April, 2007

A Note from Mike

Hello, Everyone:

With Spring Break just around the corner, I am getting my April newsletter out just a few days early. I hope you don't mind, but there are plenty of things happening in the district, and I wanted to make sure you knew about them.

The county achieved one of my primary goals for this year, consolidating and improving the Quality of Life unit. This unit, which used to be parts of several county departments, is now headquartered on Oakbrook Parkway in Norcross. This will make it much easier to have a coordinated effort in fighting blight within the county.

While much of the Quality of Life Unit's initial efforts have been in the southwest corner of the county, I am interested in learning how you think it could be used to improve conditions in District 3. I'll be providing an update on this, and asking for your opinions during my 'Tour of Neighborhoods', which will continue through April. You can see the schedule below. I hope to see you there, or if you can't make it, at one of my Meetings with Mike on the second Saturday of each month.

You can also contact me by email at mike.beaudreau@gwinnettcounty.com, or call my office at 770-822-7003. I hope to hear from you soon.

Mike

Mike Launches His Tour of Neighborhoods

Commissioner Mike Beaudreau has begun his Spring Tour of Neighborhoods, an opportunity for District 3 residents to meet with Mike and share ideas about the county. Mike will be providing updates on the county's Quality of Life unit, and will discuss county projects of interest to the neighborhood.

The first meeting was Monday in Grayson. The remaining schedule includes:

Thursday, March 29 Five Forks Library 2780 Five Forks Trickum Road, Lawrenceville, GA Thursday, April 12 Mountain Park Activity Building 1063 Rockbridge Road, Stone Mountain, GA Thursday, April 19 Snellville City Hall 2342 Oak Road, Snellville, GA Monday, April 23 Dacula Park Activity Building 2735 Old Auburn Road, Dacula, GA Monday, April 30 Centerville Community Center 3025 Bethany Church Road, Snellville, GA

Mike congratulates winners of the 2006 Miss Dacula Pageant at the County Commission meeting on March 27th

Some sources reported in error that this week's meeting at Five Forks Library would be on Friday. The meeting will be Thursday.

The meetings begin at 7:00 PM, and will run until about 8:30 PM. You don't need to RSVP, and can come and go as it is convenient for you.

Annexation Bill Moves Forward

A bill that would give counties more say in the annexation of county land by a city was passed by a vote of 156-14 in the Georgia House, and is now under consideration by the State Senate. Commissioner Beaudreau has been a strong supporter of the bill, which would allow a contested zoning to go to binding arbitration.

"This bill is especially important to residents of large counties like Gwinnett, where the county provides the bulk of services to residents." Commissioner Beaudreau said. "Annexations cost county taxpayers money when services have to be provided to residents of the typically higher density zoned areas within the cities. This bill also respects the property rights of landowners adjacent to the proposed annexation".

To learn more about this issue, and how it can affect you, read the guest editorial Mike wrote recently for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The bill is must be approved by the Senate before the legislature adjourns later this Spring. You are encouraged to support the bill by contacting your senator, and letting him or her know you want the bill to pass.

Highway 78 Commuter Bus Service

Experimental commuter bus service operated by GRTA will start April 2nd between the Hewatt Road Park & Ride Lot on US 78 and downtown Atlanta. In the near future, an additional Park & Ride lot will be added at the First Baptist Church of Snellville.

Over 350 people completed the survey on Mike's website asking for opinions on commuter bus service. Their feedback helped Commissioner Beaudreau negotiate with GRTA and the Gwinnett DOT on how the service will work, and what may happen with transit in the future. If you haven't completed the survey yet, you can still participate here.

There are several key points to keep in mind about the Xpress commuter service:

• Mike did not want and does not support bus service in the Snellville area. The legal agreement with GRTA to begin Xpress service was made by the prior Board of Commissioners, and could not be stopped.
• The service is experimental. There will be a 90 day trial period, after which ridership and expenses will be analyzed to determine if there is sufficient interest to continue service. Mike will be paying close attention to the number of riders and any issues that come up. GRTA's normal trial period is two years. Mike insisted on a maximum 90 day trial.
• This is express bus service carrying Gwinnett commuters to and from Atlanta. It will not be used to bring people from Atlanta to Gwinnett (except, of course, to bring our residents home from work).
• This is not local bus service. Commissioner Beaudreau has been guaranteed by the DOT and members of the Transit Advisory Board that there will be no local service in District 3.
• This is not an attempt to allow MARTA into Gwinnett County. MARTA will not come into Gwinnett without voter approval.

The survey results showed that many District 3 residents would like additional options for getting to work, but that not everyone works in downtown Atlanta. There were requests for service to the Emory/Clifton Road corridor, midtown, the Perimeter Center area, and other locations.

However, because of differing work hours, and the large number of destinations, traditional bus service may not be the best option. Already, there are several van pools carrying Gwinnett riders to the Emory area, Cumberland Mall, and Perimeter Center. You can view a list of them here.

Mike would like to explore the use of van pools as an option for Gwinnett commuters, and will be pressing GRTA to consider this as an alternative to bus service downtown.

Grand Openings and Groundbreakings

While there were no grand openings of county facilities since the first of the year, that doesn't mean that the county wasn't working on or planning projects that will affect District 3 residents. Brookwood area residents have probably noticed the sidewalks and storm drains going in along Oak Road between Gwin Oaks Elementary and Five Forks Trickum Road.

Construction is more than 12% complete on the widening of Grayson Highway between Plantation Boulevard and Ozora Road. The project is expected to be complete in August, 2008. You can follow the progress of construction on the Georgia DOT Website.

The final property acquisitions along US 78 are complete, and the state will award the contract for widening the highway this month. Construction will begin this summer on the Park Place end of 78, and proceed east toward Snellville.

Design work has begun at the Freeman's Mill park site on Alcovy Road between Dacula and Lawrenceville. The 12 acre site will have a playground and a paved trail, in addition to the preserved mill, which was built just after the Civil War.

The next two projects show the benefits that can arise when the county works together with its cities, Community Improvement Districts, and Homeowners Associations to come up with a better result than what would have happened otherwise.

Snellville residents will enjoy an improved intersection at Wisteria Drive and North Road, including new traffic signals with decorative masts and pedestrian improvements in the area. This is a joint project of the City of Snellville and the county.

Fencing around Lake Lucerne was built with wrought iron instead of chain link, as part of a project to add sidewalks and improve traffic flow on Lake Lucerne Road between Five Forks Trickum and US 78. This upgrade was accomplished with the aid of the Evermore Community Improvement District and the Lake Lucerne Estates Civic Club.

Meetings with Mike Spring Schedule

If you have a have a question about or an issue with the county or its government, you are welcome to share it with Mike at one of the popular "Meetings With Mike", held once a month on Saturdays. Over 300 people have stopped by to have a private discussion with the commissioner.

In April, Meetings with Mike will be held on Saturday the 14th from 10 AM until Noon at his office on the second floor of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center on Langley Drive in Lawrenceville. Mike will also meet with residents on May 12th and June 9th.

Meetings don't require appointments, and are first-come first served.

Note: Dates for Meetings with Mike may change. Check www.MikeBeaudreau.com for late revisions.

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