Dist. 2 Commissioner Howard to Hold Community Meetings

Lynette Howard, whose district includes Peachtree Corners and Berkeley Lake, will conduct series of town hall meetings next month.

Lynette Howard, Gwinnett County's District 2 Commissioner announced that she will hold a series of four meetings during the month of August. Howard's district includes Peachtree Corners and Berkeley Lake. The meetings willl cover topics on government finances as well as other items. The meetings are scheduled at four different locations throughout Dist. 2 and will include other speakers. Meetings are slated to run from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Following are the dates and locations of the meetings. Aug. 1 - Lilburn City Hall, 76 Main Street. Gwinnett County police will include neighborhood safety information. Aug. 3 - Jones Bridge Park Community Room, 4901 East Jones Bridge Road in Peachtree Corners. Additional presentations include neighborhood…

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More Traffic Monitoring Coming to Gwinnett

Board of Commissioners approved the installation of more traffic cameras and other equipment, could be good news for commuters.

On Tuesday, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners approved of the installation of more traffic cameras and fiber-optic cables throughout the county. The added devices will monitor traffic flow and allow for real-time, remote-control adjustments from the Gwinnett Traffic Control Center.  The new traffic-management equipment will be installed on a six-mile stretch of Pleasant Hill Road between Lawrenceville Highway/U.S. 29 and Buford Highway/U.S. 23. A nearly three-mile stretch of Buford Drive/State Route 20 between I-985 and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard near the Mall of Georgia will also get the cameras and cables. Both contracts were awarded to the lowest bidder, R.J. Haynie, Inc. Both projects cost a combined total of $847,668. …

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GDOT Releases Updated TSPLOST Projections

Ten-year tax could generate as much as $18.6 billion statewide.

New figures show a proposed transportation sales tax could generate as much as $8.4 billion in the Atlanta metro area over a 10-year period. Statewide, the tax could rake in up to $18.6 billion for transportation projects during the same period, according to estimates released by the Georgia Department of Transportation. Next year, voters will be asked to approve the 1 percent, 10-year sales tax for the purpose of funding transportation projects. Voters in each of Georgia’s 12 regions will be presented with a list of transportation projects for that region. If voters pass the tax, money collected within that region will be used to fund the specified projects. Gwinnett is part of the Atlanta Regional Commission region. Members of the …

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County Considering Options on Airport Privatization

Airport consultant study expected within the next 30 days.

Gwinnett County Transportation Director Brian Allen said the county has not yet determined whether to issue a new request for qualifications (RFQ) from firms interested in submitting proposals to privatize Briscoe Field. In 2010, three firms -- American Airports Corporation, Gwinnett Airport, LLC and Propeller Investments -- responded to the county's RFQ. The issuance of a request for proposal (RFP) would be the next step in the process of privatizing the airport. At his June 11 constituent meeting in Dacula, District 3 Commissioner Mike Beaudreau said his position is that the RFP process should be open to companies other than just those who replied to the county’s RFQ (Request for Qualifications). “We’ll see what offers we get and then we…

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Paul Duke's Former Assistant Speaks Out About Peachtree Corners

Ruth Strickland worked with the community's founder for two decades and offers a glimpse of what her former boss would think of the area today.

Editor's note: Below is a letter from Ruth Strickland, who is a long-time resident of Peachtree Corners. Her letter is in response to a recent comment from another resident of the community, Robert Nebel. A recent story titled "Paul Duke's Peachtree Corners written by Robin Montri and published June 6 prompted Nebel to comment "WWPD-What Would Paul Do?" regarding all of the growth of the community and its bid to become a city. Ms. Strickland offers an inside glimpse of the man and his visions for Peachtree Corners. My name is Ruth Strickland. I worked with Paul Duke as his assistant for 20 years starting in the fall of 1967.  I became President of CEO Business Centers in 1987; and President of Peachtree Corners, Inc., the parent company in…

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Robin Montri

12:36 pm on Wednesday, June 15, 2011

What an honor that you wrote in as a response to the article I wrote about Mr. Duke! Thank you so much for the follow-up, as you provide such valuable insight to what the founder of our community would do in regards to some of the issues we are facing today. Whatever direction our community decides to go in, I hope it alligns with his original vision for Peachtree Corners. With deep respect- Robin   more ›

County Approves $3.5 Million for Police HQ Renovations

SPLOST funds will be used to renovate the 67,000 square-foot building built over 30 years ago.

The Gwinnett County Police Department headquarters will soon get a much needed facelift. The Board of Commissioners approved the project during Tuesday's meeting. The renovations will cost just under $3.5 million and contracted out to the lowest bidder, Cooper and Company General Contractors. The money for the construction will come from the 2005 and 2009 SPLOST. The 67,000 square foot GCPD Headquarters on Hi-Hope Rd was built in 1978. According to Gwinnett County spokesperson Heather Sawyer, the work will begin in July and should take about a year to complete.

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Briscoe Field 'Not Feasible' for Second Metro Atlanta Commercial Airport

Study notes no supplemental airports developed to primarily serve origination and destination passengers have been a success.

A study financed mainly by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has found that Lawrenceville’s Briscoe Field is not currently a feasible site for a second commercial service airport in the metro Atlanta area. The just released Atlanta Metropolitan Aviation Capacity Study Phase II began with a list of 29 sites that were screened as potential locations for an origin and destination airport to supplement the service provided at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. In the initial screening, the potential sites were evaluated in terms of accessibility, site development issues and existing air traffic. Nineteen sites were eliminated due to accessibility issues from the Atlanta central business district. Two other sites were ruled out …

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An Update From Your County Commissioner

Still Confused About the Issues of Privatizing Briscoe Field?

Here are the facts which should help dispel any confusion on just what the issues are that are causing so much discussion.

Editor's note: Dist. 2 Board of Commissioner Lynette Howard provides important details to help understand the current issue of privatizing Gwinnett's Briscoe Field. Learn what is fact and what is fiction about this current hot-button issue that has divided both politicians and citizens in our county. I want to give people a few of the facts. 1. Briscoe Airport belongs to Gwinnett County and is not up for sale. 2. Any fees collected from the operation of airport must be use exclusively for the airport under current law. 3. Privatization would potentially allow the county to collect fees from the airport. 4. Briscoe has a runway that is 6,000 feet long. There may be safety reasons for extending the runway 500 feet. This is an addition of 8 …

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BJ Van Gundy

9:07 am on Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Jim and Rick. I know that this is trite.... but everytime you use the word "if" I think of the old "if frogs had wings they wouldn't bump themselves in the butt when they jumped". Once again. No proposal has been formally received. Mr. Smith has not said anything along the lines that he was going to go out and borrow money with the County as a co-signer.... so quit coming up with "ifs" that are …   more ›

Lynette Howard Named BOC Vice Chairwoman

On Tuesday Howard, Dist. 2 Commissioner from Peachtree Corners was elected to serve in position.

In Tuesday's business session, Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners elected Lynette Howard to serve as its vice chairwoman. Howard, who lives in Peachtree Corners, is the Dist. 2 Commissioner. She was elected last November and represents Berkeley Lake, Lilburn, Norcross and the community of Peachtree Corners. The vice chairperson typically runs meetings and performs other duties that are usually handled by the chairman during the chairman's absence, said Joe Sorenson, Communities Director for Gwinnett County. The position of vice chairperson is usually rotated among commissioners in district order. Dist. 1 Commissioner Shirley Lassiter filled that post last year until recently.

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