Lasseter's in the Loop Happenings

First things first, I hope you all had a wonderful summer and are getting back into the swing of things with the start of school. (I know you parents are happy.)

I am so excited to tell you about a long time in waiting, but well deserved and wonderful ceremony that we have planned for downtown Duluth on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. We will be unveiling the Living Honorarium, a monument dedicated to everyday heroes in the military, fire, and police forces who dedicate their lives to protecting and serving the American public.

The ceremony will take place starting at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11, on the Duluth Town Green located at 3142 Hill St. The event is free to the public and will include special music, keynote speakers, and the presentation of a commemorative coin as well as the official unveiling. All fire, police and military are invited as our special guests. Any questions, just give me a call.

In other important news, the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners voted on Aug. 2 to lower the millage rate for property taxes in unincorporated Gwinnett from 13.25 to 13.02. One mill is a penny tax per thousand dollars of assessed value. And since many assessments have fallen since the recession began, a lot of folks will have even lower taxes. The property tax bills will be mailed by Sept. 15, and
payments are due in a single installment by Nov. 15. We are working to get back to having two separate installments but glitches proved we were unable to do this year.

Last month, the Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a new land policy acquisition policy. The new policy is eight pages instead of one, and it covers ethics requirement's, duties of staff and commissioners, and requires 17-point written reports. Any proposed acquisition must tie into an existing master plan or other documented need with verification of the source and the amount of funding budgeted for the purchase.

The policy includes procedures for handling land donations, condemnation proceedings, and small purchases like easements and rights-of-way. County land purchases range from a few feet of right-of-way for a road or a water line up to a large tract to use as a park or to preserve as undeveloped greenspace. Finally, the Gwinnett Grand Jury will get a routine summary report of major land acquisitions.

There will be lots of construction activity in the Gwinnett Place area starting this fall. We have approved new traffic-management cameras on Pleasant Hill Road from Lawrenceville Highway to Buford Highway. They’ll allow remote control signal adjustments from our Traffic Control Center. This is a really a neat addition to help out the drivers. These are not red light cameras that catch drivers running red lights, so throw those fears out the windows.

Pleasant Hill Road from Satellite Boulevard to I-85 will get new sidewalks, curb and gutter, lighting, seating, signage and landscaping. A future project will extend the streetscaping to Breckinridge Boulevard. The Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District is spearheading this effort.

Work on shoulder improvements on both sides of Club Drive will begin in a few months from Pleasant Hill Road to Club Drive Park on the south side and to Fairway Oaks Drive on the north side. The project will increase safety by providing continuous sidewalks and curb and gutter from Pleasant Hill Road to Club Drive Park that conform to requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

But perhaps most exciting is the new diverging-diamond interchange at Pleasant Hill Road and I-85. Using the existing bridge structure, the new concept will switch traffic to the “wrong” side of the road to allow free-flowing left turns from the bridge onto the interstate. Planners expect a 40 percent reduction in traffic congestion and fewer accidents when the new interchange opens next summer. Now I know this may sound quirky at first but it is tried and true and has worked successfully in many other large counties and cities throughout the United States.

The McGinnis Ferry Road extension over I-85 to Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road will be complete by the end of September. If we keep pushing we will make it to 316 in my lifetime.

Stay cool as much as you can. This heat can be very dangerous. Otherwise enjoy life 'til the next time we chat.
 
Please don’t hesitate to contact me at 770-822-7000 or shirley.lasseter@gwinnettcounty.com if there’s anything I can do for you.