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Crestwood in Duluth first multi-tenant LEED building in state
By Lisa Lilienthal
Special to GwinnettForum.com

DULUTH, Ga., Dec. 4, 2007 -- The Crestwood Building at 3675 Crestwood Parkway in Gwinnett County has been certified as a green building by the U.S. Green Building Council, as part of its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Existing Building program.

Crestwood is the third building, and the only multi-tenant office building in the state of Georgia, to earn this designation. Nationally, only 60 buildings have achieved LEED-EB certification. The five-story building has 94,000 square feet of office space and, in 2005, earned the Energy Star designation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Scott Doksansky, CPM, director of portfolio management for Melaver, Inc., a Savannah-based sustainable real estate firm that owns Crestwood, says: "To achieve LEED-EB certification is a significant achievement because it requires us to retrofit an existing building to be more energy efficient. Today, we use less electricity and less water than the norm. We use only Green Seal certified cleaning products. We closely monitor the paint, carpet and other building materials used in the building. We have access to mass transit, encourage carpooling and benefit from the fact that a variety of services are available within walking distance."

Achieving LEED-EB certification means that a third party has examined the Crestwood building and its operational practices and verified that the owners are adhering to a strict standard established for environmentally friendly commercial buildings.

Jud Bass, president of Bass Commercial Realty, who handles leasing for the Crestwood building, explains: "Crestwood's LEED-EB certification is indicative of Melaver's commitment not only to the environment, but also to providing the highest quality workplace for their tenants. It is becoming increasingly important to tenants that a building is energy efficient as well as a healthy place to work."

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings' performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. LEED provides a roadmap for measuring and documenting success for every building type and phase of a building lifecycle.

Melaver, Inc. is a third generation, sustainably-focused real estate firm with holdings throughout the Southeast. Notable projects include one of the first Silver LEED designations from the U.S. Green Building Council for an historic preservation project in Savannah (The Whitaker Building), as well as the nation's first all retail LEED Core and Shell project (Abercorn Common Shopping Center) in Savannah, that includes the first and only LEED McDonald's. Eighty-five percent of Melaver's staff are LEED accredited professionals, and the company is committed to examining the environmental, financial and social aspects of every project in which it is involved.

Drivers using cell phones are dangerous to all of our health!
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher

DEC. 4, 2007 - - There's a serious menace to you when you are driving. It's other people using cell phones while driving.

Why in the world some people need to be in constant communication with the entire world every last minute in the day, we'll never understand. Oh, I understand the need to take a cell phone with you when away from home. But talking on it so much of the time, by so many drivers, is beyond me.

More and more, research is showing that talking on the cell phone while driving is one of the more dangerous ways to drive. Drivers using cell phones are four times as likely to get into an accident that can cause serious injuries, both to them, but also, to you.

Good, normal responsible drivers, through no fault of their own, are being maimed by drivers absorbed in their cell phones and not paying attention to their driving.

Some states have stood up to the big cellular phone companies, and written into law major fines to discourage cell phone use. This is not just something happening in the United States. It's happening throughout the world.

Cell phones are banned while driving in four states and the District of Columbia. Another five states are talking about making such a move. Fourteen states have a partial ban on cell phone conversations while driving.

Many other countries see the menace, and have enacted laws, some harsh, about cell phone driving. These include Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Korea and the United Kingdom, which have banned cell phones since 2003.

In Ireland, you can be fined up to $380 and/or be sentenced to three months in jail if it is your third offense at celling and driving. Norway charges you $600 per infraction, while Poland charges you $1,000. Perhaps the most stringent law is in Holland, where the fine is $2,000 or two weeks in jail for the first offense.

With cell phones commonplace these days throughout the world, drivers seems almost bizarrely anxious to immediately answer their cells phones on the first ring. Modern cell phones have within them an automatic call back feature. Should the phone ring while driving on a street or highway, drivers could simply delay answering the phone right then, and wait until they could pull over and return the call. That seems most elementary, though most drivers never take such precaution. Instead, they jump to immediately answer, losing their concentration on driving, and often either cause an accident, or scare some other driver seriously.

Georgia lawmakers, when they go back to the capitol in January, will introduce all sorts of measures they feel necessary for our state to proceed reasonably.

Is it too much to ask these so-called statesmen to introduce legislation to ban answering cell phones while driving? Even if introduced, we can see the cellular providers lining up against any legislation of that sort. That's a shame, for in effect, the cellular firms could be losing customers through accidents! But enough other people sign on so that they never notice losing one or two customers.

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Haven Trust Bank is an underwriter of GwinnettForum. From a single branch in the Duluth/Sugarloaf area of Gwinnett, to a second branch in Decatur, the bank opened a third location in the Johns Creek-Alpharetta area in 2006. Haven Trust Bank will open a new branch in Snellville in November, 2007. With assets of over $400 million, Haven Trust Bank is one of the top 10 lenders in Georgia of federal government Small Business Administration (SBA) funds. Ed Briscoe, bank president and CEO, says: "We have the ability to identify with small businesses. Our personal and responsive attitude toward them has elevated us as a leader in the community. We're different and we make all our decisions quickly and locally. That enables us to make a real difference in the lives and businesses of our customers." Visit its web site at www.haventrustbank.com.

Concerning public art, one only has to travel in Europe and see the fountains and sculpture that are present in every square, park, and municipal building. Or in this country visit Chicago and see monumental works by Picasso, Calder, Dubuffet, Moore, Chagall, Bertoia, and many others. Then tell me that public art doesn't contribute to the well being of its citizens.

Studies have shown that art taught in school will raise overall grade points in math and reading. Public art is a good thing and should be promoted and maybe required as new developments are built. Just think if every new strip mall had great architecture and a beautiful sculpture or fountain, or new sub-divisions had greenspace with public art! It's happening elsewhere, why not here?

Aurora Theatre has assembled the best children's performers in the region, bringing them to Gwinnett County to give children the chance to experience a live performance. For the second year running we have assembled an all puppet line up for the Holiday Season. The productions will be held on Saturdays at 10 a.m.

December 8: Kasper and the Christmas Present, from American Kasper Theatre. It's almost Christmas and Kasper is bringing his grandmother's gift home for their annual Christmas party. As usual, a few characters try to come between "The Kasper" and his goodies! Will Kasper be able to get his Grandmother's gift home to her before someone can steal it and ruin Christmas?

December 15: The North Pole Fa-la-la-la Follies, with Lee Bryan - That Puppet Guy. Talented residents of the North Pole get ready for their annual holiday talent show. The zany and colorful cast of characters include a wisecracking fruitcake, a musical goose, tumbling teddy bears, a duo of dancing deer, and the "not-so-abominable" snowman!

December 22: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, by Piccadilly Puppets.
This favorite classic is brought to life with puppets and lots of humor. The story is told from the point of view of a mouse that was there and saw what really happened.

Aurora Theatre proudly introduces Playhouse Tix: a punchcard with 10 admissions to be used at any Aurora Children's Playhouse performance for only $50. Individual tickets are $7 for each show.

Aurora Theatre will present Producing Artistic Director Anthony Rodriguez in a one-man Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol opening in the Discovery Point Studio Theatre. December 6-23. Performances are Thursday to Saturday at 8 p.m. Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 - $20.

The play will be staged in-the-round for an intimate, personal connection to each audience member. This version of A Christmas Carol moves away from modern extravagances and focuses on the classic art of storytelling. The story is adapted for the stage and directed by Atlanta favorite Tony Brown.

"Ever since I saw Patrick Stewart do his one-man Christmas Carol, I knew that I wanted to do one too," explains Rodriguez. "I recognized the Discovery Point Studio was the perfect venue.

Notre Dame Academy founder speaks Dec. 7 at 1818 Club

Hear the journey of faith, hope and determination as Debra Orr, founder and president of Notre Dame Academy, presents, "Building Faith in Your Child's Education." She will speak at the December 7 breakfast meeting of the Executive Women's Leadership Series at 7:45 a.m. at the 1818 Club in Duluth

After a group of families became frustrated that there was not enough room in existing Catholic schools in the area, Debra Orr asked herself why she couldn't start a school. With that in mind, Notre Dame Academy was born. It is an independent Catholic school which opened in August 2005. The school receives no funding from the Archdiocese of Atlanta toward start-up or operating costs, though the school received permission to open within the diocese's boundaries.

Cost for the lecture is $45 for Chamber members; $55 for non-Chamber members. To reserve a seat, contact Laurie McKenzie at laurie@gwinnettchamber.org.

Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner Katherine Sherrington announced she is testing an electronic "Citizen Services Administration System" at the Peachtree Corners Auto License Plate Office. Similar to the pilot system in the Lawrenceville office, the system will reduce waiting time in the lobby and electronically direct customers to the tag office agent who can most efficiently perform the motor vehicle transaction.

After selecting a transaction type at a touch-screen terminal, customers are then seated until their ticket number is announced. This test program will last for approximately 90 days. Since the tag office considers customer feedback important, Ms. Sherrington is asking customers to provide comments regarding the system by completing an online customer survey at www.GwinnettTaxCommissioner.com.

Atlanta Brave and Gwinnett resident Jeff Francoeur will be the guest speaker for The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Gwinnett first awards ceremony and banquet, February 5, at First Baptist Church in Snellville.

Bill Gifford, FCA Gwinnett Area Director, says: "Jeff is the ideal athlete to kick off our inaugural awards event. He not only represents the strength and tradition of Gwinnett County's high school sports programs, but he is also a sterling example of integrity, serving, teamwork and excellence which are the cornerstones FCA's values."

The awards banquet is also a fundraiser for FCA Gwinnett, with a silent auction for sports memorabilia, trips and other major prizes. Individual tickets for the event are $75 and corporate sponsorships, ranging from $1,000 to $25,000, are also available.
For more information on the banquet, contact Diane Bates by email at dbates@batescommunications.com or for sponsorship details, contact Mike Leone, Strategic Health Resources, mleone@mindspring.com or by phone at 678.380-0941.

The City of Sugar Hill has purchased NuAir plant, which manufactured aluminum window frames since it was established in 1944, and operated until early this year when it was shut down as a consolidation of resources for the Tampa, Fla. company. Cost of the purchase was $1 million.

The 3.6 acres site, at the corner of West Broad Street and Temple Avenue, is centrally located on West Broad Street across from the Sugar Hill Town Green. The City is in the process of creating a downtown that will include wide well lighted sidewalks in the business area; a streetscape with trees, shrubs, and flower beds; on-street parking; a new stormwater system with regional detention; and a reduction of the building setback from 35 feet to the back of the new sidewalk.

These changes will present a development plan much like how cities were built at the turn of the 20th century. This downtown plan is the result of citizens voicing their desires for a family friendly town center of shops and restaurants.

The citizens of Sugar Hill recently passed the Tax Allocation District (TAD) Referendum. This area may be the first location for developers to exercise this new tool to assist in creating a commercial district.

The City of Sugar Hill also recently purchased 10 acres adjacent to E.E. Robinson Park for $50,000 an acre. When developed, this additional park land will be used for another ball field and passive areas. This expansion will bring the city's total of full sized tournament quality fields to three.

With the purchase, E.E. Robinson Park now totals 45 acres. In addition to the three ball fields, the park includes brick facilities containing concession stands and restrooms, three playgrounds, wide walking paths with safety lighting, tennis and basketball courts as well as a full sized soccer field. All fields are lighted with tournament quality Musco lights.

Rotary to match Gates $100 million grant to eliminate polio

North Georgia Rotary International District Governor Nathan Carmack announces a partnership between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with the Rotary International Foundation: of a $100 million dollar challenge grant to assist in the eradication of polio worldwide. Rotary will raise funds to match, dollar-for-dollar, the grant over three years.

Carmack says that "The Rotary Clubs of North Georgia, District 6910, have made an initial contribution of $10,000 towards the project." Anyone wishing to contribute toward this program should contact any of the seven Rotary Clubs in Gwinnett.

The Evanston-based volunteer service organization will spend the initial $100 million within one year in direct support of immunization activities carried out by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), a partnership spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and UNICEF.

The polio eradication grant is one of the largest challenge grants ever given by the Gates Foundation and the largest grant received by Rotary in its 102-year history. Polio eradication has been Rotary's top priority since 1985. Since then, Rotary has contributed $633 million to the eradication effort.

"We suspect even those who are not enraptured with the National Football League will get a kick out of this small book. It's certainly not what you would normally expect from the prodigious Grisham, usually unwinding some legal thriller. Instead, the reader gets a view of the Italian version of American football, which apparently really exists. The Parma team is thrilled to get a real NFL quarterback, wanting him to take them to new heights. They do not realize that he has knocked around with several teams, and earned the nickname of "Goat" for his inferior playing. So a new saga unwinds. But there's more: an insight about the Italian love affair with their foods, particularly ham and cheese, and pasta and wine. You also get a glimpse into their love for opera. Altogether, it's no heavyweight, but it's a quick read, both fun and hard to put down." --eeb

J & J Industries, located in Dalton, is one of the largest privately held commercial broadloom manufacturers in the carpet industry. Founded by Rollins Jolly and Tom Jones during the 1950s carpet boom in northwest Georgia, the company initially manufactured candy-striped carpets and braided rugs but now exclusively produces commercial carpets.

After graduating from the University of Georgia in Athens, Jolly worked for 20 years in textile manufacturing in North Carolina and Georgia. In 1953 he opened Jolly Textiles in Dalton, selling yarn, jute and duck backing, and yarn cones. He also founded Dalton Cone Company to reprocess used cones and transform carpet remnants into rugs. In 1957 Jolly bought a truck for his business from Jones, a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta with a degree in industrial management. Soon thereafter the men became business partners. Their new business, J & J Industries, initially made rugs from odd lots of yarn.

By 1967 Jolly and Jones had decided to focus exclusively on the commercial carpet business. That same year Jolly's son Jim Jolly, who became president of the company in 1986 and later assumed the roles of chairman and chief executive officer, joined the organization. The industry was just introducing "fine gauge tufting," which used more needles per square inch to produce a very dense product. The unique product was much in demand and sold well, despite the lack of an adequate sales organization at J & J.

At that time, the company's main competitors were the woven-carpet manufacturers Bigelow, Lees, and Mohawk. Currently J & J sells most of its carpet for use in corporate office buildings, with additional sales to schools, retail stores, hospitals, airports, and the like.

J & J has worked to be an industry leader in reducing pollutants and minimizing the environmental impact on air, water, and land. The nylon yarn and backing used to make carpets are composed of some recycled materials, and post-consumer carpet is incorporated into cement, decking boards, and marine pilings (or plastic "plywood"). The company has also donated land adjacent to its facilities, which has been developed, in conjunction with such groups as the Nature Conservancy, into a wetlands area. These wetlands contain storm water and establish a riparian habitat in the Conasauga River watershed. Jolly was also active in relocating and expanding Dalton's municipal airport, Jolly Field, which is named for him.

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