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Resurgence of Norcross brings nostalgic
Craftsman homes
By
Jim LaValee
Vice President fo EpiCity, director of acquisitions and development
Special to GwinnettForum.com
NORCROSS, Nov. 9, 2007 -- Buchanan Station, a collaborative effort
of EpiCity and McClure Communities, broke ground in October as the
latest new development adding to the continuing resurgence of historic
Norcross. We chose Norcross to build this development of 18 Craftsman
homes because of the City's unique character and charm. The neighborhood
is located on the block bound by Hunter, Kelley, Thrasher, and West
Peachtree Streets, within walking distance to downtown Norcross
and all of the shops and restaurants.
Typical front elevation of Buchanan Station. |
The exterior details of the homes will include large front porches,
decorative brick and stone work, period columns, and significant
attention to exterior trim to ensure the homes have the architectural
design and detail found in an Arts and Crafts residence built 80
years ago. Homes will range from 2,000 and 3,500+ square feet, with
three and four bedroom floor plans.
All of the homes will have two car garages that will be accessed
from a rear alley, which creates a streetscape of historic charm.
Site improvements will include two parallel off street guest parking
spaces in front of each home, a sidewalk around the property with
lavish landscaping and a park area for residents to gather.
The development is named after Edward Buchanan, one of Norcross'
prominent residents and a Wall Street financier right after the
turn-of-the-century. Mr. Buchanan's Pullman car was parked within
walking distance from the subdivision. The rear alley has been named
after Roy Carlyle, the famous major league baseball player from
Norcross who still holds the record for hitting the longest home
run. The alley is approx. 618 feet long, which is the distance of
Roy's famous hit in San Francisco, July 4, 1929.
Not only did we choose Norcross because of its rich history and
charm, we chose it because of the great vision of the leaders of
the City of Norcross and their unprecedented level of cooperation
with the private sector to get these innovative and eco-friendly
projects off the drawing board and into the dirt.
We were pleased to have Mayor Lillian Webb attend our ground breaking
ceremony and appreciated her comments. "This will be a beautiful
development and a wonderful addition to this historic area of Norcross,"
said Mayor Lillian Webb. "There is a tremendous balance of
housing and commercial property in this neighborhood and it represents
the best of all desired construction."
Every effort has been made to preserve the historic charm of Norcross,
and we see this community as a great place for families to live
and play.
For more information, call 404 847 9080 or visit www.BuchananStation.com.
Four-year terms for Legislature? Only with
big compromise
By
Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
NOV. 9, 2007 -- Longer terms for public officials? Voters in general
don't like the idea. They want their politicians to be responsive
to the people, which means having a crack at them more often, rather
than farther apart.
Brack |
Note the outcome in Norcross Tuesday, when voters there turned
back an idea for four year terms for the city councilmen. Voters
in Norcross can influence the make-up of City Council each year,
as three councilmen run one year, and the mayor and two council
seats are up the next year, all for two-year terms.
Candidates are the ones always pushing for longer terms, and therefore,
more distance between the times they have to campaign for office.
You seldom hear an uprising from the people demanding, "Fewer
elections and longer terms." After all, it's a matter of control,
which should be in the hands of the people, not the politicians.
Statewide, the cry you also hear every few years is for longer
terms for our statehouse representatives and senators. "Having
to campaign for office every two years is hard on us," they
lament. "It means you have to raise money all the time, for
you can't get elected without a big war chest of money. So if you
agree with me to extend the two-year term for a four-year term,
why I'll ask you for money half as much." Or so goes one story
about four-year terms.
All they really want is to retain their elected jobs longer, which
a four-year term would ensure.
We've always thought that good politicians should not worry about
getting elected. If he or she does a sufficient job, they either
(1) will not have significant opposition or will be unopposed, and
(2) they will easily win another term. Do a bad job, and we have
a crack at their office. Unfortunately, many politicians do a bad
job and still get elected.
Yet there might be one way we could support a four-year term for
at least the Upper House of the Georgia Legislature. We would support
a four-year term for senators with one proviso:
That the Legislature meet once every two years!
Talk about your benefits! If by Georgia law the State Legislature
would meet only once every two years, all of Georgia would, like
taking a Goody's headache powders, feel a "tremendous relief."
We all could utter a pleasing "Whew!". By keeping the
Legislature from meeting, we will dodge another possibility of enacting
bad legislation.
With a provision limiting legislative sessions to every two years,
there would have to be an emergency procedure to allow them to gather
in a dire statewide emergency arose. We suggest a quorum of five
people be required to call such a special session: only when the
Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General
and president of the Senate agree that it is a true emergency. (We
don't want this power only vested in the governor's office.) And
should such an emergency meeting be called, it would be a focused
gathering limited to only the subject of the emergency, such as
a budget crisis, or statewide disaster.
To sum up, if the General Assembly leaders would agree limit their
meetings to once in two years (continuing to limit the session to
40 days), we could compromise with senators having a four-year term.
The terms for the House of Representatives would remain at two years,
of course, and meet only once.
You often hear people wanting "relief" of this or that.
Give us citizens "relief" from the Legislature meeting
so often, and we could make a deal.
 The
public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com
to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is The Peachtree
Bank, located at 9570 Medlock Bridge Road, Duluth. The bank
also has locations at 185 Gwinnett Drive, Lawrenceville; in Roswell
at 695 Mansell Road; and at 1725 Mount Vernon Road in Dunwoody.
Monty Watson is president of the bank, which has assets of over
$625 million. Member, FDIC and Equal Housing Lender. Go to The Peachtree
Bank web site at : http://www.thepeachtreebank.com.
Never
knew chicken operation was located in Duluth
Editor, the Forum:
This is Knox Summerour, Annette's and Charles' son. Just wanted
to thank you in general for the work on the Forum and for keeping
everybody informed.
I now live in Los Angeles, Calif., pursuing my music career, but
I own a house in Duluth, and enjoy reading your updates on what's
going on at home in Gwinnett.
I scored the music for the Duluth Revisited video and enjoyed your
chicken story about the Vantress chicken operation just down the
road from where I grew up; I didn't even know about it.
-- Knox Summerour, Los Angeles
Feels entire state
will benefit from work afoot at Lake Lanier
Editor, the Forum:
Please accept my sincere appreciation to you for the excellent
account
of Virgil Williams breathing new vigor into Lake Lanier Islands.
The State of Georgia should be deeply indebted to The Family for
the plans and the work they are doing on the Islands, and their
determined efforts to complete their plans, as scheduled.
My, My, what an economic blessing this will be for the State of
Georgia, as well as for Hall County, and yes, Gwinnett County, too!
-- Edgar Williams, Milledgeville
Invest
quest
Another great cartoon by Bill McLemore:
Direction for region is subject of Sam Olen's
appearance here
Wondering if the region is moving in the right direction? You can
learn from Sam Olens, chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission,
and head of the Cobb County Commission, at a November 14 general
meeting of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. The meeting will be
at 11:30 a.m. at the 1818 Club in Duluth.
Olens' presentation will cover key regional issues, such as transportation,
water and economic development. He will discuss the need to carefully
and cooperatively manage and protect metro Atlanta's river and streams
in the rapid growth that the area is experiencing. He will share
his thoughts on transportation and how it is central to metro Atlanta's
growth and success. Olens will also touch on how the ARC is committed
to developing talent as asset for regional workforce and economic
development.
Cost is $35 for Chamber members, with registration deadline of
November 7. To reserve a seat, email Laurie McKenzie at laurie@gwinnettchamber.org,
or call the Chamber at 770 232-3000.
Gwinnett Technical
Forum presents talk on cancer Nov. 20
The microscopic aspects of cancer will be the subject at the Gwinnett
Technology Forum on November 20. Speaking will be Dr. Shuming Nie,
the Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Chair Professor in Biomedical
Engineering at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology.
He has joint appointments in chemistry, materials science and engineering,
and hematology and oncology.
He is the principal investigator and director of the Emory-Georgia
Tech Nanotechnology Center for Personalized and Predictive Oncology.
It is one of the eight national centers funded by the National Cancer
Institute (NIH/NCI). His research interest is broadly in biomolecular
engineering and nanotechnology, with a focus on bioconjugated nanoparticles
for cancer molecular imaging, molecular profiling, pharmacogenomics,
and targeted therapy.
The Technology Forum will be at 7:30 at the Scientific-Atlanta
Auditorium in the Busbee Center, which is Building 700 at Gwinnett
Technical College in Lawrenceville. There is no charge to attend,
though reservations are required, which may be made via email at
melissa@gwinnettchamber.org.
Book fair to benefit
Norcross Community Ministry programs
The Norcross Cooperative Ministry (NCM) will benefit from the Book
Fair at Barnes and Noble at The Forum from November 18-26. The Forum
is located at 5141 Peachtree Parkway in Norcross.
The Book Fair is an opportunity for non-profit programs to raise
money through in-store book sales. The amount of the contribution
is determined by the total eligible purchase made by supporters
of the organization during that time. For a Book Fair Voucher, visit
the Norcross Cooperative Ministry's web site at www.norcrossco-op.org.
Shirley Cabe, director of the Norcross Cooperative Ministry, says:
"We appreciate the support of Barnes and Noble through this
Bookfair again this year. The money raised through this program
will support our ESOL classes, GED sponsorships, summer school sponsorships,
and as resources permit, job training and technical college tuition
reimbursements. We encourage everyone to shop for their family and
friends for holiday gifts, or for educational materials for use
at NCM in one of our educational programs."
The Norcross Cooperative Ministry is a non-profit social services
organization providing emergency aide to low income and homeless
families. It is located at 2275 Mitchell Road in Norcross. Donations
of funds, food stuffs and personal care items are always welcome
and provide the means for assisting those in need in the community.
For more information, call (770) 263 8268.
"A
Better Tomorrow Begins Today" is new C&B tagline
From left are Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful Community Outreach
Manager Schelly Marlatt; Executive Director Connie Wiggins,
Barbi Ibele, and Brad Coury, Gwinnett Public Schools director
of Environmental and Supply Services. |
Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful has unveiled its new tagline, "A
Better Tomorrow Begins Today." The tagline was chosen from
200 entries received during an online contest for citizens to enter
their tagline ideas.
The winner, Barbi Ibele, environmental specialist at the Gwinnett
County Public Schools Environmental Services Department, received
a specially engraved iPod for submitting the winning tagline. The
tagline was chosen for its positive and motivational approach, and
because it can relate to any quality of life issue including litter,
graffiti, recycling, garbage and more.
Mrs. Ibele says: "I've always felt that what we do today shapes
our tomorrow. So with that in mind, I submitted a tagline about
making a difference today for tomorrow, which is exactly what Gwinnett
Clean and Beautiful is doing for our community."
Connie Wiggins, executive director, says: "The role of Gwinnett
Clean and Beautiful has evolved over the years as our community
faces new challenges and quality of life issues. It was time for
a new tagline that captures the mission of our organization and
encourages citizens to take action today that will make a better
tomorrow for everyone."
Lars
and the Real Girl
If you're interested in a warm, gentle movie, go see Lars and
the Real Girl. This sweet movie is funny, heartwarming, and
delightful. The premise: Lars, a 28-year old man living in the garage
of his deceased parents' home, has trouble connecting with people.
His brother and sister-in-law live in his parents' home (he refused
and chose the garage) and they are about to have their first child.
Lars -- bashful, uncomfortable -- decides to order the perfect girlfriend,
to the dismay of his family and friends. How the inhabitants of
the small, snowy town react to Lars' girlfriend makes for hilarity
and an insight to compassion. This reviewer rarely recommends films
(most are too violent and pointless); however, if you want a film
with little to no "language," no overt sexuality, and
a film with the "feel good" values of the classics, go
see this.
-- Liz Collins, Chapel Hill, N.C.
- 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
Wilson
Lumpkin key figure of antebellum period in state
Lumpkin |
Wilson
Lumpkin was one of Georgia's most prominent political leaders
of the antebellum period. After early service in local government
and the state legislature, he was elected to Congress four times,
serving 1815-17 and 1827-31; he resigned before serving his fourth
term to run for the governorship of Georgia. Lumpkin was elected
governor for two terms (1831-35), then went on to serve as a U.S.
commissioner to the Cherokee Indians (1836-37), as a U.S. senator
(1837-41), and as a surveyor of Georgia's boundaries and an advocate
of improved transportation, especially as a general manager and
key figure in the creation of the state's Western and Atlantic Railroad.
Lumpkin was also a trustee of the University of Georgia in Athens.
All of the public offices were important. In Lumpkin's eyes, however,
his major accomplishment was his cardinal role in the removal of
the Cherokee Indians from north Georgia. That effort and his choice
of a political career were consistent with his background. Lumpkin
was a child of the frontier. He was born in Virginia on January
14, 1783, the second son of Lucy Hopson and John Lumpkin, and his
family moved when he was an infant to Wilkes County, to an area
that became Oglethorpe County.
.
Lumpkin's advocacy of removal was based on clear but harsh views
of Indian-white relationships. First, based on his childhood and
adult observations, he was convinced that Indians and whites could
not peacefully coexist, for the whites would take advantage of the
Indians. He was, however, no believer in innate white superiority,
for he argued that the Cherokee, if removed to western territory
and given time to develop, would acquire a cultural equality with
whites and become a state, admitted to the Union on a par with other
states.
Lumpkin's views on removal were opposed by a majority of the Cherokee
(led by chief John Ross), by prominent federal legislators, and
by various Christian missionary societies, but he had more powerful
allies in U.S. presidents Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren, Georgia
public opinion, and majority U.S. congressional sentiment. Thus,
removal triumphed, leading to the Cherokee removals west, the best-known
of which was the tragic Trail of Tears (1838-39).
The south Georgia city of Lumpkin, Lumpkin County in north Georgia,
Lumpkin Street in Athens, and Lumpkin House on the University of
Georgia campus in Athens bear his name. He died in Athens on December
28, 1870, during Reconstruction, following the secession he had
advocated. His farm in Athens was deeded to the university by his
daughter and constitutes a significant portion of the current university
campus.
Astronomical no longer
useful to address really big numbers
"There are 10^11 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge
number. But it's only a hundred billion. It's less than the national
deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should
call them economical numbers."
-- Physicist and wide thinker Richard Feynman (1918 - 1988)
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