ANNUAL PROGRESS EDITION
OUT LOOK Gwinnett Daily Post • Sunday, February 22, 2015
A glimpse at what 2015 holds for Gwinnett’s government, schools and economy
New schools opening in August signal return of growth
Construction is finishing up on the new high school in Lawrenceville, Discovery High on Old Norcross Road, one of four schools to open in August. (File Photo)
The district now counts more than 173,000 students as rapid growth has returned in a keith.farner@gwinnettdailypost.com flurry in recent years. The district has counted more than 8,000 new students in the last two For the first time since 2010, Gwinnett years alone. Since 2005, the district has grown County Public Schools is opening a new high by more than 37,000 students. school in August. The school, Discovery High District officials have said in previous years on Old Norcross Road in Lawrenceville, is the that the growth slowdown gave them a chance crown jewel of what will be a new cluster and to catch their breath and play catch-up. one of four schools opening next school year. The gap in constructing new schools was Opening the four schools caused the district planned and tied to funding. Moore Middle to redistrict students in an effort to balance opened in 2011 as part of Phase II of the enrollment and set new attendance zones. building program funded by general obligaRedistricting affected 33 existing schools, tion bonds approved in 2008. Northbrook including two schools being reassigned, and Middle, which opened in August, was the first about 14,000 students. new school opening in Phase III, which is The Gwinnett County School Board heard funded by the renewal of the special local opcriticism late last year about how the redistion sales tax approved by voters in 2011. tricting plans were made and maps drawn. The 2012-13 school year was the first time In part because of the number of critics who in more than a decade that the district did not attended School Board meetings, the district open a new facility. expanded its passive transfer policies for afThe new schools that are named after fected schools. people are named after a former mayor and The new high school means the district will two long-time educators. have a 19th cluster, and its opening signals the The new elementary school at 2136 Old end of a relatively slow period of growth in Norcross Road in Lawrenceville will be the school district. named after Boyd Quillian Baggett, who was By Keith Farner
a long-time principal in Gwinnett and retired as a central office administrator. Baggett was principal of Bethesda School from 1948-53, Lawrenceville High from 1954-57 and the first principal of Central Gwinnett High, where he served from 1957-64. In 1986, Baggett was recognized as Gwinnett’s Senior Citizen of the Year. The new Meadowcreek cluster elementary school at 1700 Graves Road in Norcross will be named for Avery Anderson Graves, who at one time lived on Graves Road. Along with Gwinnett, Graves also worked in DeKalb and Gordon counties. He was a teacher and a coach, and his career began in the 1920s at Glover School, but he also taught at Grayson School in the 1930s. Graves was superintendent of Calhoun City Schools from 1951 to 1959, and credited for restoring the accreditation status for Lilburn School as its principal in the 1960s. The new middle school at 8 Village Way in Lawrenceville will be named for a former mayor of the city, H. Rhodes Jordan, who served as mayor from 1963-68, 1975-78, 1981-84 and 1987-88. He was a World War II veteran and practiced law for 52 years.
INSIDE Education......................................2D Atlanta Media Campus..................2D Gwinnett Courts.............................3D Gwinnett Police.............................3D
Gwinnett Coalition.........................4D Gwinnett Arena..............................5D Greater Gwinnett Championship...6D Gwinnett Tech................................7D
Georgia Gwinnett College Sports..7D Hospitals........................................8D Diversity.........................................8D County Government......................9D
2D • SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2015
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outlook 2015
Critics demand changes to AP history class By Keith Farner
feedback to “propose evidenceDiscussions about based Advanced Placement U.S. changes to History have moved from the AP U.S. classrooms full of juniors History in high school, and are now curriculum Richard Woods underway at school board framemeetings and under the Gold work.” Dome. Discussion of the merits At issue is what critics of the course have been have bellowed is at the very raised in a State Senate least an omission of key resolution that “demands facts, and could be a biased revision of the course.” and inaccurate view of many That resolution labels the important facets of American revised framework as a history. The AP U.S. History “radically revisionist view course, commonly called of American history that “APUSH” is administered by emphasizes negative asthe College Board, which in pects of our nation’s history recent months has solicited while omitting or minimizkeith.farner @gwinnettdailypost.com
ing positive aspects.” The resolution also adds that the framework minimizes discussion of the founding fathers, principles of the Declaration of Independence and religious influences in the nation’s history. Several Gwinnett residents have attended the last three Gwinnett County Board of Education meetings and echoed the sentiments in the Senate resolution. “The new APUSH curriculum portrays all the bad and ugly, never the good about U.S. history,” resident Kathy Hildebrand said in December. “The result is
an America that is riddled with racism, violence, hypocrisy, greed, imperialism and injustice.” Also in December, resident Bruce Duncil spoke about the textbook “Out of Many,” which gives students “the worldview they are forced to swallow, regurgitate and acknowledge.” Duncil gave School Board members a one-page handout that outlined his concerns with the book and how he said it contradicted founding documents and misrepresents the nation’s founding principles. He also called it propaganda that furthers a political agenda that is pro-
Marxist and anti-American. These opinions have grown since the framework was revised in 2012. In Colorado, South Carolina and Texas, there have been similar resolutions or protests that demand changes. The Republican National Committee has also adopted a resolution that denounces it. New State School Superintendent Richard Woods has joined the chorus. In a statement, Woods said he has “deep concerns” about the framework and supports the Senate resolution. “Any opportunity for our academic or our nation’s historical integrity to be
eroded must not be allowed,” Woods said. “One important issue to note in Georgia is that all students, including our Advanced Placement students, must take the state end of course test in U.S. History. That means, regardless of what may be missing from the AP frameworks, our students will be taught the foundational principles found in our Georgia standards and will be required to demonstrate that knowledge on our state test. This will provide our state the ability to address some of the APUSH shortcomings. However, more must be done.”
Atlanta Media Campus to take large leaps in 2015 By Tyler Estep
When it’s all completed, officials believe it will serve as an attractive If things go as planned, incentive for production 2015 will be the year that companies and add to the Gwinnett County officially movie industry momenbecomes home to the largtum that’s already buildest American movie studio ing across the state. Dozoutside of California. ens of big-name movies Atlanta Media Camhave been filmed in pus, a sprawling 114-acre Georgia — and Gwinnett development near the County — since Gov. Norcross intersection Nathan Deal introduced of Jimmy Carter Bouletax credits to capture the vard and Interstate 85, is industry’s attention. scheduled to be up and Jacoby has previously running later this year. claimed that the Norcross The project will include a development could create movie studio, film school, as many as 18,000 jobs student housing, residential in metro Atlanta, includspace, offices, hotels, retail ing 9,800 in Gwinnett. and, according to officials Total economic output, involved, the largest studio Jacoby claimed, could backlot in the country. The OFS site at Jimmy Carter Boulevard and Interstate 85 will soon be home to a 114-acre movie campus. (Artist Rendering) eclipsed $2.2 billion. A specific timeline has “This is very exciting not been released — and “The school wants to something major.” Studios has signed on released renderings show for the entire community, attempts to touch base be open, big players want Several movies have al- to handle marketing, a series of futuristicfor metropolitan Atlanwith project leader Jacoby to be up and operating in ready filmed at the site, leasing and management looking buildings that ta,” Gwinnett Chamber Development were unsuc- June,” Jacoby Development which is home to fiber duties. are yet to be built, and President Dan Kaufman cessful — but the plan is to chairman Jim Jacoby said optic cable manufacturer That said, the $1 bilnew construction on the said in August. “It really is have a large portion open last year. “Probably in early OFS, and Californialion project is far from site is relatively nongoing to cement Georgia’s sometime this summer. summer, we’ll be able to do based Manhattan Beach complete. Previously existent at this point. place in the film industry.” tyler.estep@gwinnettdailypost. com
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2015 • 3D
outlook 2015
New accountability court to serve veterans By Tyler Estep
tyler.estep@gwinnettdailypost. com
There are roughly 80 military veterans currently housed at the Gwinnett County jail. They’ve lost their way and run afoul of the law, sure — but Karen Beyers believes they’ve earned as much help as can be provided. “I think we owe it to our veterans to give them every opportunity to get healthy,” the Gwinnett County superior court judge said. Beyers is the leader of Gwinnett County’s mental health court — an alternate-sentencing, treatmentbased accountability program — and, as the wife of an Army Ranger, has a soft spot for veterans. She also knows that the overwhelming majority of servicemen and -women who wind up in legal trouble can directly attribute their problems to the residual effects of their time in the military.
least 18 months to complete, but it will have several aspects geared toward helping veterans in particular. The inclusion of fellow veterans as mentors will be key, as will helping servicemen and women navigate the complicated VA benefits system. “It’s hard to do that all by yourself, especially when you have a drug The Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center is now problem or when you home to a veterans accountability court. (Special Photo) have a mental illness,” said Priscilla Daniels, the So, with the help of the mental health — and in director of Gwinnett’s acdistrict attorney’s office many ways will operate countability courts. and several other intersimilarly: veterans who Daniels said earlier this ested parties, she started a have committed felony month that the program veteran’s court. crimes due to drug, alcohol currently has two pend“We’ve evolved,” Beyers or mental health issues ing referrals. Beyers said said, “to realizing that we will have the opportunity capacity will eventually be need to do something other to avoid jail time while set at 30 participants. than locking people up and getting the treatment they Ellen Gerstein is the throwing away the key.” need. Group meetings, director of the Gwinnett The new program, which self-help classes and court Coalition, which restarted in January, follows dates will be involved. cently launched a veteran in the footsteps of other Like mental health resource center. She said Gwinnett accountabilcourt, the new program she wasn’t familiar with ity courts — drug, DUI, will take participants at the ins and outs of the new
accountability court but called it a “great concept” and “a way for us to honor those who have given to our country and recognize some of their particular unique issues because of that service.” Retired U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Greg Kendall, the public affairs officer for the Atlanta VA Medical Center, also praised veterans court programs. “I think veterans courts provide a great service, especially considering that a majority of veterans had no criminal history before joining the military,” Kendall wrote in an email. “A major part of the program are the mentors, veterans themselves — who often saw combat — who sponsor the veterans outside of court. This kind of the camaraderie really helps.” Officials expect to see a lot of veterans from recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, though Beyers
said they’re also considering a potential participant who served in the 1970s. Though veterans accused of committing “major” crimes will not be considered, the alleged offenses of participants will likely run the gamut, from assault and theft to drug possession. The expectation is that most will be tied to drug and alcohol abuse as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder. “We work with the VA hospitals, local treatment agencies to get these veterans involved in treatment, to get these veterans the benefits that they’re owed,” Daniels said. “And to work through all of these issues that they’ve had in order to help them get the treatment that they need, get the medications that they need, get the help that they need so they can become productive members of society.”
New chief attempting to tackle GCPD’s attrition issues aware of the biggest issue he Butch Ayers took over would be as chief of the Gwinnett facing. County Police Department For sevin October. A 30-year veteral years Butch Ayers eran of the force, he likes to now, the tell folks he “jumped off into Gwinnett the deep end of the pool.” County Police Department “You never know exactly has been battling the tide what’s involved in a job un- of attrition, embodied by til you actually step into it,” a steady wave of officers he said recently, laughing. leaving for higher pay of“It’s made for long days.” fered by other metro Atlanta Ayers may not have agencies. During last fall’s known the specific ins and budget hearings, Ayers told outs of the job before taking county officials that the dethe leap — but he was well partment had a total of 109 By Tyler Estep
tyler.estep@gwinnettdailypost. com
vacancies. Four months later, he figures that number is roughly the same. The hope, though, is that a 4 percent raise for officers, approved in the 2015 county budget, will get things moving in the right direction. It’s the department’s first pay-for-performance raise in years and, when coupled with last year’s 3 percent cost of living bump, Ayers is optimistic it will help keep cops in Gwinnett. “Is it gonna stop (attrition) in its tracks?” Ayers said. “We’re only in the
beginning part of February. Ask me again in 10 months and I’ll be able to give you a better answer.” Ayers said during the aforementioned budget hearings that GCPD’s starting salary of $38,777 for certified officers was the second-lowest among a survey of 14 metro agencies. Gwinnett County puts aspiring officers through training, a process that takes up to 12 months. Smaller departments don’t do that, Ayers said, meaning they can often devote more money to salaries.
Officials estimate that, in salary and benefits alone, it costs the county somewhere between $34,000 and $49,000 to replace officers poached by other departments. “This is not something that you’re gonna solve through just hiring more people,” Ayers said. “You can hire people all day long, but if you don’t address the other end of the issue, then you’re not gonna make very much headway.” To that end, Ayers said the department has reinstated tuition reimbursement
programs for officers who wish to go back to school. There are also salary bumps for officers with associates, bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Ayers, touting himself as the fourth consecutive police chief that began his career with GCPD, said his department has plenty to offer — top-notch equipment and mobility within the department included. “At the end of the day,” he said, “we do a very good job with the tools and the personnel that we have at our disposal.”
4D • SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2015
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outlook 2015
Gwinnett Coalition focusing on three themes By Katie Morris
katie.morris@gwinnettdailypost.com
The Gwinnett Coalition for Health & Human Services has been working to improve the community for over 20 years with the mission to facilitate collaboration that improves the community’s wellbeing. The organization runs a number of programs including the Gwinnett Neighborhood Leadership Institute, the leadership initiative The CEO Roundtable and the Gwinnett Helpline, which receives 25,000 calls a year. The Coalition also founded Great Days of Service 14 years ago The event started with 10 projects and 100 volunteers and grew to include 300 projects, 129 participating schools that collected 85,000 food and personal care items, 68 participating agencies and 27 sponsors in 2014. According to Associate Director Regina Miller, even though a lot has been accomplished throughout the years, there is still a lot of work ahead. The Coalition has set 13 main goals in its 2014-2018 strategic plan, but Miller said over the next year the community will see a strong focus on three areas — homelessness, poverty among senior citizens and child sexual abuse and sex trafficking. “We have a huge homeless problem and one of the things that’s inadequate right now is our resources for these folks to be able to go,” Miller said. “You do have agencies that are meeting the needs like Rainbow
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A group of eighteen including students, faculty and staff from Gwinnett Technical College and community volunteers work to beautify the Salvation Army community garden during the 2014 Gwinnett Great Days of Service event. (Staff Photo: Katie Morris)
tion will accomplish this by working to increase the number of available emergency housing beds and transitional housing units over the next few years. “Many of our agencies are also trying to address the increase of seniors, and we have a huge population here in Gwinnett. On the flip side of that we have a large population that’s low-income poverty seniors,” Miller said. The Coalition will partner over the next few years with committees like the Senior Issues Action Team to ensure Gwinnett senior citizens have an information resource of affordable Brittany Nguyen, 14, and other volunteers trek through the woods while cleaning and accessible housing. around Jackson Creek near Lucky Shoals Park in Norcross during the 2014 Great They will also work with Days of Service. (Staff Photo: David Welker) the Emergency Assistance Action Team, utilizing Village and other centers vehicle or having chalwithin the community community gardens and helping to meet the needs lenges.” by ensuring all Gwinnett co-ops to help provide but it’s never enough until The Coalition’s strateindividuals, families and food for low-income we can help every famgic plan states they plan communities have access seniors. ily that’s living in their to address homelessness to housing. The organizaThe Coalition helped
launch the Child Sexual Assault Prevention initiative last year in order to address the growing issues of child sexual abuse and eventually sex trafficking in Gwinnett. The initiative is working to provide Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children training, which offers practical evidenceinformed prevention training, to adults in Gwinnett. The CSAP has set the goal of training 28,531 adults in Gwinnett, and as of January they had trained 2,139 stewards, which is 7.5 percent of the total goal. “This is an issue we are really trying to put out there because we know it’s critical and not only to get it (the training) into the schools but also Parks and Rec., mentoring programs, to everyone who comes into contact with a child,” Miller said. Miller believes it takes more than one person to tackle an issue, it takes an entire village. She said it’s important to continue to grow leadership in Gwinnett over the next year, especially among the younger generation. “We are trying to grow leadership at that grassroots level but also we’re meeting that generation of students coming through. It’s amazing to see what these students are doing,” Miller said. “They are finding so many unique ways to utilize technology and that’s going to really push service and take it into the next stage.” For more information about the Gwinnett Coalition for Health & Human Services, visit gwinnettcoalition.org.
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2015 • 5D
outlook 2015
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Fans wait for Eric Church to take the stage during his sold-out concert at the Arena at Gwinnett Center December 2014. (Photo: Kyle Hess)
Arena to continue offering diverse entertainment acts By Katie Morris
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Since its grand opening 12 years ago, the Arena at Gwinnett Center has brought a mix of entertainment to the community, from sporting events and concerts to cultural and spiritual conferences. According to Gwinnett Center general manager, Joseph Dennis, the number of events the popular venue hosts in a year has remained steady, but it has seen growth in certain areas. From 2013 to 2014, the Arena increased the amount of family-friendly entertainment events — audiences were offered family shows like Nickelodeon’s The Fresh Beat Band, Disney On Ice Celebrates 100 years of Magic and “Marvel Universe Live!” in 2014. This year, local families will be able to catch shows like Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s “Legends” and Disney On Ice’s “Worlds of Fantasy.” Dennis also said there has been growth in the amount of non-traditional events hosted at the Arena like the Governor’s Inaugural Ball, Leadercast and a talk from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. There has also been an increase in the number of events hosted at the Gwinnett Convention Center and Gwinnett Performing Arts Center, largely due to repeat clients. “We are seeing more and more events come back to the facility because we work with each event individually to provide excellent customer service,” Dennis said in an email response. “We also saw our holiday and corporate social events more than double in the past two years. We do everything we can to make the process as simple as possible from the initial walk-through to the day of the event.” More and more big name artists such as Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Ed Sheeran and Eric Church are choosing to bring their sold-out shows to the Arena. Dennis said the Arena does get a lot of recognition from performers that have played the venue. “We are also focused on creating strong relationships with event promoters and agents, and it’s through those relationships that we are able to secure great shows for the community,” Dennis said. Patrons can expect another diverse lineup of events and performers next year including The Who, Barry Manilow, The Gwinnett Gladiators, Atlanta Steam, Leadercast, Cheech & Chong and War and more shows will be added throughout the year. Den-
Circus artists from around the world will perform daring stunts and bring audiences wonderous thrills when The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey presents “Legends” at both The Arena at Gwinnett Center and Philips Arena this February. (Special Photo)
Eric Church performed a sold-out concert at the Arena at Gwinnett Center in December 2014. (File Photo)
nis said they are always researching and building programming based on trends and interests within the market. “While the event mix could change year-to-year, our mission remains the same and that is to stimulate the economy of Gwinnett County by providing a vehicle for the presentation of cultural, educational, entertainment, sporting and social events,” Dennis said. According to Dennis, the Gwinnet Center is continually being updated and renovated in order to offer the best experience possible and also stay relevant within the convention industry. Last year, the campus-wide bandwidth was upgraded and free Wi-Fi is offered in public areas of the convention center. He said the Center recognizes its patrons’
desire to “partcipate” at events through tweeting, posting images and sharing content on social media, so the efforts to provide a convenient, fast connection will continue moving into the new year. “The Arena at Gwinnett Center has been a great venue for the community to gather with friends and family and enjoy topnotch entertainment for the past 12 years,” Dennis said. “We enjoy seeing our guests create memories, whether it’s a child seeing an elephant for the first time or a first date at an Eric Church concert or watching your child graduate, we plan to continue to enhance guest experiences for years to come.” For more information about the Arena at Gwinnett Center, visit gwinnettcenter. com.
6D • SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2015
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outlook 2015
Greater Gwinnett Championship aiming higher By David Friedlander david.friedlander @gwinnettdailypost.com
When professional golf returned to Gwinnett County with the Champions Tour’s Greater Gwinnett Championship in 2013, organizers had a distinct plan on building the event’s profile. “We’re in year three of our initial four-year contract,” said Stan Hall, executive director of the Gwinnett Sports Commission. “The object (during the life of the initial contract) was to start a little slowly and then build every year. “From spectator and attendance standpoints, I think this will be the biggest year ever. It takes a while for a new tournament to establish itself, but everyone I’ve talked to says there’s more buzz about the tournament this year than ever before. That’s encouraging and exciting.” Fans attending this year’s tournament, which tees off April 17 at TPC at Sugarloaf, and surrounding events will notice a few changes. The most cosmetic of these changes has to do with the look of the 18th green, which will feature additional skyboxes, as well as new skyboxes for the 17th hole. Others will be more widespread, such as the addition of Mellow Mushroom and QuikTrip to the list of the tournament’s corporate sponsors. And Hall says both new sponsors will be paramount in new features that will appeal to a wide variety of fans. “They’re really going to market it hard,” Hall said of Mellow Mushroom’s participation. “They’ve come up with something called the Chill Club, which is a fairly large-scale hospitality venue. … We’re very excited about it. “We’ve also partnered with QT, (which) has also been active in (promoting the tournament) in all its retail locations.” The Chill Club tent will be available to fans for $40 for a one-day pass and $95 for a three-day pass, and will include one complimentary beverage and Mellow Mushroom meal. Meanwhile, QT will sponsor a hospitality area of its own dedicated to veterans called the Patriots Outpost. “It’ll be a nice place for (veterans and their families) to rest and relax during the tournament,” Hall said. The Patriots Outpost is one of several initiatives for current service men and
Spectators at this year’s Greater Gwinnett Championship golf tournament at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth will have the option of purchasing tickets to watch the tournament from Mellow Mushroom’s open-air tent. (File Photos)
Professional golfer Miguel Angel Jimenez competes in the second round of the Greater Gwinnett Championship golf tournament at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth.
women and veterans that the tournament is implementing this year. In fact any current active duty personnel in the military, as well as national guard or reserve, can gain free admission for themselves and their immediate families with proper military ID cards. In addition, military personnel will be able to purchase up to two guest tickets to $10 apiece. More information is available on the tournament’s website, greatergwinnettchampionship.com. This year will also feature the tournament’s first Media Day in which tournament organizers will invite many different media outlets from around metro Atlanta and beyond in an attempt to get the word out about the tournament and surrounding events. While Hall is confident all the new features will make this year’s event even more fan friendly, the tournament’s success ulti-
mately comes down to the quality of golf played. And like the first two years of the tournament, some of the top names on the Champions Tour are expected to be among this year’s field. That starts with 2014 champion Miguel Angel Jimenez, who was a big hit with the gallery in winning his Champions Tour debut last year, has already committed to return to TPC at Sugarloaf to defend his title. “Our fear was that since he is (primarily) a European Tour player, he wouldn’t be back,” Hall said of Jimenez. “But he’s already confirmed that he will be back this year.” Other players tentatively scheduled to compete for the title this year include former majors winners Larry Mize, Bob Tway, Sandy Lyle and Bernhard Langer, who was also the winner of the inaugural Greater Gwinnett Championship in 2013.
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2015 • 7D
outlook 2015
An artist rendering is pictured of a 95,000-square-foot building on a 25-acre parcel in Alpharetta that will serve as a new $24 million campus for Gwinnett Technical College set to open in January. (Special Photo)
New Gwinnett Tech Alpharetta campus to meet health care, IT needs By Keith Farner
celebration, originally scheduled in November, is rescheduled for next On a piece of land in month as officials hope for Northern Fulton County, a better weather forecast. construction continues on They will dig shovels into the newest location for is a 25-acre parcel that Gwinnett Technical Colwill eventually be home lege. The area off of Old to a 95,000-square-foot Milton Parkway in Albuilding, the heart of a $24 pharetta will serve as a bit million campus set to open of a homecoming for the in January. school, which previously The campus will start only welcomed students to with about 1,500 students the Lawrenceville campus. and eventually count Gwinnett Tech served 10,000 in three buildings. the area between 1984 and This first campus 2000 before Lanier Techni- building will have three cal College opened. stories for classrooms and A groundbreaking administrative offices. keith.farner @gwinnettdailypost.com
The building will have 35 classrooms, including several “technology enhanced active learning rooms,” seven computer labs, three science labs, a library, bookstore, two 75-seat lecture halls, a “learning success center” and study areas on all three floors, plus offices for advising, financial aid and recruiting. The campus is designed to meet the needs of a previously underserved community, Technical College System officials have said. New Gwinnett Tech President D. Glen Cannon
has said one of his priorities is for the new campus to expand the school’s brand and reach across the north metro Atlanta region. It will allow the school to be a “regional powerhouse” in the Southeast and expand health and IT programs. “Companies are looking for a sustainable qualified workforce and that’s our goal,” Cannon said. “To put people to work.” When Gwinnett Tech’s service area was expanded to include North Fulton County in June 2010, the college indicated its inter-
est for a campus in the area. In 2011, Gwinnett Tech began offering continuing education programs like building operator certification and patient care technician. At the time, more than 250 residents took courses in Gwinnett Tech’s adult education program at the former Milton High School. Its expanded course offerings with adult education, dual enrollment for high school students, a health IT program and soon plans to have a source coding program.
Cannon and officials from the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce have indicated that the needs for the area are IT and health care. That means courses to train lab technicians, and classes in imaging and nursing will be offered. Other course offerings will include early childhood care and education, computer sciences, life sciences, criminal, accounting, business administration technology, basic science, patient care and assisting, and hotel, restaurant and tourism.
GGC sports teams standing on a national stage By Christine Troyke christine.troyke @gwinnettdailypost.com
LAWRENCEVILLE — Last May, propelled into the NAIA world series in just their first season of playoff eligibility, the Georgia Gwinnett College Grizzlies were reminded not to take it for granted. “You don’t know if you’re ever going to get there again,” GGC baseball head coach Brand Stromdahl said. “It’s special and you better enjoy the moment. Hopefully it gives our guys a taste of what we can do again. “We told our guys from the day we won the regional, in that dog pile on the mound, that this is a special opportunity. There are 10 teams that go to the World Series and 200-some odd teams in the country. It’s a special thing. But at the end of the day, that’s our goal.” It was an impressive 2014 for the Grizzlies fledgling athletic program. Six teams in four sports began competing for GGC in 2012-13 and none were playoff eligible that season. Last year, it wasn’t just the baseball team exploding into prominence. Both tennis teams brought home national titles and are off to strong starts in defense of those championships. “I think winning the national championship upped the bar for everybody,” tennis head coach Chase Hodges said. “In a way, it’s made us work harder. Because I think it’s harder to defend a title that win one. We’ll find that out.” The tennis teams were ranked No. 1 in the country in the preseason poll and are looking at a schedule which features matches against NCAA Division I opponents, top-ranked teams in both Division II and Division III as well
the No. 12 overall seed in the national tournament, which allowed the program to host Northwestern Ohio in the opening round. The Racers won the meeting and ultimately advanced to a national semifinal, but the match still signified yet another milestone for the young GGC program. The women’s team was propelled to a third doubledigit win season by a record-breaking offense Paced by the goal-scoring ability of Nikki LeFevre and Grayson grad Mary Vernetti, the Grizzlies tallied a program-record 54 goals over 18 matches on the year, which accounted for the 16th-best per-match mark in the country. An eye-popping 18 different Grizzlies found the back of the net at least once, helping the Green and Gray to a 10-6-2 record and a second straight berth into the AII Georgia Gwinnett’s Alex Roberts (25) delivers a pitch during Friday’s college baseball game against the Blue Moun- championship tournament. In a short period, GGC tain College Toppers at Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville. (Staff Photo: David Welker) has announced its presence on the national stage and the Grizzlies have no intention of dropping the ball now. “I think our expectations are always to win the World Series — whether or not you’re prepared right away,” Stromdahl said. “Last year’s team did an unbelievable job and they just had a huge amount of heart. It wasn’t necessarily talent that rode us through the playoffs. That team bonded. That was the good part about not being eligible that first year. The guys were hungry last The Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team celebrates Thursday’s regional championship win which propelled the year. “The foundation has been Grizzlies into the NAIA World Series. laid. We have to build on as some of the best teams happen again, it’s going to a 2014 which included went 12-3-2 and claimed that and try to exceed those in NAIA. In all, the two be extremely difficult. I do 39 wins, an all-American their second Association expectations. Which is difteams will take on over 20 know, especially with the selection for Cassidy Little- of Independent Institutions ficult to do. Once at you’re opponents that are currently schedule, we can’t overlook field and a postseason berth. title. In so doing, the Grizat the top, sometimes it’s ranked in their respective anybody.” The soccer teams folzlies became the first league harder to stay there than it division. The GGC programs lowed that up with recordteam to successfully defend was to fight your way there “Last year, the men had continue to make a name setting seasons this fall. their crown since Simon in the first place. It’s a great an undefeated season,” for themselves. The softball The men, at one point Fraser in 2010. place to be. I wouldn’t want Hodges said. “If that was to team aims to improve on ranked No. 9 in the country The NAIA awarded GGC it to be any other way.”
8D • SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2015
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outlook 2015
Both Gwinnett Medical Center and Eastside Medical Center are beefing up their operations to give residents — and students — more options locally. (File Photos)
Gwinnett hospitals growing in 2015
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By Joshua Sharpe
joshua.sharpe @gwinnettdailypost.com
Gwinnett County’s hospitals are poised for growth in 2015. Both Gwinnett Medical Center and Eastside Medical Center are beefing up their operations to give residents — and students — more options locally. At GMC, the Lawrenceville-based hospital plans to welcome its first class of five internal medicine residents in late June. More than 1,300 applications came in for those five positions, according to the hospital. Residents will work at Academic Internal Medicine Partners, a new clinic, which opened Jan. 20, and is offering pre-op assessments for patients with complex health issues. Eastside is also starting an 18-week nurse residency program, beginning this month. Twenty-five spots were opened for the first class. Another class will follow in coming months. With new CEO Scott Schmidly and the chief nursing officer, the Snellville hospital has also been putting a general focus on improving nurse moral. GMC administration also recently announced the further expansion of services at its Hamilton Mill campus in Dacula. The location now includes primary care, cardiac and women’s services and
Our mission is to provide quality health services to our community” — Phil Wolfe, president and CEO of GMC
we grow along with the Hamilton Mill community to continually provide convenience and options in medical care.” Notable additions include the GMC Specialty Center, which provides cardiology physician services, cardiac testing and lab services for patients. “Our lives can be so incredibly complex and sometimes medical care can be less of a priority,” Dr. Manfred Sandler, GMC’s medical director of cardiovascular services and cardiologist, said in a statement. “It’s important our community have neighborhood access to experts who treat complex conditions.” Eastside also has bragging rights from recentlyreleased customer satisfaction ratings. In January, the hospital reportedly ranked in the 87th percentile among hospitals nationwide for Gwinnett Medical Center patient Lisa Stauffer, left, undergoes a stress test as Wyly patient satisfaction, acO’Brien, a cardiac specialty tech at GMC’s Hamilton Mill location, observes. (Special cording to Press Ganey Photo) HCAHPS survey results. Hospital officials say this walk-in care in addition to provide quality health and CEO of GMC, said is the first time in the imaging facilities. services to our commuin a statement. “Based on hospital’s history its ever “Our mission is to nity,” Phil Wolfe, president that, it was important that ranked that high.
HCAHPS surveys are administered to a random sample of adult inpatients between 48 hours and six weeks after they leave the hospital. Eastside officials say the feat was in part accomplished by engaging “team members to help us build a culture of service excellence.” “When patients turn to a hospital in times of need, they want to know they will be provided with very good care and will be treated with the utmost respect and compassion,” Stuart Downs, chief nursing officer at Eastside, said in a statement. ”Our team at Eastside understands this and we work daily to make our patients healthy and happy. These results demonstrate our team’s commitment to building a culture of service excellence at Eastside.” GMC recently got a few similar feathers in its proverbial cap. The Lawrenceville location was given a women’s choice award and named the No. 1 “large” hospital in the state by Georgia Trend magazine.
Gwinnett police reaching out to Hispanic community By Joshua Sharpe
joshua.sharpe @gwinnettdailypost.com
Pick a city, any city. Norcross, Duluth, Lilburn, Buford, Peachtree Corners, any of the more than a dozen with land in Gwinnett County. Take a look at these places and the unincorporated areas in between and you’re likely to see a trend in many spots. Immigrants from all over the world — especially the Hispanic world — have made this place their home in numbers that have in turn made Gwinnett synonymous with diversity. According to U.S. Census estimates, 20.4 percent of the county’s population in 2013 was Hispanic, which was more than double the percentage for the state of Georgia as a whole. This, of course, isn’t news to many in the county, and this year will be yet another of work and outreach for organizations like the Gwinnett County Police Department. The police department has for the last few years been using its Crime Free Multi-Housing Program, which aims to limit crime in apartment communities that happen to have large populations of Hispanic immigrants, to create bonds between residents and police.
In this October 2013 file photo, Gwinnett County police Cpl. Chris Deming speaks with an employee of a drive-thru restaurant during a campaign to encourage crime reporting in the Hispanic community.
In 2015, those efforts are continuing and taking more shape. “We are partnering with organizations to provide community outreach and other community information to some of the participating CFMH apartments,” said Cpl. Jake Smith, department spokesman. The program, which has
resulted in large decreases in crime in the Duluth area, is also getting started in Peachtree Corners. This is only the beginning of the department’s efforts. GCPD will also host its second annual multicultural festival in May and is making it a point to reach out more to Spanish-language radio and television stations
to make public service announcements. “These sorts of events aren’t new, but they are important,” said Smith. “Gwinnett has a large Latino community and it’s important for them to be engaged and informed about GCPD.” According to Gwinnett Coalition Executive
Director Ellen Gerstein, the county ended up with such a large population of Hispanic immigrants in part because of the housing boom before the Great Recession. “Our biggest influx was from Mexico and with the construction business when it was at its height,” said Gerstein, whose organization also works to help the
immigrant population. In the past few years, Gerstein said much of the migration to Gwinnett has slowed down due to less construction, but many of those who came to the county for work remain. “We still are one of the most diverse communities in the country and definitely in Georgia,” she said.
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2015 • 9D
outlook 2015
County lists pay increases on list of improvements From Staff Reports
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The $1.42 billion budget approved by the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners for 2015 will facilitate many developments for the county. A new fire station is planned for near Georgia Gwinnett College. The 67-acre Level Creek Park is set to open in Sugar Hill, featuring a multipurpose field complex, walking track, six lighted tennis courts, an “interactive” fountain and more. New staff positions are being created, and enhancements are planned for the county transit service. But when asked about the most notable developments this year, the county put pay increases for employees first in the list. Commissioners approved reinstating a 4 percent step increase for public safety personnel and a 4 percent pay-forperformance pay increase for other county employees who have received positive performance reviews. The programs were disconIn this November 2014 file photo, Gwinnett County Financial Services Director Maria Woods briefs commissioners regarding the 2015 budget tinued during the Great proposal. Recession. Bringing the raises back recruits, lab technicians, or will be very beneficial.” $39,060 and $47,741 per the impact of the increased on morale. marked yet another sign any other county employAyers, who took over his year for certified officers, pay when commissioners “Absolutely our folks of recovery for Gwinnett ees, training is a major post from longtime chief while Gwinnett’s salary of approved. are excited about it,” he and will “help departments investment that we have to Charles Walters in 2014, $38,777 was less competi“I think it’s a good said. “We’re very fortunate recruit and retain quality carefully guard. Funding appealed to officials for tive. start,” he said. “We’ve got and blessed. That helps us employees,” according to performance increases for more money for officers in “The department that a very young department recruit and retain quality the county. employees is one way to September, before being hires or recruits from with the retirements we’ve personnel.” “Employee recruitment help us recruit and keep named the new chief. us basically gets a perhad and with the turnover Rutledge said the and retention continue good employees.” He said GCPD was son or an officer that’s we’ve had. This gives increase, particularly in toto be one of the biggest Gwinnett County Police losing good officers to highly trained, so that new people a chance to grow day’s complicated economconcerns we heard while Chief Butch Ayers has said other departments bedepartment has to spend their lives which I think is ic times, was a “testament” developing the 2015 the latest wage bump is a cause the pay rate offered little or nothing on trainvery good news for us.” to the strong support the budget,” commission step in the right direction. in Gwinnett had fallen ing costs,” he said at the Capt. Tommy Rutledge, county’s talented firefightchairwoman Charlotte “We had to start somebehind the curve. Nearby time. spokesman for the fire ers have from county Nash said. “Whether we’re where to stem the attripolice departments offered Fire Chief Casey Snyder department, said the raises staff, commissioners and JEMC_Challenge_GDP2_Layout 1 2/12/15 12:22 PM Page 1 talking about police or fire tion,” he said. “I think it salaries ranging between was also optimistic about have already had an affect residents.
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10D • SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2015
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