The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 349

GWINNETT EXTRA, AUGUST 29, 198S 9 Pupil growth in Gvinnett below first day estimates Jean Fountain revived parks, will leave soon By Ban Wuifltorst Stiff Writ flllSllli i H.I By Julio Kimble I Staff Writf Jean Fountain accepted the Job of Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation Department director Hi yean ago. Her predecessor had been fired only months before, accused by a grand jury of "gross mismanagement" within bis Parks were barren, facilities for the county school system. Official attendance counts are taken the first, fourth and sixth days of schools, a school spokes- woman said. The first-day attendance was about 3,800 more students than last year on the same day. The increase marks a 7.6-percent growth over last year, similar to the 8 percent growth of the prior year.

Almost 600 kindergarteners were among the many pupils enrolling this week on Gwinnett's first full-day kindergarten, offered at seven of the county's elementary schools. 1 Three hundred new teachers were hired by the county school system this year to teach in the newly expanded kindergarten classes as well as other grades. Two brand new schools, Pinck-ney ville Middle in Norcross and Brookwood Elementary In SneUvillv opened on schedule. were aged, and no plans existed for First-day school enrollment came up slightly short of projections, but Gwinnett officials say they expect the number to grow by next week. Collecting exact attendance figures not easy on the somewhat hectic first day of school, officials said.

An accurate count will not be available until next week, they sail There were 46,900 students in class on Monday for the the first day of classes in Gwinnett County public schools. Administrators had estimated 1,500 more students would register. But they are standing by their projections. "Based on prior years, we will grow about U00 students between now and Sept said Ed Hampton Monday. Hamption is director of Management Information Systems future development of recreational facilities in Gwinnett Miss Fountain was hailed by one county official because she "took the parks and recreation depart ment from the Middle Ages to its Jean Fountain th credit from moat county officials for reviving a paralyzed Gwinnett County Parks Department But the Florida native Is returning to her home state and will leave her Gwinnett County job soon.

(Staff Photo Name) current state of planning and man agement" But after her short ten ure in the county, Miss Fountain has left her employers wondering how they will replace her. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT fiho Restaurant Listing She announced her resignation last week to accept a job as assis- V' tant city manager In North Miami, j'Fto. "Anytime you have a person in s. a department leave that has a knowlege of the day-to-day opera- tlons, it's disruptive and takes a while to get back on track," said Commission Chairwoman Lillian Webb. "She is a very resourceful 3 lady and will certainly be missed." Mrs.

Webb said a temporary re- placement for Miss Fountain has not been chosen, but will be in the 4 near future. "The person who takes her 10-year master plan during ber tenure to outline future recreation and park facilities throughout the county. That plan is based on population projections and other factors, and should be completed In early October, soon after the director's last day of work with the county, she Tm as proud as I can be about the master plan," Miss Fountain said. "It's the greatest project the recreation department has ever undertaken. It will be a plan of action regardless of who is Parks and Recreation director." Miss Fountain will leave extensive landscaping at several parks as another legacy.

County-owned ties such as Shorty Howell in Du-luth, Best Friend Park in Norcross, Mountain Park, and Dacula Park were previously barren. "You can look at the parks and see her touch with the trees and flowers where barren land used to be," Berg said. "And she did It within her budget" She tripled the parks staff within that same budget to maintain the parks more effeciently. Miss Fountain, 42, is originally from Florida. She worked in North Miami for seven years as assistant recreation director for the town about nine miles north of Miami after earning a bachelors degree in recreation and a masters in business from Florida State University.

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The old I-285I-85 cloverleaf was "state of the art" when constructed. But the new design is safer and reduces the amount of weaving between lanes at ramps, said Alva Byrom, director of construction for the DOT, The new intersection has also made state history. The original contract In 1982 of about $62.5 million was the largest highway project ever awarded by Georgia's DOT, officials said. That amount is expected to swell to $86 million by completion, according to DOTs Byrom. The 150,000 cubic yards of concrete purchased with those funds would almost pave a sidewalk from Atlanta to Arizona's Painted Desert Almost 250,000 tons of asphalt will be poured.

SOUTHERN said. He declined to identify the two sections, however, explaining he did not want to raise hopes about portions that could be delayed. State Department of Transportation officials said Jasper's timetable is feasible. The entire project has been lagging behind schedule but now is expected to be completely open by December 1986, a DOT spokesman said. "(Gwinnett Countians) create a lot of that traffic," said Gwinnett County Commissioner Mike Berg.

"The improvements definitely will make a difference for us. fit also will relieve traffic on some of the other roads," Berg continued. "Gwinnett County folks who drive on 85 have been using alternative streets to circumvent that Intersection Pleasant Hill Road to get to Buford Highway, Lawrence-ville Highway and Northcrest Road. They no longer will be using those (secondary) routes." Berg avoids intersection conges- tion by traveling on back roads when commuting to his corporate office on Chamblce-Dunwoody Road, Etftor's note David Pendered a stilt writer lor the DeKalb EX-i TRA. I The Interstate 285 Interstate 85 crossing in northern DeKalb County has been a congestion point for Gwinnett County commuters, but they now have reason to rejoice, The first of 10 bridges to span the interchange opened last Satur-i day, according to Jerry Denham, administrative manager for Jasper Construction general contractor for the project The bridge is sweeping drivers from northbound 1-85 to westbound 1-285 and relieving a significant portion of heavy evening traffic.

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