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Duluth seeks students to help write the city's 2030 plan
By Jessica Roth
Deputy planning director
Dity of Duluth
Special to GwinnettForum.com

DULUTH, Ga., Jan. 15, 2008 -- Duluth students, the City of Duluth wants to hear from you! What do you envision for Duluth's future? Do you think Duluth is a city where you'll want to raise your own family? Are there enough recreational opportunities for teenagers in Duluth? These are questions we want your help in answering.

The City of Duluth is in the process of creating the vision for its future, the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. This plan is a collective effort between the residents, the City Council, the Planning Commission, and the staff in charting the course for the Duluth of 2030. You have a voice in Duluth's future too...use it!

Students can compete in two categories to help design the Comprehensive Plan. We're looking for someone to design the cover for the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. What a great opportunity to have your artwork showcased, as this document will be viewed by countless decision-makers and citizens for years to come! There is no requirement for the type of media to be used. We'll accept photography, sketches, watercolor, etc. as long as the entry is in two dimensional format. The submission must include a graphical representation of Duluth's future. However, we also encourage representation of past and present Duluth as well. Entries must be no larger than 11x17 inches.

The second category is for an essay on the future of Duluth in the year 2030. What do you think will be different about Duluth in 20 years? What might downtown look like? Do you think we'll have any new parks? Will everyone still be driving cars or will there be other types of transportation available? Tell us in 2,000 words or less what your vision is. Entries should be typed and double-spaced. The winning essay will be included in the 2030 Comprehensive Plan.

All entries are due by Friday, February 29, 2008. The winning entry for each category will receive a $50 prize and will be recognized in person by the mayor at a council meeting. Participation in competitions like this looks great on college and scholarship applications!!

Lillian Webb produces distinguished record of public service
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher

JAN. 15, 2008 -- A person with a long record of public service is on the sidelines now, as Mrs. Lillian Webb is no longer the mayor of Norcross. Ms. Lillian has been the epitome of a small town mayor, involved in many activities, yet taking the time and enjoying meeting newcomers to the city.

What we have always enjoyed about Miss Lillian is her graciousness, the dignity and decorum she gave her offices. She always had time for anyone, to hear their story, and once heard, tried to help if she could.

Looking back on her career as a public servant, we just wish she had become more active sooner. Yet she and Jack had a family to raise, and when that part of her life was over, she turned to local affairs. Now her children and four grandchildren benefit in their successes from that nourishment at home.

She was born in Atlanta, but moved to Norcross before she was a year old. Her name, Essie Lillian Hicks, came from her mother, Essie Lillian Hughes, a seamstress and homemaker. Her father was a traveling auditor for the Southern Railway.

Miss Lillian grew up in an idyllic life in Norcross. She has said that "we walked to school, or to the store, and knew everyone and enjoyed every day. School was a delightful time, first grade through 11. Summertime was spent reading at the local library, now the Woman's club, going to the park, roller skating and swimming." Let's also add here that she met her future husband, Jack, in the first grade and went all the way through school with him. Miss Lillian was valedictorian of her class, and later went to GSCW in Milledgeville-today called Georgia College and State University….and majored in chemistry.

She chaired the Ninth District GOP women from 1950-1964. She has been a member of the State GOP Central Committee since 1968. She was a delegate to the 1972, 1976 and 1988 Republican National Conventions.

On the municipal side, she was the first female city council member in 1970, and was first female elected mayor in 1974, a position she held through 1984, when she became for eight years the chairman and first female member of the Gwinnett County Commission. She was again elected mayor in 1996, and served through 2007.

While she was chair of the commission, many projects were accomplished: passing the first local penny sales tax, which funded the Gwinnett Justice and Administrative Center; restored the Historic Courthouse; built a new Detention Center and Civic Center. While chair, the county installed 400 miles of water lines; 430 miles of sewers; and improved virtually every road in the county. Those 400 miles of water pipe cost $220 million in 1985 dollars($398 million today), while the sewer installation would have cost $145 million in 1985 ($262 million today.)

Her many centers of service would continue: Atlanta Regional Commission, Electric Cities of Georgia, Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, American Cancer Society, Georgia Municipal Association, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Gwinnett Hospital Authority, National League of Cities, Gwinnett Vo-Tech Council, National Dept. of Energy Advisory Board, Leadership Atlanta, Annandale at Suwanee, and others. She also has participated in visiting Central America with one of her sons in the Flying Doctors of America program.

Her service at Georgia Municipal Association led to her being the first woman president in 1982-83.

But mainly, she's Miss Lillian of Norcross, a distinguished, courteous, generous and gracious mayor. Thank you for your years of leadership.

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is Walton EMC Natural Gas, headquartered in Monroe. Walton EMC Natural Gas brings the same friendly service and caring values to the natural gas market that its parent, Walton EMC, has delivered to its Gwinnett electric consumers for 70 years. And month after month, Walton EMC Natural Gas has been Georgia's low price leader for your natural gas needs, according to information from the Georgia Public Service Commission. Call 770/267-2505 or visit www.waltonemcgas.com to become the next satisfied Walton EMC natural gas customer.

I completely agree with Mr. Miller's comments in the last issue of GwinnettForum about the presidential primary circus and the way politicians try to bamboozle us.

I must also air one of my pet peeves. We in Gwinnett are apathetic about voting. I have lived in Gwinnett County for over 30 years. The only time I have ever stood in line to vote is in the Presidential elections. So many people never think about voting any other time, and local and state elections are so important in our day-to-day lives.

Gwinnett Medical Center has submitted its application with state health officials to provide open heart surgery and related services. The certificate of need application was submitted to the state's Department of Community Health, which will now begin a formal review process.

GMC's application provides rationale as to why the need exists. Gwinnett is the most populated county in the nation without an open heart program. The county's current population of more than 750,000 is expected to exceed one million within the next eight years. Gwinnett residents must travel over some of the nation's most congested roads to reach the nearest facility offering open heart services.

Manfred Sandler, MD, director of cardiology at Gwinnett Medical Center notes: "Time is of the essence in treating heart attacks. We have an urgent need for open heart in Gwinnett, which will increase as our county grows. If GMC's application for open heart services is not approved, lives will be lost."

Philip Wolfe, president of the Hospital System, says: "Gwinnett Medical Center is grateful for the support that the community has provided - but it is critical that this support continues. Although the application is filed, GMC still urges people to write letters of support, which will continue to be submitted as part of the application process."

A forum, "CPR (Connecting Parenting Resources) for Grandparents" will help be held on Saturday, January 26, at 10 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Lawrenceville.

The forum is a way for grandparents raising grandchildren in Gwinnett to find answers to questions, connect with resources, and gain support from other grandfamilies. It will include panel discussion, a Q&A session, free resource directory, free childcare for ages 2+ and refreshments. Grandparents, concerned citizens, and community leaders are encouraged to attend. The Fast Trackers Group of the 2008 graduating class of the Gwinnett Neighborhood Leadership Institute, (GNLI) will be hosting the event. For more information about GNLI, please visit www.gnli.org.

The Second Annual Gwinnett County Regional Science and Engineering Fair, Junior Division is to be held February 2, hosted by Notre Dame Academy

In October, 2006, Notre Dame Academy was awarded the hosting opportunity for the first Gwinnett County Regional Science and Engineering Fair, Junior Division. This year, approximately 200 middle school students from all of Gwinnett County will come to the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center for the 2008 Fair of the Junior Division. These students, who have qualified at their school fairs, bring with them the product of many hours of research and hard work. They will compete for the opportunity to continue on to the Georgia State Science and Engineering Fair, which takes place April 2-5, at the University of Georgia.

Scientific Atlanta, a Cisco company, will serve as the corporate sponsor of the event, Shane's Rib Shack will provide lunch for contestants and judges, and Pond and Company, an architecture and engineering consulting firm, will sponsor additional snacks to keep the contestants well fueled.

Judges for the science fair are still needed. Interested people can go to www.mrsharrell.org for more information. Notre Dame Academy is an independent, Marist-sponsored Catholic school serving Pre-K3 through 8th grades and is located at 4635 River Green Pkwy. in Duluth.

On January 12, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation (GCPR) will hold kickoff celebrations at all four year-round aquatic centers to unveil the FunCard, a reduced-cost, quick and easy way for citizens to "swipe" their card "and swim" at pools managed and operated by GCPR.

The new card brings GCPR into the technology arena and replaces the old paper passes used for seasonal and yearly swim passes that offer savings to those purchasing them. A NEW 10-visit funcard has also been added.

In celebration of the funcard rollout, there will be free pool admission at the county's year-round aquatic centers on Saturday, January 12 from noon until 3 p.m. for people 18-under (10-under must be accompanied by a paying adult in a swimsuit). There will also be door prize drawings for a chance to win 10-visit funcards and kids swim lessons, along with free Whales Tales water instruction programs at 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. at each site.

SCUBA demonstrations will also be held at Bogan and Collins Hill Park Aquatic Centers, and a Lifeguard Expo will be held at Bethesda and Mountain Park Aquatic Centers.

Gwinnett County needs a few more dedicated citizens to serve as paid poll workers for the February 5 presidential preference primary election. With 163 precincts, it takes several thousand poll workers to staff an election, according to Elections Supervisor Lynn Ledford.

Poll managers are paid $250 for their service, while assistant managers earn $165 and clerks get $110. Pay includes required training before the election. All poll workers must report to their polls by 6 a.m. on election day and work the whole day. Poll managers and an assistant must deliver the votes to Lawrenceville in person that evening. Meals are not provided.

Poll managers and assistant managers must attend a four-hour training session, while other poll officials need one hour of training. Poll workers must vote by absentee ballot and are allowed to work at any polling location in the county.

Wireless firm signs 37,000 square foot lease in Duluth

Xiocom Wireless will lease 37,000 square feet at Gwinnett Center at 3505 Koger Boulevard at Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth. Xiocom Wireless entered the agreement to facilitate the expansion of its international headquarters and east regional offices. Xiocom is a provider of "comprehensive metro-grade wireless services" and maintains "nearly a thousand square miles of coverage" over 35 cities.

Kaufman Realty Group purchased the three-building, Class-A office park in June 2006, and the company has since signed 31 leases totaling more than 140,000 square feet at Gwinnett Center.

Joe Allen, executive director of the Gwinnett Place CID, says: "Already the greater Gwinnett Place area is seeing a resurgence of investment bringing with it dynamic change and economic vibrancy." "With the opening of new lodging establishments, blocks and blocks of some of the most diverse retail centers in the metropolitan area and the multi-million dollar renovation of many existing businesses and facilities, Gwinnett Place remains the epicenter for success in Northeast Atlanta."

Continuing a tradition of excellence in the homebuilding industry, Bowen Family Homes of Duluth was recently ranked Atlanta's sixth largest homebuilder by the Atlanta Business Chronicle in its 2007-2008 Book of Lists.

The ranking was based on homes closed in 2006. Bowen Family Homes builds in more than 20 communities throughout metro Atlanta with homes priced from $150,000 to the $400,000s.

For more information about Bowen Family Homes, call 678-325-4554 or 1-877- MY BOWEN or visit online at www.bowenfamilyhomes.com

"A good restaurant with reasonable prices is Joe's Country Buffett in Lilburn on U.S. Highway 29, one block from Main Street, near Indian Trail Road, located in an old Outback steak house building, I was skeptical, not thinking it would be that tasty, but was pleasantly surprised. The place was packed a couple of nights ago. They have a good selection of foods, many vegetables, catfish, country fried steak, etc., also a dessert bar and salad bar. They include iced tea in the price. It's all-you-can-eat style for around $6.50. No one goes away hungry. Sometimes those type places do not taste like Southern food but this one did. We've been there twice."

Timber raftsmen played a major role in the economy of Georgia during the great building boom that followed the Civil War. Their colorful story has eluded historians, but it survives in the folklore and oral traditions of southern Georgia. Between 1870 and 1930, raftsmen supplied several timber mills in coastal Georgia with the raw material for ships, bridges, railroads, and buildings. In the 1880s huge schooners carried 100 million board feet of lumber from the port of Darien to destinations in America and Europe.

The earliest raftsmen were farmers of the river valleys of the Altamaha River and its tributaries, the Oconee, Ocmulgee, and Ohoopee. After harvesting field crops in the fall, they selected and felled their tallest longleaf pine trees. Several months later, the cured (dry) timbers were ready for "squaring up" with a broad ax. When the rivers rose in winter and spring, men gathered the timbers into rafts. Two sturdy logs formed a V at the front of the raft, allowing the craft to bounce off the many sharp turns of the serpentine river. Known as a "sharp chute," the raft was a rectangular mass of floating logs that weighed about 360,000 pounds. The average raft was about the length of a basketball court, although somewhat narrower.

Oars or "sweeps" 45 to 50 feet in length rested on "benches" at both ends of the raft. These served as both paddles and rudders, which rafthands pulled and pushed constantly with great effort. Their task was to keep the raft in the mainstream and away from snags and sandbars. The river's current propelled the raft downstream. At minimum, three people worked on the raft: a pilot, an assistant pilot, and a roustabout, who also served as cook.

A raft that began its journey at Lumber City on the Ocmulgee River floated for 12 days before arriving in Darien. Along the way the pilot would "call the shots" for each turn. The terms he used originated in the early 19th century when Native Americans lived in the lands south of the Altamaha, having ceded the northern side to the state of Georgia. The pilot knew how to direct the raft past potential disasters at places whose demonic names still survive on the Altamaha River: Devil's Whirl, Devil's Elbow, Hell's Shoals, Little Hell, and Old Hell Bight. A mishap along the way meant the pilot and crew lost their wages, their timber, and occasionally their lives.

After selling the raft to timber merchants, raftsmen began the long walk home. In six or seven days raftsmen arrived at their backwoods homes with treats for their families and themselves.

Immigrants from the British Isles settled much of southern Georgia and were among the earliest raftsmen. African Americans, however, also engaged in this work and contributed to rafting folklore; such work songs as "Pay Me My Money Down" are still popular in coastal Georgia. Folklore from the Altamaha River valley suggests that raftsmen of both races enjoyed both the responsibilities and the rewards of their rugged routine.

"Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing."

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