The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett chair touts progress in State of the County speech
She promotes the county’s affordable housing plan, more.
Gwinnett County Commission Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson praised her county government for “serving with intention” in her third State of the County speech.
Hendrickson’s first annual address was given in the throes of the coro navirus pandemic. Her second focused on local response to the pandemic.
She expressed a sense of relief in Thursday’s speech, at 12Stone Church outside Lawrenceville.
“When I first took this stage three years ago, I stood here with profound optimism for a Gwinnett that would not only withstand, but also grow through whatever came next,” Hendrick- son said. “Today, I can con- fidently say that the state of Gwinnett County is stronger than ever.”
Hendrickson promoted some of the County Commission’s decisions over the past year while outlining next steps.
The county is partnering with the state and the University of Georgia to create and launch a local affordable housing plan, Hendrickson said. The county will also use federal funds to convert a multifamily building into a homeless shelter for adultmen and couples with- out children, she said.
With this year’s budget, Gwinnett will also expand recreational services in the historically underserved southern part of the county, she said.
More than 800 people attended Hendrickson’s speech, including local leaders, chairpersons of neigh- boring counties, mayors and a few state legislators. The Gwinnett Chamber of Com- merce and the Council for Quality Growth organized the event.
Hendrickson led the audience in a moment of silence for Senior Correctional Offi- cer Scott Riner, who was fatally shot in December while arriving to work at the corrections center.
Key county decisions in the past year included an agreement with the state that secures Lake Lanier as the county’s water supply for the next 30 years, Hendrickson said.
“2022 was also a big year for entertainment and tourism in Gwinnett,” she said, adding: “Even during renovations, which were recently completed, the Gas South District saw its best financial year in its 30-year history.”
Hendrickson also celebrated December’s groundbreaking for Rowen, a planned 2,000-acre research park on the county’s eastern edge.
The county is financing the project but willbe repaid when agricultural, environmental and medical companies buy land to build facilities there.
“Late last year, I joined federal, state and local partners to break ground on the Rowen knowledge community — another gleaming example of intentional collaboration that will unlock opportunity for Gwinnett and beyond,” Hendrickson said.