A LIFE-SIZED SCULPTURE of former Gwinnett County Commission Wayne Hill is now near the entrance of the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center near Buford, and was dedicated recently. Hill is smiling behind the statue, as his granddaughter Sara Cressman of Flower Mound, Texas, talks to him. The work, by Sculptor Vic McCullum of Sugar Hill, also includes a mother, child and turtle. Placement of the work at the Center came since Hill originally conceived the idea for the Center. Hill’s wife, Carolyn, can be seen between their granddaughter and Hill. Private funds were raised for the sculpture. McCullum also produce the statue of Trigger, Roy Rogers’s horse, which is in Buford, in recognition of the saddle work previously done at the Bona Allen plant in Buford.
IN THIS EDITIONTODAY’S FOCUS: County Closes on Purchase of Land at Key Development Site
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Modern Marvels, Timing plus Good Luck Make Wedding Trip Enjoyable
ANOTHER VIEW: Loving Reading, She Sometimes Reads a Solid Paragraph Several Times
SPOTLIGHT: MTI Baths Inc.
FEEDBACK: Resurrecting the word “Statesman” To Consider Term of Gov. Deal
UPCOMING: Read the Back Story of Gwinnett in Six Documentaries Now Available
NOTABLE: Three Gwinnett Businessmen Named to 2018 Million Dollar Club
RECOMMENDED: London by Edward Rutherfurd
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Natural Resources Oversees Historic Preservation in Georgia
MYSTERY PHOTO: Driving Trip Produces Sight in Distance Which is Today’s Mystery
LAGNIAPPE: Scenes of Roving Photographer’s Recent Cruise on the Caribbean Sea
CALENDAR: Snellville Commerce Club To Hear Brett Harrell Tuesday
TODAY’S FOCUSCounty closes on purchase of land at key development site
By Heather Sawyer
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | Gwinnett County has closed on the purchase of over half of the OFS Brightwave Solutions site on Interstate 85 at Jimmy Carter Boulevard.
Earlier in December, the Urban Redevelopment Agency (URA) of Gwinnett County, through an agreement with the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners, approved the issuance of $35.435 million in Series 2018 revenue bonds. At an interest rate of 3.9 percent for the 20-year issue, the annual debt service will be about $2.5 million.
The property is within the Gwinnett Village Opportunity Zone, making it eligible for URA financing. OFS is expanding its optical fiber manufacturing operations on the 66 acres they will retain.
Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlotte Nash says the land and buildings in this acquisition will continue to be used for feature film productions even as the county seeks a private sector partner to create an urban style mixed use community on the site. In addition, a portion of the site will likely be used for a multi-modal transit station in the future.
She says: “The site along the Jimmy Carter Boulevard corridor is one of the premier pieces of real estate in metro Atlanta, which makes this a good deal for our community and a strategic investment in its long-term success. This purchase gives us a greater say in the site’s potential redevelopment. I am most grateful to OFS for its willingness to work with the County and to all of the parties involved for making this transaction happen.”
Before the sale, OFS owned 169 acres with three primary structures, Buildings 20, 30 and 50, plus multiple draw towers for manufacturing optical fiber. The URA purchased about 103 acres, including Building 20 with 260,750 square feet of office space and Building 50 with 422,800 square feet currently allocated to film production studios.
OFS will lease back roughly 60,000 square feet of office space in Building 20 for three years and maintain ownership in all areas of manufacturing. OFS will continue its expansion plans including ongoing operations in Norcross.
Revenues from ongoing film production plus lease payments from OFS are projected to cover the annual debt service over the life of those arrangements.
The site has been a principal production facility for more than 35 movie and TV productions in recent years, including multiple major film franchises. OFS will continue to manage and operate the studio space on behalf of Gwinnett County.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Modern marvels, timing plus good luck make wedding trip enjoyable
By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher
JAN. 4, 2019 | Sometimes modern marvels combine with just plain luck to save you.
It happened to me on a trip to attend a wedding in Birmingham, Ala., last weekend. Our grand-niece was getting married. She had graduated from Samford University and now works for the university.
It was a four p.m. wedding on New Year’s Eve. Leaving the hotel for the venue, as soon as I got on an expressway, I noticed on the dashboard that my left front tire had only 19 pounds of pressure, and the other tires had about 35. Something was amiss. At least modern auto technology told me of the tire pressure, something my previous cars did not have.
What to do? In something of a jam to be at the wedding on time, we motored on. The site was about 15 minutes away. We got there on time; the tire still now showed only 17 pounds of pressure, but it was drivable.
Soon the bridesmaids were coming down the aisle, and after that came the smiling bride. Her father, a minister, was the principal conductor of joining the couple together, admitting to have to fight back tears realizing his daughter was being wed.
Shortly the couple marched back down the aisle as husband-and-wife. And it was picture time for the couple and family. Yet I had a vehicle with a problem, and with this being Monday, and the next day New Year’s Day when most shops (and probably every tire store in Birmingham would be closed), I needed to skip the photos.
One of the Samford students remembered a tire store close by, and here I am on the way. It was about a 16 block trip. Luckily, the store did not close until 6 p.m., and it was about 4:45 when I got there. Two guys manned the tire shop, though there were no other customers.
After explaining my situation, they said they could fix it. Inspecting the tire, they called me outside, pointing to the tire. The way the wheel had stopped, the big-headed roofing nail was at the top of the tire, sticking out about a quarter inch. “That’s the problem,” they said.
Drizzly rain was falling, but the two rolled out a jack, raised the car, and soon had the tire off. “You don’t need a plug, but a patch,” one said, taking the tire inside. After about 10 minutes, the tire was repaired, and soon back on the vehicle.
“How much?” I asked, and gladly paid them $15.
Moments later, I was headed back to the wedding venue, with all four tires primed with air. What a cozy feeling! I got back to the venue in time to enjoy the food at the reception, eventually including a delicious and unusual wedding cake. The cake had no icing on the outside, as most cakes do, instead showed raspberry jam and cream between the layers!
The next day we easily cruised back home, with the tire pressure holding steady. I had just in time dodged a bullet, thanks not only to modern technology, but also for a late afternoon tire shop being open and its workers most helpful.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Loving reading, she sometimes reads a solid paragraph several times
By Debra Houston, contributing columnist
LILBURN, Ga. | I feel ambitious at the start of a new year. I resolved one year ago to read more books. I promised myself to read at least a chapter a day from the countless books scattered about the house.
Last year I read about two-dozen. That’s nothing, you say? Then you don’t know how I savor words, how I’ll read a well-crafted paragraph five times. It’s not always the narrative that grips me; I love to study how authors spin tales.
I fell in love with each book and hated when they ended. I identified with Rick Bragg’s kinfolk in The Best Cook in the World. He’s referring to his mother, Margaret. This is her cookbook, Southern-to-the-core. She calls her food “good stuff.” My late mother-in-law, Elizabeth, would’ve called it “grub.” My mom Flo, would’ve call it “supper.”
Rick’s aunts were contemporaries of my Jordan aunts. Aunt Inez taught me to pat buttermilk on top of cornbread for an extra kick. Nanny Jordan cooked cornbread and buttermilk for Papaw Carl every night for dinner. I learned from my kin that you could render a delicious meal from no more than buttermilk, cornmeal, flour, “sweet” milk, an egg, and some grease. Vegetable? Poke salad. I remember my dad, Hank, picking it in our backyard and he wasn’t even a Jordan.
Rick’s mom says, “Good stuff always has a story.” Bragg is thankful for that and his book is chocked full of them.
Elliott Brack recommended, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith., a Scotsman. The agency, located on Zebra Drive, is No. 1 because it’s the only ladies’ detective agency in Botswana. Precious Ramotswe is our sleuth, and though she has few clients, she keeps us entertained through her methodical tracking of clues and her astute eye.
In Tears of the Giraffe, Precious tells her fiancé that his maid is lazy. “She should be ashamed of herself. If all women in Botswana were like that, our men would have died out a long time ago.”
I smile at that because Precious isn’t contaminated with foolish social ideas like we are in America. Like commentators who say we need to do something about white men. Precious is herself and makes no apologies. You can check out the Ladies’ Detective series from the Gwinnett library.
How many books do you plan to read in 2019? For myself, I have a gargantuan task ahead of me – – during the holidays, I bought 1000 Books to Read Before You Die. If I read one chapter a night, I may finish the entire thousand in about 500 years.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
MTI Baths Inc.
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s featured sponsor is MTI Baths Inc. of Sugar Hill. MTI Baths is a manufacturer of high-quality acrylic and engineered solid surface bath products, including whirlpools, air and soaking baths; lavatories; shower bases; and kitchen sinks. MTI’s patented Fill-Flush® and Simple Touch® whirlpool cleaning systems are the best on the market. MTI now offers engineered solid surface–counter tops and sinks. Every product is custom-made to order and shipped within seven business days. We are now operating in an additional manufacturing plant of 38,000 square foot. CEO of the firm is Kathy Adams, while Russell Adams is president.
- Visit their web site at http://www.mtibaths.com/.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
Resurrecting the word “statesman” to consider term of Gov. Deal
Editor, the Forum:
“Statesman:” I wince a bit when I hear that word. It is one of Plato’s third period (after the Republic) dialogues and it discusses Sophists versus philosophers. It has the mature Socrates and the young Socrates with the stranger from Elea. The young Socrates had been heavily impacted by meeting Parmenides, a monist from Elea accompanied by his defender and lover, the young Xeno with his paradoxes.
Labeling the Sophist and the Statesman today is complicated. We have a divided community with completely different perceptions of events, and have confused expressions of goals. It is more like competing teams than avoiding Sophistry in pursuit of shared philosophical ideals.
Plato was a white privilege aristocrat in a small state. Slavery was assumed, women were not important. Yet, his themes resonate into our society still today. Do we call someone a statesman when they fit our position and were successful? Do we have a core of ethics to evaluate well? Have things become so blurred, that we can’t do evaluations very well?
Many are calling Governor Nathan Deal one of Georgia’s best of all time. He did walk his own path. He made Georgia a much better place for everyone. There are issues left on the table, but so much was accomplished. The word statesman has been thrown around. I see a very successful governor when one was needed in challenging times. History will be kind to him.
Brian Kemp has a tough act to follow. I worry that our team mentality will cripple anyone’s efforts. It’s like walking across a room with a full glass and everyone keeps bumping your elbows, then screams at you for spilling anything. The future and fortune of Georgia is at stake, and a wide berth should be given for our new governor to show himself.
— Byron Gilbert, Duluth
Book recommendation stirs remembrance of sitting with author
Editor, the Forum:
So enjoyed Jon Meacham’s biography of George H.W. Bush as well as Meacham’s new one Angels. He came to Pawleys Island on a book tour and the person in charge sat me with him for lunch. It was a special and interesting hour indeed. Daughter-in-law, Phoebe Lenhart (the CARE attorney’s wife and eye surgeon at Emory) had interned for Meacham in Washington while she was a student at Davidson College. Meacham remembered her distinctly. Great guy!
— Ross W. Lenhart, Pawleys Island, S.C.
Timing wrong in article about Dixiecrats and Republican Party
Editor, the Forum:
In the December 21 Another View column, Ralph Reed was said to have “led a state-wide conversion of Dixiecrats to Republicans…”
Ralph Reed was born in 1961, 13 years after the rise and fall of the Dixiecrat “Party” in 1948. To call those Democrats who converted to the Republican Party in the 1990’s “Dixiecrats” can only be viewed as a pejorative. Why? Because “The States’ Right Democratic Party”, aka, Dixiecrats, were segregationists.
Now, it might be Pollyannaish to say that many of those converts have enlightened views on race. But they don’t deserve to be called Dixiecrats.
— Theirn Scott, Lawrenceville
Send us your thoughts: We encourage you to send us your letters and thoughts on issues raised in GwinnettForum. Please limit comments to 300 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net
UPCOMINGRead the back story of Gwinnett in six documentaries now available
Gwinnett’s yearlong bicentennial celebration wrapped up on December 15, but newcomers and history buffs can still learn the back story of Georgia’s second most-populous county. Gwinnett County Government has developed six documentaries about the county’s past and posted them on the official bicentennial website at www.gwinnett200.com.
The videos trace Gwinnett’s origin and cover other aspects of the county’s history, including its military contributions, the development of its African-American community, the achievements of its business community, and where we are now.
The first of the series, “Two Centuries of Fertile Ground for the American Dream,” starts with the initial settlers and the creation of Gwinnett County. The 13-minute video discusses the impact of farming, railroads, medical care and industry on Gwinnett’s growth. It also covers the creation of Lake Lanier and construction of Interstate 85 through the heart of Gwinnett County and how those two developments changed the county.
“New Pioneers” focuses on the diversity of Gwinnett County, celebrates Gwinnett’s inclusivity and shares the stories of people who moved to Gwinnett from other countries. The nearly nine-minute-long documentary talks about how people were drawn by the promise of jobs, the outstanding schools, the openness of the community and how the different cultures have enriched the county.
The 200-year history of African-Americans in Gwinnett is chronicled in “The African-American Journey.” It touches on slavery and reconstruction with sharecroppers working the land for survival. Descendants of longtime Gwinnett residents talk about the historic role of the church and segregated schools among African-Americans. The video, approximately 14 minutes long, also features the Promised Land, a center of economic and community activity for people of color.
“200 Years of Commerce” examines the history of Gwinnett’s economy and prosperity, focusing on how transportation – waterways, roads, and railways – helped spark Gwinnett’s early growth, and how education and quality of life is helping fuel its continued success. The video, which runs about 10 minutes, also talks about how Gwinnett is a hub for high-tech and life-science companies, providing a nurturing environment for entrepreneurs.
From its inception, Gwinnett residents have served their country when duty called. “Gwinnett’s Military Contributions” recounts the County’s role in preparing for and fighting in conflicts around the globe. The approximately nine-minute video highlights some of Gwinnett soldiers’ stories as well as contributions on the home front.
“Where Are We Today?” provides a snapshot of modern Gwinnett County, describing its thriving economy, its quality of life, its diversity and cultural pluralism and the local government’s commitment to providing high quality services. Gwinnett’s exceptional health care facilities and world-class education are also extolled in this nearly six-minute video.
Keaton is new chair of Gwinnett County Democratic Party
Gwinnett Democrats, fresh from scoring major victories in the recent General Election, have elected new party offices. The new officers elected at the meeting include from left Second Vice Chair Loretta Mirandola, Chair Bianca Keaton and First Vice Chair Sharon Wood. Gabe Okoye is the outgoing party chair. The new officers and committee members took office January 1, 2019. The party has a meeting on the third Thursday of most months. There is a breakfast on the second Saturday of every month at Sweet Baby Jane’s in Duluth.
Aurora Theatre to present A Doll’s House, Part 2 starting Jan. 10
Audiences are invited to Lawrenceville for a comedic Broadway smash hit that puts a modern twist on a classic
The 2017 Broadway smash-hit A Doll’s House, Part 2 is set to hit Aurora Theatre’s mainstage from January 10 – February 10. Based on the characters of the Henrik Ibsen classic play, this follow-up story imagines what would happen if Nora Helmer returned home, 15 years after she slams the door on her husband and family. Audiences don’t need to be familiar with the original story to enjoy this “Part 2,” as playwright Lucas Hnath juxtaposes contemporary and classic sensibilities to create a thought-provoking and sharp-witted comedy.
Director Freddie Ashley says: “Audiences loved A Doll’s House, Part 2 at Actor’s Express earlier this fall, so we’re looking forward to revisiting the show in Lawrenceville. I think fans of A Doll’s House will love to see what happened to Nora after she slammed the door, but one of the great things about Lucas Hnath’s funny, funny play is that you don’t even need to be familiar with Ibsen’s original to enjoy it. It’s a perfect blend of modern and classic – a play of big ideas and big laughs.”
A co-production between Aurora Theatre and Actor’s Express, A Doll’s House, Part 2 features a quartet of Atlanta’s top-tier talent. Tess Malis Kincaid will star as Nora, Rob Cleveland as Nora’s estranged husband, Torvald, Shelli Delgado as the Helmer’s daughter, Emmy and Deadra Moore as the nanny, Anne Marie.
A Doll’s House, Part 2 will play at Aurora Theatre January 10 – February 10, with a discount matinee on Tuesday, January 22. Tickets are currently on sale by calling the Box Office at 678-226-6222. For more information on this production or other programming, please visit auroratheatre.com.
NOTABLEThree Gwinnett businessmen named to 2018 Million Dollar Club
Three Gwinnett businessmen were among 13 members of the Georgia Association of Business Brokers named to the 2018 Million Dollar Club for helping broker the sale of more than $71 million worth of small, medium and large businesses.
Josovitz
The three are Steve Josovitz, vice president of The Shumacher Group; Jon Roman, business intermediary, franchise consultant and developer at Transworld Business Advisors’ and Richard S. Burgess, president and founder of Priority Business Acquisitions, Inc.
Josovitz, a Norcross resident, joined Shumacher firm in 1992. He provides commercial retail and restaurant real estate site selection, sales and lease negotiation expertise. He earned a B.S. in Hotel/Restaurant Management from Florida International University in 1981 and has studied in Europe.
Roman
Burgess
Roman, a Lawrenceville resident, is a business intermediary, franchise consultant and developer at Transworld Business Advisors. He founded the local Transworld Business Advisors office in Atlanta. His experience includes mergers and acquisition of privately owned companies with revenues of up to $30 million.
Burgess’ Priority Business Acquisitions, Inc., uses a straightforward, successful approach to its mergers and acquisitions services. He has more than 20 years of successful M & A and real estate experience, and is a licensed real estate broker in the state of Georgia. He is a resident of Lawrenceville, attends Christ The Lord Lutheran Church, and also owns Priority Real Estate Services, LLC.
Peachtree Corners resident named to College of Fellows of PR Society
Grizzle
Jennifer Grizzle of Peachtree Corners, president of The PR Studio, Inc. has been named to the College of Fellows of the Public Relations Society of America. The College is an honorary organization within PRSA comprised of more than 350 senior practitioners and educators, each of whom has left a significant footprint on the public relations profession. Additionally in early November, PRSA Georgia inducted her into its Order of the Phoenix Society and into the Georgia PR Hall of Fame. Grizzle founded her company, The PR Studio, Inc. in 1996 and has created award-winning public relations campaigns for clients in a variety of industries. She is past president of PRSA Georgia. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University and is a graduate of the Buckhead Business Association 
Leadership Development Class.
London by Edward Rutherfurd
From Karen Harris, Stone Mountain | This book is much more than a novel. It is a journey through the life and times of characters who create the city of London through adventures and mishaps filled with sorrows, dangers and battles of all kind. The inexplicable ties of the several families over the years tear down and build lives with the great city rising from the turmoil. Surrounding these families is the history of London from the times of Julius Caesar, Henry VII, the London Bridge, the London Fire, the Suffragette Movement, as the characters mix and merge, creating their piece of the historical tapestry of London. Approximately 2,000 years are covered in over 1,110 pages. While this was the most challenging book I read in 2018, it is the most beloved because each character became compatriots in the best sense of the word. It is a wonderful read and learning experience. Please pick it up!
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. Send to: elliott@brack.net
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA TIDBITNatural Resources department oversees historic preservation in Georgia
The Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources is the state agency responsible for implementing the national preservation program in Georgia. The division works in partnership with federal and state agencies, local governments, preservation organizations, community groups, and individuals to achieve a greater appreciation and use of historic buildings, districts, and archaeological sites in the context of everyday life.
Working at the state level, the division is able to bring together national, regional, and local preservation interests to support community and economic development goals throughout Georgia. The division particularly encourages regional and local planning, neighborhood conservation, downtown revitalization, economic development, African American preservation, heritage tourism, and archaeological site protection.
Each state’s historic preservation office receives financial assistance through the Historic Preservation Fund of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, and provides matching state funds to carry out the nation’s preservation partnership. The National Park Service establishes broad policies, programs, and standards for state and local participation in the national program.
Such preservation incentives as the National Register of Historic Places, tax credits, and grants, as well as compliance requirements, established through the Historic Preservation Act and other federal legislation, encourage preservation activity. States enact programs and services that complement the national program and address the special character and needs of their state. In Georgia the state legislature mandates a number of specific preservation programs, such as a state property-tax freeze, rehabilitation grants, archaeology protection, and stewardship of state-owned buildings that provide additional services and incentives for the preservation of historic properties throughout Georgia.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Driving trip produces sign in distance which is Today’s Mystery
For today’s Mystery Photo, someone made an auto trip, and saw this sight in front of them. What and where is it? And by the way, those of you reading today’s GwinnettForum ought to consider sending one of your photos to be used as the Mystery Photo in a future edition. Photos taken by individuals are the best kind to get, for it makes searching for the answer more difficult.
What we thought might be a difficult Mystery Photo in the last 2018 edition turned out to be fairly easy for many regular readers of GwinnettForum. Help: we lost who it was that sent in the photo! Immediately on posting, Scott LeCraw, Suwanee wrote: “That’s the old fort at Fort Yargo near Winder. It was the background for my Facebook Profile picture for a while.” Then Faye Hill of Lawrenceville wrote: “This is the log fort built in 1792 located at Fort Yargo State Park in Winder Ga.”
Allan Peel, San Antonio, Texas: “Today’s mystery photo is of Fort Yargo. The building is more accurately referred to as a fort ‘blockhouse’ (rather than a ‘cabin’ or ‘home’). In military terms, a ‘blockhouse’ is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with portholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It usually refers to an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive strong point against any enemy that does not possess siege equipment. In 1792 the State of Georgia commissioned Fort Yargo to be built to protect white settlers against the local natives, the Creek and Cherokee Indians. One of four such forts built in Georgia at the time, the fort was inhabited by a small group of settlers who formed a well-armed militia, ready to aide their neighbors. The blockhouse is an 18 by 22 feet, two-story log building. The logs used to construct the blockhouse were about 10 inches thick and were joined at the corners and at the portholes by interlocking wedge shaped notches. A close-up view of these notches is shown in the attached photo. Today, visitors go to Fort Yargo for a wide variety of outdoor recreation and scenery. Overnight guests can choose from fully equipped cottages, adventure cabins, yurts or cozy campsites.”
Peel attached a close-up view of Fort Yargo’s log wedge notches
George Graf, Palmyra, Va.: “The two-story log blockhouse in your photo was constructed as part of the original fort. Built around 1792 Ft Yargo has been a part of Winder history for over 200 years and still is a working part of the area. Before this area was known as Winder, even before it was known as Beadland, it was the home of either the Creeks or the Cherokees depending on the fortunes of war. Located near what is now Athens and Church Streets was the Creek village known as Snodon. A Creek named Umausauga claimed an area south of Tishmagu now called Mulberry river and let no one pass without his permission. His home was located about 200 yards from Talasee Shoals.”
Don Moore, Suwanee: “This is Old Fort Yargo, built by settlers as protection against Creek and Cherokee Indians. It sits close to Marbury Creek Reservoir in Fort Yargo State Park in Winder. There are great hiking and biking trails throughout the park.” Holly Moore wrote: “Don spotted the photo first.”
LAGNIAPPEScenes of roving photographer’s recent Caribbean cruise
Roving Photographer Frank Sharp, along with this wife, Pearl, has recently completed a Caribbean cruise, including a trip through the widened Panama Canal. Here are several views of the canal. The other photos show a village in Aruba, a market in Columbia and growing aloe in Costa Rica.
Aruba Coastline 12-08-18
Aloe Vera Plantation Curacao 12-09-18
Cartagena, Columbia 12-11-18 Street Vendor
Panama Canal Giant Lock 12-11-18
Ship enters Gaton Lock 12-11-18
SNELLVILLE COMMERCE CLUB will meet at noon on Tuesday, January 8, at the community room of City Hall. Guest speaker will be state Rep. Brett Harrell. Mr. Harrell was from 2000 until 2003 mayor of Snellville. He represents District 106 in the Georgia House and currently serves on the Budget and Financial Affairs Oversight, Regulated Industries, Rules, Transportation and Ways and Means Committees.
NORTH ATLANTA Metro Area Realtors (NAMAR) is holding its annual EXPO on January 17, 2019, at the Infinite Energy Center, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Nearly 150 exhibitor booths will be in attendance.
CHIPPING CHRISTMAS TREES: Bring One for the Chipper will be held on Saturday, Jan. 26 at Bethesda Park in Lawrenceville. The mulch resulting from the chipped trees will be used in Gwinnett County parks and trails and on county school grounds. Cut Christmas trees will be accepted at Gwinnett County Fire Stations locations between December 26, 2018 and January 20, 2019. Before dropping trees off, trees must be free of lights, tinsel, decorations and tree stands in order to be tree-cycled.
PHOTO EXHIBIT by Connie and Steve White of Sugar Hill is now on exhibit at George Pierce Park in Suwanee. They are members of the Georgia Nature Photographer’s Association. The exhibit is entitled “God’s natural through photographs and artwork.” The artwork is by Connie and the photo by both Connie and Steve. The exhibit continues through April 29.
OUR TEAMGwinnettForum is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday.
Meet our team
- Editor and publisher: Elliott Brack, 770-840-1003
- Managing editor: Betsy Brack
- Roving photographer: Frank Sharp
- Contributing columnist: Jack Bernard
- Contributing columnist: Debra Houston
- Contributing columnist: George Wilson
More
- Location: We are located in Suite 225, 40 Technology Park, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30092.
- Work with us: If you would like to serve as an underwriter, click here to learn more.
Subscriptions to GwinnettForum are free.
- Click to subscribe.
- We hope you’ll keep receiving the great news and information from GwinnettForum, but if you need to unsubscribe, go to this page and unsubscribe in the appropriate box.
© 2019, Gwinnett Forum.com. Gwinnett Forum is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA.
Follow Us