Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlotte Nash said the NACo awards reflect great work by a lot of hard-working people.
“These awards recognize our long-standing tradition of innovation and excellence and confirm Gwinnett as a leader among more than 3,000 county governments in the United States,” said Nash. “Our Bicentennial is an important underlying theme this year, but it didn’t stop county organizations from continuing to work on other projects that are important to the community and for which folks are receiving much-deserved recognition.”
Gwinnett’s Bicentennial Celebration won three awards. One recognizes a 20-panel traveling exhibit created by Community Services that traces Gwinnett’s history. Another honors an online interactive map program, developed by Information Technology Services, that tracks the progress of the Bicentennial Torch as runners carry it to dozens of locations throughout the year. The third award is for the bicentennial website, www.gwinnett200.com, created by Communications.
Gwinnett Libraries received a Best in Category award for its Homegrown Gwinnett program and also won for a joint project with Parks and Recreation that featured literary nights at aquatics centers.
Parks and Recreation also shared an award with ITS for its use of the Lucity computer platform to track, schedule and predict maintenance needs for everything from community centers to individual sprinkler heads. Health and Human Services was recognized for adding pet food to its home-delivered meals program for homebound seniors. And a new Hydro Adventure Experience exhibit at the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center won its innovative use of technology.
Water Resources was recognized for three programs including its Ostara nutrient recovery facility that produces fertilizer from wastewater treatment byproducts at the F. Wayne Hill plant. Other programs honored were watershed cleanups and septic tank education.
NACo President Roy Charles Brooks said, “Counties seize opportunities to deliver services more efficiently and build stronger communities every day. Achievement Award-winning programs are examples for counties that are determined to enhance services for our residents.”
NACo recognized award-winning counties at its 2018 Annual Conference and Exposition last month in Nashville. NACo helps advocate for and improve county governments. Learn more at www.naco.org
