(Editor's Note: The next edition of GwinnettForum will be January 6. We forgot to tell you that we would not publish on December 27. Oh, well. -eeb)

TODAY'S ISSUE
Village CID seeks improvement on Jimmy Carter Blvd. area
By Sen Curt Thompson
Georgia Senate District 5
Special to GwinnettForum.com

DEC. 30, 2005 -- It was truly an honor when I was elected in early December as president of the Southwest Gwinnett Village Community Improvement Association. This is the organizing committee of the Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District (CID), an area surrounding the Interstate-85 corridor in Gwinnett from the DeKalb County line to Beaver Ruin Road.

Thompson

This project is near and dear to my heart because of its enormous potential to shape the future of the part of Gwinnett County where I grew up, where I live now and where I plan to continue living. It has been a pleasure to be a part of this group of community and business leaders since day one, and I am honored now to serve in this leadership position.

The reason behind establishing the Gwinnett Village CID is to generate funding for transportation, safety and revitalization and beautification programs in the district. Revenue generated from commercial property owners coming together to invest in their businesses' future through a self-tax (usually about 5 mills) will be used in the CID area. These funds can then be leveraged to obtain additional city, state and federal funding. The money raised has to be invested in the district, so no one has to worry about their tax dollars going to support business or community development in other areas.

Potential projects range from improving roads and bridges, creating and preserving greenspace, adding police protection to reduce crime, building new sidewalks, and generally helping redevelop the area business district. It is our hope to make the Gwinnett Village a destination in the area known for its international flair, with great shopping, restaurants and hotels. Within five years, we should be well on our way to being one of the best places to live, work and play in the Atlanta area.

I am extremely proud of what the Gwinnett Village CID's board and staff have been able to accomplish in these first six months of organization. We have already secured commitments from owners of more than $200 million worth of property. The revenue raised from these investments will pay huge dividends in years to come.

We're indeed off to a good start, but soon a new year will give us a fresh opportunity to recommit our efforts and - as the SEC Champion Georgia Bulldogs' great coach, Mark Richt, would say, - finish the drill.

The law requires (by March 15, 2006) that we get buy-in from a majority of commercial landowners, representing at least 75 percent of the property, but why stop there? For a successful CID, we need all commercial property owners to get involved and invest in their business' future.

If you are a commercial property owner in the Gwinnett Village area, we invite you to sign up. Many people talk about our community's growing pains that include crime, dropping property values, traffic congestion and lack of basic infrastructure that would enhance our quality of life. The Gwinnett Village CID is an organization that's actually doing something about it. And the sooner we're successful, the sooner your business will realize the positive results. Won't you join us?

For a clearer picture of the CID's vision for southwest Gwinnett, visit www.gwinnettvillage.com, or come out to our next board meeting on January 5 at the Long Administration building of Greater Atlanta Christian School, at 7:30 a.m. If you have any questions, feel free to call me at 404 643-2649 or curt@curtthompson.com. Together - and only together - we can make this community great, revitalize our business district, and make our voices heard on how tax dollars are spent in our area.

ELLIOTT BRACK
Commission chairman looks back on first year in office
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

DEC. 30, 2005 -- After a year in office as chairman of the Gwinnett County Commission, Charles Bannister is "generally happy" and "having a good time" in his leadership role.

A decidedly different leader than former Chairman Wayne Hill, Bannister is far less "hands on" and more bound to follow a pattern of looking at the larger picture than his predecessor.

Yet the jury is still out on his leadership style, with some wanting the chairman to be more active, and others applauding his methods. Meanwhile, another contingent of people in the county maintain that they see little difference in the overall direction of the county, with growth and development still the byword in Gwinnett.

Bannister himself would dispute that assessment. He sees less growth and is concerned about the revenue stream that the county generates. He anticipates far smaller growth than in five of the 12 years of the Hill Administration, when there was a $50 million increase in revenue. "We need to do something to encourage the tax base," he says.

Bannister

He talks about the need for more economic growth in commercial activity, "for houses don't pay for all the services they require, and 60 per cent of the tax base comes from homeowners now." (He is well aware of the impact of SPLOST revenues. He says that without this revenue "the county taxes would almost double" to maintain services as presently configured.)

To that end, Chairman Bannister is anticipating that the county will start getting into the business of boosting economic development itself. In recent years, it has relied upon the Chamber of Commerce for that activity, but now Bannister is talking about the need for an economic development officer "to compete." He points out that neighboring Cobb County, for one, has such an office, and notes that they have been getting some big-name development that Gwinnett has missed.

Other key topics on Bannister's mind these days:

• More emphasis on police and public safety. "There seems to be not as many people wanting to go into these professions now. Sheriff Butch Conway tells me that the improvements in the jail will come on line mid year, and that he needs 120 more people. He is having a difficult time finding people for these slots."
  
  
• Revitalization: Bannister is high on work by the CID districts already formed, and being formed. "We want them to be successful, and are pleased at their progress."
  
  
• High-rise buildings: He says that he understands sale of land at the OES site at Jimmy Carter Boulevard at I-85 is "an eyelash away", and that the anticipated work there, including high rise buildings, could "drive the county's development." The new high-rise ordinance is also anticipated to help the re-vitalization of the Gwinnett Place area.

While Bannister did not make major changes in personnel when he came into office a year ago, he anticipates that there could be some major retirements in the coming year. This stems from a retirement package adopted in December, 2004 which sets in motion the process that some key people could retire in three years. "I would not be surprised if there were some retirements," he says.

Bannister's technique has been to have the board set broad policy, "Not run things." One of the most difficult parts of the job early on for Bannister was "to change the mind-set of management to run their own department." He feels county operations are better today because of this change. That's why he's looking forward with anticipation to 2006!

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is the Gwinnett Philharmonic which will offer its third concert of the season, "Superlative Strings," on January 17 in the Gwinnett Performing Arts Center. The Gwinnett County Youth Symphony will perform "side-by-side" with the professionals of the Gwinnett Philharmonic in the second half of the January concert. The strings of the Philharmonic will perform a wonderful "Serenade for Strings" by Joseph Suk in the first half. The students will join us for the second half with guest conductors, Cathie Hudnall and Carl Reike. The students and pros all enjoy the mentoring opportunity afforded by this collaboration. For tickets call Ticketmaster at 404-249-6400 or visit the Web site for information on the Gwinnett Philharmonic's exciting new season: www.gwinnettphilharmonic.org.

For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: http://www.gwinnettforum.com/about/sponsors.htm



McLEMORE'S WORLD
12/30: Breech at the Red Cross

The latest from cartoonist Bill McLemore:

FEEDBACK
12/30: Doesn't idea of integrity fit into this picture somewhere?

Editor, the Forum:

It is a given that there is much to appreciate about Coach Mark Richt and the 'Dawgs. However, please explain to me how in the world can a player, in this case Quarterback D.J. Shockley, (also a great/nice guy), who is only taking one three hour course, be considered eligible for putting on a college uniform? As well, as those 'certain' key players who got into trouble with the law, one 'key' player twice, I believe, and, who was allowed to stay on campus, much less the team?

Where does integrity' come into play?

-- Deborah Willis, Peachtree Corners

12/30: County agent seeks info for Gwinnett book on agriculture

Editor, the Forum;

I am soliciting entries to be included in a document I am writing entitled "The History of Agriculture in Gwinnett'. Anyone who wants their agricultural business, hobby farm, trade organizations, government agency, etc. to be listed under the heading "Agriculture in Gwinnett Today" please send me a brief paragraph on your operation.

Please include general location (for instance, eastern Gwinnett on Harbins Road), acreage, commodity (horses, alpacas, goats, reindeer, corn, etc.) or type of business/agency, a general idea of your production (number of head, bushels per acre, etc) or service, any historical facts (ex. this farm once was owned by Button Gwinnett...), a brief history of your ownership/tenure, and any interesting facts you might be in possession of.

If you send me an entry I will edit it for brevity and grammar and include it. I will send you a copy of the document when I finish it. A copy will go into the records of the Gwinnett Historical Society so that future generations can see what Gwinnett Agriculture was like in the past and in 2006.

-- Stephen D. Pettis
Agricultural and Natural Resources Agent
Gwinnett County Cooperative Extension Service
750 South Perry Street, Suite 400
Lawrenceville, Ga. 30045

55-WORD STORY
Resolution from 35 years comes to mind, in regard to Iraq

Thirty-five years ago, I spent New Year's in the jungles of South Viet Nam. Regardless of your political views, this combat vet asks for this New Year you resolve to be resolute in your prayers and support of our combat troops in harm's way. Soldiers in Iraq will make a similar request in the future.

-- Joel Taylor, Snellville

NOTABLE
Nine from Gwinnett win Linder appointments to academies

Appointment to the nation's military academy from Georgia's Seventh Congressional District have been announced by Congressman John Linder of Georgia. Included are nine students from Gwinnett schools. They include:

Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colo.: Ross Carter, Peachtree Ridge High School; Alan Lantz, North Gwinnett High School; and Raymond Yoo, Collins Hill High School.

Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md.: Brittany Kall , Grayson High School; and Andrew Klein, Brookwood High School.

Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.: Devin McLeod, North Gwinnett High School; Steve Orf, Shiloh High School; Michael Springer, South Gwinnett High School; and Thomas Steinhauser, Collins Hill High School.

Each applicant was required to meet the following requirements as of July 1, 2005.

• Be at least 17 years old, but not have passed his/her 23rd birthday;
  
• Be a U.S. citizen, residing in the Seventh Congressional District of Georgia;
  
• Be unmarried, not pregnant, and have no legal obligation to support children or other dependents; and
  
• Be men/women of good moral character who are trustworthy, emotionally stable, and motivated.

Nominations are based on a variety of criteria ranging from a candidate's high school academic ranking, SAT or ACT scores, athletic ability, and leadership potential as demonstrated by extra-curricular activities, and community service or part-time employment.

Those interested in learning more about the nomination process for next year, should contact Annie Valenty, the Seventh Congressional District's Academy Advisory Panel Coordinator at (770) 232-3005, or visit Representative Linder's Online Office at http://linder.house.gov.

A nomination from Congressman Linder does not guarantee an appointment to a service academy. It is the decision of the individual academies to issue appointments.

RECOMMENDATION

• An invitation: What Web sites, books or restaurants have you enjoyed? Send us your best recent visit to a restaurant or most recent book you have read along with a short paragraph as to why you liked it, plus what book you plan to read next. --eeb
  
  

GEORGIA TIDBIT
Brenau galleries among finest art collection in the state

Brenau University Galleries, located on the campus of Brenau University in Gainesville, feature one of the finest university art collections held by an educational institution in the state of Georgia.

Burd

Until 1985, when John S. Burd became president of the university, Brenau lacked a designated art gallery and student and faculty work was displayed in various buildings across the campus. Burd, recognizing the need for a gallery, converted a small chapel, outside the balcony of the university's Pearce Auditorium into the President's Gallery. Director of visual arts Mary Jane Taylor became the first gallery director and began expanding the frequency and breadth of art exhibitions on campus throughout the late 1980s.

Burd also initiated the creation of Brenau's permanent art collection in 1986. The first important acquisition during this period was a still life painted by the American artist William Merritt Chase. The collection of more than 1,100 pieces is periodically exhibited on campus and is open to the public.

Highlights include early oil paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cézanne; watercolors by Eugène Delacroix; artifacts from the pre-Columbian period of American history; an oil painting by Anna Elizabeth Klumpke; sculptures by Jean Arp, Maria Artemis, Clyde Connell, and William King; a gouache by Amelia Peláez; and prints by Jasper Johns.

In 1990, Brenau's neoclassical library building (1914) was redesigned to house the Simmons Visual Arts Center. The second art gallery director, Jean Westmacott, was appointed by the university that year. Brenau held its inaugural art exhibition, featuring Jasper Johns's prints from the Leo Castelli Collection, at the Simmons Visual Arts Center in March 1991. The works of Benny Andrews ,Beverly Buchanan ,Lamar Dodd , Nancy Graves, William King, Roy Lichtenstein, Marisol, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Donald Saff, Frank Stella, and Neil Welliver have appeared in the university's galleries.

In March 2002, the Burd Performing Arts Center opened and gave the university a new home for visual art on campus. The center's gallery is known as the Leo Castelli Gallery, in honor of the New York art dealer and university trustee responsible for several major art acquisitions and exhibitions by the Brenau University Galleries. The gallery's primary function is to house long-term exhibitions of art from the permanent collection of the university.

• To access the Georgia Encyclopedia, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
  
  
  

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Why it's important to us to keep looking forward

"Unless we can find some way to keep our sights on tomorrow, we cannot expect to be in touch with today."

-- Former Secretary of State Dean Rusk, given at Time Magazine's 40th anniversary dinner, May 17, 1963, via Roy McCreary, Dacula.

• Another invitation: What's your favorite saying? Share with others through GwinnettForum. Send to elliott@gwinnettforum.com.
  

MORE: Contact Gwinnett Forum at: elliott@gwinnettforum.com

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