Gwinnett Daily Post

Sign up for Great American Cleanup

LAWRENCEVILLE - Gwinnett will participate in its second countywide cleanup competition.

The second Great American Cleanup Gwinnett Challenge will create opportunities for local groups to make their community safer, healthier and more livable by working together to improve the environment and the appearance of their communities. Typical projects include litter cleanups, graffiti eradication, landscaping and recycling.

Gwinnett will participate as part of the Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup. Groups are eligible to participate as neighborhood/tenant associations, school groups/clubs, civic groups and businesses. They are encouraged to identify eyesores or bare spots in their community that could be transformed or beautified through their volunteer efforts between March 1 and

May 12.

The top two groups in each category will receive $500 and $250 cash prizes, with the public helping to select a grand champion that will receive an additional $2,000. Prizes will be awarded based on creativity, impact on the community and total number of volunteers involved.

For more information or to download registration forms, visit www.gwinnettcb.org. All projects must be pre-registered with Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and take place between March 1 and

May 12.

Handicapped

parking permits now in local offices

•LAWRENCEVILLE - Beginning March 1, handicapped parking permits will be available at local tag offices.

The placards are issued with a physician's approval and are hung on a vehicle's rearview mirror.

Homestead exemption due

LAWRENCEVILLE - Property owners must file for a 2006 homestead tax exemption by March 1.

Property owners already receiving an exemption and who had no ownership changes to their deed do not need to reapply. They will continue to receive their current exemption on property taxes.

For more information regarding available exemptions, contact the Department of Property Tax between

8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For 24-hour service, call TaxTalk24, the Tax Commissioner's automated customer service telephone system, at 770-822-8800, or use the Tax Commissioner's Web site at www.gwinnett-tax.com.

The Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner also collects property taxes for the cities of Berkeley Lake, Dacula, Grayson, Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Snellville and Sugar Hill. Property owners residing in these cities' limits and who apply for a county exemption will also receive applicable city exemptions to which they may be entitled.

Farmers market seeking products

SUWANEE - The Suwanee-Duluth Farmers Market is looking for a few green thumbs.

The annual farmers market, to be held on alternating Saturdays in Suwanee and Duluth from May 20 through September, offers a variety of fresh seasonal produce, fruits, flowers and plants.

The cities are seeking farmers and gardeners interested in offering their home-grown products at the farmers market.

If interested, complete the 2006 Suwanee-Duluth Farmers Market application available at www.suwanee.com.

The market will be open

8 a.m. to noon Saturdays. Dates on which the Suwanee-Duluth Farmers Market will be at Town Center Park, 370 Buford Highway, in Suwanee are:

• May 20

• June 3 and 17

• July 1, 15 and 29

• Aug. 12 and 26

• Sept. 9 and 23

The market will be in downtown Duluth on:

• May 27

• June 10 and 24

• July 8 and 22

• Aug. 5 and 19

• Sept. 2, 16 and 30

For more information, contact Amy Doherty at adoherty@suwanee.com or 770-945-8996.

Gwinnett Gab appears in the Thursday and Sunday editions of the Gwinnett Daily Post.