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Issue 12.39 | Friday, Aug. 24, 2012 TODAY'S FOCUS ELLIOTT
BRACK'S PERSPECTIVE FEEDBACK UPCOMING NOTABLE ALSO INSIDE IN
THE SPOTLIGHT RECOMMENDED GEORGIA
TIDBIT LAGNIAPPE GWINNETT
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DULUTH, Ga., Aug. 24, 2012 -- The proposed redevelopment of Gwinnett's OFS site with a mega-entertainment complex has been in the news lately. There are a number of facts Georgians should understand about this proposal. Most importantly, without the significant new revenue that this project would bring to the Georgia Lottery, HOPE will be paying less that 50 percent of tuition within two years. The project creates at least 2,500 new jobs, while conservatively generating an additional $350 million annually for HOPE/pre-K by bringing a new player to the lottery - the destination gamer. The complex would feature a 1,500 room, four star hotel, which would be the second largest in Georgia. There will be a 5,000 seat performance venue for shows. The facility would have fine dining and retail stores, including a sports-themed restaurant from UGA's Hershel Walker. The game floor would house 7,500 video lottery terminals (VLTs).
While the
hotel and facility would be privately built and operated, the gaming equipment
would be owned or leased by the lottery. Each VLTs would be connected
to a Georgia Lottery central computer, where they would be monitored in
real time. Minimal lottery funds are necessary to tap this new revenue. Seven states have expanded their lotteries in this manner, as this is a method to add revenue to the conventional lottery. Georgia would not be alone in adopting this approach. But, Georgia is quickly becoming alone as only six states that have lotteries don't have forms of gaming greater than their lottery. As a result, an estimated $200 million leaves Georgia annually on two million person trips to destination facilities in other states. A failure to develop in this area only means that Georgians will continue to take their money elsewhere for this form of entertainment. Recent polls, including the July 31 Republican primary, show support among residents to expand the lottery. When you talk with the leaders in communities that have expanded with VLTs in a destination facility, they share information that debunks the myths. A casino with VLTs has less crime than other areas of town, as it is so well controlled, patrolled and surveilled. These are not places that prostitutes and drug dealers are welcome. Nor does the demographic (primarily older women) provide a customer base for those activities. It also is an environment where players are strictly monitored for being of appropriate age and where gambling abuse is not tolerated. The proposed
expansion of the Georgia Lottery with a destination facility at the OFS
site in Norcross is about entertainment. It's also about jobs. But most
importantly, it is about saving and preserving HOPE for the students of
Georgia. ELLIOTT
BRACK AUG. 24, 2012 -- Though we have just been through two elections, the General Primary and on Tuesday, runoffs for three slots in Gwinnett, the local election year is far from over.
The big election in November will fill quite a few local offices, and of course, is also a year for voting for president. To make sure you are up-to-date, here is the list of offices, and candidates, you will be voting on in November. So the yard signs, robo calls and other campaign diversions, will still be with us for more than two months! Note: some of the representative races represent only a small portion of the county, but will have a few Gwinnett precincts included on the ballot.
Whew! We've still got a lot of politicking to do until November. Don't leave your phone off the hook. You might miss a robo call! * * * * * No doubt in the July 31 primary, the one subject that brought many people out to vote was the question throughout the state of the T-SPLOST proposal. Perhaps that even influenced some elections, where with a lower voter turn-out, some incumbents may have survived. Another statewide proposal may help influence the November election. One proposition has to do with Charter Schools. Now many people, including the Gwinnett School Board, are concerned about this proposition becoming law. What particularly worries them is the language in which the proposition is worded. In effect, you must vote AGAINST the proposed amendment to get the outcome that the Gwinnett School Board members would want, though the way it is worded, you might think otherwise. You'll hear more and more about this in the coming weeks, we hope enough to educate the people sufficiently on just what is being proposed. * * * * * One story: A little girl asked her father, "Daddy? Do all fairy tales begin with 'Once Upon A Time'?" He replied, "No, there is a whole series of fairy tales that begin with 'If elected I promise.'" ABOUT
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We welcome
your letters and 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 The City of Duluth's third annual Music Festival begins Saturday, August 25, at 2 p.m. and continues until 10:30 p.m. at the Duluth Town Green and Festival Center amphitheater. Featured will be the Atlanta Rhythm Section as the headlining act.
Downtown merchant, Luv for Art, is celebrating its one year anniversary in conjunction with the Music Festival and will be offering live music, art demonstrations and free art projects for the kids. Premium tables with reserved up-close seating to the Amphitheatre stage are on sale until Friday, August 24. Concert goers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs/blankets! Admission is free but vendors will be charging a nominal fee. Based in Atlanta, Atlanta Rhythm Section (pictured below) has been a part of the Southern Rock scene for more than 30 years. The group has put out 15 albums of original material, and consistently put on entertaining live shows, creating a broad fan base. They have been a major player in the Southern Rock scene.
Intercollegiate sports begins here with GCC soccer Saturday The Gwinnett community will finally hear the roar of the Grizzlies.
Action begins at 1 p.m. on the soccer fields adjacent to campus housing, with Head Coach Domenic Martelli's women's squad first battling the Crusaders. Then, at 3 p.m., the Grizzly men under Head Coach Steve DeCou, take on TTU. The games are the culmination of over two years of planning and development for varsity athletics. Dr. Darin S. Wilson, director of athletics, says: "This kickoff has been a long time in the making and is the result of hard work from a lot of committed people. We are thrilled about what lies ahead for our programs and we can't wait to finally see our student-athletes in action in Grizzly green and gray." GGC President Daniel J. Kaufman will commemorate both games and conduct the pre-game coin tosses.
The Grizzlies' opening weekend marks the first of 18 games on the inaugural schedule for each of GGC's soccer teams. Both teams are slated to play nine home contests on campus. Games will be played on the college's intramural fields until construction is complete on its $13.5M Varsity Athletics Complex. NOTABLE Two projects
approved Tuesday by the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners will replace
about four miles of break-prone water mains in four older neighborhoods
near Snellville, Lilburn and Norcross. Two sewer line projects also received
approval from commissioners. GGC registers 9,000th student
Like many college freshmen, Salina Orzikowski, is experiencing nervous excitement about going to college. But she is unique, in that she is the 9,000th student to register at Georgia Gwinnett College. She represents a milestone in the college's continued enrollment growth. She is also one of the institution's first student-athletes. She will play mid-field on the Grizzlies' women's soccer team. Salina began playing soccer at age three and running at five. She played soccer and ran cross-country at Central Gwinnett High School, where she won MVP awards in both sports. An honor graduate from Lawrenceville, Salina intends to obtain an exercise science degree so she can work as a physical therapist. RECOMMENDED
GEORGIA
ENCYCLOPEDIA (Continued from previous edition) In the late 1880s Samuel Tate's sons, Stephen Clayton Tate and William Tate, increased their landholdings in the area and assumed a more direct role in the management of the marble industry. The family signed a 25-year lease of the marble quarries with an option for renewal. Other companies attempted to capitalize on the industry with limited success, but the Tate family successfully expanded the markets for its Georgia Marble Company stone. In addition, Stephen and William Tate were on the board of directors of the Etowah quarry, which opened in 1890 and provided the first truly pink marble.
Fortunately for the industry, Samuel Tate, Stephen's son, was named president and general manager of the Georgia Marble Company in 1905. With the help of family and friends, he acquired 6,791 shares of the stock. He immediately added equipment, changed procedures, cleared quarries, and built additional houses for the workers. By 1906 the company's profit had risen to more than $120,000. In 1909 the 25-year lease on the quarries expired and was renegotiated with the Tate family. The resulting transaction made the Georgia Marble Company joint owners of certain marble properties with the Stephen C. Tate Estate, an arrangement that continues to this day. Between 1917 and 1920, Georgia Marble Company president "Colonel Sam" Tate, as Samuel Tate was called, bought out the surrounding finishing plants and hired many more employees to complete "finished" marble products in the mill. By 1924 the state geologist of Georgia reported that $1,867,000 worth of Georgia marble had been quarried in Pickens County.
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IN THE COMING WEEK (NEW) Community Crime Prevention Meeting: 11:30 a.m., Aug. 24, Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District, 5855 Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Norcross. This will address communication between law enforcement and Gwinnett County residents to implement strategies that result in decreased community crime, and will feature a special presentation on Emergency Preparedness. (NEW) Fifth Annual Old Peachtree Road 5K, to benefit Rainbow Village: 9 a.m., Aug. 25. Sponsored by the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), the race starts at the PCOM campus at 625 Old Peachtree Road in Suwanee. This is to be an official timed race with prizes for winners in each category. Entry fee: $25 day of race. Register at www.Active.com (Keyword: GA-PCOM). MORE EEB PERSPECTIVE
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Music
of all genres will be celebrated on three stages. Performances will be
on the Festival Center Stage, Main Street Stage and Open Mic Atlanta in
the Gazebo. The festival will also feature a Kids Zone and Food Court
with beverages on sale, to include beer and wine. 
Georgia
Gwinnett College will open its first year of intercollegiate competition
August 25 when its men's and women's soccer teams take the field against
Tennessee Temple University, at the home field in Lawrenceville.
Limited
bleacher seating is available at the field. Fans are encouraged to bring
lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the action. Ample free parking is available
near the campus entrance off Tree Creek Boulevard (see map at right).
Admission is free. Officials note that the GGC campus is a smoke-free
environment, and ask fans to refrain from bringing pets or alcoholic beverages.
Lawn chairs, blankets and coolers are welcome.
Jeff
Boss, field operations director with Water Resources, says: "We use
data like the age and type of pipe and frequency of repairs and service
disruptions to get the best return on investments in pipe replacements."
"Next
time you are in Jefferson, or if you are on the way to Athens, you'll
find great food at this restaurant in an old Victorian house just east
of Jefferson. The restaurant takes special care to entice you with a great
menu, and the ingredients are deliciously prepared. Several in our party
of six ordered the Behemoth BLT, with their house-smoked bacon on a Kaiser
roll. The bacon was tasty. The main event menu has steaks and salmon,
and there's always plenty of beef in many ways. Prices seemed most reasonable.
Great stop-over, or destination, for tasty dining. 
IT
IS HARD TO BELIEVE that the 30th annual
Duluth Fall Festival is right around the corner. We hope
to see you in Duluth on September 29th and 30th! There will
be more than 350 vendors, a parade, music at two venues, entertainment,
"Man's Corner", a carnival, a 5K road race and much more.
All of the proceeds are used for improving Downtown Duluth, and
as you will see, this mission is paying off! The Historic
Downtown has never looked better. For more information, visit 