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Police reports may be obtained in person at Gwinnett County Police Department Headquarters. Reports are no longer available at police precincts; however, citizens have the convenience of obtaining reports online.

Copies of police reports are available in person at Police Headquarters located at 770 Hi-Hope Road in Lawrenceville from 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday - Friday. There is a charge of $0.25 per page for incident reports and a flat $5 charge for accident reports. Copies may also be requested by mail to: Gwinnett County Police Department, Attn: Records, P.O. Box 602 Lawrenceville, GA 30046 (must include case number, name, $3 for incident reports or $5 for accident reports payable by cashier’s check to Gwinnett County Police, and self-addressed stamped envelope).

In addition, the department has many options for citizens to file and obtain a police report online. Citizens can access and purchase copies of vehicle collision reports 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at www.buycrash.com, an online service provided by the Police Department, Open Portal Solutions, and Georgia DOT.

Citizens may also file certain incidents (Theft by Taking, Entering Auto, Identity Fraud, Criminal Trespass, Criminal Damage, and Theft of Lost or Mislaid Property) without having to wait for an officer’s response using an online police reporting system. Residents will be able to print a temporary copy of the report immediately after submitting the report. The report will then be reviewed by police personnel and once approved, the filing person will receive an e-mail with a free copy of the report attached. The report will transfer into the department’s record management system and will be investigated the same as if the report had been filed by an officer.

• Gwinnett County Police Department: http://www.gwinnettcounty.com/portal/gwinnett/Departments/Police
• Gwinnett Online Police Reporting: http://www.gwinnettcounty.com/portal/gwinnett/Departments/Police/OnlineCitizenPoliceReporting
• Start a Report: http://www.gwinnettcounty.com/static/departments/police/online_crime_reporting/start-report.html

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Burning small amounts of yard debris is allowed annually from October 1 to April 30. Outdoor burning is prohibited each year in Gwinnett from May 1 to September 30.

While it is open burning season in Gwinnett County, you will still need to check with the Fire Marshal on a day-to-day basis to check the burn status. Even within the open burning season, there may be certain days that are designated as a no-burn day. This is due to weather and atmospheric conditions. The decision is based on information obtained from the National Weather Service and the Georgia Forestry Commission.

The Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services is sharing information about the rules for outdoor burning and about open burning season. Anyone wishing to conduct an outdoor burn is encouraged to visit the Fire Marshal’s website at www.gwinnettfiremarshal.com or call the Office of the Fire Marshal at 678.518.6100.

Outdoor burning rules:
• Burning shall be conducted during daylight hours only, Monday through Saturday. Burning is not allowed after dark or on Sunday.
• Burning shall be of natural fallen vegetation, such as limbs, leaves, and twigs. Burning trash or other materials is not allowed.
• Burning shall be in small piles, maximum size is three feet by three feet.
• The burn pile shall be at least 50 feet from any structure or wooden fence.
• The burn pile shall be consistently attended (supervised) and a water source, such as a garden hose shall be in place that will reach the burn pile. Firefighters also suggest having a portable fire extinguisher close by as well.
• The burn pile shall be completely extinguished (put-out) before dusk. Burning after dark is not allowed.

Outdoor burning restrictions:
• Outdoor burning is NOT allowed after dark or on Sundays.
• No outdoor burning is allowed if winds exceed 15 miles per hour. Never burn on a windy day! Steady winds contribute to the fast spread of outdoor fires.
• No outdoor burning when it is overcast, raining, or foggy. Burning is only allowed on clear days with little or no cloud cover. Burning is not allowed within 24-hours after a period of rain. This causes the smoke to bank-down closer to the ground, presenting a hazard.
• No burning of household garbage. Only natural/fallen yard vegetation is allowed. These include limbs, leaves, and twigs.
• No burning is allowed if the Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services or a representative from the Office of the Fire Marshal, deems the burn to be offensive to others or poses a health risk to people in the area.

Per the request of Gwinnett County, we are posting the following water usage schedule and information.

The Georgia Water Stewardship Act signed by Governor Sonny Perdue went into effect June 2, 2010. The bill allows daily outdoor watering for purposes of planting, growing, managing, or maintaining ground cover, trees, shrubs, or other plants from 4:00pm – 10:00am.

All other outdoor water usage (e.g., washing cars, pressure washing) is to follow the watering schedule based on street address shown below:

Monday - Even addresses
Tuesday - Odd addresses
Wednesday - Even addresses
Thursday - Odd addresses
Friday - No other outdoor water usage is permitted
Saturday - Even addresses
Sunday - Odd addresses

Frequently asked questions about outdoor water use:
I heard I can water my yard every day. Is that true?
Yes. Citizens in Georgia can now water any day of the week, regardless of your address, between 4:00pm and 10:00am.

Can I also wash my car or pressure wash my house any day?
No. The new state law only relates to landscape uses—the odd/even schedule remains in place for all other outdoor uses.

Are parks included in the new schedule?
Sports fields and parks are exempt from the hourly restrictions. These areas may be watered any time or day.

If I put in new landscape, do I have to water between 4:00pm and 10:00am?
No. Newly installed landscape is also exempt from the hourly restrictions for the first 30 days following installation.

What about drip irrigation?
Drip irrigation is completely exempt from the outdoor rules. It may be used any time or day.

What exemptions exist to the new hourly restrictions?
• Commercial agriculture
• Alternative sources of water (grey water, rain water, condensate, etc.)
• Irrigation of food gardens
• Irrigation of newly installed or reseeded turf for the first 30 days following installation
• Drip irrigation or soaker hoses
• Hand watering with a shut-off nozzle
• Water from a private well
• Irrigation of plants for sale
• Irrigation of athletic fields, golf courses, or public recreational turf
• Installation and maintenance of irrigation systems
• Hydro seeding

Are professional pressure washers hired to wash my house subject to restrictions based on my address?
No. Commercial businesses are exempt from day of the week restrictions.

Can I have a charity car wash on any day regardless of the address?
No. Unfortunately, charity car washes, like at home car washes, are subject to the odd/even schedule. This is determined by the address of the facility hosting the car wash. Partnering with a professional car wash is exempt from the odd/even schedule due to the company’s professional exemption.

For more information on exemptions and forms to submit violations, visit the Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources’ water conservation webpage through www.gwinnettcounty.com.

More information can be found on the Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources’ water conservation webpage.

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One Response To “Gwinnett County Garbage & Recycling Program Video”

1. Gwinnett Recall Committee Says:
   July 20th, 2010 at 4:56 PM

   Were these paid actors or were they real Socialists? Why does the new efficient garbage and recycling program only offer one level of service? Why were we not allowed to vote on this new tax/fee? Why does the entire County share the burden of laws passed with the intent to have the haulers increase recycling and decrease volume dumped?
   Why does the public servants elected to protect and serve the electorate do the bidding of big business only? Mr. Bannister please contact me at www.gwntrecall.com, when you get back from your travels.

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When: Saturday, June 12, 2010 11:00AM
Where: Outside the old courthouse in downtown Lawrenceville - 185 East Crogan Street
Organizers: Four Corners Tea Party, Freedom Works, Gwinnett Citizens for Responsible Government

Organizers of this event intend to demand that commissioners reconsider the plan that will bill 185,000 households in unincorporated Gwinnett $321 each for 18 months of trash service paid in advance. This bill will be included in property tax statements that go out later in July.

View Larger Map

More:
• Four Corners Tea Party Facebook page
• AJC article
• CorinthHills.org article archive

One Response To “New Garbage Plan Protest Planned”

1. fwy545 Says:
   June 12th, 2010 at 7:58 AM

   “unless the taxpayers wish to change their minds and replenish some of the lost funding we have encountered, the only option is to reduce spending, and that’s the direction we’re going.”
   - Charles Bannister (open letter to Gwinnett County)

   Translation: We, the BoC screwed up and got called on it. The legal system agreed with our accusers, so either pony up a tax increase to pay for our mistakes or go with this “new” plan, Constitutionality be damned.

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GwinnettCounty.com now has a search app online that allows for identification of an assigned trash hauler based upon lookup by address or parcel ID.

The Corinth Hills area has been assigned to Waste Pro of Georgia.

Designated Hauler Name: Waste Pro of Georgia
Address: 3512 Oakcliff Road Doraville, GA 30340-3003
Website: www.wasteprousa.com/gwinnett
Email: wpgwinnett@wasteprousa.com
Telephone Number: 770-451-9395

Corinth Hills has been assigned Monday for garbage and recycling pickup.

If you need additional assistance with identifying your hauler and pick-up day, call 770-822-7141 or send an email to gcsolidwaste@gwinnettcounty.com. Be sure to include your street address and/or parcel ID in your email.

More:
• GwinnettCounty.com designated garbage hauler search
• Gwinnett garbage news archive

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After years of much-ado and goings-on, the citizens of Snellville will finally get to vote on Sunday liquor sales. Last night the Snellville City Council agreed to a referendum vote on July 20th.

It’s technically not over as arguments about the laws that govern who - citizens or local governments - are allowed to decide Sunday alcohol sales are still before a judge. Those involved believe that the case will ultimately wind up before the state Supreme Court.

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On March 23rd the Gwinnett BoC approved a new garbage plan. By doing so it also settled four pending lawsuits over the last failed garbage plan. Another lawsuit filed by Waste Industries in federal court last December is still pending. Now another lawsuit has been filed this week by Red Oak Sanitation citing restriction of competition.

The new garbage plan plan adopted by the BoC takes affect July 1st and will cost residents $17.81 per month. The fees will take the form of a charge on property tax bills supposedly to ensure total compliance by all residents.

Yard waste will cost an additional $10 per month and will be paid directly to the service provider. Sorry, no senior discounts provided in this plan.

It bears repeating, the pending lawsuits are going to be settled and the money is going to have to be paid for by tax dollars which means your actual cost per month is going to be far greater than the adopted amount. Also wave goodbye to free enterprise.

For all of those who say the new plan will clear the roads of haulers and reduce pollution, not only will the same amount of garbage need to be picked up, but because of the compliance mandate, there will be more garbage to pick up. Garbage trucks are not going to magically disappear and neither will their exhaust.

Is all of this really worth it?

More:
• Gwinnett Garbage News

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The county line:
The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners adopted a new solid waste ordinance for unincorporated Gwinnett County during the board’s business session on March 2, 2010. The ordinance as adopted will be posted as soon as possible.

Service will begin on July 1, 2010, giving residents and haulers time to transition to the new system. The new ordinance, which does not affect city residents, will provide a reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally-conscious solid waste management system and also will allow Gwinnett County to fulfill its requirements under state law. All homeowners will have access to services for the collection and disposal of household garbage, expanded recycling, white goods (household appliances), bulky wastes (mattresses, furniture, etc.), and yard trimmings.

The new ordinance sets five service districts and authorizes the County to enter into one or more service agreements with a private company or companies to provide residential garbage service with no more than one service provider within each district. Fees for residential waste services will be made payable to Gwinnett County and will be billed as a residential solid waste fee on the same bill as county taxes.

Approval of a new ordinance is the first required step in the process of implementing a new solid waste management plan. Details of the service areas, costs, and collection logistics will be made available as soon as they are finalized.

###

Mike Beaudreau was quoted in part as stating, “I don’t think it’s perfect…”

Don Collins, government contract manager for Waste Industries, told commissioners his company took it on faith that the county would follow the court’s order and draw up a new plan in a public, above-board manner, but that the plan showed officials worked behind closed doors to satisfy members of the first lawsuit.

…Isn’t that why a Gwinnett County special grand jury is investigating the board’s land deals?…

“Even as our federal lawsuit continues,” Collins said, “your vote today confirms our position before the court that the county’s illegal trash plan is marching forward.”

Local news outlets report that despite not being allowed to address the board before the vote, citizens were vocal in their opposition after the vote. It was also disclosed that a new recall effort was being launched targeting Chairman Bannister.

More:
• GwinnettCounty.com
• GDP
• AJC
• GwntRecall.com

3 Responses To “Garbage Adopted”

1. CorinthHills.org Says:
   March 3rd, 2010 at 9:26 AM

   It’s my understanding that one of the overriding concerns that the board wanted to address for the citizens of Gwinnett was the traffic issues as it is effected by garbage haulers. For the life of me I don’t understand this. I find myself being delayed far more by postal trucks, UPS, FedEx and the worst offenders, school buses.

   There’s a project for Gwinnett County. Adopt a policy whereby school buses aren’t required to stop every 50 feet to pickup and offload kids. School systems all over this country, including GCPS, gripe about obese children… allow them to walk a few feet to and from the bus stop…

   That’s our opinion, we welcome yours…

2. j.q.public Says:
   March 5th, 2010 at 8:40 AM

   RINOs, republicans in name only. Republican mantra dictates smaller government and allowing the public to manage their own affairs in a free market society. Obama’s healthcare reform is an excellent example, republicans aren’t for it because it puts healthcare in the hands of government. BUT Gwinnett “republicans” believe that they should decide my waste disposal, how it’s paid for, how much it is and when I should pay it.

   Yeah, “republicans” they are.

3. fwy545 Says:
   March 9th, 2010 at 10:52 AM

   I do see garbage trucks from various services in our neighborhood on several days during the week, but they don’t take long to complete their business. I certainly don’t think that it’s worth relinquishing my right to chose my own waste disposal service in order to reduce this little bit of traffic. If you think about it, there will still be traffic to pickup all homes, and even more now that the county is mandating all residential homes be serviced. The only difference will be the number of days the truck will be in the neighborhood. The time spent in each neighborhood for each truck will actually increase.

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Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners will again consider county mandated garbage collection. Even with lawsuits totaling in excess of $80 million still pending over the last board sanctioned solid waste plan, local media reports suggests that not much has changed in the new proposed plan. The biggest change is that Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful will not be the county appointed enforcer.

Points from the original plan still being considered:
• Service fee(s) to be included in county tax bill
• Expanded recycling
• Mandatory participation by all residents
• 5 zones to be established and serviced by one hauler

If approved, the plan is expected to take effect this July. The board will not allow public comment prior to the vote. Voting will take place at 10 AM tomorrow at the Gwinnett County Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville.

One Response To “County Mandated Garbage - AGAIN…”

1. CorinthHills.org Says:
   March 2nd, 2010 at 2:38 PM

   Gwinnett County’s Solid Waste Information Center is open for callers Monday through Friday between 7:00am and 7:00pm, 770.822.7141.

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The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners are set to discuss two lawsuits pending over county mandated trash service. Tuesday’s (November 17, 2009) special meeting is to be held with the garbage vendors who are suing the county along with mediators who will attempt to resolve the two pending 40 million dollar plus lawsuits. Yes, $80,000,000.00+.

Guess who pays the settlement? Guess how. These are the same commissioners who suggest that Gwinnettians give up one movie a month so that we can pay higher taxes.

2 Responses To “Gwinnett BoC Trash Talk”

1. bwilson Says:
   November 16th, 2009 at 7:05 PM

   Wasn’t the county mandated garbage service supposed to save us money? It appears to me that not only will I not save on my garbage service, but now my taxes will be raised to pay for the lawsuits. Am I missing something?

2. CorinthHills.org Says:
   November 17th, 2009 at 9:28 AM

   Nope, I think you’ve got it…

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The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office will begin enforcing federal immigration law under the 287(g) program starting Monday, November 16th. Gwinnett County was accepted into the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) program this July.

• Click here to view a video of Sheriff Butch Conway and Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter discussing the 287(g) program and how it is used to combat criminal illegal aliens.

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Qualified firearm owners are now allowed to bring their weapons into Stone Mountain Park. Anyone, except felons and those who have been involuntarily committed for mental illness, can have guns inside the park. However, those without a carry permit must leave their weapons in their car.

In May 2008 attorneys for GeorgiaCarry.org filed a lawsuit challenging a Stone Mountain Park ordinance that prohibited firearms inside the park.

On July 1, 2008, a new Georgia state law allowed guns in state parks and other places they had not been allowed before. About six months later, at the end of last year, the Stone Mountain ordinance was tweaked letting those with carry permits bring their guns into the park as long as they first told the park police they were armed.

The settlement of GeorgiaCarry.org’s May 2008 lawsuit allows for guns inside the park without notification.

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U.S. Representatives John Linder and Tom Price will host a town hall meeting to discuss the Democratic health care reform proposal along with Republican alternatives.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:00 PM at North Gwinnett High School - 20 Level Creek Road, Suwanee.

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Gwinnett’s $37 million land deals questioned
County commissioners paid top dollar for park properties

By TIM EBERLY

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
11:51 p.m. Friday, July 31, 2009

Gwinnett County has paid politically connected developers inflated prices for parkland on at least four occasions in the last two years using questionable appraisals, including two supplied by developers, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution review of land purchases shows.

As a result, Gwinnett County taxpayers potentially paid millions more for land that has yet to be developed into parks they can use.

In arriving at its generous offers, the county often diverged from established procedures in buying parkland, saying it did not need to follow them because three of the purchases were made to settle lawsuits.

The county could not offer evidence that officials who run the parks system initiated any of the four purchases, nor is there any evidence to show that officials made serious attempts to negotiate for lower prices.

The most recent purchase was made in June, as the county struggled to fill a huge budget deficit.

The commissioners who championed three of the land deals - Kevin Kenerly advocated for two and Chairman Charles Bannister for the third - acknowledge friendships with developers who owned the property.

Former commissioner Lorraine Green, who advocated for the fourth, described the developer in that purchase as a political supporter.

Kenerly, Bannister and Green have all accepted campaign donations from the developers in their respective purchases.

The unorthodox purchases, which cost a total of $37 million, have gotten the attention of Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter, who said in an interview that he will ask the grand jury to investigate these and other purchases in September.

“I think the grand jury, as a group of citizens, needs to look at these expenditures of county money and try to determine if there’s anything criminal,” he said after hearing of the AJC’s findings. “If there is, it needs to be prosecuted.”

In interviews with the AJC, the county commissioners who pushed for the land buys either said they couldn’t remember how the county settled on the purchase prices or said they were not involved in the negotiations.

However, the Board of Commissioners not only approves purchases, but it authorizes how high staffers can negotiate.

The commissioners defended their purchases, saying all were good buys for the county. Some said it doesn’t matter who owned the property.

“If it’s a piece of property that the county needs to buy, I don’t care if Donald Duck owns it,” said Kenerly, who voted for all four purchases.

Land deals

The four land purchases unfolded in a similar manner.

Developers first tried to get their land rezoned in order to build mixed-use developments, apartment complexes or subdivisions.

The county commissioners -and in one case the Sugar Hill City Council- either rejected the rezoning requests or gave developers less valuable zonings than they asked for. The developers responded by filing lawsuits - three against the county and the fourth against the Sugar Hill.

Soon after, the county bought the land from prominent developers David Jenkins, David Bowen, Wayne Mason and Marvin Hewatt. Three of the purchases settled lawsuits.

Buying land to settle lawsuits with developers is not common practice in other metro Atlanta counties, including Cobb, DeKalb and Cherokee.

“Our attitude is not to turn around and buy their property, because we refuse to let them do whatever they want to do,” Clayton County Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell said.

Gwinnett County Commissioner Mike Beaudreau said he believes the pattern of lawsuits raises questions about some of his colleagues’ involvement with developers.

“It’s just too many coincidences,” said Beaudreau, who voted for three of the four deals, but now says he deferred to the commissioners who lobbied for the purchases. “That’s how [developers] get what they want. If they file a lawsuit, it gives some people an excuse to push the acquisition forward.”

Appraisals

In each case, the county paid top dollar based on questionable appraisals.

In two, the county paid a price close to the developers’ appraisals and significantly higher than the county’s own estimates of the land’s worth.

In the others, the purchase price was based on county appraisals that used a zoning designation that would have allowed a more lucrative development than was permitted by existing zoning.

Three of the appraisals - two paid for by the county and another paid for by a developer- were done by Lawrenceville appraiser Ron Foster.

The appraisals show that in the two done for the county, Foster used zoning designations that the developers had sought but the county had rejected.

In both reports, Foster acknowledged using a different zoning than was permitted, saying his “appraisal is based on the appraiser’s opinion of highest and best use of the subject property.”

The third property included 67 acres - two-thirds of which carried a zoning that is far less valuable than the other third. In his appraisal for the developer, Foster swapped the zonings, applying the more valuable zoning to the larger piece of land, records show.

Had Foster used the correct zonings, his appraisal would have been about $2 million less, according to the land values in his appraisal.

In his report, Foster notes that he uses a “hypothetical condition,” that the land could be rezoned by the city of Sugar Hill. By that time, however, a judge had already ruled that the existing zoning was appropriate.

Appraisers not associated with the park deals said it would be inappropriate to use a hypothetical zoning in a market value appraisal unless the appraiser was asked by his or her client to do so. In that case, the client’s request should be noted. None of Foster’s appraisals indicate any such instructions.

Two appraisers, including Scott Murphy of Suwanee, reviewed appraisals on all four properties for the AJC.

“It seems very suspicious to go in that direction,” said Murphy, who sits on the Georgia Real Estate Appraisers Board, which investigates accusations against appraisers. “I don’t see that as a reasonable approach.”

When reached by phone, Foster would not comment, but said he would agree to an interview if he got permission from those who hired him to do the work. He did not return subsequent phone messages.

The most recent deal, completed in June, did not involve Foster. In that one, the developer’s appraiser arrived at a value that was double that of the county appraiser’s by using land sales from 2006 - the peak of the housing market.

“That’s absolutely outrageous,” Murphy said of the higher appraisal. “There’s no basis for that.”

Most of the current and former commissioners involved in the purchases said they were not aware of the appraisers’ unusual methods.

Several commissioners also said they do not closely scrutinize appraisals, and are typically given basic information about them when considering purchases in executive session.

“The quick and dirty,” Commissioner Bert Nasuti said.

Standout deal

The purchase of 33.2 acres south of Dacula from developer Hewatt this year stands out in a number of ways.

County officials say they bought the land to settle a lawsuit with Hewatt.

Hewatt, whose primary business is developing gas stations and convenience stores, originally wanted to build a 91-home subdivision.

But the county, led by Commissioner Beaudreau, who represents that district, voted on Nov. 18 to allow him to build only 33 homes.

Records show the county’s efforts to buy the property began the next day when it sent out a request for bids to appraise the land.

The lawsuit was filed Dec. 2, almost two weeks later.

The appraiser hired by the county estimated the land to be worth a little over $1 million. At the time, the recession was in full swing, pushing property values throughout the metro area downward.

The county appraisal didn’t sit well with Chairman Bannister.

According to Beaudreau, Bannister brought a copy of the developer’s appraisal to a closed-door commission meeting for his colleagues to consider. That one, based on 2006 land sales, was for $2.42 million.

Bannister, in an interview with the AJC, didn’t deny bringing the higher appraisal to the meeting. He said he believes it was the more accurate of the two.

The county agreed to buy the land soon after for $2.29 million - more than twice the county’s appraisal price and just under the price suggested by the developer’s appraisal.

The property will expand an adjacent 294-acre property that the county bought in 2001 but has yet to develop into a park. It is not open to the public.

Beaudreau opposed the purchase, saying the county didn’t need more undeveloped parkland there. He also questioned the use of the developer’s appraisal.

Beaudreau said he confronted Bannister about why he pushed so hard for the purchase when Beaudreau - the commissioner who represented the district - adamantly opposed it. The board usually defers to the wishes of the district commissioner in such matters.

Bannister made no apologies for championing the purchase.

“I simply replied that the entire county was my district,” said Bannister, who is elected county-wide.

Bannister says the county got a good deal.

“I believe we obtained the land at the best price negotiable,” he wrote in an e-mail to the AJC last week. “As a matter of fact other properties within the area have been purchased for more.”

“The value of a piece of property is based on what a willing seller is willing to accept and an able buyer is willing to pay. ”

Little negotiation

Records detailing the county’s actions on the purchases show little or no effort to negotiate for the lowest possible prices in the four deals.

In one of the purchases, the files show no evidence of any negotiation. In the others, the county provided e-mails between both sides that show the county asked for slight price reductions.

One developer wanted $70,000 an acre; the county paid $69,000.

Another asked for $16.9 million; the county agreed to pay $16.4 million, though it was later lowered to $16.26 after some rock was found on the land.

When asked about negotiations, the commissioners all said that county staffers did the negotiating.

Commissioner Kenerly, who pushed for the two most expensive deals, said he relies on county staff to tell him whether the purchases are good ones.

“I make them look at me and tell me whether this is a good deal or not,” Kenerly said.

The officials who oversee the departments that negotiated and bought the land, County Attorney Karen Gilpin Thomas and Support Services Director Steve North, refused interview requests.

The department that buys parkland, Support Services, has a manual that spells out how to do so.

Records of the four recent purchases show many of the department’s guidelines weren’t followed.

For example, Support Services, which typically buys the county’s parkland, is supposed to seek multiple bids for appraisals.

But in two of the purchases, the county did not solicit bids and chose Foster instead.

For three of the deals, county officials contend they did not have to follow the procedures because the purchases were lawsuit settlements handled by the Law Department. The Law Department is only required to follow the instructions of the Board of Commissioners in such cases, county spokesman Joe Sorenson said.

However, all four purchases are listed on county records as acquisitions made by Support Services, not the Law Department.

It’s not clear why the county determined that it was better to buy the land than fight the lawsuits.

When asked by e-mail, Thomas, the county attorney, referred the AJC to her department’s files for the purchases. The files, however, did not address the justification for the settlements.

The parks department has a master plan that identifies areas where the county has the greatest need for more parks. Only one of the four properties, located at Beaver Ruin Road and Interstate 85, is in one of those areas.

Two of the others are slated to be community parks with athletic fields for nearby schools.

County records show the fourth property is plagued with access problems. Motorists won’t be able to drive into the park, due to the land’s floodplain and topography issues. In order for people to park nearby, the county must get permission from an adjacent property owner, which it has not yet done.

Close associations

All four developers are politically connected men who sit atop Gwinnett’s development community.

Kenerly, who took the lead on the deals involving Jenkins and Bowen, said in an interview that he considers them both friends. He said he considers Hewatt a friend, too.

Kenerly’s relationship with Jenkins goes deeper. A real-estate investor, Kenerly acknowledged that he has been involved in three business deals with Jenkins and has gone on several group vacations to Las Vegas with him.

Bannister, who advocated the land deal involving Hewatt, said the two are friends.

Former Commissioner Green led the effort to buy the land on Beaver Ruin Road from developer and former Commission Chairman Wayne Mason. Green, who left the board at the end of 2008, described Mason as nothing more than a political supporter and said the purchase was good for her district.

All four developers have contributed to the campaigns of the commissioners who lobbied for the purchases.

Kenerly, Bannister and Green all said the personal relationships or campaign contributions did not drive their support.

The developers could not be reached for comment. Their attorney, R. Lee Tucker Jr., said in an e-mail that none wanted to be interviewed for the story.

It will be at least six years before taxpayers can enjoy any of the four parks. None will open before 2016, a parks official said.

In the meantime, Porter, the district attorney, has raised questions about another proposed land purchase.

In June, he stalled the proposed $5.27 million land purchase by threatening the commissioners with a grand jury investigation if the deal went through. Porter hinted that he had suspicions about other deals as well.

The board postponed the vote until Tuesday.

Beaudreau is not convinced his colleagues took Porter’s threat seriously.

“I’m afraid this is not the end of it,” Beaudreau said. “You would think people could be shamed into doing the right thing.”

HOW WE GOT THE STORY

Working off a tip, the AJC investigated six land purchases for parkland by Gwinnett County, eventually focusing on four of them.

The newspaper researched the history of the properties, the failed attempts of developers to build, the developers’ lawsuits and the county’s steps to buy the land.

In doing so, the AJC reviewed dozens of files in five county departments, including those that buy parkland and run the county’s parks system.

It also interviewed six current or former commissioners, reviewed all their campaign contributions over the past six years, reviewed two master plans for the parks system and watched numerous archived Board of Commissioners’ meetings dating back to 2004.

The AJC also solicited the help of two local appraisers to examine the appraisals involved in the four deals.

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