TODAY'S ISSUE
Councilman cites historic aspect of new Snellville city hall
By Bruce Garraway
Special to GwinnettForum.com

(Editor's Note: Snellville City Councilman Bruce Garraway waxes eloquently about the new Snellville City Hall. Enjoy his historic approach to this graceful new building.-eeb)

JAN. 24, 2006 -- As I watch Snellville's new city hall and senior center complex being built, it reminds me of a place that always was a place of antiquity. The buildings personify history, progress, success and stability.

Garraway

Snellville started as a small agricultural community with a 1,900 square feet city hall made of granite. Growth and change came to Snellville and to its city hall. City officials purchased and renovated the old Snellville consolidated school buildings. This renovated complex comprised of about 12,000 square feet. County crews destroyed the main granite stone school building on the property, which was considered the first school, but part of that old school was saved. Benches were also built and put on the grounds of the renovated city hall complex, using stone steps from the old school.

The city hall being built off of Oak Road will have about 33,000 square feet when it is finished. It is a beautiful structure with its cupola and winding staircase, located on the site of a former shopping center called Oakland Village

This is an ideal choice for a new city hall complex. The first reason is because city officials decided to demolish an abandoned shopping center. This action speaks to the community of revitalization, which is sorely needed in the southern part of the county. The second reason is the location. The location on Oak Road makes it easier to go from the east of Snellville northward, into town and to the new city hall. People east of Georgia Highway 124 also have easier access to the complex.

The architectural style of this complex is considered to be the timeless neoclassical Federalist period. Charles Bulfinch was America's leading Neo-Federalist style architect. He was involved in the planning of much of old Boston and was in charge of designing the Capitol in Washington. Using cupolas, Corinthian columns, and porticos trademarks, this Federalist architecture borrows from classical civilizations of ancient Greek and Roman buildings. Along with dental molding, it also has a symmetrical brick facade and balanced rows of windows. The First Baptist Church across the street from the city complex has similar symmetry in its architecture.

Neoclassical Federalist architecture, which came into vogue during the founding of our country, incorporates Greece, the great example of ancient democracy and Rome, the great example of ancient republicanism. This symbolism provided the ideal complement to America's young eclectic theory of government a type unknown to the young nation. The founders called this system a democratic republic.

I believe public buildings should reflect America's highest ideals. They should speak of influence and authority. Edward Feiner, who was the chief architect for the General Services Administration Public Buildings Service, once said, "These buildings are the future historic landmarks for the country. Architecture does affect how people act or function."

I hope the city hall complex will affect Snellville positively and will have a lasting impact on how its officials and citizens act and function. I know the architecture will give the city enduring design quality. We live in a society of dis-connect. This complex may re- connect the city to its citizens, setting Snellville apart from others cities. These buildings may give Snellville a physical heart to the community, a sense of place. A community's heart is more then just bricks and mortar; it's about relationships, it's about people. A community is just an empty shell without it.

Maybe this city hall complex is the anchor Snellville has been looking for in the midst of growth and change. I just want people to see Snellville as a place to call home.

ELLIOTT BRACK
GOP could make Georgia safer with less legislative time
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

JAN. 24, 2006 -- No telling who first said it. Mark Twain is on record as writing in 1866: "No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session."

In the 140 years since, many people would still agree.

Now overlay that with Georgia having a new Republican-led state government. Perhaps we can turn to the leadership of the Georgia Republicans to bring some sensibility to this perception of the state being "unsafe" when the Legislature meets.

Republicans will tell you that they are the party of bringing less government to the scene. They want less regulation, more emphasis put on the private sector, and of course, "Less taxes, less taxes, less taxes."

With these philosophies in mind, then, it would seem reasonable for the majority party in Georgia today to take a bold stand, do something that will set them apart, and if their radar is working right, get them re-elected.

We propose that the Georgia Republicans lead the charge to give us less government, make the process of government less invasive, and bring a cheer from a majority of the people. We propose the State of Georgia start having its Legislature meet not every January, as it now does, but meet every other year.

After all, if nothing is safe when the Legislature is in session, meeting every other year, the Republican Party could claim, and the Democrats couldn't say much about it, that this would make Georgia twice as safe as before.

Understand, the Republicans would have to keep the present limit of 40 days per legislative session. Giving them 40 whole days over two years to tamper with and speechify over the laws of Georgia is surely enough.

Such a Republican proposal would put the Democrats in a box. Democrats really couldn't come out against less government with a bi-annual term. That would be like being against motherhood and apple pie.

And there is one safeguard if something serious happened: under certain conditions, the governor has the power to call the Legislature back into special issue to tackle serious problems. But such a call would have to be at least Katrina-big, or else an extra session would backfire.

One more thing: Legislators say they don't get enough pay now for their part time job. Pay them the same, only let them legislate less. That's what we really want. It would amount to a pay hike for legislators.

Remember back when some Legislators floated an idea of moving the election cycle for legislators from two to four years? That got shot down rather quickly. Voters figured only having a crack at the Legislator every four years was too long to wait.

Yet if the Republicans can see fit to limit the Legislative sessions to once every two years, we the people should vote to give them four year terms. After all, as it is now, we elect them to meet officially twice each election cycle. Having sessions every other year and having a four year term would still mean they would meet twice in an election term.

Crackpot idea? Compared to some of the bills proposed, it's simplicity and economic impact are sound. Who know? Holding legislative sessions every two years might allow us to love our legislators more. Stranger incidents occur.

How about it Republicans? Can you walk the talk and give us less government by limiting the legislative session to once every two years?

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FEEDBACK
1/24: Reprimands editor for including phrase in article

Editor, the Forum:

I find it laughable almost to the point of absurdity that you throw a little jab to the president (Ref: "Are you listening President Bush?") in your diatribe "More of county needs to mark celebration of King birthday," January 20, 2006. Perhaps you should be asking that question to race baiters such as Senator Hillary Clinton or New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. The good reverend is probably rolling over in his grave to hear such vitriolic venom spewing from such "prominent" people….during his birthday celebration no less.

-- Craig Heighton, Hoschton

Dear Craig: You are right. I should not have included that "jab" in an article advocating more observance of the King Holiday. It detracted, and took away from the more serious nature of the presentation. -EEB..

UPCOMING
New university president to address Button Gwinnett group

Members of the Button Gwinnett Society will hear Dr. Dan Kaufman, new president of Gwinnett Georgia College at its meeting on February 8. The meeting is at the 1818 Club at 6 p.m.

Kaufman

The Button Gwinnett society meets quarterly for a discussion about books, the arts, culture in general and other topics of major interest.

His subject will be "You ain't seen nothing yet," a discussion of the macro forces at work in the international environment.

Dr. Kaufman recently retired as a brigadier general from the U.S. Army. His was a dean of the academic board and chief academic officer for the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. Kaufman, a highly decorated brigadier general in the U.S. Army, has co-edited and co-authored six books on such topics as international relations, national security policy and strategy, Vietnam and NATO.

Among the academic honors he has earned, the brigadier general holds the title of Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.). He earned a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy.

Kaufman's military experience includes service as a platoon leader in Vietnam, a member of the National Security Council staff, a battalion operations officer with the 82nd Airborne Division and special assistant to the chief of staff of the U.S. Army.

Membership is open to anyone interested in culture and the arts. The meetings last for 90 minutes, and include snacks. Drinks are available. Membership is open to those in the community interested in community and cultural affairs. Dues are $100 annually.

The group was formed in 2001and represents a wide spectrum of people from the community. For information, people may call 770 840 1003.

NOTABLE
Rep. Scott wants young artists to enter competition

Congressman David Scott is a participant in the 25th Annual High School Congressional Art Competition, An Artistic Discovery. High school students of the 13th District are invited to submit art work for the competition.

The Congressional Art Competition was created in 1982 as a way to showcase the artistic talents of young people throughout the country. This year's first-place winner will be invited to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Washington, D.C. where their artwork will hang in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol for one year.

Students may obtain entry packets from their High School Art Teachers. All entries must be delivered to Congressman Scott's Jonesboro District Office located at 173 North Main Street no later than 5:30 pm on Monday, February 20, 2006.

On Saturday, March 18, 2006, Congressman Scott will host a reception to recognize all participating students of the competition and announce the top three winners at the Arts Clayton Gallery. Residents throughout the 13th District are invited to come out to support area students and view an exhibit of all of the entries. The Savannah College of Art and Design is offering a $3,000 scholarship renewable for up to four years for first prize.

For more information about the Congressional Art Competition, including competition guidelines, please contact Scott Goldstein at 770-210-5073.

Gwinnett Tech EMT-paramedic program wins accreditation

Gwinnett Technical College's EMT-Paramedic program recently became the first and only program in Georgia to be accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). Steve Moyers is director of emergency services education at Gwinnett Tech.

Accreditation is a tool, similar in ideology to certifications or licensures, that helps ensure a well-prepared and qualified workforce is providing health care services. And in the case of health-related disciplines, accreditation serves as a very important public service.

The college entered into the process voluntarily as there is no state or national requirement for such accreditation. However, by doing so, the college is essentially verified as having met nationally accepted standards in its EMT-Paramedic education program.

For Gwinnett Tech's EMT-Paramedic program, accreditation meant reviewing and documenting current processes for the entire program, including analyzing its outcome measures in an intensive self-study. This self-study was submitted to the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the EMS Profession (CoAEMSP), the working accreditation arm of CAAHEP. Upon completion of that review, a site team visited Gwinnett Tech to conduct further review of the program. The site team met with current students, graduates, clinical sites, medical directors, faculty, administrators and employers.

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
Georgia's rural schools offering more uniform education

With the arrival of new technologies, professional accountability, and a more mobile population, rural schools in Georgia are improving academically. At the same time, they are losing many of the traditions and customs that provide students and their families with a unique sense of place.

Georgia's rural schools are often important centers of support and activity for the communities to which they are traditionally tied. The result of consolidation policies in Georgia's rural areas has been the creation of more-uniform administrative organizations and centralization in schools. As Georgia's rural schools begin to look more and more like their urban and suburban counterparts, local communities, which may embody the unique cultural identity of their students, become disenfranchised and are bypassed by rural education in the name of efficiency and reform.

Rural schools in Georgia can educate their students to participate successfully in the larger society while honoring the historical and social uniqueness of their communities. To do so, a rural school may lead its students to explore and examine the curriculum from the context of a local setting as it applies to the larger world.

Instead of educating students to leave their communities, Georgia rural educators would serve the local community and its citizens well by considering such rural-centered education methodologies as the Foxfire approach and the League of Professional Schools. Both programs, which originated in Georgia, stress student-centered learning and democratic practices in a rural setting. Embracing what Jack Shelton, a rural education advocate and scholar, calls the "genius of place," rural educators and citizens of Georgia have around them sources of untapped information and experience. Armed with such an approach, as well as local partnerships and a dedication to continued academic rigor, Georgia's rural schools can teach their students how to be productive citizens in their own communities and state, while providing a larger lens for participating as citizens of the nation and of the world.

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

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Comedian suggests one sure way toward failure

"I don't know the key to success but the key to failure is to try to please everyone."

-- Comedian Bill Cosby, via Cindy Evans, Duluth.

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

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