NEWS BRIEFS: Connectivity conference, legislative process, grants

Peachtree Corners will host a Smart City connectivity conference next year. 

This new era of 5G, transportation infrastructure and innovation from vehicle connectivity is the focus of the V2X Live 2022 conference and exhibition, to be held March 16- 17, 2022 in Peachtree Corners. The city is  one of the nation’s first smart cities powered by real-world connected infrastructure and 5G. The event, presented by T-Mobile and sponsored by Intel, is produced in partnership with Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners, a premier incubator and live technology proving ground in the Southeast of the United States. 

Executive Producer Tim Downs says: “Attendees will look beyond connected cars and self-driving vehicles to important considerations such as 5G connectivity, infrastructure and investment to deliver high-bandwidth, low latency communications and computing to the cloud; to street infrastructure; and to other vehicles.” 

Live tours of Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners, including the country’s first “IoT central control room” implemented by a city (where data from all IoT devices across the city’s smart infrastructure is managed, analyzed and acted upon through a single pane of glass), are included in the conference experience for attendees, sponsors, speakers and partnering organizations. 

Peachtree Corners chief technical officer and assistant city manager, Brandon Branham, adds:  

“Systems Integrators, technology innovators, automotive industry executives and government transportation leaders will convene here. We are the heart of what’s being called “Silicon Orchard.” They  will focus on investment, design and deployment of the next generation of connected vehicle infrastructure.”

 This conference will be a unique opportunity for solutions providers and experts to help forge a new digital architecture for communities and regions. They’ll see in  Peachtree Corners connected smart city infrastructure that isn’t just a concept: it’s a living reality that’s experienced every day by residents. Some of the brightest technology developers in the world who are proving in Peachtree Corners emerging solutions in a real city that can’t be replicated in a closed setting.” 

  • For more information on Peachtree Corners and the Curiosity Lab, or to schedule a briefing with city government officials, contact Peachtree@GoDRIVEN360.com

NOTABLE

County Commission has faith in the legislative process 

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners has faith in the legislative process, despite being blindsided earlier this week by state Sen. Clint Dixon’s introduction of legislation during a special session of the Georgia General Assembly on redistricting that would significantly change the structure of Gwinnett County government, altering the way the County conducts business.

SB 6EX would double the size of the elected board from the current five-member format to 10 members. The proposal also would weaken the authority of the board chairperson to an occasional tie-breaker.

The burden of a board twice the size would fall on taxpayers, who would have to fund the salaries, staff and expenses for five additional politicians.

The current board members have not received any indication  from Gwinnett County residents wanting to see drastic changes made to a governing body that has seen so much success, both recently and in the past. SB 6EX and SB 5EX (non-partisan school board) bypassed the normal local legislation process and are questionable to be considered “emergency” local legislation

A release from the county contained this message from the board: “The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners’ asks are simple: deny the proposed legislation altogether and give the board a chance to do what taxpayers voted them in office to do – get the job done – and draw their own district lines in a fair process.”

Jackson EMC Foundation grants $80,900 for local charities

The Jackson EMC Foundation board of directors awarded $80,900 in grants during its October meeting, which benefit organizations serving Gwinnett County.

  • $15,900 to Medlink Georgia, a nonprofit primary medical care network that provides care to medically underserved people throughout Jackson EMC’s service area, to purchase two retinal screening machines.
  • $15,000 to Barrow Ministry Village, a Winder nonprofit that provides food distribution, foster family resources and affordable counseling services to needy families in Barrow, Clarke, Gwinnett and Jackson counties, to provide counseling for individuals struggling with PTSD, anxiety and other family issues.
  • $15,000 to Ser Familia, Inc., a comprehensive social services program for Latino families in Barrow, Gwinnett, Hall and Jackson counties, to provide youth programming for students experiencing significant learning loss and anxiety/depression due to COVID.
  • $10,000 to Gwinnett Citizens Fire Academy Alumni Association, Inc., a Lawrenceville-based nonprofit promoting and supporting fire safety education, to provide carbon monoxide alarms and stove top-fire stop devices, an automatic stove top fire suppressor designed to prevent unattended cooking fires.
  • $10,000 to Helping Mamas, Inc., to provide essential baby items, not available through public assistance programs, to Gwinnett and Hall County women and children in need.
  • $10,000 to NOA’s Ark, Inc., for its Trauma Counseling Program, designed to serve adults and children in Gwinnett, Hall and Lumpkin counties recovering from family violence, child sexual assault, and dating violence. 
  • $5,000 to Burn Foundation of America, to provide financial assistance with purchasing specialized pressure garments and distraction therapy supplies, which assist in healing and help reduce stress during procedures, for burn patients and their families in all Jackson EMC counties.
  • Have a comment?  Send to: elliott@brack.net
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