GwinnettForum | Number 22.01 | Jan. 3, 2023
BRIGHT SCENE: Roving Photographer Frank Sharp was out and about again, capturing this Christmas scene in Gwinnett at the First Methodist Church in Lawrenceville’s campground on Braselton Highway. By now many residents have stowed away the bright lights and figures, awaiting another season. Now, turn attention to 2023, to enjoy the modern day.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Peachtree Corners Council considering hiring a city marshal
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Peachtree Corners showing how to produce State of the City
ANOTHER VIEW: When you have a loss, grieving is a natural process
SPOTLIGHT: Georgia Banking Company.
FEEDBACK: Search out for credibility in seeking information today
UPCOMING: Veterans Hall of Fame offering $4,000 ROTC scholarships
NOTABLE: After three years in business, Parsons Roofing earns its new name
RECOMMENDED: Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Carroll County’s Babbie Mason is Christian singer-songwriter
MYSTERY PHOTO: Distant shoreline asks for its location
CALENDAR: Duluth library to host two local authors on January 12
Peachtree Corners Council considering hiring a city marshal
By Alex Wright, city councilman
PEACHREE CORNERS, Ga. | Since its incorporation in 2012, the City of Peachtree Corners has provided police services to its citizens through an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Gwinnett County. The city and its citizens have mostly been pleased with the level of service provided by the Gwinnett County Police Department (GCPD), but a level of change may be on the horizon for community safety in Peachtree Corners.
Wright
The Peachtree Corners City Council will soon be considering a proposal that would create a new department that will provide the city resources that it directly controls that can fill in some gaps that currently exist between what GCPD is doing and what the city would like done.
What is being proposed is known as a City Marshal. Several other cities in Gwinnett that do not have their own police force have City Marshals: Sugar Hill, Buford and Berkeley Lake.
Many citizens have asked what exactly is a City Marshal? In the context of what Peachtree Corners wants, it would be someone who is Peace Officers Standard and Training (POST) qualified. This basically means they’ve been to the police academy. They have the same powers as a police officer but would be tasked with a much narrower scope of responsibility. In what is being considered in Peachtree Corners, they would focus mostly on code enforcement issues and providing presence patrols.
Here are a two examples of situations that have created the need for this program;
- The legal department at Gwinnett County has instructed the GCPD to NOT enforce city specific ordinances. One example of where this was a problem was a very large and loud party in a neighborhood. A resident called the police. The police showed up but since the ordinance they were violating was a city-specific noise ordinance, the county police had been instructed to not intervene. So, the party proceeded. A City Marshal in this instance would be empowered to enforce this ordinance AND if necessary, issue orders to cease with the same powers as a police officer, including, if necessary, arrest abilities. A code officer cannot do that.
- Peachtree Corners has had multiple issues at the Town Center of unruly behavior, in some instances by large groups of teenagers. In spite of hiring an off-duty police officer, we continue to have problems. The Council is concerned about eventually something bad happening at the Town Center. The Council feels having resources that can be directed to focus on areas the Council deems important could help greatly in deterring undesirable behavior.
Please understand: in my opinion the Council is not interested in creating a police force at this time. We have a very good relationship with GCPD. Like departments across the country, GCPD faces staffing challenges and is not operating at its full authorized manpower levels).
When CGPD is fully resourced and are not handcuffed by bureaucratic decisions by the county legal department, they do an outstanding job. However, the GCPD is currently under-resourced, and the council believes a city marshal is a means to help fill that gap instead of just sitting back putting up our hands and saying there is nothing we can do.
Look to hear more about a city marshal in coming weeks from the city council of Peachtree Corners.
Peachtree Corners showing how to produce State of the City
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JAN. 3, 2023 | Here’s to an innovation in communication between governments and the people they represent. We commend the City of Peachtree Corners, Mayor Mike Mason and its city council, for not hosting an event to tell a few people about the state of the city, but in presenting a 22 minute video outlining the present activities of the city as Year 2022 closed out.
With this video, the entire population of Peachtree Corners is presented with a document that they can hear to learn of the many ways the city is evolving. Mason presented Mayor Pro Tem Weare Gratwick to narrate the presentation, and he did a flawless job. Take a tour of the City with Councilman Gratwick and learn more about the construction, recreation, infrastructure, education, redevelopment, and other activities that have been completed and are on the horizon in Peachtree Corners.
Most of the script came from Mayor Mason with an assist from Gratwick and city communications office Louis Svehia. Jim Stone with Tytan Studios is who the city partnered on this video.
- To view the video, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EneckSm9104.
This is a far better method for the City Council to report on the city than by a gathering attended by relatively few people. Our congratulations for showing a more modern way!
The recent cold snap meant Jackson EMC set new records on Saturday, December 24. The electrical demand for 1,525 megawatts surpassed Jackson EMC’s previous record of 1,345 megawatts. Interestingly, the old record was set during the hot season, back in July when the heat index reached 110 degrees.
“Our power distribution system performed well under this weekend’s higher-than-normal demand for electricity,” said Jonathan Weaver, Jackson EMC’s director of system engineering. “We plan for higher demand periods, and we experienced few issues with this new record.”
What a comeback by the Georgia Bulldogs in the first round of the college football playoff games, that amazing 42-41 victory over Ohio State! Now eyes are on next Monday’s championship game against Texas Christian University. Both are explosive teams, as the Bulldogs seek to win two national titles in a row.
Again, Bulldog followers on New Year’s were thrilled by the play of Stetson Bennett, whose athleticism and leadership propelled the Bulldogs to victory.
Hey, Arthur Blank: your Falcons have been lousy lately. What you find in Stetson Bennett is a guy with good athletic credentials, but a superior ability of leadership under fire. Pick a homebody who is a proven winner to join the Falcons. He’ll make you happy and win games! And he’ll pack fans in the stand. Keep it up Stetson!
A prize gift this Christmas was a 20 pound or more and thick-boxed set of The New Yorker Encyclopedia of Cartoons, some 3,000 cartoons from 1920 to the present. We’ll spend many an hour enjoying these treasures, and from some of our favorite cartoonists.
Then last week we ran across this story, which shows the world as it might need to be.
Cartoonist Bernard Kliban, born in Connecticut (1935), once drew a cartoon in which a man is walking along the street with a walking stick and a cravat and shades, accompanied by two beautiful women, while a policeman kicks people out of the way, shouting, “Out of the way, you swine. A cartoonist is coming!”
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
When you have a loss, grieving is a natural process
By Randy Brunson
DULUTH, Ga. | One of the great beauties of life is that we have the opportunity to meet so many people. And we find that the varied and diverse backgrounds, countries of origin, belief systems and perspectives that each of them brings, adds richness to the tapestry of our lives.
Brunson
Today, let me reflect on 2022 from my perspective. And what is that perspective? More than anything else, I simply choose to be a friend and follower of Jesus. And I would gladly forego all else for this unique experience.
LOSS: This is a part of life, a part of the journey: just as life, so death. We all experience loss though we experience the death of those we love differently, as death seems so final. When we experience loss, I’m learning to give myself the freedom to experience the enormity of loss. And to grieve. Grieving, often through tears, cleanses, purifies, and heals the soul. Sometimes grieving expresses as anger. If you need to take the Louisville Slugger to the metal trash can in the backyard, go for it. Do it so it scares the neighbors. Grieve your losses.
UNDERSTANDING: As humans, we like to feel as if we know what’s going on, to believe we understand how things work and what is actually happening. Often, we do believe we have a handle on certain aspects of life. And yet there are times when understanding escapes us. This is especially true at times of loss. Whether it’s loss of a job, loss of our home or homeland through natural disaster or war, loss of those we love, we often don’t understand why things happen.
And in that loss, we often find we must make a choice. Will we pursue understanding, or will we choose simply to walk with God? Why did Boris lose his home and homeland when war broke out in Ukraine? Why do those we love die much sooner than we expected? We can give way to the relentless pursuit of understanding and often end up frustrated and cynical. Or we can simply walk with God. His ways are not our ways. We as humans are finite and limited. The greater our willingness to live with unknowns and mystery, and to acknowledge that there are things we simply will not understand, the greater our peace. Choose friendship with God over the pursuit of understanding such mystery.
STORY: Years ago, radio commentator Paul Harvey had a series called “The Rest of the Story,” where he shared back stories of well-known individuals. What’s the rest of the story? Death isn’t final. There is coming a day when there will be complete restoration. A new heaven and a new earth. And more than anything, it is the opportunity to experience this complete restoration, this hope above all hopes, which we celebrate at Christmas.
It is the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, His choosing to be a bridge back to the Father, which gives us this hope of a beautiful, engaging, fulfilling life – through eternity. And this is what we celebrate this Christmas season.
Those of you reading this celebrate this holiday season in many different ways. However you celebrate, we wish you peace, joy, and wonderful experiences with family and friends. In our home, we do celebrate Christmas and from our home to you, Merry Christmas.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Georgia Banking Company
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s underwriting sponsor is Georgia Banking Company. Today’s banking customer wants to rely on a banking partner who understands their individual needs. A banker who is invested in getting to know their clients at an authentic relationship level, and who brings expert advice and custom banking products to the table. Georgia Banking Company (GBC) is a full-service community bank with a six-branch network across Metro Atlanta; two are right here in Gwinnett conveniently located in Duluth and Lawrenceville. As The Bank of Choice, GBC is geared to serve both businesses and individuals who prefer a local, community-centric bank. GBC delivers the best of technology and product offerings, to ensure customer experiences are efficient and high quality, and to ensure communication is clear and accessible. This includes extended hours to meet your banking needs with our Virtual Teller Machines (VTMs). You can now perform transactions via video without stepping foot into a branch – just as you would in person, using an ATM-like interface enhanced with a video screen that allows customers to connect with a real banker. Visit www.GeorgiaBanking.com/locations to learn more and find a GBC VTM near you.
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Search for credibility in seeking information today
Editor, the Forum:
We only know what we are told for the most part. One source or another tells us what to think or what position to take from the facts they choose to share. We put our trust in these sources of information, because we can’t possibly be present to observe everything now or in the past. Credentials in the form of degrees, honors, or held positions, provide us with confidence in the information we are given.
This seems to be a broken trust with recent experience. The public has used television, social media, and the internet to acquire news or opinion. The experience has not always delivered truth, or the information has been shown to have been less than complete or biased. Omission of information has also been part of this breach of trust. We have found that there are significant differences between the offered information in our country versus the information in Europe when it’s about America.
We have also found that credentials don’t equate to unbiased truth. Experts have agendas. Our searches need to evolve to examine the sources for the information or position we take. That’s work, but we must remember that old computer phrase “’crap in; crap out.’ If we don’t challenge everything for its validity, we are doomed to falling off the cliff of foolishness. Be a tough sale. Also do a better job on picking your sources.
We need to be more rigorous in asking where the information was sourced to determine reliability. After all, there is herd mentality. If one group thinks a certain way, pressure is on us to think the same. We need to demand footnotes, so to speak. We need to be more demanding of truth before we can trust; there’s a great deal of nonsense. It was hard enough before smartphones and the internet with social media. They made things easier to share, and made tyrants out of cowards.
The nature of truth has not changed and certainty is still a contradiction in participation. Not much has actually changed in the pursuit, only the number of media sources and often their lack of credibility has boomed. We must see media for what it is by nature and do our own research to find facts behind opinion. Media requires money and money corrupts facts.
– Byron Gilbert, Duluth
Send us your thoughts: We encourage you to send us your letters and thoughts on issues raised in GwinnettForum. Please limit comments to 300 words, and include your hometown. The views of letters are the opinion of the contributor. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net.
Veterans Hall of Fame offering $4,000 ROTC scholarships
The Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame (GMVHOF) is currently accepting applicants for college scholarships worth up to $4,000. The announcement was made by GMVHOF founder and scholarship director Col. Paul Longgrear (US Army-Ret) of Pine Mountain.
To qualify for the award, applicants must be high school seniors enrolled in a recognized Junior Reserve Officer Training Program in a Georgia high school, academy or private school. Further, they must be accepted into a four-year college or university ROTC program and express the intent to commission as a military officer upon graduation.
Application for the scholarship can be made using the form found on the GMVHOF.org website. Deadline for signed applications and supporting documents is May 1, 2023.
- For further details contact GMVHOF Director, Col. Rick White (US Army-ret), at rickwhite4750@gmail.com.
After three years in business, Parsons Roofing earns its new name
Jay Thornton and Eric Abell, who own and operate Parsons Roofing in Peachtree Corners, will be celebrating 10 years in business May 2023. It was sort of a strange twist of fate that brought the two together in business. Thornton was a UGA graduate who majored in risk management and insurance. Upon graduation, he visited a friend in Utah who was in the roofing business. When he came home, he decided he wanted to follow suit. So, with the help of a couple of fraternity brothers, he launched a roofing business in 2013.
Jay wanted to use the name “Parsons,” since Kathryn Parsons Willis was his grandmother and the Parsons owned the Parsons store in downtown Duluth for many years. There were a number of Parsons stores in the area decades ago. Originally, Parsons opened in Lawrenceville as a trading post. It moved to Duluth in 1925 and the Cumming store opened in 1948. The Cumming store closed in 2019. His grandmother told Jay he couldn’t use the family name until he demonstrated his business was worthy of it.
Interestingly, Eric Abell had been in the roofing business in Kentucky for many years. One day, he was visiting friends on Lake Lanier when his personal watercraft ran out of fuel. As Eric was floating near boat docks, a lady emerged from a houseboat and asked him if he needed help. The lady happened to be Jay Thornton’s mother. Eric explained he was out of gas. The fuel dock was closed at the time so Ms. Thornton said she could put some fuel in his boat from her houseboat. As they were fueling, she began talking with Eric and learned he was in the roofing business. Jay’s mother told Eric her son was in the roofing business and introduced them. A friendship developed and in 2018 Eric moved his family down to the Atlanta area to partner with Jay. They decided to combine their two roofing companies in 2018 in the Doraville area and have since grown significantly, providing a variety of solutions to commercial customers.
When the company was in its third year, Jay had demonstrated enough integrity and humility to earn the Parsons name. Recently, Parsons Roofing moved to 3100 Medlock Bridge Road, Suite 335 in building 300, Peachtree Corners, doubling the size of its office/warehouse space. It was the company’s third expansion in 10 years.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin
From Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill: Wealthy, handsome, educated, spoiled, fashionable, well-mannered and privileged. Eugene Onegin had it all. But this young Russian socialite and ladies’ man was bored – completely disillusioned with the superficiality of the Russian urban social scene of the 1820s. He was wasting his life and he knew it. However, when a beautiful innocent country girl wrote him a love letter, he arrogantly rejected her and set into motion a series of tragic events that shattered his bland existence. Heartbreak, a death and more heartbreak followed. Written by ‘the father of Russian literature,’ this enduring Russian classic novel in verse has been made into both an opera and a ballet. The rhythm of the verse makes it fun to read and also fun to hear. I enjoyed the James Falen translation. Many free translations are available online, and English actor Stephen Fry does a splendid job of reading it aloud at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTsv6ISjstg.
An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (150 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. Send to: elliott@brack.net
Carroll County’s Babbie Mason is Christian singer-songwriter
Babbie Mason is an African American contemporary Christian singer-songwriter, author, television talk-show host, and adjunct professor. The former schoolteacher has lived in Georgia since 1980. Her song “All Rise” was one of the most-recorded contemporary Christian songs of the 1990s.
Mason
She was born Babbie Yvett Robie Wade in 1955, in Jackson, Mich., to Georgie and George W. Wade, a Baptist pastor. Her family tree includes at least five generations of preachers. Before embarking on a full-time ministry, Mason taught school in Michigan and, after relocating to Georgia in 1980, in Cobb County.
In 1984 she left teaching to create her own musical ministry. A year later she was honored with first place in both the songwriting and vocal categories at the Christian Artist Music Seminar in the Rockies, in Estes Park, Colo. This exposure prompted additional performance opportunities. In 1988 Word Records of Nashville, Tenn., signed Mason to a recording deal.
With each addition to her discography, Mason has capably blended pop and contemporary praise, inspirational ballads, and soulful gospel. In 1999 the Brentwood, Tenn.–based record company Spring Hill Music Group added Mason to its roster and released No Better Place. This disc includes “The House That Love Built,” a song she cowrote with longtime friend and veteran producer Cheryl Rogers.
Mason had longed to record a 1940s-era project à la Billie Holiday, and Spring Hill granted her wish with Timeless (2001). Highlights of this collection include “Theme on the 37th (He Can Work It Out),” a song written by Danniebelle Hall, an early Mason influence, and “Black and Blue,” a poignant reflection on racism that Mason wrote with Turner Lawton.
In addition to her own concert tours, Mason has performed before U.S. presidents, including Jimmy Carter, and sung at Billy Graham’s evangelistic crusades. She has also been featured on several of their best-selling projects, including the Grammy Award–winning Kennedy Center Homecoming (1999). A frequent guest at Christian women’s conferences, Mason has been a part of the popular Women of Faith tour.
For aspiring recording artists and songwriters, Mason annually presents her Babbie Mason Music Conference International. She joined the faculty at Atlanta Christian College in East Point and Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn., as an adjunct professor teaching songwriting. She also is the author of two books, Treasures of Heaven in the Stuff of Earth (2000) and FaithLift: Put Wings to Your Faith Walk and Soar (2003), and hosts a television talk show, Babbie’s House, which is broadcast on WATC in Atlanta as well as nationally and throughout Europe and Africa. Mason lives in Carroll County with her husband and two sons.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Distant shoreline asks for its location
Here’s a single clue to this issue’s Mystery Photo: it’s not around here. Figure out where this photo was taken, and send your answer to Elliott@brack.net, including your hometown.
When is a Lighthouse not a Lighthouse? Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. sent in the recent Mystery Photo, which he explains: “It is a miniature model of the Phare de la Pointe-Mitis (Translation: Pointe-Mitis Lighthouse), a lighthouse located in a small village of Métis-sur-Mer in Quebec, Canada. The roadside attraction is located on the grounds of the Place Petit Miami, a small restaurant whose owners installed the model as a way of enticing visitors to stop to check out the miniature model of the lighthouse, and hopefully go into the restaurant to enjoy some local food!”
Three eagle-eyes recognized it. They were George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Lou Camerio of Lilburn; and Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill. Here’s the full-sized version:
Authors and dessert in Duluth with Authors Michael Gagnon and Matthew Hild will be Thursday, January 12 at 7 p.m. at the Duluth branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library. Join GCPL for desserts and beverages with these two local historians as they discuss their book, Gwinnett County, Georgia, and the Transformation of the American South, 1818-2018.
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