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TODAY'S
ISSUE
Gwinnett Place property
owners seeking to form CID
By Paige Havens
President, Solid Ground Resources, Inc.
Special to GwinnettForum.com
JULY 1, 2003 - - Smog, traffic congestion, overcrowding, public
safety, empty shopping centers, store closings: overcoming such
by-products of growth and
the results of an economic cycle can seem as impossible hurdles.
While many choose to complain and wring their hands, business leaders
can now share their entrepreneurial "can do" experience
to help solve many of the area's greatest challenges through an
approach called a Community Improvement District (CID).
The Gwinnett Place area must transform itself into a boulevard
of endless shopping and entertainment opportunities. The area must
evolve into an experience not to be missed, a place where people
feel safe and where a new generation will want to spend their time
and money.
That is clearly what drives the proposed Gwinnett Place CID Formation
Board. Its formal mission is "to enhance the economic vitality
of Gwinnett's central business corridor by strengthening the area's
role as the center of commercial, cultural, and social activity."
When it opened in 1984, Gwinnett Place Mall was "the"
center of commerce for the Gwinnett community. However, over time,
changing buying habits, additional competition, and its auto-dependence
have sapped some of the area's former grandeur and affected its
profitability. By strengthening its existing assets with a new vision,
the area can again become a vibrant, multi-use center that attracts
people to an interconnected system of streets, sidewalks, and shops.
Jerry Moore of Centurion Foods, and his wife, Laura, are among
the strongest advocates of the proposed Gwinnett Place CID. They
have joined forces with Steve Devinney of Goddard Investment Group,
Gary Eplan of EPCO Real Estate Services, Craig Hillyard of, Atlanta
Marriott Gwinnett Place, Charles Lotz with Glenwood Lotz Mall Corners
Holding Co. LLC, Mike, Casey Coffey of Gwinnett Place Ford/Nissan,
Thomas Olney with United Auto Group, Inc., Scott Rolston with Gwinnett
Place Mall, Gene Waterfall of Batteries Plus, Thomas Wheeler of
Wheeler/Kolb Management Company, Leo Wiener with Glenwood Development
Co. LLC, and Bruce Williams of Bruce Williams Properties, LLC on
the Gwinnett Place CID Formation Board.
About the goals of the proposed CID, Tom Wheeler says, "They
are to ensure that the district remains Gwinnett's most desirable
business location through
investments in the infrastructure and development."
The CID model has proven very effective in other areas around the
state. Communities that are now using, or have used Business Improvement
Districts (BID) or CIDs, include Downtown Atlanta, Buckhead, Midtown,
Town Center, Cumberland, Perimeter, South Fulton and most recently
the Highway 78 Corridor in Gwinnett County. What is important to
note is that a CID is voluntarily formed by property owners and
is not a government driven initiative.
George Barry, vice president of Cousins Properties explains, "Community
Improvement Districts are a great tool to help influence policy.
Governments typically could not spend money for developing an idea
or designing a project in the concept stage. What a CID does is
kick-start projects."
Chris Moder, director of Economic Development for the Gwinnett
Chamber, inputs, "By harnessing the entrepreneurial spirit
of its commercial property owners and building upon its existing
infrastructure, a new activity center with a new vision that captures
the consumer's imagination can again become the vibrant heart of
Gwinnett County that attracts people to its open and safe venue
of streets, sidewalk cafes, and shops. This is an exciting time
of re vitalization for this area."
For more information, go to www.gwinnettplacecid.com.
ELLIOTT
BRACK
Yellow
ribbons are taking on new meaning today
By Elliott Brack
editor and publisher
GwinnettForum.com
JUNE 27, 2003 -- It's one of those bright, lilting and happy songs
which caught the country by storm several years ago.
Remember "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree?"
Part of the lyrics went like this:
"I'm coming home I've done my time
And I have to know what is or isn't mine
If you received my letter
Telling you I'd soon be free
Then you'd know just what to do
If you still want me
If you still want m.e
Oh, tie a yellow ribbon
'Round the old oak tree
It's been three long years
Do you still want me?
If I don't see a yellow ribbon
'Round the old oak tree
I'll stay on the bus, forget about us
Put the blame on me.
If I don't see a yellow ribbon
'Round the old oak tree
Have you noticed all the yellow ribbons that have gone up in the
last few months? They're everywhere, part of the effort to encourage
the American troops in Iraq, and to show solidarity in this nation
to defeat Iraq.
It was a beautiful public relations move, no doubt orchestrated
at some high level. Yet it surely worked, as yellow ribbons were
virtually out of stock with people buying them so readily. In addition,
soon yellow bows were popping up in similar fashion all across this
land. Again, it was a beautiful symbol of support.
What those ribbons were encouraging happened. The forces led by
the United States speedily maneuvered through Iraq, capturing land,
finding little direct resistance, and moving speedily to Baghdad.
It was an outcome that the United States prayed for....though so
far the President has yet to declare total victory.
There's reason. There is today sporadic, scattered and sometimes
bitter resistance by a small band of Iraqis no doubt still loyal
to Saddam. These groups are making the United States efforts in
Iraq at keeping the peace about as bitter as promulgating a war.
Tension looms. And unfortunately, though the direct assaults on
Iraq have ceased, still Americans are getting killed, almost daily.
So far, since President Bush said major combat operations were ended
in Iraq on May 1, a total of 54 Americans have been killed. (See
AJC of Sunday, June 22.)
For parents seeing their loved ones returned in body bags, they
don't feel that the war is won, nor over. They find no succor in
this United States occupation of Iraq.
And those yellow ribbons?
What was once a rallying symbol for this nation could take on new
meaning if the efforts toward securing stabilization in Iraq does
not produce much better results, and soon.
No longer are yellow ribbons automatically rallying symbols to
people touched directly by the Iraq action. If something does not
jell toward eventual stability, these ribbons take on a negative
aura, the exact opposite of what they were put up to achieve.
Far better would be for those putting up the yellow ribbons to
realize that their usefulness is over. To many, the ribbons today
don't mean what they once did. The time for these ribbons to be
folded is now.
Those same manipulators that pushed for putting the ribbons up
now have a new job: to get the ribbons down with dispatch, before
more and more people see an entirely new and different meaning in
the yellow ribbons.
Untie that yellow ribbon 'round the old oak tree.
ABOUT
OUR SPONSORS
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to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is the Gwinnett
Philharmonic, presenting concerts of classical and popular music
three times at year at the Gwinnett Civic & Cultural Center.
Its next concert is October 8 at the Gwinnett
Performing Arts Center. For more information, go to the Philharmonic
web site at www.gwinnettphilharmonic.org.
FEEDBACK
7/1: How to view
the people before onslaught of war
Editor, the Forum:
This was said by way of an explanation as to how the people
were persuaded to declare war on a much smaller, weaker and
essentially unarmed country:
"Why, of course, the people don't want war. Why would
some poor slob . . . want to risk his life in a war when the
best that he can get out of it is to come back . . . in one
piece. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither
in Russia nor in England nor in America . . . . That is understood.
But, after all, it is the
leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always
a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy,
a fascist dictatorship or a Communist dictatorship."
The interviewer pointed out that "in a democracy the people
have some say in the matter through their elected representatives,
and in the United States only Congress can declare wars."
The response -- "Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice
or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding
of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them
they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack
of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the
same way in any
country."
These callous words were spoken by Reichsmarshall Herman Goering,
whom
Hitler had named as his successor. Hitler had instilled fear
in the German people by telling them that Germany, with its
huge, highly mechanized army, was in danger of being invaded
by Poland - which at that time possessed only horse cavalry.
The beginning of WWII.
And you thought it was somebody else, didn't you?
-- Charles Prendergast,Texarkana, Ark.
NEWS
Quantum National
Bank adds two new officers
New senior vice president for lending at Quantum National Bank
of Suwanee is Jody Lail, President Chris Fluehr announces. Mr.
Lail comes to Quantum National Bank from SunTrust Bank with
15 years of banking experience. He is a graduate of the U.S.
Military Academy in 1983 and later went on to get his law degree
from Georgia State University College of Law. He and his family
reside in Buford.
Fluehr also announces Gary Eaton as Assistant Vice President.
Mr. Eaton has recently joined Quantum National Bank from Nations
Bank and has been in banking for about 19 years. He graduated
from the University of Kentucky in 1982, where he received his
BBA He and his wife reside in Atlanta.
Quantum National Bank is a $145 million asset Gwinnett-based
community bank specializing in serving small businesses throughout
the Metro Atlanta area.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Dogs have every reason
to really admire humans
"Ever consider what they must think of us? I mean, here
we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul --
chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest
hunters on earth!"
-
--Author Anne Tyler
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