By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
AUG. 16, 2019 | A local resident had just returned from visiting with friends in California.
They had been in a town that was established in the 1850 era. Today, its population is 200,000. However, she was appalled at the lack of amenities in that town that we in Gwinnett take for granted.
A mid-sized city, it had only two libraries. And pocket parks and recreational facilities were sorely lacking. California was once high-flying, but in recent years it has had a bundle of financial problems.
It made me stop and think about the many services we get from our governments in Gwinnett. It’s something that we enjoy almost without thinking about. But…we find that so many other communities do not have the amenities that we have in Gwinnett.
In a way, it’s part of something we often complain about: growth. The many people moving into Gwinnett County are the reason we have the good facilities. Some amenities came from people demanding them. Others have come because our leaders have recognized the need for them.
Now this isn’t a campaign boost for anyone running for office, or even to commend those now in office. These leaders in office have had the foresight to figure out what’s needed, and have had the guts to fund them, even if it means higher taxes. After all, if we want good services, we must pay for them. We get a lot for our tax dollars.
Now, what are some of these good facilities we have. We’ll merely list them, and you can add other services that we don’t cover.
- Excellent protective services, fire, police, emergency medical, hospitals, which gives us safe and relaxed communities.
- Top notch medical specialists (Some of us remember when we had few).
- Major care centers for the dying in our hospices.
- Great services from libraries, adequately placed around the county.
- Major employment companies providing good jobs near people’s homes.
- Terrific schools, with achieving students.
- A four year college, something people worked long and hard for.
- A world class water system, even now conserving through re-use.
- Smooth highways, with constant upkeep, though often crowded.
- Nationally-recognized recreation system.
- Amazing parklands, now totaling some 10,000 acres. Not many communities can claim that much parkland, varied in scope and size.
- A people who recognize that pay-as-you go SPLOST funds are working.
- Distinctive communities in the 16 cities of the county, all with their own individual characteristics that makes them enjoyable and unique.
- A greatly-diverse population, in some ways the envy of many other areas.
- Open and efficient elections.
- Great food. You name it, there’s probably a restaurant serving that type of food in Gwinnett.
- Top major sporting teams nearby.
- More than adequate shopping in malls, or chain stores, and individual shops.
- Just as diverse as Gwinnett’s people are the diverse religious congregations.
- A growing entertainment community, with more on the horizon.
- A vibrant arts and theatre community, in almost every segment of the county.
- A growing number of senior housing and retirement communities.
- A transit system which will grow to serve more areas, we hope, relatively soon.
- Major non-profits who are helping the unfortunate among us.
As said above, each of you might add something to this list. Just recognize that those of us lucky enough to live in Gwinnett County today have better services and facilities than ever. It will be even better in the future. We will elect the far-sighted leaders who will insure that.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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