Its the little things...

I hate it when people point fingers and complain about things, yet they do nothing about correcting it or even offer solutions. Yet, for the most part, that’s exactly what I did in my last article. I said this is the problem, that’s a problem, but didn’t go so far as to offer any real solutions to the problems within the community.

I’ve always been impressed with the little things in life. A lot of us are, and don’t realize just how much we can and do appreciate them. Shirley Franklin, mayor of the city of Atlanta, taught us that the little things add up big. When she took over the city as mayor, she started small by promising to patch all the pot holes in the Atlanta streets, even if she had to go out and do it herself. Southwest Gwinnett would do well to follow that same rule of thumb. There are plenty of things that they can organize the community to do that would make immediate impact with little to no funding.

Gwinnett Village (aka Southwest Gwinnett Community Improvement District) has already done a great job of obtaining support of over 500 business owners in the area, essentially creating a committee of business owners in the area. The next step is to contact all of the Home Owners Associations within the area and begin the formation of a Gwinnett Village Homeowners Committee. This committee will elect one individual to serve on the Board of Directors for the Gwinnett Village. That is how they will begin to draw support from homeowners and add to their already impressive support from business owners.

Next step, communication, communication, communication. This is the easiest of probably of all the steps. Once they have identified and established a relationship with their audience, they must keep their attention. First thing they need to set up is an email newsletter, or even a blog or both. A newsletter should go out atleast once a month. A blog should be updated a minimum of once a week. Once every quarter, the Board of Directors should meet with each committee separately. On the last Saturday at the end of every quarter, there should be a town hall meeting of the entire community, citizens and business owners alike. This meeting will detail business matters, quarterly progress, and tasks yet to be completed by years end.

Now its time for more action and less talking. Its time to actually have something to show for. The trash has to go. Most of it is just pieces of paper, cups, and cigarette butts. All across the area there are groups that have adopted either a highway, or stretch of road. Churches, civic groups, boy/girl scouts have adopted roads in the past Encourage them and more to do the same. Maybe even hold a contest to see who has managed to keep their adopted area in the best of shape. Reward them. Name them in the newsletters. Maybe even a business owner in the area will step up and donate a prize for the monthly or quarterly winner. Another option would be to encourage the courts to use as penalties clean up and other projects the Gwinnett Village has targeted around the area for those convicted of minor crimes. Repaint the faded yellow and white lines on the streets. Fill pot holes. Paint street lights, and any other similar public structure. Pressure wash the medians and sidewalks.

Add greenery and color. Engage the local gardening club to spruce up some weed ridden and unsightly areas with low maintenance plants and flowers. There is a major home improvement retailer within the confines of Gwinnett Village, I am betting they would love to use this as a marketing opportunity in exchange for such greenery and supplies. If there is not such a gardening club, well this is an excellent opportunity to organize one.

These are examples of the kinds of small things that combined can make a huge immediate impact. More importantly, these are the kinds of things the community can come and do together allowing the Gwinnett Village to put more attention to the bigger issues the region is faced with. It allows the community to actively participate in making a difference. Hopefully that difference leads to the biggest needed change of all. Attitudes. All the cosmetic changes that are planned may be for nothing if we neglect and fail to change attitudes and instill a sense of pride.

SW Gwinnett: Portrait of an Identity Crisis

I consider myself a freshman citizen of this community, only having lived here for a year and a half now. I went on the path to buying a home that was a little rough around the edges and would inspire my imagination, and located in a bustling but charming community. Instead, I feel as if I got just the opposite, a home that really all it needs is some basic updating, and a community that’s rough around the edges and loaded with possibility. I’ve lived in other areas of Metro Atlanta from Stone Mountain/Decatur to Midtown and Roswell to Acworth. These areas of have their own issues to deal with, but they also had some semblance of pride and a community. So far I have not seen that since moving to SW Gwinnett. I drive around town and see homes and buildings in disrepair, trash along the streets and just pure apathy and irresponsibility. When someone drives up 85 or on any of the surface streets what impression do you think people have? Is that the impression you want them to have? Are we a business community? The stereotypical small town American community? The smallest international city? Just a ‘suburb of Atlanta’?

The answer is we are all of those things and more. The problem is there is no tie that binds our community together. Operations like the Southwest Gwinnett Community Improvement District and the Gwinnett County’s Operation Broken Window are attempting to breathe a new life in our community and launch our community into the future. Those operations may have a good start, but it is not enough. They have a larger problem to deal with if they cannot rally the community together and define its identity. The SWGCID must do more to reach out to homeowners more and gain their support, and more importantly involvement, just as they have begun to do with the business community. The county made a great step with Operation Broken Window, but now it is time they put their foot down and say enough is enough. The county needs to be more proactive enforcing existing building code and occupancy violations

This community is not a lost cause. It can be revitalized and reinvented. We are the Gateway to Gwinnett. We should be the mold by which all others envy and follow. Grant Park, East Point and College Park are prime examples it can be done. But it cannot do so without a sense of pride and development of community from its citizens and businesses working together.

So now I offer this challenge to the entire community to answer and act on this next question:

What are you going to do to affect change and help our community define its personality and identity?

Lets answer this question – together. Show me that I was right to believe this community has the potential I saw when I chose it as my home. We are bound to reap the rewards when we do.

SCHMASCAR!

Why are we trying to bring that stupid NASCAR museum here so badly? Dont we have enough rednecks to deal with around here? Certainly the $102 Million can be put to better use... like ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh transportation and the sewer system? I dont see that museum being THAT big of a draw or THAT much help to Atlanta.

Casinos... now thats the way to go! Im officially taking up a "Lets Bring Casino's To Atlanta / Support Rob Pitts - Fund" collection. Who's with me? They would do two wondeful things for Atlanta - boost convention business again........... and tourism. Both very high goals for ACVB.