyrdom of Saint Fructuosus, bishop of Tarragona who was arrested during the persecutions of Christians under the Roman Emperor Valerian. In the year 259, he and his two deacons, St. Augurius and St. Eulogius were questioned then burned at the stake in the amphitheatre.”
Some entertainment center, eh?
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