On Feb. 2 the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville entertained numerous guests who came to hear a report from Chairman of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners, Charlotte Nash.  She first reported on the  $1.5 billion annual  budget.  One billion goes for operating , and SPLOST funding covers capital expenditures.  This year they are funding the new Fire Station #31 at Russell Road.  She explained that EMS calls account for 75% of the fire station calls and that firemen are all cross-trained as EMS providers and firefighters.  She commented on tax revenue flow, commenting that even during the downturn there were some increased demands for things such as transporting young offenders to other counties.  Population has continued to grow in the past five years and there are now over 880,000 people in the county.  As for the State Legislature, she maintained Gwinnett County is well-represented there.  She reported on SPLOST income and spending, saying the Commissioners try to be creative and look for different ways to meet the transportation needs of the county.  After fielding questions from the audience, she received applause for her good work for Gwinnett’s citizens.

Visiting the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville at their noon meeting on January 26 to talk about Creative Enterprises were Karl Heisman and Leigh McIntosh.  Karl is on the Board of Directors and Leigh is Executive Director.  Creative Enterprises assists individuals with disabilities in developing an optimum level of social, vocational, and economic independence in their community.  Karl showed a video which gave an overview of the activities available for their 145 clients on their six-building campus.  Activities are directed toward training, job placement, and lifelong learning. Karl described the multiple services provided, including a Workshop, Greenhouse, Day Habilitation, Art House, Thrift Store, Job Placement services, and classes.  They are currently developing an equestrian program and a weather station.  Leigh told of their recent Best Non-Profit Award from the Chamber of Commerce and of several grants obtained for building and parking lot repairs.  Information is available at www.ceisite.com.

On January 19 the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville made a site visit to the F. Wayne Hill Water Treatment Facility in Buford. Jeff Boss, Rotarian and Deputy Director of Facilities of the Gwinnett County Water Resources Department, presented an introductory slide show and then took the group on a guided tour of the facility.  The group learned how waste water enters, how it is treated biologically and chemically, and how much of it is returned to its source, Lake Lanier, as clean water.  The F. Wayne Hill facility, with the world’s largest membrane and ozone facility, is a center for research in reclamation practices and far ahead of EPA standards. Gwinnett County natives should be proud of the cutting edge practices and conservation efforts at the plant.  They produce 30% of their own electricity using the methane generated there, provide special disposal facilities for fats, oil, and grease (FOG), and through conservation efforts have effected a steady decline in the use of water per day over the last decades, despite increased population growth.  An important goal for them is to get regulation passed to get full credit for the water returned to Lake Lanier.

Nathan Powell of the firm Webb, Tanner, Powell and Wilson discussed estate planning issues at the January 12 meeting of the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville. He opened with an entertaining analogy from the Forest Gump movie and proceeded to define “an estate plan.” It has three basic elements: a health care directive, a financial power of attorney or trust, and a will. He emphasized that even if an individual feels he doesn’t have much, there is still need for estate planning to facilitate decisions by the people he cares about. A plan can deliver a message, clarify whether he wants to be buried or cremated, show how he wants his property divided, and name an executor. He presented the interesting statistic that Baby Boomers will pass along $30 trillion to the next generation. He discussed the legal repercussions of having no will and encouraged members to plan ahead to ease the decision-making process for those who depend on them.