Arcado Elementary School will be hosting a ‘Round-up’ on Thursday, August 12th, for boys interested in joining Cub Scouts.  The event will run from 7:00pm until 8:00pm.

Cub Scouting is a program for boys between 1st and 5th grade.  Pack 551, the Arcado Elementary School Pack, has wonderful opportunities for boys to learn, socialize and gain experiences that they might otherwise not be able to have.

From the Boy Scouts of America website:

Activities are used to achieve the aims of Scouting—citizenship training, character development, and personal fitness. Many of the activities happen right in the den and pack. The most important are the weekly den meetings and the monthly pack meetings. Apart from the fun and excitement of Cub Scout activities, the Cub Scout Promise, the Law of the Pack, and the Cub Scout sign, handshake, motto, and salute all teach good citizenship and contribute to a boy’s sense of belonging.

Adult volunteers are also needed.  Den Leaders and others to help directly and indirectly support Pack 551 and its Scouts can volunteer on Thursday.  Training is provided by BSA.

Scouting is a very worthwhile activity for boys and their families.  And Cub Scouting especially, is quite family friendly.  Events are offered that not only allow parents, but also siblings to participate.  Scouts can also earn credits to offset the costs associated with Scouting, including uniforms, trips and supplies.

We look forward to seeing you there.

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from GwinnettGarageGuy.com

For the last few years, Arcado Elementary School has had Joe Ahrens in the top post.  He has positioned Arcado Elementary School as one of the highest ranked in Gwinnett County.  Excellent school spirit, very high test scores and a sense of community have all been fostered under his leadership.

This year, Arcado will have a new top administrator, Penny Palmer-Young.  She is committed to continuing the performance excellence of the school.

She was born and raised here in Gwinnett County, and graduated from Brookwood High School (she can be forgiven…  ;^ ).  Ms. Young has also spent a few years working in other schools in the Parkview Cluster, including Knight Elementary.

As our kids enjoy their last weekend of “freedom” before school starts on Monday, join me in welcoming Ms. Young as Arcado Elementary School’s newest Principal.  We are all looking forward to many more years of Arcado being one of the top performing elementary schools in Gwinnett County under her leadership.

from gwinnettgarageguy.com

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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.

The class that he is in is a ‘multi-age’ class that includes Kindergartners and First Graders.  It is called a CLE class, or Continuous Learning Environment.  And for my son, it has been a marvelous experience.  Each Kindergartner is paired up with a First Grader.  They work as a team, with the First Grader mentoring the Kindergarten student.

Ms. Curtis has said that because half of the students were in the same class the previous year (the Kindergarten student complete First Grade in the same class), they are able to teach the new students how everything in the class works… and it really works…  It is like chaos crossed with military precision.  All of the kids know their roles, and while they might be all over the place during play time, when Ms. Curtis quietly calls them to order, they all go where they should be, and do whatever is scheduled to come next…

But the format of the CLE class is only part of it…  Ms. Curtis is just a great teacher.  She really cares for the kids, and each time we have been there, we have seen previous students rushing over to say hi to her… and we have spent a lot of time in the class.  Which brings us to another reason that we have enjoyed having Ms. Curtis as a teacher.  Garrett’s younger brother has been welcomed in the class with open arms… and there are several younger siblings that have visited the class and received the same welcome.

In fact, at activities like Arcado Night at local restaurants, Jackson rushes to see Ms. Curtis.  And she is always eager to see him too.  He is looking forward to Kindergarten so that he can be in Ms. Curtis’ class… just like his big brother.

Communications have been excellent as well.  And one of the things we look forward to as a family is the regular ‘photo-shows’ Ms. Curtis produces for the parents.  She shoots a lot of pictures in class and they are assembled in photo-shows.  Garrett loves pointing out all of his classmates and telling us everything that happened (oddly, he doesn’t remember all of that ’stuff’ when we try to talk about it during dinner ;^ ).  The photo-shows and newsletters help to keep us connected between our visits to the class.

But results are where it counts in scholastic performance.  And Garrett is excelling in class.  Despite not quite being done with Kindergarten (there are a few more days of class), he is almost at the levels required to complete First Grade in reading and math.  And he loves going to school.  He loves reading and working on his math problems.  He loves taking the tests on his reading and math studies.

To me, THAT is the measure of a teacher.  Ms. Curtis is not just providing the tools and knowledge to allow my child to learn, she is helping to instill the desire to learn (I think he gets some of it at home, too…  ;^ )

One of the things that makes me very happy… Garrett will be with Ms. Curtis next year as well.  Instead of being the ‘co-Pilot’, and learning from his partner, he will be a ‘Pilot’ and helping a new Kindergartner learn the ropes.

Arcado ranks quite well in comparison to other Gwinnett County Elementary Schools.  Gwinnett County has one of the best schools systems in the state…  Ms. Curtis is in good company.

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But what does that mean?

The basis of a CID is a geographically defined area, with businesses choosing to install a special tax on themselves in order to improve the area… and their businesses.  The property owners, representing at least 75% of the property value in the area, agree to tax themselves, and then elect a board to oversee how the money is used.

They are a partnership of public and private sectors.  They are enabled by municipal government, the money is collected through tax revenue, but the private group spends the money.  The money doesn’t ‘replace’ other tax money, but supplements it.

The Georgia Constitution specifies that funds collected through a CID may be used for seven types of applications:

1. Water
2. Public transportation
3. Street and road construction and maintenance
4. Parks and recreational areas and facilities
5. Storm water and sewage
6. Parking, terminal and dock facilities
7. Other

In the Metro Atlanta area there are several CIDs.

• The Cumberland Mall area
• Perimeter Center area
• US78 from West Park to around Scenic Highway
• Gwinnett Place CID
• US29 through Lilburn

Of course, there are others.

I know that in my travels, over the last few years I have seen beautification projects, traffic improvements and other changes in those districts. I’m looking forward to the continued improvements in the Gwinnett County CIDs.  There will likely be a few more in the central part of the county in the next few years as local businesses step up to deal with aging infrastructure, better manage traffic flow and improve the marketability of the area.

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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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• 

  Image by mjp* via Flickr

  The updating of the bridge over the Yellow River between Lake Lucerne and the Yellow River Game Ranch.

• Roadway improvements including new medians from East Park Place out to around Highpoint Road.

There is also another direct project that hasn’t been visible yet… the rehabilitation of the old Olympic Tennis venue on West Park Place near the (now closed) Super Target.

But another group is trying to bring a new Community Improvement District to Lilburn. This one would run along US29 from Jimmy Carter Blvd out to Ronald Reagan Parkway.

It will be interesting to see all of the plans for this area. There is a lot of commercial activity along the corridor, but it has never really been a destination like The Avenues in Snellville or some of the town centers (Norcross comes to mind). There are a lot of great places to shop, eat and play in Lilburn, GA.

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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.

Market stats for Lilburn, January, 2010, indicate that there are 359 (January 31st) properties on the market. Overall, there is about a 10 month supply of properties, with a slight acceleration in sales during October and November, but slowing in December and January.

In the sub-$200k arena, there are 214 listings, with about an 10 month supply. The same pattrern hold that sales accelerated through October and November and slowed after that.

Between $200k and $400k, there are 128 listings for sale, and about 10.5 months of supply. Even though the tax credit for First time Home Buyers wasn’t as important to this segment, it still affected the sales distribution.

From $400k to $600k, there are 11 homes on the market. The absorption rate is around 11 months, and it is definately slowing.  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 one other sale in 2009 (February).  Two of the listings are above $800k, and there is no market activity in the last 12 months for that range…

From LaneBailey.com.  I have a page dedicated to Lilburn Market Data.