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TODAY'S
ISSUE
Duluth Park wins national
awards in New York
By Teresa Gibbs
Special to GwinnettForum.com
JUNE 24, 2003 - - Duluth Town Green has won the Great Community
Place Award, one of five awards given at the 8th International Urban
Parks Conference, held in New York City this week. Award winners
in five categories were selected by a panel of leading personalities
from the worlds of urban parks, city and downtown management, and
landscape architecture.
Encompassing 4.5 acres of downtown Duluth, the $5.5 million project
was planned by the City of Duluth as a catalyst for commercial and
residential renewal of the downtown district. In keeping with the
historic character of the downtown, the overall project architecture
reflects the Victorian period to convey a traditional feel to the
project. The Town Green is primarily a cascade of open space, terrace
greenery, an amphitheater, special-event facility, picnic areas
and large fountain, all flowing downhill from the Duluth City Hall.
This award-winning project was a joint endeavor of Norcross-based
Jordan, Jones & Goulding (JJG), the landscape architecture and
engineering firm responsible for creating an overall master plan
for revitalizing Duluth's downtown area near City Hall; Sizemore
Floyd Architects, an Atlanta-based architectural firm recognized
for expertise in urban planning; and the City of Duluth. Lusk &
Associates of Alpharetta served as the contractors of the project.
Accepting the award was Mack Cain, project manager for JJG. "This
park was designed to be a place for people," he explained to
leaders and professionals attending the special awards reception
hosted on Monday (June 23) by J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. at its
world headquarters. "It is the greatest compliment to be recognized
by fellow professionals for your work."
Project for Public Spaces (PPS), a national nonprofit organization
devoted to creating and sustaining public places that build communities,
co-hosted the conference with the Central Park Conservancy. PPS
launched the Great Parks/Great Cities Awards in 2001. This year
the awards were co-sponsored by Metropolis, a national magazine
of architecture, culture and design.
The Great Community Place Award recognizes a smaller park that,
although not necessarily well known nationally, has become a nucleus
of social activity and revitalization in its community or neighborhood.
Award winners become a permanent feature on Great Public Spaces,
a PPS website devoted to highlighting parks, buildings, streets
and markets.
Duluth's Town Green has had a dramatic impact on the identity of
the City and the attitude of its citizens. Since the park was completed
over a year ago, large and small events have taken place.
Among them are the annual Fall Festival, a three-day attraction
that draws over 40,000 visitors and more than 100 tents and food
service setups; amphitheater events, such as a "Three Dog Night"
concert that drew over 10,000 people onto the Green; weddings, family
reunions and birthday parties; a series of movies called Flicks
on the Bricks held every other Saturday evening during the summer;
an annual Christmas tree lighting, Easter egg hunt and July 4th
fireworks display; and an interactive 70-foot fountain popular with
both children and adults in the Green's Center.
The Green has sparked over $70 million of adjacent mixed-use development.
ELLIOTT
BRACK
New
possibility springs up for portion of Northern Arc
By Elliott Brack
editor and publisher
GwinnettForum.com
JUNE 24, 2003 -- Proponents and opponents of the Northern Arc are
still at battle in Gwinnett, and may be for some time.
For now Chairman Wayne Hill is seeking to get the state right-of-way
for the Northern Arc in Gwinnett granted to the county for a vital
cross-county road within Gwinnett.
Those same forces who oppose the Northern Arc will come back armed
with ammunition opposing this new effort, too. After all, if you
are an anti-roader, you don't want any road built, no matter the
reason.
Granted, the completion of the Northern Arc from Interstate 75
in Bartow County to Highway 316 in Gwinnett is suffering these days,
with Dr. Sonny Perdue opposed to its conception. Yet the efforts
of Mr. Hill and others to at least allow some cross-county relief
within Gwinnett can take on a life of its own.
Part of the proposal being advanced by cross county proponents
in Gwinnett is that the road could tie into with the end of the
Sugarloaf Parkway near Grayson, and form a loop road around most
of the county. The county must acquire additional right-of-way (beyond
the Northern Arc right-of-way) from the proposed end of the Northern
Arc at Highway 316 to Highway 20 near Grayson, a distance is approximately
seven miles. It would tie the new cross-county road to the existing
eastern end of Sugarloaf Parkway. This would effectively form a
"U" from Peachtree Industrial Boulevard near Sugar Hill
to that same PIB near Duluth.
Mainly, it would give better movement of traffic across the northern
part of the county. Specifically, it would relieve portion of Highway
20 near the Mall of Georgia to heavy traffic, since through traffic
on this part of the area would most likely use the cross county
roadway. It could in effect seriously reduce traffic congestion
around the Mall of Georgia.
Is such a road feasible?
As with many such questions, it boils down to practicalities and
politics.
- No doubt it would be some relief for congestion.
- No doubt it would be cost-effective, as opposed to letting right-of-way
acquisitions go unused should the roadway never be built. (Remember
what happened in mid-Atlanta from downtown toward Decatur?)
- No doubt better cross-county roadways are needed.
- And no doubt, some traffic bound for I-75 in Cartersville would
find it a little more convenient than utilizing Highway 20 through
Lawrenceville, Sugar Hill and Buford. It amounts to a long by-pass
of these towns, which the towns might find quite acceptable.
We'll watch the proceedings about this proposed road with interest,
as will much of Gwinnett.
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FEEDBACK
6/24: Organized
attempts seek to liberalize alcohol laws
Editor, the Forum:
You are right. The wave of liquor by the drink approvals is
an indication of organized attempts to liberalize alcohol ordinances
in many areas.
In unincorporated Duluth (where mixed drinks are allowed) a
country and western place called Wild Bill's seems to be challenging
laws against topless bars by employing skimpily clad (as skimpily
as one can get when bare waisted, big bosomed women are wearing
extremely open and low slung blouse/jeans outfits) to peddle
beer and advertise VIP rooms.
Duluth is, last time I checked, still a family area. Perhaps
the politicians who allowed the place to exist were looking
for an increased "Voyeur" turnout. No pun intended
but I think responsible locals should "scrutinize"
the establishment.
-- Randy Stephens, Duluth
SCHOLARSHIPS
6/24: Two from
Norcross win music scholarships to Georgia
The Mark Nanney Memorial Scholarship has been awarded to two
students of music at Norcross High School. Diane Cawthon and
Judith Gilbert have both earned $1,000 college and both will
attend the University of Georgia.
 Judith
has been a two-year All-State Band member, a five-year District
Honor Band member, a two-year UGA Jan-Fest Honor Band member,
a member of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, as well as
a member of the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony. She received the
National Band Association's Outstanding Music Camper award.
Judith is the recipient of the 2003 John Philip Sousa Award.
She will pursue a major in Flute Performance.
Diane has been a member of the All-State Orchestra and a member
of the District Honor Band for three years. She has also been
a member of the Gwinnett County Youth Symphony for two years
playing oboe and English horn, the Georgia Perimeter College
Wind Ensemble, and the Tri-M Music Honor Society. She plans
to pursue a double major in Music and Biology.
The Mark Nanney Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in
1991, after Mark was killed by a drunk driver while on his way
to Athens. Contributions to memorialize Mark came from throughout
the state, the Mark Nanney Memorial Scholarship Fund was established
to encourage and financially assist talented students who plan
to study music.
For more information on the Mark Nanney Memorial Scholarship,
please visit the website at: www.marknanney.com.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Happy thoughts once
you are through high school
"In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra."
-- Author Fran Lebowitz.
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