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TODAY'S
ISSUE
Duluth begins Phase
2 for downtown, plans Phase 3 for fall
By Alisa Williams
Special to GwinnettForum
DULUTH, May 12, 2006 -- In September 2001, the City of Duluth completed
Phase I of a downtown revitalization project and became the trendsetter
for downtown areas around here.
Phase I included the construction of the Town Green, Festival Center
and Amphitheater, interactive fountain, landscaping, decorative
lighting and additional public parking at a cost of $6 million.
Bonds were issued to pay for Phase I of this project by the Downtown
Development Authority.
Duluth did not want to stop there and immediately began plans for
a Phase II of the revitalization project. The second phase would
include new road ways and sidewalks along Main Street, Hill Street
and Hardy Street, decorative street lights and landscaping along
these streets, and a decorative fence around our historic downtown
cemetery.
The City applied for a Livable Centers Initiative Grant through
the Atlanta Regional Commission, as well as a Transportation Enhancement
Grant through the Department of Transportation to help fund Phase
II. The purpose of these grants was to encourage people to live,
work and play in an area where they are less dependent on the automobile.
Duluth also had the goal of creating a focal point for City activities,
as was the case prior to malls and shopping centers. Federal grants
require a great deal of review and approvals before any money can
be spent. It has taken three years for Duluth to get through this
process and officials have finally been given the go ahead on the
project. Phase II is underway and completion is scheduled by the
end of September, 2006.
The bid for Phase II was awarded to Site Technologies. The project
is expected to cost $3 million. City Administrator Phil McLemore
says: "Our hope is that these additional downtown improvements
will attract more investment in the way of retail shops, restaurants,
office space and downtown living."
Phase III of this downtown revitalization project will be building
a new City Hall at the top of the hill above Taylor Park. Duluth
has never had a building built specifically as a City Hall, but
has always occupied existing buildings retrofitted into a City Hall.
The current City Hall is the former First Baptist Church.
The new City Hall will be approximately 40,000 square feet and
will be built to function for more than 50 years. There will be
a parking deck adjacent to City Hall to help provide parking for
both the downtown and the City Hall.
The City Hall is being designed by the architectural firm of Hill,
Foley, and Rossi, and the construction will be done by Mathias Corporation--both
are Duluth companies. Work should begin late this summer with completion
scheduled for fall of next year.
The City Hall design draws from the turn of the century with a
formal but friendly appearance. The interior will be very open and
citizen friendly. The location is at the highest point in the downtown
and will be highly visible and will provide a strong anchor needed
to attract future business to this end of downtown.
McLemore adds: "Building a project of this size estimated
at $12 million is only possible through the SPLOST funds that our
citizens approved. We believe when complete, citizens will see the
money well spent and have a permanent source of pride for come."
ELLIOTT
BRACK
Amidst all the controversy, Durham, N.C.,
is city on the move
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com
DURHAM, N.C., May 12, 2006 -- This venerable old tobacco town is
in the news these days, first for the lacrosse team scandal, then
having politics, race relations, elitism and several more layers
tossed in besides.
Brack |
We don't have to go into all that, though the Guardian of
London said in a recent story:
"An uncommon convergence of themes turned a rape accusation
against college lacrosse players into one of the year's biggest
stories."
Yet Durham, we found out again one recent weekend, is a great spot
to visit, with all sorts of interesting diversions.
Durham always seems to have many tasty and trendy restaurants,
may have the best minor league baseball stadium (and fun team to
watch) in the country, and now there's a new venture bringing new
life to a run-down downtown area.
It's an outgrowth of something other towns don't have, the American
Tobacco Historic District. The firm that owns one of the local television
channels is backing the venture, smack-dab across the street from
the Durham Bulls park, which the TV interests also own.
Children like to hop across the water onto these slabs of
rocks at the American Tobacco site. To view more pictures
from Brack's photo essay, click
here. |
By retrofitting the old Lucky Strike manufacturing plant, a gigantic
bricked block-square facility that was about to tumble down in disrepair,
the effort is exciting for downtown Durham.
Designers have added another feature to the formerly crumbling
site: water now flows through the length of the area, adding splashing
sounds and in its own way excitement. Tenants have signed on and
are in operation, there are places to eat, to listen to music, to
have parties, and to shop, and oh, yes, even places to work. Soon
there will be added condos and apartments. On top of it all, there's
two parking decks, serving double duty both for the District, and
providing parking for Bulls' games.
All this is minutes from the Duke University campus, and not far
from Research Triangle Park. Good paying high-technology jobs sprout
in Durham and the Triangle.
Meanwhile, there's more going on in Durham, which now boasts a
population of 208,816. Most of the downtown is difficult to negotiate
by automobile now, as the city is dramatically changing the traffic
pattern. But once done, city officials anticipate an easier negotiation
of the downtown streets, and hope to gain a new day for downtown
development.
Visit Durham on a Saturday morning, as we were recently, and one
place you want to visit is the Durham Farmer's Market, an open air
venue from April to November that pre-screens and diversifies those
selling. Shoppers are there early to get the best in locally grown
produce, breads, jams and jellies, and also to check out plants
and flowers. Twice a month there's also a crafts market across the
street.
The new development follows on the heels of the re-development
of old warehouses some 25 years ago into Brightleaf Square, with
an array of innovative businesses; and the continuing attraction
of the Ninth Street area for distinctive shopping, where people
gather for coffee, conversation, books and the arts, as well as
shops with their distinctive appeal.
All in all, though Durham is having its troubles, this old tobacco
town is an exciting place to live, holding its own in making the
Research Triangle of North Carolina an attractive area. There's
more than first meets the eye in Durham, we found out again recently.
ABOUT
OUR SPONSORS
 The
public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com
to you at no cost to readers. Today's featured sponsor is The
Gwinnett Center, which is home to three distinct facilities
right here in Duluth. The Convention Center offers our patrons the
opportunity to host or attend a wide variety of events; from corporate
meetings to trade shows, to social occasions. The Performing Arts
Center has an intimate capacity of 700 guests, which is home to
many local events, family shows and even the occasional comedic
performer. The Arena is our newest addition and has already seen
great success with a nomination for The 2005 Pollstar Arena of The
Year Award. In 2006, there has been performances from Bon Jovi,
George Straight, Nickelback and many more. Please visit www.gwinnettcenter.com
for updates on events at our three great facilities.
For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: http://www.gwinnettforum.com/about/sponsors.htm
McLEMORE'S
WORLD
5/12: Directionally challenged
The latest great cartoon from Bill McLemore:
FEEDBACK
5/12: Booming car stereos upset, harm some
local residents
Editor, the Forum:
For the past year, a group of concerned citizens has attempted
to resolve a major problem that plagues our county, namely the excessive
and unacceptable noise levels caused by inconsiderate people who
drive through the area blasting their car stereos at all hours of
day, including into the night.
Their behavior shows that they have no common courtesy toward others,
let alone any common sense. Our police officials have been made
aware of this. When you report these people to the police, the offenders
are long gone by the time the police arrive.
As residents, we have the right to quiet neighborhoods. The sound
of these car stereos not only vibrates our homes, but it can actually
be felt! Therefore, it is literally a form of physical assault,
known to cause major migraines, ringing ears and mental anguish
in some people.
Living on or near the main street is next to impossible! These
drivers are guilty of disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and
negligent driving. Our police usually do not stop anyone for loud
boom car stereo violations because violators have sense enough to
turn it down when they see the police. That means we residents are
forced to put up with this continuing, major annoyance while the
perpetrators get away with breaking the law. We who live in neighborhoods,
who have had enough of the excessive noise, want to make our voices
heard and have our rights enforced.
If other counties can write citations and fines for these drivers,
then we expect Gwinnett to do the same. No excuses! These people
are lowering the quality of life in our neighborhoods. And no, if
we don't like it we will not move away. This is our county, and
those who drive through it need to respect our rights! We need our
noise ordinances enforced.
-- Louis B. and Catherine Cooper, Norcross
Dear Coopers: We thought we remembered something
about this being against the law per se. Now we hear from the
Gwinnett police that indeed, there is an ordinance against disturbing
the peace by loud music. It's under 42-46,42-47 and 42-48, entitled
"Noise," under environmental ordinances.
There's one thing you can do: get the vehicle
identification, including tag number, and let the police know.
One city department told me that "We'll talk to them, or
their parents, and usually that takes care of it, especially if
they are in your own neighborhood."---eeb
5/12: Corrected link
Correction: The link in Roger
Hagen's letter from the Forum to the President's 750 signing
statements on Tuesday was incorrect. The link should have been:
UPCOMING
Beaudreau to hold open house on area issues on Saturday
Gwinnett County District 3 Commissioner Mike Beaudreau continues
his monthly open house Saturday, May 13 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The open house will be held at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration
Center, 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville, in the commission's office
on the second floor.
.
Beaudreau extended the open-door session by four hours to make sure
he has time to hear people's concerns, questions and opinions on
the Sugarloaf Parkway extension and any other issues that may be
on their minds.
Gwinnett County's Commission District 3 covers the eastern part
of the county from the Highway 78 corridor north to I-85, and includes
the cities of Snellville, Loganville, Grayson, Dacula and Auburn.
German club offers
scholarships for business students
Five scholarships of $1,000 Euros each will be awarded by the American-German
Business Club for the 2006-07 academic year. Eligible are either
German or American citizens residing in either Germany or the United
States who will be studying business or business-related courses
at any university and have a financial need.
Application deadline is June 30, with awards for the year beginning
August 1, 2006. Applicants will be required to submit a one page
letter in English with their pertinent information and also submit
an original essay of between 500-750 words in English on the subject
"How I would help improve US and German business relations."
For inquiries on the program, go to either of these websites: scholarships@agbc.de
or scholarships@officelab.de.
Applications should be sent to both websites.
NOTABLE
National park's Atlanta office names Reynolds to post
Reynolds
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Bill Reynolds of Lilburn has been appointed Assistant Regional
Director for Communications for the National Park Service Southeast
Region in Atlanta
Reynolds is the former Chief Public Affairs Officer of the American
Red Cross Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter. Prior to his Red Cross service,
he was the Director of Public Affairs for the Second U.S. Army at
Fort Gillem, with responsibilities throughout the southeastern United
States.
Duluth CPA publishes
first novel about life in Charleston
PublishAmerica of Frederick, Md. has now released Charleston
Dawn, by Duluth author John Dillard. This debut book is the
fictional story of Joseph and Mary. As their relationship is deepening,
Mary is abducted. During their darkest days, both Joseph and Mary
face their fears and turn to God for guidance. They soon discover
a love like no other that will last forever.
Dillard
|
John Dillard, CPA, lives with his wife and two children in Duluth.
He is a member of Perimeter Church.
Combining Charleston's history about everything from homes to lighthouses,
chase scenes, a hurricane and a tornado, Charleston Dawn
keeps its reader on the edge of their seat as they turn its pages.
Learn about the uniqueness of the city's past and the story's characters
faith in God abounding despite and amidst life's trials and difficulties.
The book is available online. For best prices, go to http://www.fetchbook.info.
RECOMMENDED
- 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
Creek Indian leaders had to persuade, not
force, village
Creek
Indian society contained an unknown number of leaders in the
pre-removal era. Each village had civil, religious, and war chiefs
of various ranks. Leaders wielded authority only as long as they
could persuade others to agree with their decisions. As a result,
leadership positions frequently changed hands.
The most important Creek leader was the mico or village
chief. In addition to providing domestic leadership, micos served
as diplomatic representatives. They welcomed traders, diplomats,
and other sojourners into the village, served as representatives
at treaty negotiations, and led warriors into battle. Micos could
not coerce their villages into obedience. Instead they used various
methods to persuade Creeks to follow their lead. They redistributed
scarce resources and daily necessities, demonstrated their bravery
in warfare, forged trade relationships, arranged diplomatic alliances,
and wielded powerful sacred items. In this way, Creek micos
demonstrated that they deserved their positions of power.
Micos ruled with the assistance of several micalgi
or lesser chiefs. They also relied on various advisers. They depended
on a heniha to help address many of the daily demands of
village life. Respected village elders used their experiences to
offer advice to community leaders. Micos also called upon medicine
men to cure sickness, converse with spirits, and practice magic.
In addition, a tustunnuggee or ranking warrior played prominent
roles in times of warfare, while the yahola officiated various
rituals, especially administering the black drink.
Kinship ties to prominent leaders helped many Creeks obtain power,
and as a result, the powerful Wind Clan had a disproportionate number
of village leaders. Clan leaders, especially elder women, often
prevented micos from controlling the most important decisions within
Creek society. Clans organized hunts, distributed lands, arranged
marriages, and punished lawbreakers. The village power structure,
which reserved positions of leadership for members of each of the
resident clans, further limited the power of the mico.
THOUGHT
OF THE DAY
Perhaps it all depends
on who, as a child, you emulate
"When I was young, I really wanted to be somebody. I realize
now that I should have been more specific."
-- Actor and comedian Lily Tomlin, via Cindy Evans, Duluth.
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