Newsletter of the Settles Bridge Homeowner’s Association, Inc.
Post Office Box 837 Suwanee, GA 30024
Any of you who have come into our subdivision at night from Peachtree Industrial have probably been partially blinded by the amber light shining up from the ground at the front entrance. This is what is left of a streetlight that was put there about two years ago.
The poles of these lights are made of fiberglass, and this particular pole was hit by Gwinnett County construction crews during the road renovation project. This caused a crack near the base, and on January 4, 2000 high winds simply blew it over. Georgia Power is responsible for replacing the lamp, but as of yet we don't know when that will take place. We called the City of Suwanee, and they have contacted the power company and a crew should be out soon to make the repair. Until then, please keep children away.
We sent our "camera crew" out to take pictures of the decorations in our neighborhood. As those of you who rode down the streets knew there were many good decorations. We had to pick a winner, though, and so we did. Here is the house of Chip and Krista Giblin, 4570 Settles Point Road.
I am very excited to report to you that your city council and staff has been working over the past six months on an "Alternative Transportation Plan". Approximately seven miles of new sidewalks, eleven miles of walking-biking paths and extensions of the Richard Trice Trail will be built over the next several years. The cost for this project will exceed one million dollars. However, don't panic. The vast majority of this money is coming from federal and local grants.
Streets that have been approved for sidewalks are as follows: portions of Buford Highway, Lawrenceville-Suwanee Rd., McGinnis Ferry Rd., Moore Rd., portions of Old Town, Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Settles Bridge Rd., Smithtown Rd, Stonecypher Rd., Suwanee Creek Rd., and Westbrook Rd.
Extensions of the Richard Trice Trail will go from Martins Farm Rd. to McGinnis Ferry Rd., continuing to Buford Hwy. Also, signs will be put in strategic locations, telling people how to get to various sections of the trail.
Those of you interested in seeing the actual plan can drop by city hall and take a look. Talk to you next month.
We would like to welcome Katie and Todd Naughton to our neighborhood and also as new members of Settles Bridge Homeowners Assoc. Katie and Todd moved to our neighborhood in November and now reside at 4575 Settles Point Road. Their home telephone number is 770-932-7827.
My hobby interests and Engineering management profession force me to subscribe to a number of technical journals and papers filled with late breaking news about various technology advancements and situations. My thought here is to share some of the more interesting technical conversational tidbits each time we assemble the Settles Bridge Sentinel.
Coca Cola Co. recently announced that they are experimenting with vending machines that could automatically raise the price of a can of soda as the air temperature increases! People drink more soft drinks as the weather gets hotter so the profit margin realized by Coke (or the machine's owner) will be greater. There are already soda vending machines from other companies installed throughout the U.S. that have the intelligence to automatically telephone into a pre-assigned local distribution office and ask that they be re-stocked when their supplies are low.
The "Dick Tracy" watch will soon be with us. As cell phones and pagers get smaller and smaller check out this recent announcement from Switzerland.
Swatch Telecom is now preparing to market the "SwatchTalk" wireless wristwatch and cell phone. The watch rings when a call comes in and you push a button on the face to talk. The price will be around $350. The watch won the Best Technology Award recently at the world's largest electronic trade show, CeBIT, held annually in Hanover, Germany. For info on this little puppy, checkout www.swatch.com on the Internet.
And finally, how many of you did some or all of your Christmas shopping from the Internet this year? Well, research firm Dataquest said it expected online holiday sales to surpass 12.2 Billion U.S. dollars! That's three times that of 1998 holiday sales. Dataquest said that 70% of the world's electronic commerce revenue comes from the United States.
Next month we will report on a new web site by the American Bar Association that gives tips on avoiding cyber-shopping rip-offs and have a discussion on Direct Broadcast Satellite TV verses Cable TV
Attached as the last page of this newsletter is an addendum sheet with some updates for your Settles Bridge directory. It is page number 1 of your directory that was distributed in November. Simply replace your previous page 1 with this one.
This month, we are very pleased to start a (hopefully) monthly section from the Police Chief of Suwanee, Chief Michael S. Jones. He will be writing a few paragraphs about items of interest to our subdivision residents.
I would like to share with all of you some great news for the Suwanee Police Department. On January 9, 2000, the Suwanee Police Department will receive an award recognizing our department has a State Certified Agency. There are only around 40 agencies that have met the 104 standards to receive Certification Status. We are all happy and proud to be a State Certified agency. In January look close on the side of the patrol cars near the driver's door. You will see the State Certification Seal that signifies us as a certified agency. (The seal will replace the Falcon that has traditionally been on the patrol cars for many years.)
To view the agencies that are State Certified in Georgia, go to the Georgia Chiefs Association web page at http://www.gachiefs.com. Click on GACP Services, Click on Law Enforcement Program, then click on the certification seal.
I hope all of you have a Happy New Year and I look forward to working with you.
Chief Michael S. Jones Suwanee Police Department
Are you tired of walking into the house at night to a barrage of telemarketing phone calls from companies trying to sell you everything under the sun? If so, the Georgia Public Service Commission has something that may help you. You can now place your telephone number on a list of numbers that merchants and telemarketers are prohibited from calling to solicit business for goods and services. Pursuant to legislation passed by the General Assembly in 1998, telephone solicitors are prohibited from placing a sales call to any number that appears on the "No Call " list.
This 1998 legislation requires telephone solicitors to a telemarketing no-call list. This law applies to calls being made to Georgians from inside or outside of Georgia. And, there is a violation reporting process to put some "teeth" into this. Telemarketers that do call someone on the no-call list can be subjected to a $2,000 fine per call. Telephone solicitors are required to obtain quarterly updates of new registrants to the list.
Each telephone number you register on the list will cost $5.00 and will stay on the list for a period of 2 years. You will receive a notice of renewal when the time comes. Be aware that registration on the Georgia No Call List does not limit calls from businesses that have a previous or current relationship with the customer, recognized charitable or religious organizations, or political pollsters or candidates for public office.
The list is updated quarterly which means there may be a time lag from the time you register until your number is published on an updated list. The deadline to become registered on the April - June update is for Feb. 1st.
This may not end all of the bothersome calls you receive, but it may greatly reduce them for only $2.50 per year ! For more info and to receive a registration form access the web site at http://www.ganocall.com. And by the way, the address listed for you to mail your form to on the registration form is incorrect. The correct address is P.O. Box "A", Americas, GA, 31709.
On Tuesday, February 8, from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM, Suwanee will hold the initial planning step in the "Old Town" Revitalization Effort. Held at North Gwinnett High School, in the Commons Area (Cafeteria), all community members are welcome, and Dinner/Sandwiches will be provided.
Representatives form the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) will be facilitating the process that is designed to identify the issues related to the revitalization of "Old Town" as seen by the citizens/community. They will also discuss the formation of the four main committees for the Better Hometown Program:
Organization: Provides a forum for many different groups to work together for the shared goal of a vital city center.
Design: Promotes rehabilitation of existing buildings and works to create an attractive and pedestrian-friendly downtown.
Economic Restructuring: Enhances the existing business mix of downtown through retention, expansion and recruitment.
Promotion: Works to make downtown the center of activity through events, image building and cooperative marketing.
This is a one-time meeting. Please R.S.V.P. to Denise Brinson at 770-945-8996 (ext. 232) or e-mail her at denise@suwanee.com by Feb 4. She will also be happy to answer any questions about the meeting.
The big event this month comes on the night of January 20th, when we will experience a total eclipse of the moon. A lunar eclipse can only occur during a full moon, and is always an event worth watching. While not as dramatic as a solar eclipse, it is much easier to watch - no special eye protection is required - and it lasts much longer. The eclipse starts at 10:01 PM, when the moon slides into the umbra of the earth's shadow. This shadow will continue to grow until 11:04 PM, when the eclipse has reached what is known as totality (the entire moon is in shadow), which will last for 1 hour and 18 minutes.
The moon will not ever completely disappear, but it should go through some very interesting color changes. Let's just hope that the sky is clear enough to enjoy it.
Continue to feed birds all through the winter. On cold dreary days, the flashes of a red Cardinal will surly brighten your day. Be on the lookout for Robins late in January. These are the first heralds that spring is coming. This is the time of year birds are looking for a handout since all the natural seeds are gone. Keep bird feeders and birdbaths filled and check that water is not frozen.
Use a hot glue gun to fasten a ribbon loop to pine cones. Melt 1 cup shortening (Crisco) or bacon grease, stir in 1 cup peanut butter and 1 cup each uncooked oatmeal, flour or corn meal (either one). Let cool. Spread the mixture all over pinecones (it will be like Play-Doh, so use your hands to mold it onto pine cones). Roll cones in birdseed. Hang these on your old Christmas tree out in the back yard. Decorate with strings of raisins, popcorn and cranberries. Hang old stale rolls, slices of apples and oranges on it.
Lawns: Oh dear, look at all the weeds that have sprung up in your lawn. What's to do? Two things: Use a post-emergent to kill the existing weeds and a pre-emergent to stop others from coming up. See the folks at Northside Garden Center to learn about both treatments.
Stuff: Yes, we know your daffodils are starting to come up and No, they won't freeze. Daffodils will be blooming in mid to late February so they're doing what comes naturally. You can sprinkle a little pine straw on your beds to make a "blanket" if you like.
These plant tips are brought to you each month for our subdivision by Northside Garden Center. They are located just a few miles north at 950 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., in Buford.
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