Gwinnett Forum.com -- Gwinnett County's community forum and idea exchange

TODAY'S ISSUE
Property owners along U.S. 78 corridor
seek improvement to upgrade the area
By Dave Rosselle
Executive director
Highway 78 Corridor Improvement Association
Special to GwinnettForum.com

DEC. 6, 2002 - - In January of 2002, a core group of U.S. Highway 78 community leaders recognized the need to begin organizing property owners in the U.S. 78 corridor so that the commercial decline and blight that occurred in recent years along Memorial Drive would not be repeated on this route.

The primary motivation was Georgia Department of Transportation's announcement of planning to install a median on the corridor and eliminate the dangerous reversible lane system. The group organized the initial meeting of 330 commercial property owners along the route between the DeKalb/Gwinnett County line and Georgia Route 124 and developed the following goals for the corridor:

As a result of significant enthusiasm and support, The Highway 78 Corridor Improvement Association was incorporated in April 2002 and the Association formally organized with a 14-member Board of Directors. Following an extensive evaluation process, ARCADIS was selected to assist the Association with the process of organizational and corridor plan development and the development of a long range strategic plan.

In August, 2002, the Association's Strategic Plan was published and can be seen on the Association's Web site at www.highway78.org. Also available on the web site are copies of the Association's newsletters.

The Association's Access and Beautification Plan was published in September 2002. A series of meetings with GDOT commenced with the objective of having the Association's enhancement proposals integrated into GDOT's plans for the median installation project. Major components of the Plan consist of the following recommendations:

- Installation of additional median breaks and traffic signals
- Installation of additional right-turn or "deceleration" lanes
- Provide for the Association's installation and maintenance of enhanced landscaping
- Proposals for realignment of selected access roads to Highway 78

One of the major goals of the Association is the formation of a Community Improvement District (CID). A CID is a self-taxing District that is designed so that the funds generated are provided directly to the Association to support its improvement projects. Achieving CID status enables the Association to have considerable leverage in obtaining additional local, State and Federal funding.

In recent years a number of CIDs have been formed in the Atlanta metro area and have been very successful. The process of organizing and certifying the Highway 78 CID is actively underway in concert with the Association's membership drive. At the present time CID consent agreements have been obtained from property owners for a total of 176 parcels with a combined property value of $117,636,772. The Association's goal is to obtain CID certification during early 2003 and become Gwinnett County's first CID.

The Highway 78 Corridor Improvement Association is committed to working closely with local, State & Federal departments and organizations on an ongoing basis to improve and enhance all aspects of development along the Highway 78 corridor. The goal is to ensure that the roadway evolves into an attractive, upscale destination that will safely and efficiently serve the needs of all businesses and residents in south Gwinnett.

Additional information about the Association can be found on the Association Web site at www.highway78.org. Comments or questions can be e-mailed to me, Dave Rosselle at dave@highway78.org

ELLIOTT BRACK
Book found out of state has supply
of tidbits about Gwinnett and Georgia
By Elliott Brack
editor and publisher
GwinnettForum.com

DEC. 6, 2002 - - You can find great values in books of your community and state when visiting out of state. While in Kentucky recently, we picked up for $1 "Georgia Place Names" by Kenneth Krakow of Macon. First published in 1975, it was re-issued in 1992. It proved to be quite a find, as it ticks off the names of many spots in Georgia, and gives their history.

In it were lots of interesting items, many about Gwinnett. But first, how about a test today?

Which were the eight original constitutional counties in Georgia? The names might surprise you. (See below.)

Those eight constitutional counties? They were created in 1777 in the state's first constitution, and included Burke, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Richmond and Wilkes. Note that they were all on water, along the coast or on the Savannah River, since this was the key mode of transportation back then. (Yep, Wilkes was on the river back then.)

"Georgia Place Names" is far from a complete book. There are many place names in Gwinnett never mentioned, such as Pinckneyville, Rosebud, Rest Haven, etc. That suggests that someone should be working on other place names not included in this book.

FEEDBACK:
12/6: Suggests names to help out schools

Editor, the Forum:

As to the Feedback notes in your November 26 edition, I suggest that Dillon, Gelbrich, and Drumond go volunteer their great insight and extensive understanding of the school construction problems to help Jim Steel.

-- Elmore Stuart, Norcross

12/6: Entire community can assist in locating schools

Editor, the Forum:

Recognizing that one's constructive input and feedback is always welcome, I wish to offer a perspective to your November 22nd article regarding the Dacula cluster and the challenges before them.

Although few can argue the significant building accomplishments achieved by the Gwinnett County Public School System (GCPS) over the past decade, questions concerning collaborative community vision and prioritization of community resources are considerations worth exploring.

Planning for a new school does impact upon the use of land in the community. Every time a school is planned and constructed, the comprehensive nature of the use of land is in some fashion impacted or influenced. To insure that the decisions made for a school building benefit the community to a maximum degree, the planning process must be structured to address the community to a maximum degree, the planning process must be structured to address the comprehensive nature of community development.

The question then must certainly be raised in these instances as to how the entire community can assist and be party to the decisions that go into the planning of and locating a school building. The technical, social, and political difficulties enumerated above sometimes serve to overwhelm planning efforts of the appropriate officials in local jurisdictions.

In spite of the fact that there are many actual and perceived conditions that may hinder collaboration by and between various local jurisdictions in developing the community, there are many areas where special collaborative efforts do exist. On the other hand, there are many instances where the school district either marginally collaborates with other jurisdictions, or perhaps does not even make much of an effort to collaborate. Local jurisdictions in many localities do not attempt to overcome the difficulties mentioned above simply because of the independence and single purpose nature of the school district.

Schools obviously must be placed where the students are located regardless of other circumstances. This is the prime consideration when the school board selects a site for a new school.

This consideration does not necessarily run counter to appropriate land use for the betterment of the entire community. The opportunity, however, to plan in a comprehensive nature beyond the needs for a school building are very good and result in a larger solution for community development.

-- Tony Arakawa, Berkeley Lake

12/6: Transportation not one of favorite departments

Editor, the Forum:

The DOT is one of my least favorite departments (DEFACS at the top of the list) in this state. It is bloated, has too much power, no original ideas other than pave, pave, pave and it operates out of our line of vision AND that is totally and completely unacceptable.

All old white guys, no women, one black guy, and no other "minorities" nor cross culture representation. This thing harkens of the good old boy cronyism days of yore, like 1865. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck. . . .

No, still a Republican sir, but if it ain't right, it ain't right. Thank you and I look forward to a lively four years - though not gloating. Be well.

-- Paul Coyne, Norcross