NOTHING LIKE A PARADE: There's still time for school groups and community organizations to sign up to be part of the Suwanee Day parade on September 18. This year's theme is "Hometown Heroes." Two heroic characters serving as grand marshals: Capt. Lars Harstad of the 2-69 Armor Battalion from Fort Benning, and Parker the Dog, Suwanee's new mascot. The parade is the traditional kick-off of Suwanee Day at Town Center Park. Free participation is limited to those who decorate floats or provide some form of entertainment, or from non-profit groups. The Day features arts and crafts, food, children's activities and entertainment. Registration deadline is September 8 for the parade. Register at www.suwaneeday.com. Photo by David Douglas of 2009 parade.

Issue 10.42 | Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010

TODAY'S FOCUS
:: HOT lanes info session set for Sept. 1

ELLIOTT BRACK'S PERSPECTIVE
:: N. Ga. to control Ga. House

FEEDBACK
:: Enjoying GwinnettForum

UPCOMING
:: Norcross recycling; new medical office

NOTABLE
:: Turf, Johnson to run, Ga. Perimeter

ALSO INSIDE

_:: IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Meet a sponsor

_:: RECOMMENDED: What you are reading

_:: GEORGIA TIDBIT: Habershams

_:: TODAY'S QUOTE: On Internet dating

_:: ARCHIVES: Read past commentaries

TODAY'S FOCUS
HOT lanes info session set Sept. 1 at Gwinnett Civic Center
By TERI N. POPE
Special to GwinnettForum.com

DULUTH, Ga., Aug. 24, 2010 -- The Georgia Department of Transportation will hold a construction information session on the Interstate 85 Express Lane Project on September 1 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Gwinnett Civic Center. The project to convert 16 miles of HOV lanes to HOT lanes will offer more choices to all motorists, including single occupant vehicles and more reliable trip times in the corridor.

Pope

DOT Commissioner Vance C. Smith Jr. says: "This is the first project of its kind in Georgia. With construction expected to begin in mid-September, it is extremely important that motorists understand how changes along the interstate will impact their commutes."

Representatives from the Georgia DOT, The State Road and Tollway and The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority will update the public on construction schedules, tolling and transit enhancements. Additionally, the Clean Air Campaign will provide information on commute alternatives. The Gwinnett Civic Center is located at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway and the information session will be held on the lower level in room 6ABC.

The project includes installation of 16 miles of fiber and signage along Interstate Highway 85 between Chamblee Tucker Road and Old Peachtree Road and along State Route 316 between I-85 and Riverside Parkway. This $11.7 million work contract was awarded to World Fiber Technologies, Inc., of Alpharetta. The contract completion date is July 31, 2011.

Weather permitting, lane closures are projected to begin mid-September. Additional construction details will be confirmed and distributed closer to beginning lane closures.

When completed, transit buses, motorcycles, alternative fueled vehicles and vehicles with three or more passengers will be allowed to use the inside (left) HOT lane for free, while single- and double-occupant vehicles will be allowed to use the lane if they choose to pay a variably priced toll.

Those who would like to receive updates on construction throughout the project should email Teri Pope at tpope@dot.ga.gov.

Georgia DOT urges travelers to call 511 for updated information about these or any other construction project on interstates and state routes. Georgia 511 is a free phone service that provides real-time traffic and travel information statewide, such as traffic conditions, incidents, lane closures, and delays due to inclement weather. Callers also can transfer to operators to request assistance or report incidents 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More information is available at www.511ga.org.

EEB PERSPECTIVE
North Georgia to control 2012 Georgia House with 56% majority
By ELLIOTT BRACK
Editor and publisher

AUG. 24, 2010 -- Catch up time: some tidbits from recent thoughts.

* * * * *

Brack

One reason that the November election is important is that the next batch of legislators will determine how the state is to be reapportioned in 2012.

Estimates of the population from Georgia in the 2010 Census anticipate that again, South Georgia is losing population, compared to North Georgia. One person has estimated that the area below Macon will lose six seats in the Georgia House of Representatives. Places like Gwinnett will gain more seats in the Legislature. Most of the losses of seats will be in the inland counties of South Georgia.

Look at it another way: it's estimated that the 28 counties that surround Atlanta will control 56 percent of the 180 seats of the legislature, while the remaining 131 counties in the state will have only 80, or 44 percent, of the seats. Not only that, but the size of each legislative district, because of the overall population growth for the same number of House seats, will grow from representing 45,000 people to representing more like 55,000 people.

Georgia's coastal counties will feel less of the sting of North Georgia's growth, since the coastal areas are growing at a rate of 12 percent. The growth rate in overall North Georgia is 18 percent since the 2000 census.

* * * * *

Baseball lost a good one Sunday when Lou Piniella retired as the Chicago Cubs' manager. Piniella's style of playing and managing has always been a favorite of ours, back when with the Yankees, and in his successful career as a manager. Now he is suddenly retired, and we also face the next baseball season without Bobby Cox managing the Braves. Two great managers, both who were at their best when head-to-head with an umpire! It'll be another day when we see such luminaries again!

* * * * *

Those driving in the left lane on interstate-like highways need to be aware of the rules of the road, one person asked us to report the other day. Quoting from Corporal David Schiralli, the public information officer of the Gwinnett County Police, Code section 40-6-184 (Impeding traffic flow; minimum speed in left-hand lanes) reads:

(a)(1) No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic, except when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation.

(2) On roads, streets, or highways with two or more lanes allowing for movement in the same direction, no person shall continue to operate a motor vehicle in the most left-hand lane at less than the maximum lawful speed limit once such person knows or should reasonably know that he is being overtaken in such lane from the rear by a motor vehicle traveling at a higher rate of speed, except when such motor vehicle is preparing for a left turn.

So, if slower than the maximum speed, you're supposed to be in the right lane! Now you know!

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
EMC Security

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is EMC Security, headquartered in Lawrenceville. EMC Security provides residential and commercial security with the same service and values that its parent companies, Jackson EMC, Walton EMC and GreyStone Power, have delivered for over 70 years. EMC Security's newest division, EMC Home Technology, delivers all a home's technology needs, including entertainment networks, home theaters and whole house music/intercom. Call EMC Security at 770/963-0305 or visit their Web site, www. emcsecurity.com.

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

FEEDBACK
Just moved to Snellville and enjoying GwinnettForum

Editor, the Forum:

We have just moved to Georgia from Ohio (with NCR) and love your regular pieces on Georgia history as well as your e-newsletter in general. It's helping us to connect to our new home and area.

-- Jody Ackerman, Snellville

Dear Jody: Glad to have you aboard. Welcome to the area, tell others about us, and keep the forum alive with your comments. --eeb

• Send us your thoughts. We encourage readers to submit feedback or letters to the editor. Send your thoughts to editor at elliott@brack.net. We will edit for length and clarity. Make sure to include your name and city where you live. Submission of a comment grants permission to us to reprint. Please keep your comment to 200 words or less. However, if you write 500 words, we'll consider it for Today's Focus.

UPCOMING
Norcross schedules another Recycling Day for Oct. 9

Norcross residents should mark their calendars, and save the date of Saturday, October 9, 2010. On this one day, there will be four re-cycling-clean-up events. The City of Norcross will again host a Community Clean-up Day, Shred Day, and Electronics Recycling events and a Canned Food Drive.
Clean-up Day is a great time to clean out your garage or attic - throw out anything that's not a hazardous material. (This open to City of Norcross residents only. The dumpsters will be located in the Public Works Barn on Lawrenceville Street (by City Hall) from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

An Electronics Recycling event means pack rats can get rid of old cell phones, computers and keyboards without guilt. For a complete list of what can and can't be recycled, visit the City website. At this year's recycling, the city will be accepting TV sets, though not console and projection sets, for a $10 fee. This event is open to the public and will be held at the Norcross Community Center, 10 College Street, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Last April, the Shredding Event was incredible. The city shredded 9,572 pounds of sensitive and confidential records. American Security Shredding will bring two on-site shred trucks again this time because of the high volume of participation last year. Residents can watch their materials being shredded on the video display monitor. So, go-Green and be secure! (Did you know that one three foot high stack of paper is equal to a tree standing thirty feet tall?)_ After the secure shredding is complete, all materials will become recycled. This event is open to the public at Norcross City Hall, 65 Lawrenceville Street from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

The items given to the Canned Food Drive will be donated to local food banks. Bring non-perishable food items to be donated to the local food banks and given to members of the community in need.
There is no requirement of a donation in order to participate in the Clean-up and Recycle events but it is greatly appreciated. It is all for the environment and community!

For complete information on these four events and what materials will be allowed at each event visit www.norcrossga.net and view the informational flyers, or contact Philomena Robertson at 770-448-7327 or probertson@norcrossga.net.

HyOx Medical Center to open regional office in Lawrenceville

In partnership with Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development and Partnership Gwinnett, HyOx Medical Treatment Center- a hyperbaric medicine and rehabilitation facility based in Marietta, will expand its medical services to Lawrenceville. The expansion includes a regional headquartered office, $1.8 million in capital, 10-15 high-wage jobs over the next few years and one of the largest Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) accredited facilities in the State of Georgia.

Located at 500 Medical Center Boulevard in Lawrenceville on the Gwinnett Medical Center campus, HyOx's renovated facility will undergo another phase of office build-outing 2011.

HyOx specializes in hyperbaric medicine and rehabilitation with one of the highest patient populations among the nation's hyperbaric facilities. The board-certified physicians prescribe 100 percent oxygen as a drug with time and pressure limits to patients with chronic wounds, infections and other injuries. Patients undergo adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy in Georgia's largest pressurized chamber to supersaturate the body with the oxygen needed to feed starving tissues and cells and accelerate the healing process.

NOTABLE
County funds artificial turf for Duncan Creek Park athletic field

Mill Creek Athletic Association and other community members officially opened the 144,000 square foot multi-purpose artificial turf field at Duncan Creek Park on August 14 during their 2010 Football Jamboree. The field was dedicated to District 4 Commissioner, Kevin Kenerly, by Mill Creek Athletic Association, for his service and volunteerism to the community and his commitment and mentorship to Gwinnett County's Youth and the Mill Creek Athletic Association from 1995 - 2010.

This field is the first artificial turf field installed in a Gwinnett County Park. It is striped for football, soccer and lacrosse, and composed of two inch tall polyethylene fibers filled with 468,000 pounds of rubber (recycled tires). The extensive drainage system of this field is designed to absorb a rainfall intensity of nearly 30 inches an hour. The surface can be cooled in warm weather with a twelve zone irrigation system. The project was completed under budget in 100 days which was earlier than anticipated. Construction of this project, costing approximately $810,000, was funded by the 2005 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (or SPLOST). For more information on Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation, visit www.gwinnettparks.com.

Judy Johnson to seek office of Lawrenceville mayor again

Judy Jordan Johnson announces that she will seek the office of Mayor of Lawrenceville during the November 2 general election. Johnson says she is motivated by a strong drive to enhance the quality of life while returning the city to its commanding role as the county seat. Johnson lost her last race for mayor by 24 votes in 2008.

Johnson

"For too long Lawrenceville has been content as our contemporaries make tremendous quality of life advances," Johnson, 58, says. "We need leadership from a strong Mayor with a vision to regain our place of prominence. Lawrenceville has every asset to excel; all we need is new leadership to move us forward."

Johnson is a former City Councilwoman and a lifelong Lawrenceville resident. Her father was Mayor for 16 years, and great-grandfather and grandfather both served on the City Council. "When I served on the City Council along with Bobby Sikes, we kept our small-town appeal while increasing and enhancing those things that make us great," Johnson says. "Today we can again make a real difference and improve on our quality of life."

Councilman P.K. Martin IV says he is excited to hear Johnson's announcement. Martin said that Johnson has the dedication necessary to serve as Mayor.

"Now more than ever, we need the experience and lifetime of commitment to Lawrenceville that only Judy Jordan Johnson can offer," Martin says "I am proud to offer her my support."

Georgia Perimeter one of 12 colleges in nationwide study

Georgia Perimeter College is one of 12 community colleges nationwide chosen by the Association of American Colleges and Universities to take the lead in a new initiative funded by MetLife Foundation as part of their commitment to improving the success of community college students.

Through this new initiative, "Developing a Community College Student Roadmap: From Entrance to Engagement in Educational Achievement and Success," GPC will join with 11 other community colleges to create a proactive programs of academic support-tied to expected learning outcomes-that engage students at entrance and teach them, from the outset, how to become active partners in their own quest for educational success. The project seeks to "connect the dots" among the varied student support programs and create roadmaps for success. These roadmaps will be anchored in a set of expected learning outcomes essential for all students to succeed in life beyond college.

The other Roadmap institutions are:

• City University of New York Hostos Community College (Bronx, N.Y.)?
  
• City University of New York Queensborough Community College (Bayside, N.Y.)
  
• Gainesville State College (Gainesville, Ga.)
  
• Lane Community College (Eugene, Ore.)
  
• Miami Dade College (Miami, Fla.)
  
• Middlesex Community College (Bedford, Mass.)
  
• Mt. San Antonio College (Walnut, Calif.)
  
• Northern Virginia Community College (Annandale, Va.)
• Prince George's Community College (Largo, Md.)
  
• Salt Lake Community College (Salt Lake City, Utah)
  
• Tidewater Community College (Norfolk, Va.)

GPC and the other participating institutions are expected to create best practices and models that can be replicated at other schools across the nation.

This initiative also builds on the research sponsored as part of AAC&U's Liberal Education and America's Promise initiative, including the research on high-impact educational practices that are proven to increase retention and graduation, especially for students traditionally underrepresented in higher education. For additional information about outcomes and high-impact practices, see www.aacu.org/leap.

Gwinnett students win award from landscape group

Two Gwinnett Technical College Environmental Horticulture students, Catherine Buckley and Barbara Fite, were recently awarded academic scholarships by the Metro Atlanta Landscape and Turf Association (MALTA). MALTA is a trade organization for professionals in the landscape design, construction and maintenance industry.

Each year, MALTA awards $3,000 in scholarship money to college students enrolled in a horticulture program. Students are judged on their academic transcript, involvement in extracurricular activities and a letter of recommendation provided by their horticulture instructor.

Buckley, from Atlanta, was recognized for her service as Gwinnett Tech's Horticulture Club secretary, MALTA member and DeKalb Master Gardner. Fite, who also resides in Atlanta, serves as president of the Horticulture Club and is an active participant in extracurricular activities sponsored by Gwinnett Tech's Environmental Horticulture program. Both students are in the second year of the two-year program.

RECOMMENDED
Captive by Jere van Dyk

"I heard the news of the death of 10 aid workers killed in Afghanistan just as I was finishing journalist Jere van Dyk's book, Captive. It is the story of van Dyk's 2008 return visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan, to conduct research on the northwest tribal areas. On the way to a chieftain's home, van Dyk and three Afghanis were captured and held prisoner for several weeks. Van Dyk is able to convey the gut-wrenching feeling of psychological torture and possible death. Every day van Dyk wondered who might behead or shoot him as he pleaded for his life with his captors. Throughout the book, van Dyk states that he wasn't physically tortured. His descriptive writing puts the reader into a constant state of claustrophobia as the events unfold in a barbaric Afghan 'structure.' Captive will bring you one step closer to gaining a better understanding of the Taliban."

-- Robert Nebel, Norcross

• 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 ENCYCLOPEDIA
Habersham brothers key political figures in Revolutionary times

(Continued from previous edition)

Joseph and his younger brother, John, pursued careers in the Continental Army that eclipsed the career of their elder brother, James Jr., who remained satisfied with political and financial involvement in the Revolution. Joseph rose to the rank of colonel but resigned Continental Army service during the war. His resignation stemmed partly from his involvement in the notorious McIntosh-Gwinnett duel and partly from his desire to enter state politics as a moderate opposed to the liberty faction of Midway and Sunbury. John continued his career in the Continental Army, rising to the rank of major. He was twice captured (at the fall of Savannah and the fall of Charleston, S.C.) and twice exchanged in active service throughout the war.

Patriarch James Habersham

At war's end the Habersham brothers concentrated on restoring family plantations at Dean Forrest, Silk Hope, and Beverly. Though involved in commerce on the eve of the Revolution, they did not reenter business. All three engaged in postwar politics as members of the Georgia assembly. Joseph and John also were appointed to the Confederation Congress in the 1780s. The brothers actively supported the adoption of the constitution in 1788.

As rewards for Revolutionary service, during the 1790s President George Washington appointed Joseph Habersham postmaster general of the United States and his brother, John, port collector for Savannah. In 1799 both James Jr. and John died suddenly within a few months of each other. Joseph thereupon became the second-generation family patriarch, helping third-generation descendants achieve success as planters, merchants, lawyers, and physicians in the antebellum era.

Prompted to resign as postmaster general by President Thomas Jefferson in 1801, Joseph Habersham, having served under presidents Washington and Adams, resumed a planter-merchant career in Georgia. With the assistance of Federalist political friends, he became the first president of the Savannah branch of the Bank of the United States, a position he held until the termination of the bank in 1815. Thereafter, he retired to his planting-business career until his death in 1815. Habersham County was named in his honor upon its creation in 1818.

Members of the third Habersham generation and their offspring continued as noteworthy economic, professional, and cultural figures in Savannah and beyond well into the antebellum years. One descendant, Josephine Clay Habersham, is particularly remembered for her diary of Savannah in the Civil War (1861-65). The Habersham family name seems to have disappeared by the 20th century, though descendants are still to be found.

• Click here to access the Georgia Encyclopedia

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TODAY'S QUOTE

Dean says everyone lies on key topics in Internet dating

"I'll probably write a book on Internet dating, which has been a letdown. Everyone lies about their age and weight."

-- Larry Dean of Atlanta, former owner of mega-mansion on Old Alabama Road, which sold to Tyler Perry recently. (From New York Times, Aug. 22, 2010)

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