TODAY'S FOCUS
Here’s a “long view” of Gwinnett County in the year 2030
By JOSE R. PEREZ
Special to GwinnettForum

(Editor’s Note: We asked Mr. Perez to excerpt his remarks given recently at Button Gwinnett Day. Mr. Perez is a Norcross resident who is retired from AT&T and is a member of the State Board of Education.—eeb)

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga., May 3, 2011 – Last April, Georgia Gwinnett College held its first Button Gwinnett Day, and I had the privilege to present “Long View: 2030” to an audience of mostly students and faculty.

Perez

It is important to note that while The Long View is a 2030 forecast of population, personal income, and jobs for Gwinnett, it also covers the other 19 counties in the Metro Atlanta, and the United States. The focus on Metro Atlanta is important because Gwinnett is part of that whole, which is easily verified when traveling, and someone asks where you are from. A Gwinnett answer will often get puzzled looks, but Atlanta gets you the nod.

The presentation has 19 slides, but four charts and numbers tell most of the story.

The 2030 Metro Atlanta population will reach 8.4 million, which roughly places Atlanta in 2030 where London and Chicago are today. Imagine Metro-Atlanta like legendary London, and Chicago! We have a lot of work to do.

Also by 2030, the Metro Atlanta population will approach 60 percent of the Georgia population of 14.7 million. Hopefully, with that will come more attention by those under the Gold Dome to address the issues that come with the Chicago-London size.

Another astounding statistic is that the Gwinnett population grows to more than 1 million by 2020, and 1.2 million by 2030, surpassing Fulton by 40,000. The Compounded Annual Growth Rates (CAGR) are posted to give you a sense of how fast Gwinnett (4.9 percent) has been growing relative to Metro Atlanta (2.6 percent), Georgia (1.9 percent), and the nation (1.1 percent). The four major Georgia counties, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett, remain the most populous collectively representing over 50 percent of the Metro Atlanta population, with Gwinnett alone over 15 percent.

On the jobs front, Metro Atlanta expects to gain more than 1.1 million jobs by 2030. However, while Gwinnett will have surpassed Fulton in population, the ARC projection for jobs still has Fulton with 28 percent of the jobs in 2030, and Gwinnett with 14 percent.

And, the Personal Income projections also support the 2:1 job ratio, with Fulton personal income per capita remaining much stronger than Gwinnett’s. Some of that can be explained by the fact that Gwinnett is a younger county, but most of it has to do with the kind of jobs that are created, and the companies that come to each of our counties.

Much work remains to be done by our leadership in ensuring that our future becomes brighter. As of now we have an excellent Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Group that is moving deliberatively and effectively. In addition, we have an educational system between Gwinnett County Public Schools, Gwinnett Tech and Georgia Gwinnett College that will continue to elevate our workforce readiness.

What we need now is visionary leadership out of our government entities to better position Gwinnett into the leadership position in a Metro Atlanta that will surely become, not just the Empire State of the South, but the New York of the South.

EEB PERSPECTIVE
Surprise, surprise as square piece of metal comes my way
By ELLIOTT BRACK
Editor and publisher

MAY 3, 2011 – It may not mean much to you, but to me, it is a memento of Gwinnett’s growth.

Brack

Last week I was quite surprised when the 83rd semi-annual Tour of Gwinnett stopped, as it usually does, at the Gwinnett Water Park near Buford. Those on the tour trudged up the Raw Water Storage Reservoir to listen to Neal Spivey, director of the Water Production Division, give an explanation of what they were seeing at the water plant.

Before he started, however, Neal called me over, and presented me a piece of enameled steel…..from one of the twin water towers that previously was adjacent to Interstate 85 near Jimmy Carter Boulevard.

Neal told the group: “This guy’s written a lot about the twin water towers, and we wanted to give him something to remember them by.”

The 2.5 inch square steel comes with its own “Statement of Authenticity,” which stated: “This attests that the accompanying medallion is a genuine segment taken from Gwinnett County’s landmark Goshen Springs water storage tanks. The tanks were constructed in 1968 and 1972, were 120 feet tall, and each held 1,000,000 gallons of water. Over their 40 year span of service, they provided adequate water delivery for the rapidly growing Norcross area of Gwinnett County. “GWINNETT IS GREAT” and “SUCCESS LIVES HERE” were the last two slogans painted on the tanks in letters measuring six feel tall.

“These keepsakes are provided by Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources as a reminder of Gwinnett’s water heritage.” Neal’s signature is on the statement.

What a nice gesture! I’m deeply appreciative.

* * * * *

WHILE WATER is the topic, Neal outlined a few facts about our water resources. Among them:

• The Buford Gwinnett Water Park has a production capacity of 150 million gallons per day (MGD). The nearby Shoal Creek plant produces 75 mgd.
  
  
• The current average usage of water in Gwinnett is 77 mgd.
  
  
• The highest peak usage was 142.5 mgd in 1999.
  
  
• There are 38 million gallons of stored water at the Buford plant, and another 20 million gallons stored at Shoal Creek.
  
  
• The Buford raw water reservoir has a pool capacity of 37 million gallons, while Shoal Creek’s raw water pool is 10 million gallons.
  
  
• There are another 55 million gallons stored in tanks around the county. This means that the county is filling these storage tanks each day with its 77 mgd usage.
  
  
• Gwinnett counts 3,700 miles of pipeline distribution lines.
  
  
• Of the 58,000 water plants in the nation, only 200 of them use the Ozone purification process Gwinnett uses. However, the 200 plants using Ozone account for 40 percent of water generated in the nation.

From the facts above, you can tell that a visit to either of Gwinnett’s water plants can be quite educational!

* * * * *

NEW SUBJECT: Another story over the weekend spoke to Gwinnett’s schools and a recent land acquisition.

Supt. Alvin Wilbanks this week posted on the School Board site a letter that many of you will find most interesting…..giving a few additional facts left out of the newspaper story. You can read this additional information at this link.

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McLEMORE'S WORLD
Bedfellows

FEEDBACK
Suggests freeing up seats at UGA for juniors, seniors only

Editor, the Forum:

I just read your column on funding higher education in Georgia. All that you wrote is true, though I fear no one in state government will listen and take any action to help alleviate the problem.

The real solution lies in thinking very differently about the nature of higher education, how it is delivered, and how it is funded. The model we currently use has been around for eons and it doesn't work anymore. It's time to find a new model.

For example, why should the University of Georgia be teaching freshman and sophomores? The core courses these students are required to take are identical to core courses taught at junior colleges. Yet, the cost of delivering these courses is much higher at UGA than at a junior college. (One doesn't need a senior tenured faculty member to teach first-year French, basic calculus, etc. To do so is a waste of resources.)

Moreover, these are the courses that allow for standardization across the entire system and that can be delivered effectively online. If UGA got out of the freshman-sophomore business, the freed-up seats would be available to juniors and seniors who will be taking specialized and advanced courses in their majors. This would allow UGA to accommodate a lot more juniors and seniors than it is able to now. Moreover, the faculty will be teaching students who will get the maximum benefit out of taking courses from tenure-line faculty.

Anyway, just wanted to throw my two-cents in.

– John Soloski, Athens

(Editor’s note: the writer is the former dean of the Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia. –eeb)

Old county building was once school site for Lawrenceville

Editor, the Forum:

I saw the story about tearing down the old county office building on "the hill.” Thought your readers might be interested in some history about "Old Lawrenceville High School.”

It was Lawrenceville grammar and high school, which I and both my sister and brother attended until graduation. I graduated in 1956 and Central Gwinnett opened in 1958.

The original building burned in 1944 It was a two story brick building that was destroyed by arsonists and was rebuilt as a brick structure. During construction, we attended school in the two story home across the street. The house was owned by C.R. Ware, who was president of the First National Bank of Lawrenceville. Facing the buildings, the one on the right was the high school and one to the left was the grammar school with the gym further left and near the water tank.

– Jim Hood, now from Monroe

• Send us your thoughts. Our policy: We encourage readers to submit feedback (or letters to the editor). Send your thoughts to the editor at elliott@brack.net. We will edit for length and clarity. Make sure to include your name and the city where you live. Submission of a comment grants permission for us to reprint. Please keep your comments to 300 words or less. However, we will consider longer articles (no more than 500 words) for featuring in Today's Focus as space allows.

UPCOMING
State court of Gwinnett has one-time deal for offenders

The Gwinnett State Court has a one-time deal for you! If you have an outstanding misdemeanor probation warrant for failure to pay fines and costs or failure to comply with other probation conditions, you may be eligible to have your bench warrant recalled and not be subject to arrest on the outstanding warrant. All fines and fees must be paid in full and all other conditions of probation must be fulfilled.
 
Contact Southeast Corrections between May 1 and June 30 to determine if you qualify for the state court amnesty program. The court says that people will not be arrested if they begin reporting and complete their terms of probation during this period. In those cases in which only fines and fees need to be paid, then upon payment, probation will be terminated.
 
Probationers may contact Nicki Long, program manager with Southeast Corrections, at (404) 410-2555 ext. 1003 with questions.

Photographer Frank Sharp on exhibit at Pinckneyville Center

Pinckneyville Park Community Recreation Center will feature a stunning photo exhibition by Gwinnett photographer Frank Sharp from May 9 to August 5. The exhibition features photography from Sharp and his wife, Pearl’s travels to Cambodia and Thailand. Beautifully displayed, Frank’s exhibition includes photographs of the Angkor Archaeological Park 1,000 Stone Temple, the Giant Reclining Buddha at Wat Po and the city of Ayutthaya, which is recognized internationally as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sharp is known for his spectacular photography from his travels with his wife Pearl throughout the world including Europe and Asia. Frank’s photography captures history and geography through the camera lens, bringing culture and traditions held within those countries to within an arms length for all to enjoy.

The exhibition hours are on Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. until 9 p.m.; On Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For a chance to meet the artist, go to a reception on May 12, from 7 until 9 p.m.

National Train Day is Saturday in Loganville

All Aboard! Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation will celebrate National Train Day at a free event at Vines Gardens Railroad in Loganville on Saturday, May 7, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

Visitors will enjoy touring the gardens, statuaries and oriental garden. Crafts, ice cream and hot dog will be available for kids to enjoy. Families are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the grounds.

Volunteer engineers will be holding information sessions on trains and the model train hobby as well as demonstrating the largest garden railroad in the Southeast at Vines Gardens. The Vines Garden Railroad features a “G” scale model railroad featuring over 1,000 feet of track, 25 foot suspension bridge, tunnels and viaduct, airport, towns and villages. To the delight of preschoolers, a “G” scale Thomas the Train will be running all day. Vines Gardens is located at 3500 Oak Grove Rd. in Loganville.

NOTABLE
Commdex Consulting is Gwinnett Small Business of the Year

Commdex Consulting, LLC Owner Prince Niyyar is the winner of the Gwinnett Small Business Person of the Year Award from the Gwinnett Chamber of commerce. He is also the winner of Gwinnett’s Small Business Person of the Year for the 10-99 employee category. The award was presented at Chamber’s Pinnacle Small Business Awards Luncheon on April 29.

Additional Small Business Persons of the Year award winners Mark and Anne Lackey with Atlanta Housing Source at Solid Source Realty for the 1–9 employee category; and Teddy Russell with Russell Landscape Group, Inc. for the 100+ employee category. Another 22 additional small businesses were also awarded Pinnacle Awards and named among the prestigious “Pinnacle Top 25” for demonstrating extraordinary growth and contributions to the community.

For more detail and a list of winners, click here.

Gwinnett Tech wins 11 medals in SkillsUSA state competition

Gwinnett Technical College was awarded 11 medals in eight events at the recent SkillsUSA State Championships held in Columbus. Seven students earned gold medals and will represent Gwinnett Tech and the state of Georgia at the National SkillsUSA Championships in June.

The SkillsUSA State Championships showcase the skills of post-secondary students through hands-on competitions in leadership, health occupations, trades/industry and technical contests.

Gold medal winners include Kris Griffin, Carpentry; Jennifer La Porte, Commercial Baking; Starr Petronell, Commercial Photography; Christopher Krekemeyer, Welding; and Vadim Nakonechnyy, Clay Allen and Colin Stephens, Welding Fabrication.

Silver medalists include Levi Stanley, Cabinetmaking; Chris Chestnut, Carpentry; Lisa Barton, Culinary Arts’ and Nancie Phillips Welding Sculpture.

The seven students who earned gold medals will advance to the National SkillsUSA Championships, to be held June 20-25 in Kansas City, Mo.

RECOMMENDED
Send us your reviews

• 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
Georgians at first balked at Revolutionary War movement

Though Georgians opposed British trade regulations, many hesitated to join the revolutionary movement that emerged in the American colonies in the early 1770s and resulted in the Revolutionary War (1775-83). The colony had prospered under royal rule, and many Georgians thought that they needed the protection of British troops against a possible Indian attack. Georgia did not send representatives to the First Continental Congress that met in Philadelphia, Penn., in 1774. The Congress asked all colonies to form a group, called the Association, to ban trade with Britain. Georgia delegates gathered in a provincial congress in Savannah on January 18, 1775, to discuss whether to join the Association, and to elect representatives to the Second Continental Congress. Those who were elected declined to go to Philadelphia, however, because the delegates were divided on the action to be taken. St. John Parish, acting alone, sent Lyman Hall to the Second Continental Congress.

News of the battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts caused many Georgians who were wavering in their allegiance to join the radical movement. A group called the Sons of Liberty broke into the powder magazine in Savannah on May 11, 1775, and divided the powder with the South Carolina revolutionaries. Those who resisted royal government were usually called "Whigs," and those who remained loyal to the king were known as "Tories." Whigs were also referred to as "patriots," though the British thought of them as "rebels." Tories were also called "loyalists."

Though Georgians continued to drink to the health of the king, they took government into their own hands when the Second Provincial Congress met in Savannah on July 4, 1775. The Congress named delegates to the Second Continental Congress already sitting in Philadelphia, and adopted the Association's ban on trade with Britain. The single most important democratic action of the Congress was the establishment of local committees to enforce the Association's ban. Thus political power devolved upon artisans and farmers, considered by royal governor James Wright to be the "wrong sort" to be allowed in government. The Congress adjourned, leaving executive authority in a standing Council of Safety.

• Click here to access the Georgia Encyclopedia

LAGNIAPPE
Student winners

Four Gwinnett Technical College Computer Information Systems (CIS) students are the winners of the GOAL and Rick Perkins Award Winners' Book design competition conducted by the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). The winners are (from left) Andre Connell, Kris Jensen, Adrienne Dooms and Richard Sierra. The winning design was a group project the students completed in Dr. John Thacher's Web Graphics Using Photoshop class in Winter Quarter 2010. Dr. Thacher is the program director for web design at Gwinnett Tech.The student’s winning design will be used on all the publications TCSG chooses, but specifically for the Winners’ Book and banquet program for the GOAL and Rick Perkins Award. Each of the GTC students will be credited with their photo featured in the Winners’ Book and awarded a $200 check.

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© 2011, 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
One element an attorney will not question

"The only thing a lawyer won't question is the legitimacy of his mother."

– Curmudgeon and Actor W. C. Fields (1880-1946).

SEARCH GWINNETT FORUM

GWINNETT CALENDAR

Suwanee Farmer's Market opens May 3. Days will be Tuesdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. through August 2, and Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon until October 1. A total of 28 vendors offer fresh produce as well as meat, eggs, breads, and other tasties.

(NEW) Prayer on the Square: 6:30 p.m., May 5, Historic Courthouse Gazebo. Come pray with members of the community during the National Day of Prayer. In case of rain, services will move to the First Baptist Church of Lawrenceville.

(NEW) Cinco de Mayo celebration in Duluth: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., May 5, on the Duluth Town Green in a big white tent. Enjoy food, drink, fun and flavors from Pure Taqueria, Chocolate Perks and the déjà vu band. For more information, contact Jayne Madigan at 678-475-3512 or jmadigan@duluthga.net.

Health Forum: 7:30 a.m., May 6, at Gwinnett Technical College's Busbee Center. The subject will be "Stroke: Every Second Counts." Presented by Gwinnett Medical Center and Partnership Gwinnett. The program will highlight signs and symptoms of a stroke, risk factors, treatment and rehabilitation. There is no cost. Registration.

(NEW) Master Gardener Plant Sale: Starting at 9 a.m., May 7, CoolRay Field parking lot, sponsored by the Gwinnett County Cooperative Extension Service. Items available for purchase will include perennials, annuals, and vegetable, blueberry, raspberry and blackberry plants.

Gardening Workshop: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., May 7 at Mary Kistner Nature Center, 2689 Lenora Road, Snellville. Master Gardener Shannon Pable of Buford will conduct a workshop on translating garden design concepts to a workable plan. Lunch will be served. More.

(NEW) Sustainability Summit: 9 a.m. To 1:30 p.m., May 13, presented by Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center. Sessions will focus on case studies that make sense, plus provide information on smart grid technology. Participants are representatives from local firms.

Learning Collage Workshop: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., May 13-15 at Kudzu Art Zone in Norcross. John Morse will lead the workshop, teaching technique and how to collect and use found paper. Cost is $225. Call Kudzu Art Zone at 770-840-9844 to register and get supply list online.

Basket Weaving Class: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., May 14, Berkmar High School. For more information about the Gwinnett Basket Weavers Guild, call 770-757-9146.

Spring Festival, Historic Buford: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., May 14, on East Main Street. (Rain date is May 21.) Highlight of the day will be a barbecue cook-off, with all contestants preparing pulled pork barbecue for tastings.

State of County Address: 11:30 a.m., May 18, Gwinnett Civic Center Ballroom. Hear Charlotte Nash, newly-elected chair of the Gwinnett Commission, give her views on where the county stands and her outlook for the balance of the year. Hosted by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and the Council for Quality Growth. To register, contact Rachel Jeffers at 770-232-8816.

Gwinnett Golden Games: Continuing through May 20. For a list of the places and times, click here.

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