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Report from Gwinnett Village CID shows crime dropping
By Chuck Warbington
Executive Director, Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District
Special to GwinnettForum.com

SEPT. 28, 2007 -- What started out as an out-of-the-box idea by a couple of business and property owners to take back their community is now proving to be a success story in the southern part of Gwinnett.

Recently the Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District (GVCID), the largest CID in the state of Georgia, announced at a town hall meeting that the initial efforts to provide additional police coverage in the area are showing results. During the first three months of operation, the additional police have yielded two felony arrests, 38 misdemeanor arrests, 100 traffic citations, and eight non-traffic citations.

What is even more impressive are the crime statistics. During the same three month period (2006 vs. 2007), the total number of crimes have declined by 11 percent. More specifically commercial robberies in the CID are down by 37 percent. Vehicle break-ins are down 20 percent and motor vehicle thefts are also down 11 percent within the CID boundaries. This comes on the heels of an announcement earlier this year by Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful that graffiti in the Gwinnett Village area has decreased over 25 percent. This is all welcome news for area businesses and residents. The actual results of being pro-active in your community are now being seen in the CID.

The original goal was to set up a "Targeted Enforcement Zone" (TEZ) within the CID boundaries that provided an "extra layer" of police officers overnight seven days a week. This unit is fully funded by the CID and is operated out of the Westside Police Precinct under the leadership of Major Brett West. The patrols focus on suspicious activity, vehicles, and persons in the commercial, office, and industrial areas of Gwinnett Village. The initial results of this pro-active and innovative approach speak for themselves.

The declining crime figures should not be attributed to any one organization or person, but rather to a community as a whole. The leadership of the Gwinnett Village Board of Directors and Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners has allowed out-of-the-box solutions to be funded and implemented. Gwinnett County Police Chief Charlie Walters and Westside Police Precinct Commander Brett West provide the leadership, work ethic, and field team that understand how to address security needs on a daily basis. Finally, organizations like Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful are providing the response to litter and graffiti issues on a moment's notice.

The positive attention and focus cannot stop now. As indicated during the Town Hall meeting, Chief Walters urged the 150 attendees to stay involved and be the eyes and ears of the police.

As for the next step for the CID, we will broaden the focus and begin Phase 2 of the Targeted Enforcement Zone later this year with a similar program with the City of Norcross. We remain diligent to bringing a positive change and an increase in property values to the southern part of Gwinnett County.

Dr. Perdue, a question: Why no state recycling program?
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

SEPT. 28, 2007 -- Some 1,191 people said they would attend the eighth annual Governor's Environmental address Wednesday at the Gwinnett Center. Most of them came to mark what is the 27th year of the Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful program.

Gov. Sonny Perdue got to the meeting after those gathered had begun their meal, and left quickly after his talk. He didn't take any questions from the packed house.

If questions had been on the agenda, here's one I would have asked of the governor.

"With Jekyll Island in the news lately, I can't recall any program of recycling at the island properties. Nor can I remember seeing any facilities for recycling at any of the State Parks in Georgia. And do any of the state buildings have recycling facilities? Governor, can you look into this to see that at least at state facilities, we practice what you are preaching about conservation and recycling?"

You see, during his message on Wednesday, the governor in general talked about conservation, and spoke of a "war on litter" throughout the state." It's not just a slogan. We want to get the job done," he said.

Governor Perdue even said near the end of the talk: "I appreciate Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful for helping spread the word on conservation."

All that is well and good, and made a good subject for the governor before the Gwinnett group. Yet there are some fundamental changes that the governor could champion which would make an immediate impact for Georgia.

The state should insist that all department and authorities of the state have a detailed plan for conservation, up to and including having a recycling program. For instance, at the Jekyll Island Authority, there is no such plan, though one person we talked to said that the Authority "has talked about it many times."

State parks in general have no recycling facilities. Why? Now that Gwinnett has been in the business of recycling waste for over 25 years, why hasn't state government realized this basic conservation measure, and insisted that state government get on this bandwagon, too? Georgia's courthouses, schools and other state facilities need to jump on this, rather than just sitting back, and not offering its citizens the leadership to make sure that there is real conservation program going on.

On Wednesday, the governor admitted what many others have also experienced: that often it was his children who lead him in safety, when they said as he started a car: "Put on your seat belt, daddy!"

We shouldn't have to wait for the boys and girls to say: "Daddy, recycle that Coke can." Governor Perdue, it's time for mandatory recycling at state facilities.

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc. of Snellville. Founded in the 1920s, ERS was built on Christian beliefs with honesty and integrity leading the way. Specializing in roads, bridges and culverts, its goal is to build a safe and modern highway system while preserving our natural environment. Through quality production and high safety standards, it strives to be the best contractor possible, while continuing to be a positive influence on its employees and the community. Our Internet address is www.ersnell.com.

The final 2007 concert of the Moonlight and Music Concert Series is to be held on Friday, September 28 at 8 p.m. on the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse lawn.

Georgia-native Ryan Casper, who has been entertaining audiences since the age of three, will perform. He has collaborated with such artists as Jeff Pearson, Don Goodman, Royce Porter and Will Robinson.

The concerts are always free to the public for relaxing on the lawn. Reserved seating for tables of six can be purchased by contacting the Historic Courthouse staff at (770)822-5450. Or visit the website at www.VisitLawrenceville.com.

Gwinnett's Department of Water Resources Stormwater Management Division, in conjunction with the Clean Water Campaign and Gwinnett County's Cooperative Extension Service, is hosting a free composting and fall gardening workshop for Gwinnett County citizens on Thursday, November 8 at 7 p.m.

Workshop presenter Robert Brannen, director of Gwinnett County's Cooperative Extension Service, will speak about fall gardening activities including preparing plants and turfgrass for the winter, methods to creatively reduce next year's landscape maintenance, pruning techniques and how to create and manage a compost pile to save money and help protect our environment.

Brannan says: "Composting is fun and easy. It produces mulch and organic matter for our gardens, and it helps to protect the quality of water in our streams and lakes."

Steve Leo, acting director of Gwinnett County's Stormwater Management Division, says that the county routinely receives complaints from residents about yard waste being dumped into street storm drains. This behavior contributes to water pollution in our streams. "Composting provides an easy, legal and beneficial onsite disposal option and an alternative to disposal into storm drains. It benefits both our gardens and our waterways," adds Leo.

The workshop will be held in the Auditorium of the Gwinnett County Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville. Registration is required and space is limited. Please call (678) 376-7126 or visit www.cleanwatercampaign.com to register for this event.

Gwinnett Fairgrounds to host Pugfest on Saturday, October 27

If it's called a herd of cattle, a gaggle of geese and a flock of seagulls, then is it called a plethora of pugs? That's what Pugfest attendees will see on Saturday, October 27 (no rain date), as approximately 1,500 people and 700 pugs descend on the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds, 2405 Sugarloaf Parkway near Lawrenceville, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. It'll be the Southeast Pug Rescue and Adoption's (SEPRA) biggest fundraiser of the year for rescued pugs and pug mixes alike.

Pugfest costs $5 per adult and $2.50 for children under 12 (no charge for pugs) and exists for two reasons: fun and fundraising. The fun comes in the form of a pug parade, a costume contest with two categories-homemade and store-bought (just picture all the little "Pugs Bunnies", "pugferfish" and "hot dogs"), and "best of" contests. That includes oldest pug, farthest-traveled pug, curliest tail, most wrinkles, most gray, best kisser, best trick, most unique pug mix and longest tongue. Fundraising comes in the form of a silent auction, a bake sale, raffles, professional pet pictures, pet grooming, lunch sales and more.

Pugfest also features vendors with items for purchase for both the pugs and pug owners.

Although Pugfest welcomes all pets under 35 pounds and over four months old, with current rabies shots, no adoptions or pug sales are allowed at Pugfest. Owners should keep their pugs on a harness or leash at all times and bring water, blankets and chairs to the event.

Several nearby, pet-friendly hotels offer lodging specials for Pugfest attendees. For a complete list and contact information, please visit SEPRA's website at www.rescuepug.com or more information on SEPRA, Pugfest or email info@rescuepug.com or call 770-887-9741.

Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) earned national honors for their polystyrene ("styrofoam") tray recycling program. GCPS was recognized as the "Outstanding K-12 School Program" by the National Recycling Coalition (NRC) when the nation's top recycling programs and individuals were honored at the 26th Annual Congress and Expo. The NRC recognized GCPS for their outstanding recycling achievements in source reduction, program economics, transferability, innovation and leadership.

The program was initiated in 28 Gwinnett schools and successfully diverted 55.8 tons of polystyrene lunch trays from disposal in landfill(s) last year. This represents a 38.4 percent reduction in polystyrene from the participating schools' waste stream. The program enables students to put into practice their environmental education to conserve our natural resources through recycling. GCPS continues to expand participation in the Polystyrene Tray Recycling Program.

Gwinnett County Public Schools was the first school system in Georgia to
participate in this type of recycling program..

"My husband, Mark, and I enjoyed special dining at historic Buford's Aqua Terra Bistro Restaurant. It was our first visit there. The service was very good and started out with some delicious bread with special sauce. The menu choices were very tempting and we ended up with tilapia (for me) and the wild salmon for him. The sides were healthy and tasty and we split the Apple Crisp a la Mode for dessert, which was very good! The atmosphere was just perfect for an enjoyable evening and a good location for some after-dinner walking."

A pioneer of 19th-century photography, George N. Barnard is best known for his work during the Civil War (1861-65) as the official army photographer for the Military Division of the Mississippi, commanded by Union General William T. Sherman. The resulting images, first published in 1866 as a limited collector's edition entitled Photographic Views of Sherman's Campaign, recorded the aftermath of Sherman's brilliant and devastating march to the sea, haunting depictions of the destroyed landscape and gutted cities left in the wake of the campaign that cut through Georgia and across South Carolina.

Born in Connecticut in 1819, George Norman Barnard was producing daguerreotypes (the first photographs commercially available to the public) by the age of 23 and in 1846 opened his first studio in Oswego, N.Y. Matthew Brady, a famous daguerreotypist with studios in New York and Washington, D. C., hired Barnard as a portrait photographer and sent him to Washington to photograph U.S. president Abraham Lincoln's 1861 inauguration.

When the Civil War broke out, Brady formed a crew of cameramen, to document the conflict and the men who fought in it. Barnard produced the earliest known collodion photographs at the site of the Bull Run battle in Virginia. In December 1863 the veteran photographer returned to the battlefield. Following Sherman's army as it advanced into Georgia, Barnard would take images of the landscape when he could, recording the key battle sites of the campaign and capturing the grim realities of the fighting.

At the beginning of September 1864, during his Atlanta campaign, Barnard was summoned to the Atlanta front, where he took several landscape photographs of Confederate fortifications, railroad yards, and the blasted remains of Hood's ammunition train. Following Confederate general Joseph E. Johnston's surrender to Sherman in 1865, Barnard revisited many of the key battle sites in Georgia to produce the body of work for which he is now best known. The majority of the finished 61 prints illustrate a landscape of trees shorn by gunfire and cities of empty streets and ruined buildings, an eerie and mute testament to the brutal power of war.

By 1869 Barnard had established a new studio in Chicago, Ill. but it was destroyed in the great fire of 1871. Using borrowed equipment, he then recorded the process of rebuilding the city in a series of photographs that recall his Civil War scenes. Barnard died at his daughter's home in New York, on February 4, 1902, not far from his first studio.

"Unfortunately, nobody seems to have figured out how to make a dime out of peace."

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