As a parent, I can’t begin to understand the pain that Al’s parents are going through.  Knowing that there isn’t anything that we can do to make the hurt go away HAS to be difficult.  The thought of my child being in that situation scares me to death.

Al’s mom, Angela, was my older child’s Pre-K teacher.  She was also his teacher for summer camp a couple of years ago, and I saw her regularly through this school year as my younger child was at the pre-school in which she taught.  So, this isn’t about some stranger to me… this is about a friend.

Ade For Al

On Friday, June 18th, the Arcado Elementary PTA will have a Lemonade Stand at the Lilburn Farmer’s Market at Lilburn City Park.  The Farmer’s Market runs from 4-8pm.  This is to help the family defray some of the costs they are experiencing as they care for Al in Ohio.  Al’s father still has to remain in Lilburn most of the time to work, while  Angela and their 8 month old are in Ohio with a few other family members.

We’d love for you to come out and enjoy a glass of lemonade while helping out the Reals.

Here is a link to the above video if the embed doesn’t work.

Image by mjp* via Flickr

In the sub-$200k arena, there are 240 listings, with about an 11.8 month supply.  Absorption Rates have been slowing since December, but sales were up slightly since March 2009.

Between $200k and $400k, there are 161 listings for sale, and about 27 months of supply. This segment has been getting weaker each month since at least November.  Sales were up by a couple of units in March, but so were listings.

From $400k to $600k, there are still 12 homes on the market. The absorption rate is still around 3 years,.  Of course, there is a seasonal dip around the Holidays and the pick-up isn’t until March and April.

Above $600k, there are 6 listings, but too few sales to have any sort of reliable number of months of inventory.  There have been two sales in the last three months, but prior, there had only been two other sales in 2009 (February and November).  Two of the listings are above $800k, and there is no market activity in the last 12 months for that range…

Lilburn is in Gwinnett County, GA, just outside of Atlanta.  As of the 2000 Census, there were 11,307 people in Lilburn, but that is only including people in the city limits, and there has been a lot of growth since 2000 in Gwinnett County.  It was incorporated in 1910.  Lilburn is home to Parkview High School, and also has students that the Brookwood, Berkmar and Meadowcreek clusters. It is also home to Killian Hill Christian School, Providence Chrisian Academy, St. John Neumann Catholic School and Parkview Christian School.  Possibly the most famous resident of Lilburn is General Beauregard Lee, a groundhog with a better winter prediction record that Puxatawnee Phil up in PA. Dominique Wilkins, formerly of the Atlanta Hawks also lives in Lilburn.

I have a page dedicated to Lilburn Market Data.

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Spring is busting out all over Lilburn, GA.  The usual signs are plain to see, and if you are missing them, the pine pollen will make sure you see spring everywhere…

Of course, there are a few things that you need to do in order to prepare for spring.

• Change the Smoke Detector batteries if you didn’t do it with the time change.
• Change the air filter on your HVAC. Depending on your filter media, it usually needs to be changed at an interval between 30 days and 30 months.  The 1″ thick (often blue) filters need to be changed after about 30 days.  The 4″ thick filters usually go about 3-4 months.  As they get loaded with dust, they stop flowing as well… and can lead to the lines freezing up when it gets hot out.
• Tune that lawnmower.  In addition to the oil change, it isn’t bad to replace the spark plug and air filter.  Sharpening the blade is a good idea as well.  Hopefully, you used a fuel stabilizer back in the fall.  Otherwise there might be some varnish in the carb that reduces performance.  Same goes for the leaf blower, edger, hedge trimmer and chainsaw.
• Give the house a good cleaning… outside. Get someone to pressure wash the outside and the driveway.  This is also a good time to see it there are any issues that need to be taken care of… caulking, painting, gutter repairs or cleaning.

You probably kow the drill.  That spring honey-do list can be long, but it is way better to take care of it now, rather than when it is 100 degrees outside.  There are also some lawn things that should get done…

• Doing a spring ‘Weed & Feed’ isn’t a bad idea. It might be a little late for a pre-emergent crabgrass killer, but a post emergent may do the trick.
• Don’t go nuts trimming hedges quite yet. Azaleas and other flowering bushes aren’t quite out yet (but they will be soon).  If you cut those back, they won’t be able to flower.  However, if you cut them back as the flowers start to die, they will flower again next year… and probably even more…  Smae goes with fruit trees… if you cut them back now, they won’t bear fruit.

And because this is a glorious time in this part of Georgia, open those windows and enjoy the mind days before the pollen gets out of hand.  It is a great time to get out in the yard or garage and get some things done…  It isn’t cold, and it isn’t hot… And if you run across a bunch of stuff you don’t need to trip over anymore… it is also a perfect time for a garage sale.

Still working on the details, but there are changes coming.

The end goal is to create more of a hyper-local news site.  As we build towards that goal, we are inviting local businesses to post specials and information for Lilburn area residents.  The real estate content is going to be ratcheted down as the other content is built up.

There will also be a few surprises coming…

In the mean time, if you are a Lilburn, GA, area business owner, and you would like to promote special offers… for free… We’d love for you to use the Lilburn, GA Fan Page on FaceBook to do that.

• Restaurant Menus and daily specials
• Home Service offers
• Landscaping Spring Specials
• There are a lot more interesting possibilities.

When the site is finished coming together, it will have a stream of news local to Lilburn.  We’d love for you to be a part of it…

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During the month of February, as well as the end of January, I spent each Friday afternoon volunteering to talk about business and economics with a bunch of 4th Graders.  This was in connection with Junior Achievement.

It might sound like pulling teeth, but it was really a blast.  The kids were great.  They were engaged and interested.  In fact, by the end of the course, they were greeting my by name as I entered the room…  I was late on the last day, and one of the kids commented that she “was afraid I wasn’t going to be there.”

The whole experience was immensely rewarding.

Just to be clear, these weren’t hand picked students or a special class of high achievers.  These were average kids in an average class…

While the details of the classes aren’t important, there is something else that IS very important.  The important part is that these kids WANT to learn and WANT to have adult come in and talk with them about the larger world.  It helps to be entertaining and to speak to issues and examples to which they can relate.

And there is something else that is important…

As people that are involved in business on a daily basis, we can help these ids understand how business works and how the economic system can benefit them and society as a whole.

It doesn’t matter if you choose to invest your time with Junior Achievement or some other worthy organization, giving to the kids is very rewarding and the payback is exceptional.

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A while back, I wrote that I had volunteered with Junior Achievement.  Up until now we hadn’t been able to find an assignment that was reasonably close… but that changed this week.

I am now the JA volunteer for Ms. Ferrer-Adames 4th Grade class at Nesbitt Elementary School in Gwinnett County.  and I recently had our first class together.  It was a lot of fun.

For our first meeting, we introduced ourselves to each other and spent a few minutes talking about businesses and entrepreneurialism.  The kids were very engaging and had a lot to contribute.  After just 50 minutes of class time, I have to say that I am very excited about the prospects of the next generation.

The program we are doing is called My Region.  To begin with, we talked about what makes a region, as well as resources, natural, human and capital.  The kids were great at coming up with examples of each of the types of resources and grasping the concepts behind them.

Next week we are going to start coming up with business examples and deciding what regions they would be best suited for.  I’m really looking forward to it.

And next week I will get some actual pictures…  ;^ )

from LaneBailey.com

But he seems to think it is the responsibility of the taxpayers to pick up the tab.  Why?  What responsibility do the taxpayers have to fund the business locations for private businesses?  The Falcons are arguing that the need more luxury suites in order to increase revenue…  Ok.

The State of Georgia will only barely be at the end of paying for the Georgia Dome when Blank wants another one… 2015.

But that doesn’t matter…  What matters is that there shouldn’t even be a question.  If the Falcons want a new stadium, make a business case for it, go out and get the money… and BUILD IT.  But don’t get the money from taxpayers, get the money yourselves.

• Lower pay for the players…
• Raise prices for the fans…
• Charge more for TV rights…
• Renovate the current stadium… but pay for it yourselves.

Has Road Atlanta or Atlanta Motor Speedway taken hundreds of millions of dollars from the state to build new facilities?  No…  Even though there are more tickets sold for TWO weekends at AMS than for a season of Falcons football.  Road Atlanta hosts 320,000+ fans each year…  One could certainly make a case that they have a significant economic impact on Hampton and Braselton, GA.

Sports teams don’t have a right to taxpayer money…  They are business franchises, and as such should be responsible for their own venues…  Just like ANY other business.

source

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from GwinnettGarageGuy.com

Each year, during the third weekend in October, Scots gather in the meadow at Stone Mountain Park.  For 37 years the Stone Mountain Highland Games have not only provided cool athletic competition, but also a great musical performances and social interactions.

I have been to a few of the events over the years and enjoyed watching athletic events like the Caber Toss (this is throwing a telephone pole, kids…), the Hammer Throw and the Sheaf Toss.

I’m also a sucker for bagpipe music.

Hit up the Stone Mountain Highland Games website for more info.  Events start Friday evening and continue through Sunday.  There IS an additional charge to get into the meadow, aside from the park’s entry fee.

For the last 35 years, local crafters and entertainers have gathered at Lilburn’s City Park to display their crafts and entertain the spectators and shoppers…  For the 36th Annual event this year, it will be no different… and don’t forget to bring an appetite as well.  If you like craft and art shows, as well as good festival food and a variety of music, you should fit right in.

There are a few things to keep in mind:

• The event is FREE
• Parking is FREE
• The shuttle from the parking area is FREE
• The easiest way to park is to use the shopping center at the corner of US29 and Killian Hill/Indian Trail or park at First Baptist Church.
• 9:00AM is the start time
• There are usually over 200 exhibitors and vendors
• There WILL be lots of kid focused activities
• There will be some street restrictions and road closures near City Park

Here are a couple of resources:

• LilburnDaze.org
• Lilburn Daze on CityOfLilburn.com

• September 19th, 2009 – Community Garage Sale in the Overflow Parking Lot across from the Lilburn City Park – 9am to 2pm
• October 10th, 2009 – Lilburn DazeFestival in the Lilburn City Park – 9am to 5pm
• October 12th, 2009 – City Council Meeting in the Auditorium at Lilburn City Hall – 7:30pm
• October 17th, 2009 – Community Garage Sale in the Overflow Parking Lot across from the Lilburn City Park – 9am to 2pm
• October 24th, 2009 – Get Fit Lilburn in Old Town Lilburn and at Lilburn City Park – 4:30pm to 8:30pm
• November 8th, 2009 – Veteran’s Day Celebration in Lilburn City Park – 3pm to 5pm

For more details on what is happening in Lilburn, check out CityOfLilburn.com.  There is a registration required to set up a table in the garages sales or to have a sale booth at Lilburn Daze.

from GwinnettGarageGuy.com