Community
Wolf Creek Pump Station Gets Maintenance Overhaul
Published
3 years agoon
Upsizing the gravity sewer pipes between Simpsonwood Park and Jones Bridge Park
Ask any long-time homeowner about maintenance and you’ll probably hear a groan followed by hours of cautionary tales about leaky roofs, busted pipes or sagging foundations. Ask any municipal government and the to-do list is a thousand times longer.
One of the most noticeable maintenance projects in the metro area is keeping up with waterways and sewage systems.
To that end, Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources has begun upsizing approximately two miles of gravity sewer from 20-inch diameter to 36-inch diameter between Simpsonwood Park and Jones Bridge Park.
According to a press release, the pipeline was installed in the early 1980s and runs parallel to the Chattahoochee River. This sewer upgrade project also includes an expansion to the existing Wolf Creek Pump Station located inside Simpsonwood Park to increase the capacity to serve the recent growth in the area. The pump station improvements consist of land clearing and grading to install a new emergency storage basin, electrical building, and generator.
Although 40 years may not seem such a long time to Generation Xers and those born prior to that era, renovation and modernization is needed to ensure continued reliability, according to GCDWR officials.
“This project will improve the reliability of this regional pump station by installing emergency storage, a new generator, an electrical building, grinders and a surge tank,” said GCDWR Director Tyler Richards during an appearance before the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners last year.
She shared the scope and intended outcome of the project.
“The project will also increase the capacity of the pump station for future growth by installing new larger pumps,” she added.
The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the project in November. It was awarded to Lakeshore Engineering Group LLC in an amount capped at just under $10.5 million.
Unlike neighbors DeKalb and Fulton counties, Gwinnett hasn’t had the high rate of sewer leaks and federal government intervention to mandate projects to eliminate discharging untreated sewage into waterways including the Chattahoochee and South Rivers.
The intent of the project is to increase the firm capacity of the Wolf Creek Pump Station by replacing the existing pumps with new larger pumps. Due to the scope of the project, a large number of trees in the area will be removed. The removal of the trees is required to allow for underground storage. Limited re-planting will commence once the project is complete
The project complies with Chattahoochee River Corridor regulations and is expected to take 18-24 months for the pump station and sewer upgrades. Construction is not anticipated to cause any sewer service disruptions, and the impact to the public is estimated to be minimal.
More information can be found at www.gwinnettwaterprojects.com.
Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) Wreak Havoc on Sewer Systems
Pour bacon grease down the sink followed by a stream of hot water may seem like a good way to get rid of unwanted fats, but it can create bigger problems further down the pipe.
Fats, oils and grease can cause serious problems for the sewer system. Fats derived from meats, cheeses, ice cream and butters; oils including vegetable, canola and olive oils, as well as oil-based salad dressings; and grease melted fat from cooking meats that becomes solid again at room temperature will solidify and cling to the walls of the indoor plumbing, as well as the public sewer pipes outside. Eventually, FOG accumulation can completely block these pipes and cause sewage to backup into homes or overflow from manholes and discharge into local streams. These overflows can cost taxpayers and the city money and pose a serious threat to the environment.
That is why consumers are urged to keep fats, oils and grease from going down the drain.
• Absorb small volumes of liquid food wastes such as milkshakes and sauces with paper towels or newspaper, then dispose of it in the trash.
• Pour used oil and grease into a container with a lid and place it in the trash for disposal.
• Wipe FOG from pots, pans and plates before washing to reduce the amount of residue going down the drain. Remember that hot water and detergents do break up FOG, but it will recombine when temperatures drop in the underground pipes and when the detergent is diluted by rinse water.
Information: www.peachtreecornersga.gov and click on “Stormwater,” in the “Government” tab.
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Arlinda Smith Broady is part of the Boomerang Generation of Blacks that moved back to the South after their ancestors moved North. With approximately three decades of journalism experience (she doesn't look it), she's worked in tiny, minority-based newsrooms to major metropolitans. At every endeavor she brings professionalism, passion, pluck, and the desire to spread the news to the people.
Community
PCBA Awards $3,500 to Georgia Alliance for Breast Cancer
Published
3 days agoon
November 4, 2024The Peachtree Corners Business Association (PCBA) donated a check for $3,500 to the Georgia Alliance for Breast Cancer at their October Business After Hours event. The organization was selected by the PCBA Community Outreach Committee and board, who are dedicated to identifying and selecting charities whose mission aligns with supporting the community.
Georgia Alliance for Breast Cancer — formerly It’s the Journey — is a registered 501c3 non-profit that supports Georgia’s breast cancer community by raising funds for breast health and breast cancer programs throughout the state.
Since 2002, the organization’s Georgia 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer has raised over $19 million to fund 554 grants that provide breast cancer education, screening, early detection, support services and continuing care for Georgians. Their mission is to engage with Georgia’s breast cancer community to increase access to care and reduce disparities in cancer outcomes.
“Since [our] donations are made possible through our members and sponsorships, we wanted to award this check at our recent PCBA Business After Hours Speaker’s event, allowing our members the opportunity to celebrate with us and learn how this organization supports our community” said Lisa Proctor, PCBA president. “This check represents the first of three charities we raised money for at our annual charity event, Tailgates and Touchdowns, in August of this year. We will be awarding a check to the Neighborhood Cooperative Ministries in November and Spectrum Autism Support Group in December.”
Supporting the community
“We are so proud of our continued commitment to supporting our community,” Proctor continued. “The PCBA has donated over $162,000 to local deserving charities and awarded 19 scholarships to outstanding graduating high school seniors in our metro Atlanta community since the inception of our community outreach program in 2013.”
Funds for the PCBA Community Outreach program are raised throughout the year from PCBA memberships, sponsorships and an annual charity event. Donations and scholarships are awarded during monthly events so that members have the opportunity to learn more about the selected organizations.
For more information about the Peachtree Corners Business Association, visit peachtreecornersba.com.
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Community
Peachtree Corners Dedicates Memorial Garden to its First Lady
Published
1 week agoon
October 29, 2024Although Debbie Mason, the first First Lady of Peachtree Corners passed away in January 2023 just shy of her 72nd birthday, she left a lasting legacy on the community.
Her obituary summed up her attributes beautifully.
“If Debbie Mason believed in a cause, she could be counted on to work toward it tirelessly. Debbie was known to her family as a full-time mom, part-time Wonder Woman and occasional miracle worker. To her friends and community, she was a professional volunteer, fearless leader and perpetual truthteller.
Before starting her family, she worked as a legal secretary, where she began honing her exceptional organizational skills and trademark charisma, which made her the most formidable fundraiser. PTSA president, Scout den leader, drama club mom, sports team mom, volunteer organizer, teen-driving advocate, recycling and beautification champion — whatever her kids were involved in or called to her heart, she made it a priority.
A consummate ‘mover and shaker,’ there was little in her sphere of influence that didn’t receive a bit of ‘the Debbie Mason touch.’ She and Mike were founders of the Fox Hill Homeowner’s Association, where she worked to build community on the street she called home for 36 years. Hanging holiday decorations, throwing her annual Halloween party and even going door-to-door gathering signatures to have sewers installed in the neighborhood, Debbie spent so much of her time and energy in service of others.”
A loving memorial
At a memorial service in her honor, several members of the community stood around brainstorming a way to truly respect the impact she had on those around her.
“There were a group of us that just kept talking to each other and saying, what else can we do?” said Lynette Howard. “Debbie inspired us. She did so many things for us, and she gave up great things to the city. And the city was something that she just … it was her pride and joy, and she wanted to make sure that everybody was embraced and hugged in this city.”
A public garden in Debbie Mason’s name was born from that discussion. And a little less than two years later, a dedication was held on Saturday, October 24 to commemorate the Debbie Mason Memorial Garden.
Her obituary went on to include her love of gardening and the outdoors.
“To nurture was her nature; she loved to look after her home and garden. Visitors often commented on how warm and welcoming the house made them feel and how beautifully decorated it was. She was an artist, viewing the backyard garden as her canvas and the flowers, plants and pots as her paints. Working in the garden restored her soul; it was her special place. She was brilliant, an independent thinker, honest, direct and utterly unique. There will never be another one like her.”
A legacy that will live on
As in life, her kindness, dedication and joy will live on.
“With the opening of this garden today, she will leave an imprint that will be enjoyed by Peachtree Corners citizens for generations to come,” said Dave Huffman during the ceremony.
Debbie inspired those around her to make a positive impact on the city, as seen in the garden project. The Debbie Mason Memorial Garden Committee: Bob Ballagh, Pat Bruschini, Lynette Howard, Dave Huffman, Sarah Roberts, Gay Shook and Robyn Unger worked together to answer questions, prioritize goals and honor Debbie’s legacy.
To ensure the garden design and features aligned with Debbie’s passions and the community’s input, the committee thought about things the garden shouldn’t be: hectic, feeling noisy, unkempt, sad, forgotten, without a purpose, ostentatious, gaudy, overdone, devoid of interactive things.
“Did we accomplish it?” Howard asked the crowd during the ceremony.
The thunderous applause proved that Debbie would have approved.
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Community
PTC Arts Inc. Furthers Mission to Provide Accessible Art
Published
2 weeks agoon
October 23, 2024Not long after the incorporation of Peachtree Corners in 2012, city leaders envisioned an arts council that would ensure local arts and culture were given necessary attention. The Peachtree Corners Arts Council, now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, was established in 2016 to bring that vision to life by creating an Arts & Culture Master Plan and Public Art Initiative program for the city.
The council facilitates public art projects, such as a soon-to-be-completed mural on Peachtree Corners Circle by artist Jonathan Bidwell. With another major endeavor, the independently funded Debbie Mason Memorial Garden, also nearing completion, Peachtree Corners Magazine caught up with the organization — now called Peachtree Corners Arts Inc. (PTC Arts) — to learn more about the projects as well as the future of arts and culture in our city.
Debbie Mason Memorial Garden
The Debbie Mason Memorial Garden is an aesthetic and contemplative garden space nestled in an area of the Peachtree Corners Botanical Garden near Town Center. A group of Peachtree Corners residents, with a shared love for the city’s first first lady and an appreciation for all that she has done for the city, formed the Debbie Mason Memorial Committee (DMMC) to raise funds to build the oasis that will delight with flowering color each season.
The goal of the DMMC is to preserve Mason’s memory by transforming a space that will offer Peachtree Corners residents a quiet place to reflect, connect and rejuvenate among vibrant colored seasonal plantings and mosaic tiled artwork, according to the PTC Arts website.
Although the Debbie Mason Memorial Garden falls under the umbrella of PTC Arts Inc., it had its own committee in charge of design and fundraising goals.
“When they started getting going, because they were creating an artistic kind of installation in the city and were going to raise the funds for it, they worked with our council for ideas and input on the plan that they ultimately came up with,” said Marcia Catterall, a member of PTC Arts. “They really ran independently with that. Primarily, they used us as the nonprofit vehicle to raise the funds.”
Independent of PTC Arts, DMMC created all of its own publicity and had a committee tasked with handling all of the fundraising.
Building a master plan
Although the objective of PTC Arts Inc. is simple, the execution can be complicated.
“We had our hands in numerous things,” said Catterall. “We’ve created the city’s arts and culture master plan. We created a public art initiative. Our goal was to think about all of the ways that arts and cultural activities could impact the city and then to help facilitate the creation and the installation of arts and culture in the city.”
The initiative, along with the master plan, took up the first several years of the council’s efforts. The master plan was formalized and officially adopted in 2018.
According to city records, “The resolution requires developers to meet with the Peachtree Corners Arts Council to discuss possibilities for public art on their property. Developers would also be asked to voluntarily set aside one percent of their project costs for public art, either by including public art on their site or contributing money to a public art fund administered by the city.”
“This Public Art Initiative and Vision Map is intended to help city officials, developers and the community at large visualize and implement the city’s public art future. It outlines a vision for public art, offers an inventory of opportunities for public art throughout the city and provides background on the types of projects that should be encouraged and prioritized,” the records continued.
Early efforts of the council included designing activities for the Town Green and facilitating the use of public spaces for a variety of arts and cultural activities.
“One of the things that we helped with initially was designing some of the activities and talking about how to host activities on the Town Green,” said Catterall. “Now that’s all handled separately by the city, but we were sort of the sounding board and created a lot of the ideas and the thoughts about how Town Green was to be used.”
The mural project and what’s ahead
The first big art installation project initiated from beginning to end by the council is a mural on the retaining wall at Peachtree Corners Circle.
“That’s going to be our first big project that we’ve started — soup to nuts — and have run with completely on our own,” said Catterall.
Jonathan Bidwell, a well-known artist out of Asheville, North Carolina is creating the mural, having designed several others in the past.
“He designed, for example, the playful foxes on the Social Fox Brewing Company in downtown Norcross,” she said. “He’ll be covering the big, long retaining wall that will border part of the Botanical Garden Walk around the Town Center area. And it will actually be near the Debbie Mason Memorial Garden.”
Funding for the mural project was covered partly through business donations.
“Part of our arts and culture master plan is to ask businesses, when they either develop or open up a new business, to donate 1% of their project value towards public art on their property or to give that to us,” Catterall said. “So, this is being funded mostly through the donation from QuickTrip’s new development.”
Since the company didn’t have a particular art installation in mind for its property, it allowed the money to go toward an effort elsewhere in the city.
The mural’s background colors were scheduled to be painted by the end of September with the remaining details to be completed by late October, in time for the ribbon cutting for the Debbie Mason Garden. That event is set for 11 a.m. on October 26.
For more information about Peachtree Corners Arts Inc., the mural or the Debbie Mason Memorial Garden, visit ptcarts.org.
You can read this article in the October/November issue of Peachtree Corners Magazine.
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