Gwinnett County has launched an updated GwinnettCounty.com website with an emphasis on connecting residents, businesses and visitors to the County’s programs and services.
The updated website offers a new look, streamlines navigation and ensures compliance with federal accessibility requirements.
Updates to the new website include a single sign-on with enhanced security standards for residents to access services like water bill pay and business license renewal. Residents will now use their email address to log in instead of a username, and existing accounts may need updated passwords on the initial login.
Improvements to the website include:
- Enhanced user experience: Streamlined navigation and improved search functionality to help residents find department services and information more efficiently.
- Federal compliance: Full compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, meeting the April 2026 federal regulation deadline for jurisdictions over 50,000 population.
- Accessibility features: Adjustable font sizes, dark/light display modes and full screen reader compatibility, providing more capability for all residents to access County services.
- Modern, responsive design: The mobile-optimized design reflects current best practices, with a services-centric approach that prioritizes what residents need most.
Features from the previous website including translation functionality and custom applications like Water Bill Pay will continue without interruption.
Historical Society presents awards, honor First Families
By Amelia Porter-Lewis,
Gwinnett County Historian
The Gwinnett Historical Society presented their annual awards to honor dedicated volunteers, groups, and individuals who contribute to the preservation of Gwinnett history. The awards ceremony also included the induction of new members into the First Families Program. This Program has three tiers to acknowledge how far back into the 1800’s an individual’s family lived in Gwinnett. The gold tier families lived in Gwinnett to the 1820; census; silver tier goes back to 1830-1850; and bronze tier goes back to 1860-1880.
This year six new members were inducted into the First Families Program. Two members received the Gold tier and four received the Silver tier. These new members are descendants of the Loughridge, Brogdon, Clower, Bennett, Bradford, and Young families. To find out more about the First Families Program, visit the Gwinnett Historical Society’s website at https://www.gwinnetths.org/
The Gwinnett Historical Society presents four awards annually, beginning with the Whitworth-Flanigan Award. Named after two of the previous County Historians, this award recognizes recently published books focusing on Gwinnett History. This year the award was given to Dr. Catherine Lewis for her book, Above and Beyond: The Mason Family and the Transformation of Gwinnett County. Her book focuses on the many contributions and public service of brothers Jimmy and Wayne Mason and how they shaped the County. Former Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairman, Wayne Mason, and his family accompanied Dr. Lewis to receive the award.
The next award for Distinguished Service was given each year to a Gwinnett Historical Society volunteer who went above and beyond in service to the Society. This year, the award was bestowed posthumously to Francis “Frank” Steurer, who served the Society for many years, lovingly preserving and caring for the Elisha Winn House property in Dacula. Frank also served his country in Vietnam in the Marine Corps. Betty Warbington, chair of the Elisha Winn House Fair, presented the award to Frank’s wife of 55 years, Loretta.
The Phyllis and Marvin Hughes Preservation Award is named after the couple who painstakingly preserved the Isaac Adair House. This year’s recipient was the Haynes Creek Cemetery Committee. Haynes Creek Primitive Baptist Church was founded in 1826, and the Cemetery Committee was established in 1947 to care for and preserve this historic burial ground.
The Society’s President’s Award is given to an individual selected by the Gwinnett Historical Society president. Current president, Jason West, bestowed two President’s Awards this year to Cammie Mansfield and Brian Boggs. They have contributed to the preservation of Gwinnett history and assisted the Society on numerous occasions related to their jobs with Gwinnett County government, specifically the Society’s recent office renovation.
Exhibit at Norcross Gallery continues until Feb. 7
The current exhibit at Norcross Gallery and Studios, Driven to Abstraction, continues through February 7. It is an eclectic, colorful showing of members’ works in a variety of media, some straightforward and some requiring closer thought and consideration to discover their meaning.
A reception will be held on February 1 from 3 to 5 pm. Outstanding works in this exhibit are noted abstract artist Terry Stone’s Community in which he experimented with geometric shapes, a blend of blues and greens inviting viewers into a tranquil city. Kathryn Heller shows her versatility and imagination in a departure from her usual media of detailed pencil drawings, displaying an intriguing photograph, It’s Here … Somewhere which appears as an abstract work of art, until closer observation reveals the tracks of an unknown being. Quiet Arc by Traci Kruger is a colorful, calm but fascinating portrayal of a cat. She says, “In painting this piece, I kept the form of the feline as a foundation and allowed the image to dissolve into abstraction. Soft edges and gentle curves reflect the relaxed looseness of a cat at rest.” City Turning Radiant is artist Barbara Fraher’s large, bold abstract showing a big city as lights come on, brightening the scene.
