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Two meetings to tell about deep waste
tunnel near Snellville
By
Manoj Bhimani
Gwinnett Department of Water Resources
Special to GwinnettForum.com
SNELLVILLE, Ga., May 4, 2007 -- The Gwinnett Department of Water
Resources (DWR) is hosting two community meetings in the southern
part of the county to update residents on the No Business Creek
tunnel project. The meetings will take place Tuesday, May 8 and
Thursday, May 10, 2007, at the Centerville Community Center, 3025
Bethany Church Road (same building as the library). Both meetings
will be from 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. People can drop in at a time
convenient to them.
Project team members, including DWR staff and contractors, will
be on hand to talk one-on-one with residents about the tunnel and
the projects that set the stage for its construction.
The No Business Creek tunnel is a deep, underground tunnel that
gives DWR an environmentally sound way to manage wastewater flows
in the area while preserving community aesthetics. Life expectancy
of these tunnels can exceed 100 years. Construction cost for the
tunnel is $54 million, of which $42 million comes from a State Revolving
Fund loan from the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority awarded
to DWR in 2005.
The No Business Creek (NBC) tunnel is approximately three miles
from the NBC pump station site off Springdale Road to the Jacks
Creek Water Reclamation Facility off Brannan Road. The tunnel will
average more than 100 feet in depth. Because most of the construction
work will occur underground, the impact to homeowners and businesses
will be minimal. The contractors will begin setting up at the NBC
site in June with construction beginning later this fall. Project
completion is scheduled for early 2010.
The NBC tunnel is the final part of a series of projects undertaken
to improve wastewater service in south Gwinnett. This effort stems
from recommendations made in the County's Water and Wastewater Master
Plan, which was developed with citizen input. It calls for the consolidation
and elimination of aging treatment facilities. To meet this goal,
several other projects had to be completed before the tunnel work
could begin.
They include:
- NBC pump station - completed in March 2006. It sends flow previously
treated by the outdated NBC station to the appropriate county
facility. The NBC station has since been taken off line and the
buildings demolished. The Springdale force main, completed in
November 2005, connects the NBC pump station to an existing force
main on Springdale Road.
- Upgrades to Jacks Creek facility were finished in April 2007.
An unused storage tank at Jacks Creek has been put into service
to hold flows for brief periods of time if needed. It will help
prevent spills until the NBC tunnel is complete and the facility
is taken out of service.
The Department has held several community meetings on this project
since 2002 to keep the community informed and used input gathered
at the meetings to establish the final alignment of the tunnel.
For more information about the projects, please visit www.nobusinesscreek.com.
Visit to Texas Roadhouse finds tasty dishes,
fast service
By
Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher
GwinnettForum.com
MAY 4, 2007 -- Every now and then a twist in the road produces
unexpected results. This latest also turned into a good meal.
Brack |
All this came from a reader with a negative recommendation about
a Gwinnett restaurant. The reader had to wait approximately 50 minutes
to get his main course, and found the quality of what he was served
less than expected.
Eventually we corresponded with the managing partner-owner of Texas
Roadhouse, the restaurant in Snellville, Sam Roper, who in effect
said that the treatment of our reader was "inexcusable,"
then invited him back as their guest.
Then Sam went as far as saying to me: "Come see for yourself."
Meanwhile, we learned his restaurant is very much a part of the
community, rewarding students with achievement certificates, partnering
with the Lions Club on a golf tournament; bringing in some $6,000
for the Gwinnett Community Clinic, and raising money and collecting
materials to build a house with Habitat for Humanity's Homes in
a Box Program. He adds: "Our community is very important to
us."
By the time we walked in on the last rainy suppertime, the place
was packed! Evidently the Roadhouse is also important to the community.
When we met Sam Roper, we found he is a native of Marietta, who
has been in the restaurant business, so it seemed, his entire life,
throughout the Southeast. He and his wife and baby girl (Samy) live
in Grayson, a short drive from the restaurant.
Immediately upon being seated, you find at your table hot fresh
baked bread, served with honey cinnamon butter. The rolls are hard
to resist, and once you taste them, soon you find that the waiter
has to bring you more.
Sam's a genial sort. As we were making our dinner selection, he
had brought to the table an appetizer of one of the Roadhouse specialties,
one they call "fall off the bone" barbecued ribs. Man
alive! Were they tasty! We appreciated tasting them, for we were
planning to order a nine ounce Sirloin ourselves, while my wife
had a sirloin kebob. My steak was cooked perfectly, and was extremely
tender. My wife enjoyed the kebob. We both had rice, and I had a
delicious bean dish alongside. Nope, no room for dessert!
And yes, the service was good. The servers are most energetic.
About every hour, many of them step to the main aisle and perform
a short line dance! It's fun.
By the way, we learned that as a company, Texas Roadhouse has already
built 30 homes in the Musician's Village near the Ninth Ward in
New Orleans. Texas Roadhouse had the second building permit issued
in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Sam adds: "We now have
four stores in the Atlanta area and as a team we are going to build
another house for the Gulf Coast."
We enjoyed our trek from Norcross to Snellville to dine with Sam
Roper at the Texas Roadhouse, as obviously many others visit often.
It's a place worth re-visiting. They only serve from 4 p.m. on,
and it's friendly, has good food, and is quite the place to be.
It was a nice turn in the road.
 The
public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com
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News, the county's best daily news source. AJC Gwinnett News
is published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution at its Norcross
location and comes with the full AJC seven days a week. Visit their
web site at www.ajc.com
and check out the Gwinnett community sites at www.ajc.com/gwinnett.
To subscribe to the newspaper, call 770 522-4141.
Is that reality?
Another great cartoon from Bill McLemore:
Suwanee
offers safe driving course for teens + parents
To help reduce the number of injuries and deaths related to teen
driving, the City of Suwanee, in cooperation with the Georgia Traffic
Injury Prevention Institute, is hosting a two-hour class for new
drivers ages 14-16 and their parents. The Suwanee Police Department's
next Georgia Teens Ride with PRIDE (Parents Reducing the Incidents
of Driver Error) program is from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, May 19,
at the Suwanee Crossroads, 323 Buford Highway.
The PRIDE program addresses attitudes and behaviors of teenage
drivers. The course makes parents/guardians more aware of their
own driving behaviors, assists parents in helping their teens to
become safe drivers, and offers strategies for required supervised
practice driving time. PRIDE is not a hands-on, "how-to"
program.
Class space is limited and advanced registration is required. For
more information and to download an application, visit www.suwanee.com
or contact Sgt. Elias Casanas at elias@suwanee.com
or 770/945-4607, ext. 327. The registration deadline is May 7.
McDaniel Park hosts
first 'Nature on the Farm' day May 12
Bring your family out to McDaniel Farm Park on May 12 from 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m. for a day of farm fun as Gwinnett County Parks and Recreations
hosts its first-ever "Nature on the Farm" event.
The day will start with the annual Hoof-It 5K Race. The race begins
at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 12. Pre-registration fee is $15, or $20
to register on the day of the race, and includes admission into
the Nature on the Farm event.
After the race, enjoy the many activities planned for that day,
including hayrides, wildlife exhibits, and farm animals. There will
also be live animal programs featuring Georgia's endangered reptiles
such as the gopher tortoise and Eastern Indigo Snake.
Admission to "Nature on the Farm" is $3 and is payable
at the farm on the day of the event. McDaniel Farm Park is located
at 3251 McDaniel Road in Duluth. For more information call 770-814-4920
or visit www.gwinnettparks.com.
Shoal Creek water
park holds open house on May 12
In celebration of the 32nd anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water
Act, the Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources will hold
an open house for the public at the Shoal Creek Water Production
Facility on Saturday, May 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
There will be facility tours, hayrides, arts and crafts, complimentary
lunch and refreshments. No admission fee will be charged. The facility
is located at 1755 Buford Dam Road in Buford.
The Georgia Association of Water Professionals recently selected
the Shoal Creek Water Production facility as its plant of the year.
For more information about this event, please contact Dana Garland
at (770) 904-3201.
Women's Leadership
Series to hear Laura Moore May 14
The May 14 Executive Women's Leadership Series featuring Laura
Moore, founder and CEO, Dream House for Medically Fragile Children,
Inc. is set for Monday, May 14, at 11:30 a.m. at the 1818 Club.
People Magazine recognized Laura Moore in 2007 in its "Heroes
Among Us" section. The article touched and inspired readers
all across the country. Cost for the meeting is $45 for lunch. To
RSVP, email laurie@gwinnettchamber.org.
Large
oaks get protection in contract at Alexander park
Large Oaks Get Protection in Contract at Alexander Park
Five impressive oak trees on the old Alexander farm on Scenic Highway
(State Route 124) got some additional protection Tuesday as Gwinnett
County announced its plans for phase one of a new park on the site.
The County agreed to preserve the big oak trees when it purchased
the 91 acres in 2002.
The commission awarded a contract for $307,680 for park design
documents to the engineering firm of McFarland-Dyer and Associates.
Construction will begin next year. The new park will feature four
loops of multi-purpose trails, a playground, outdoor classroom,
amphitheater, pavilion, a three-acre open lawn plus a 26-acre disc
golf course and restrooms. The entrance will be from Old Snellville
Highway, which will be widened to include a center turn lane there.
Jane and the late James Alexander had farmed the land since 1949,
raising cattle and poultry. She taught in Gwinnett County Public
Schools for 25 years and taught Sunday school at Snellville United
Methodist Church even longer. He was an agent for the Gwinnett County
Extension Service until he retired in 1963.
Duluth fire station
getting new site, plus upgrading
Gwinnett County officials plan to relocate Fire Station 7 from
its present location on Duluth Highway (Georgia Highway 120) in
order to improve response time in the area around the Gwinnett Center
and Arena near Duluth.
Fire Chief Steve Rolader says: "The old station was too small
and poorly located for our present needs," The new site is
just over three acres at the intersection of Old Peachtree Road
and Bunten Road. The Board of Commissioners approved the land purchase
on Tuesday for $180,000 per acre with the exact size to be determined
by a site survey."
Rolader said the expanded station will house a new ladder company
to provide better service in the area.
Beef O'Brady's
in Grayson
"Beef O'Brady's in Grayson is a locally owned restaurant that
focuses on the family. This is a sports pub, so, there are many
TVs playing. There is lots for kids to do from video games to coloring
and the kids meals (including drink) are only $1.99 Monday-Thursday
with adult purchase. The prices are the best in town with large
portions. We enjoyed the Watterson Sandwich, the Reuben, and the
Chicken Wings. The desserts are homemade by the owner's wife, and
you will find every flavor incredible cobbler you can imagine from
blackberry to chocolate! Beef O'Brady's also offers a catering service.
We will go to it time and time again. It's located at the corner
of Cooper Road and Georgia Highway 20."
-- Leslie Rabb, Loganville
- 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
Georgian
makes name as architect for Chicago skyscrapers
The architect John
Wellborn Root, a Georgia native, became one of the key figures
in the nationally significant Chicago school of skyscraper design.
He designed one of the most significant buildings in Atlanta, the
Equitable Building.
Root |
Root was born in Lumpkin in 1850 and grew up in Atlanta. During
the Civil War (1861-65) his father, Sidney Root, a prominent Atlanta
merchant, sent his young son out of the city on one of his blockade-runners
to attend school in England.
After finishing school in New York City, Root went to Chicago,
Ill., to join Daniel Hudson Burnham in one of the pioneering architectural
firms there. This firm made both structural and design contributions
to the late-19th-century evolution of the skyscraper form. Root,
in particular, developed ideas about the design and philosophy of
commercial architecture and communicated those ideas in the architectural
journals of the period.
Among the firm's most notable buildings in Chicago were the Monadnock
and Rookery Buildings, both of which are still standing. In Atlanta
the firm designed the Equitable Building (later the Trust Company
of Georgia Building) in 1890 for the Atlanta developer Joel Hurt.
Although the eight-story building would today not be considered
tall, its steel-frame construction and monumental presence made
it the city's pioneer skyscraper. Like the Rookery, the building
had a heavy ornamented exterior and an interior light court with
a large window area. The clarity of its design stood in sharp contrast
to its surroundings.
Unfortunately this building, which a Georgia Tech professor once
said was the only structure an architect would stop off in Atlanta
to see, was demolished in 1971, just as Georgia's historic preservation
movement was getting under way. Its massive columns and name panel
now adorn the SunTrust Bank Building (built as Trust Company of
Georgia) across from Woodruff Park. The Equitable Building was the
only structure Root is known to have designed in Georgia, although
there are undocumented reports of others.
Upon returning to Chicago after delivering the Equitable plans
in Atlanta, Root contracted pneumonia. He died on January 15, 1891.
Only a few months later, on June 26, 1891, Atlantans praised his
building with elaborate cornerstone ceremonies.
Better to fight when
odds are against you ... than perish
'If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without
blood shed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and
not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to
fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance
of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight
when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish
than to live as slaves."
-- Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, via.Craig
Heighton, Hoschton.
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