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Issue 9.25 | Friday, June 26, 2009 | Forward to your friends! |
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McLEMORE'S
WORLD FEEDBACK UPCOMING NOTABLE ALSO INSIDE _::
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Meet a sponsor |
ABOUT US GwinnettForum.com is a twice-weekly online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA. Contact us today. SEARCH GWINNETT FORUM |
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TODAY'S
FOCUS LAWRENCEVILLE,
Ga., June 26, 2009 -- Within the next year, Georgia Gwinnett College will
look more like a traditional college campus with a new student center
joining its new library - scheduled to open next summer - and the residential
housing, slated for occupancy next fall. The new student center, which
will house an expanded bookstore and new dining hall, is expected to be
open when students return to campus in August of 2010. The Georgia Board
of Regents approved the land lease/purchase agreement recently.
GGC President
Daniel J. Kaufman says with a twinkle in his eye: "It looks like
the building crane is replacing the Grizzly bear as our official mascot,
but the cranes are here only temporarily - for the next 10 or 12 years.
We are very pleased with the progress we are making as we continue to
grow the college through academics and our ongoing infrastructure projects."
Additionally,
the 70,000 square foot facility will house the Georgia Gwinnett Student
Affairs Offices. This will include high-tech audiovisual equipment such
as high-definition video projection and displays for digital advertising,
a game room, and a retail store stocked with convenience items such as
toothpaste, soap and food items. ELLIOTT
BRACK JUNE 26, 2009 -- Think fast. Can you name the fourth largest city in Gwinnett?
Yeah, sure: Lawrenceville continues as number one, according to the 2007 Census estimates, the latest officials figures we have. Back then, it was estimated to have 28,969 residents, up from 22,397 in 2000. The second largest city is Duluth, going from 22,122 residents in 2000 to 25,953 in 2007. Snellville is the third largest, at 20,076 in 2007, up from 15,351 in 2000. But the fourth? It might surprise you. Sneaking up quickly in growth in the last few years has been Sugar Hill, which accounts for 16,725 residents in 2007. Its population in 2000 had been 11,399. And we'll go one step more: Suwanee has also had significant growth since 2000, up from 8,735 residents then to 14,878 in 2007. So the question: why the quick growth in Sugar Hill? As is the case for Gwinnett, perhaps Sugar Hill's most obvious answer is that it had land within the city available at reasonable prices, which the developers saw and filled with housing. And remember, this growth came in Sugar Hill primarily without the infrastructure of sewer, with most homes built using septic tanks. Had the community had sewer, there would probably have been more multi-family housing, and an even-faster population growth.
There were other attractions: Sugar Hill is of a somewhat pastoral nature, a little distant from the hubbub of the big city, yet with attractions nearby. The most obvious is the shopping possibilities near the largest mall in the Southeast, the Mall of Georgia. Add to that access east-west with Georgia Highway 20, and the possibility of I-985, Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Buford Highway toward the City of Atlanta. Don't overlook the recreational opportunities of Lake Lanier, the Chattahoochee River and National Forest (within the city limits), nor the always-in-use E.E. Robinson Park. Overlay this with Sugar Hill residents going to the high quality Gwinnett schools, and you begin to understand how the city got its growth. Yes, Sugar Hill is mainly residential in character (80 per cent), and not as developed industrially as much as some other cities. However, some significant retail growth is anticipated, with a Super Target working through the process now, eventually to be located on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard; and a Super Kroger to go at Suwanee Dam Road at Highway 20, across from the Publix. Neither have announced firm construction dates, though they have said they were in the early stages of preparation to locate in the city. Perhaps the one item needed the most right now in Sugar Hill is some relief from the two-way traffic of Georgia Highway 20, from the railroad east of the city past the Chattahoochee River on the west. There is even is progress on this front, with the environmental study for additional bridging of the river already underway. Yet it'll take several years to see this portion of the highway four-laned, though it is desperately needed right now. Let's add another element to why Sugar Hill has steadily grown recently: a much more harmonious city council than in some years distant. It's good to see elected officials working together…..rather than the continual positioning and displaying of the dirty laundry some cities have shown. Look for more growth, as it has an ambitious downtown redevelopment plan. Attaboy, Sugar Hill. You're number 4 in Gwinnett. But watch out: Suwanee's right behind you.
The public
spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you
at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is Hayes Family Dealerships
with Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, and GMC. Mike,
Terry, Tim and Ted Hayes of Lawrenceville and Gainesville with Robin Haynes
of Baldwin and Stan Roberts of Toccoa invite you into their showrooms
to look over their line-up of automobiles and trucks. Hayes has been in
the automotive business for over 35 years, and is North Georgia's oldest
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FEEDBACK Not many
elected officials, in Gwinnett County or elsewhere, can point to a continuous
25 year public service record, as Katherine Sherrington Meyer did last
week at a low-key 'friends and family' get together. Surprisingly, there
were no requests for political contributions, only a good time and celebration
for her 'overnight' success.
As Gwinnett
County's 'best known 'and probably the county's 'best liked' public official,
such a record is virtually unheard of in public service. Swept into office
in 1984 in part due to the Reagan revolution, but more importantly reflecting
a revolt against the then-current 17 years in office opponent, Katherine
immediately went to work. No small feat when the defeated official refused
to even let her in the door until his term of office expired.
UPCOMING Gwinnett
Technical College has established a dedicated Office of Veterans Affairs
to provide comprehensive advisement to veterans, servicemen and women,
and dependents using veterans benefits to pursue a college education.
It is the first technical college in the state to launch a formalized
outreach to veterans.
The Office of Veterans Affairs is designed to assist U.S. military veterans, guardsmen, reservists, spouses and dependents with claiming GI Bill education benefits, applying for college and financial aid, choosing a degree program, and securing a subsequent career. This specialized programming for veterans is supported by a donation from the D. Scott Hudgens, Jr. family. The Hudgens family has also established the D. Scott Hudgens, Jr. Veterans Scholarship Fund at Gwinnett Tech to provide tuition scholarships to eligible and deserving veterans. Gwinnett
Tech's Veterans Affairs adviser, Lorri Chin-Shue, will provide the veterans,
dependents and spouses her expertise and a shared military perspective.
Chin-Shue is the daughter of a military veteran, and has navigated the
procedures service members and their families face. Chin-Shue has been
with Gwinnett Tech for eight years, and is a recent recipient of the Governor's
Commendation for Excellence in Customer Service. She is a graduate of
the University of Dayton. Gwinnett Tech now offers completion of degree at SPSU Gwinnett Technical College (GTC) has signed an articulation agreement with Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU), enabling GTC graduates to apply their associate degree credits to one of five technology-focused baccalaureate degrees at SPSU. Gwinnett Tech President Sharon Bartels joined SPSU President Lisa Rossbacher and leaders from the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and the University System of Georgia (USG) for the agreement signing. Some 21 other state technical college are also part of the program with SPSU. The five
degrees from SPSU included in the agreement are industrial engineering
technology, mechanical and electromechanical engineering technology, and
bachelor of applied science in manufacturing process, information technology,
or management. NOTABLE Gwinnett Medical Center submitted a filing addressing errors in the state hearing officer's decision which could prevent the hospital from establishing an open heart surgical program within the county. The filing was submitted to the state's Department of Community Health (DCH), and requests that the Commissioner reinstate the initial decision granting a Certificate of Need to establish an open heart surgery program. It is anticipated that the DCH Commissioner will make a final administrative decision by July 17, 2009. Phil Wolfe, president and CEO of Gwinnett Medical Center, says: "We believe the Department's original approval of an open heart program at GMC was the correct decision. This filing counters points cited in the appeal decision, and will hopefully clear the way for us to bring this critical service to the people of Gwinnett." Gwinnett Medical Center applied for a Certificate of Need for its open heart surgery program in January 2008 and received approval from the Department of Community Health in June 2008. Emory University Hospital, Emory Crawford Long Hospital and Piedmont Hospital all appealed the approval, and a hearing officer granted their appeal last month. Following the DCH Commissioner's final administrative ruling, further appeals are possible as the Certificate of Need process allows parties to seek court review within 30 days of the final administrative decision. Here's a chance to help seniors stay cool this summer Be a part
of Project ACCES (Added Cooling Comfort for our Elderly Seniors). Gwinnett
County Senior Services (GCSS) and the Gwinnett County Department of Fire
and Emergency Services are working together to assist senior citizens
to stay cool this summer. Two Mormon youths serving as missionaries in Lilburn area
Who are the young men around Lilburn wearing white shirts, nametags, ties and carrying a blue book? They are the volunteer missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Currently in Lilburn are Elders Amesimeku and Halcomb ("elder" refers to their priesthood title) who are each serving for two years as voluntary missionaries. Amesimeku is from Ghana, Africa and has been serving in northeastern Georgia for about a year. Halcomb arrived seven months ago from Gilbert, Ariz. They are just two of the 52,454 missionaries who are serving in 348 areas or missions throughout the world. RECOMMENDED
READ
"Summer's
the perfect to jump into a good mystery, for the pure absorption into
something entirely different. We've recently been introduced to author
Donna
Leon, an American who now lives in Venice, the setting for her Commissioner
of Police Guido Brunetti series. What we like about these books is that
they quickly get you into the story, you learn a little more about life
in the marvelous city of Venice, and you begin to understand the frustrations
that must come with life within the police world. Through it all, the
genial character of Brunetti shines through, all this done in good taste,
and without the use of vulgar expressions. Pick up any Donna Leon book.
They're in the Gwinnett library system." -- eeb
GEORGIA
ENCYCLOPEDIA Georgia native Claude Sitton distinguished himself during the 1950s and 1960s as one of the foremost reporters covering the civil rights movement for the New York Times. He later served for 20 years as editor of the News and Observer in Raleigh, N.C., and in 1983 he received a Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary.
Claude Fox Sitton was born in Atlanta on December 4, 1925, to Pauline Fox and Claude Booker Sitton. He grew up on a farm in Rockdale County and in 1943 graduated from Conyers High School. Following graduation he worked briefly as a merchant seaman before his voluntary induction into the U.S. Navy. He served aboard a landing ship in the battles to retake the Philippines and received an honorable discharge shortly after the end of World War II (1941-45). Sitton enrolled at Oxford College of Emory University following the war's conclusion and after one year transferred to Emory University in Atlanta, where in 1949 he earned a bachelor of arts degree with a major in journalism. He worked as a news agency reporter and editor for International News Service in Miami, and Birmingham, and then reported for United Press in Nashville; Atlanta; and New York City. In 1953 he married Eva McLaurin Whetstone, and the couple eventually had four children. In 1955 Sitton joined the U.S. Information Agency (USIA), serving as the information officer responsible for U.S. public relations in the West African nation of Ghana. In 1957, while passing through New York on transfer to the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Sitton learned of a vacancy on the city copy desk of the New York Times. He applied for the position and worked a short stint as a copy editor there before being named the paper's chief southern correspondent in May 1958. From his new base in Atlanta, Sitton traveled across the region, from Virginia to Texas, covering the flashpoints and fault lines of the national civil rights movement with clarity and rare insight. Elected officials, fellow newsmen, and partisans on both sides of the racial divide read his articles with interest, and in 1964 Newsweek deemed Sitton "the best daily newspaperman on the Southern scene." Sitton returned to New York in 1964 to become the paper's national news director. In 1968 he became the editorial director and vice president of the News and Observer Publishing Company in Raleigh. In 1970 he received the additional title of editor of the News and Observer, a position he held for the next 20 years. Sitton's commentary in his Sunday columns for the paper received the Pulitzer Prize in 1983. After retiring
from the News and Observer in 1990, Sitton returned to Georgia, where
he taught a seminar at Emory University on the press coverage of the civil
rights movement, and served as a founding member of the Georgia First
Amendment Foundation and as a lay member of the Supreme Court Commission
on Disciplinary Enforcement. Among other honors, Sitton was awarded the
George Polk Career Award in 1991 and the John Chancellor Award for excellence
in journalism in 2000. Sitton and his wife reside in Oxford, in Newton
County. CREDITS GwinnettForum is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday. If you would like to serve as an underwriter, click here to learn more. Send
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© 2009, Gwinnett Forum.com. Gwinnett Forum is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA. |
TODAY'S
QUOTE "The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook."
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MODERN HISTORY OF GWINNETT
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