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What's New

City adopts slightly smaller budget for 2011; no increase in taxes anticipated

Suwanee City Council has adopted an $11,223,380 balanced budget for fiscal year 2011, which begins July 1. The new budget represents about a 1 percent decrease from last year’s adopted budget and is more than 6 percent less than the amended FY2010 budget. Suwanee’s millage rate is anticipated to remain the same as last year at 5.77 mills. The City’s millage rate has remained the same or been reduced each of the past eight years.

“With the economy still shaky and property values declining,” says City Manager Marty Allen, “the City of Suwanee, like many other communities, was forced to make some difficult decisions and budgetary concessions. Fortunately, though, thanks to the City’s past conservative financial policies and previous, strong development patterns, Suwanee remains economically strong and fiscally sound.”

The City worked diligently to reduce costs and cost increases, Allen notes. And, due to declining revenue growth, Suwanee’s budget focuses largely on maintaining current service levels. New expenditures include:

• A 2.5 percent performance-based cost-of-living increase for employees. Salaries were frozen at 2009 levels last year.
• The first phase of a two-year communitywide strategic plan.
• Replacement of police department laptops.

More information.

The name of the band is…

…Cowboy Mouth! The high-energy, New Orleans-based band known for its legendary live performances returns to Town Center Park Saturday, August 21, for another free, crowd-pleasing concert. Cowboy Mouth has entertained more than 8 million people, including thousands who attended a 2005 performance in Suwanee.

Cowboy Mouth will be the headline performer for the August 21 concert co-sponsored by the City of Suwanee and 790 The Zone. Other performers will include finalists in Wild Wing Café’s Battle of the Bands competition. Cowboy Mouth will take the stage at approximately 8 p.m.

“Cowboy Mouth is the band by which we tend to rate all other groups who perform at Town Center,” says Denise Brinson, economic and community development director. “They set an incredibly high standard for energy and fun with their 2005 performance here. I love telling the story about how [drummer] Fred [LeBlanc] started the show by coming out into the crowd and sitting in my father-in-law’s lap.”

Bring blankets, chairs, picnics, neighbors, and friends. Food and beverages, including wine and beer, will be available for purchase, however, no alcohol may be brought into Town Center Park.

Festival design features Town Center

The winner of the 2010 Suwanee Day design competition is very familiar with Suwanee’s annual celebration of community. She should be…she was the 2008 winner as well.

A design created by Lawrenceville resident Ashleigh James, a professional graphic designer with Accent South Media, was selected from among 78 entries to represent this year’s festival. The 2010 design features a building-scape of Town Center with iconic festival images – representing music, art, food, and shopping – subtly woven in.

“The selection panel was impressed with the colors and multi-layered imagery in Ashleigh’s winning design,” says Public Information Officer Lynne Bohlman DeWilde. “We’re excited to have Town Center, now that the main street front is complete, represented so imaginatively in this year’s festival design.”

The 2010 Suwanee Day festival will be held Saturday, September 18. For more information about vendors, 5K/10K race, parade, volunteers, and anything else related to the festival, visit www.suwaneeday.com.

An assist for downtown façade improvements

The Suwanee Downtown Development Authority is offering a matching façade grant program to help business owners and residents preserve, restore, and improve downtown structures.

“Investing in and maintaining the integrity of Suwanee’s downtown,” says Downtown Manager Catherine Dixon, “is not simply a matter of aesthetics. Reinvesting in buildings through restoration and façade improvements is an important factor in the success of retail and commercial businesses, residents’ quality of life, and the sustainability of the community.”

The Downtown Development Authority will match up to 50 percent of the cost for eligible improvements, but not more than $1,500 for commercial properties and $500 for residential properties. Grant funds are provided as a reimbursement upon completion of the improvements.

Last year, Suwanee First United Methodist Church received a grant used to make minor wood repairs and repaint the exterior of its main building, constructed in 1910. Eligible improvements include, but are not limited to, repairs to exterior facades, restoration of storefronts and architectural elements, masonry repair, cleaning and painting, architectural lighting, and landscaping. Applications are due June 30.

They came…they built…they planted

The majority of plots at Georgia’s largest organic community garden are now planted and the 50-plus gardener-volunteers who built the plots over the last three days of April are beginning to see the fruits – and vegetables – of their labor. Working around soggy days and forecasts, the City scheduled – and rescheduled – the volunteer-powered plot-building at Harvest Farm three times.

“The way that it finally got done [mostly over three weekday afternoons/evenings],” says Assistant to the City Manager Jessica Roth, “is a real tribute to the Suwanee community. People came out with great attitudes. That was hard, hard work and it was really hot a couple of days. I never heard any complaining. Most nights, I had to kick people out of there because it had gotten too dark to work anymore.”

In all, construction of the community garden’s 76 initial plots required:

• more than 500 volunteer hours
• 3.5 days
• 2,940 linear feet of lumber
• 912 bolts
• 36 tons of slate chips
• 3 tandem loads of soil

Please note that Harvest Farm currently is open only to gardeners as construction of White Street Park continues.

‘Green’ City Hall is now certified

Suwanee City Hall, which opened last year, has received official LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Suwanee’s two-story, art deco-styled facility is the first City Hall in the state (and one of 21 in the country), according USGBC records, to receive LEED certification.

Suwanee City Hall earned 30 credits toward certification in a variety of design and construction areas, including sustainable site, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. The City achieved “exemplary performance” status in three areas: maximization of open space, water use reduction, and material use. More information.

The best of Suwanee’s finest

Several Suwanee police officers were recognized in front of City Council on April 27 as the police department announced its annual awards.

Ofc. Simon Byun was voted Officer of the Year by his peers. Chief Mike Jones says: “Ofc. Byun is a positive individual making a difference for the citizens of Suwanee and our department.”

A 19-year veteran of the department, Lt. Dan Clark received the Chief’s Award for his key role in the department’s successful state re-certification. “He worked long hours and weekends to meet the necessary goals,” says Jones. “Because of [Lt. Clark’s] focus on the task, he was able to meet all certification standards with a very positive report from the assessment team leader.”

Communications Officer Michelle Shepard was voted Civilian Employee of the Year by her peers for the second consecutive year. “She is very calm during emergency situations,” the Chief says, “which facilitates professional actions.”

Additional awards…

Twice the freshness

The Suwanee Farmers Market is offering fresh produce, edible delights, colorful flowers, and handmade natural products twice as often in 2010.

In addition to its traditional Saturday morning hours, the market is, for the first time, also open Tuesday evenings.

The Suwanee Farmers Market features about two dozen vendors at Town Center Park every Saturday and Tuesday through October 12 (except for September 18). The market is open from 8 am-noon Saturdays and 4-7 p.m. Tuesdays.

“Our farmers harvest crops all week long,” says Events Coordinator Amy Doherty. “They requested an extra market day, and we felt that our customers would appreciate an additional opportunity to find fresh produce close to home.”

An array of spring produce is available in May, including arugula, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, English peas, greens, kale, lettuce, mustard greens, onions, radishes, spinach, and turnips.

Finders Keepers

Mini canvases of Suwanee landmarks are blooming along Suwanee’s trails twice each day through the City’s Art on a Limb program. Begun in 2005, this annual finders-keepers treasure hunt combines Suwanee’s enthusiasm for art and nature.

Two pieces of artwork – this year, retouched giclées of old and new Suwanee icons – will be hidden along the Suwanee Creek Greenway and at Sims Lake Park each day throughout May. Those who find the artwork may keep it.

Last year, 11-year-old Cierstin Johnston found an Art on a Limb piece along the soft surface trail at Suwanee Creek Park. “I now proudly display it on my fridge, and I like to tell people about the treasure I found while I was in the woods,” she says.

This year’s Art on a Limb pieces, created by local artist and Suwanee resident Vickie Johnson, are mini canvases of scenes reflecting historic Old Town and the new Town Center. The giclées (defined as the making of fine art prints from a digital source) feature five different Suwanee landmarks: City Hall, Suwanee First United Methodist Church, the caboose, former barn at White Street Park, and Town Center.

‘Watercolor in the sky’

Suwanee City Hall will never look the same. Over the last weekend of February, installation of a suspended sculpture that represents Suwanee’s commitment to public art was completed in the building’s spacious foyer.

The suspended sculpture, entitled Shimmering Echoes, was created by Seattle-based artist Koryn Rolstad, who has designed environmental public art installed in a multitude of locations around the world. Mounted in two areas, the cascading sculpture includes 12 groupings suspended from railroad-inspired aluminum track frames; 1,900 elliptical-shaped eco-resin elements in shades from translucent white and rose tones to yellow, green, and aqua as well as a reflective holographic radiant; and about a mile of 1/32-inch stainless steel cable – all held together with some 4,000 clips and another 4,000 washers. Altogether, the sculpture weighs in at 240 pounds (120 pounds per grouping).

Rolstad describes Shimmering Echoes as “a watercolor in the sky.”

The City of Suwanee will host a dedication of Shimmering Echoes at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 25. Artist Koryn Rolstad and Tad Leithead, chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission, will be guest speakers at the event, which is free and open to the public. More information.

Suwanee’s finest are state certified

The Suwanee Police Department serves and protects its more than 16,500 citizens in a professional and ethical manner that once again has met state standards set by the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. 

Suwanee’s police department was assessed against 118 state standards in December. The assessment team unanimously offered its “highest recommendation” that Suwanee’s state certification be renewed.  The team found Suwanee police officers to be “deeply committed” to the principles of community policing,” according to its final report.

“One item that greatly impressed the assessment team was the atmosphere of professionalism, ethics, and integrity,” the report states. “On the back of every sworn officer’s badge is the inscription ‘Professional, Ethical, and Knowledgeable….’ We determined that these are more than just words; they are the officers’ and agency’s way of life.”

Certification through the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP) represents a significant professional achievement and acknowledges implementation of policies and procedures that are conceptually sound and operationally effective. Suwanee is one of 94 agencies throughout the state, out of about 700 that are eligible, to earn GACP certification.

The Suwanee Police Department initially earned state certification in 2000.

Taking community celebration to an art level

Art in all its wonderful, various forms – 2D, 3D, and performance art – will be celebrated during Suwanee’s Arts in the Park event, beginning at noon Saturday, May 22.

With a theme of “The Art of Making Art,” the event offers artists a unique opportunity to educate the public about various art forms. Artists are encouraged to demonstrate and/or educate festival attendees about their art. Best of Show cash prizes will be offered based on originality, presentation, and display of goods as well as interaction with attendees, craftsmanship, and skill. Applications are due by April 15.

The festival also will include live entertainment and a chalk-walk art competition. Chalk artists in four different age divisions, from Pre-K to adults, are invited to put their creative genius to work in designated sidewalk areas for their chance to win cash prizes. Applications for the inaugural chalk-walk art competition are due before May 15.

Twenty ‘rings’ and counting

The City of Suwanee has earned designation as a national Tree City USA for the 20th year, one of only 33 communities statewide to earn such recognition.

Recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to urban forestry, Suwanee has met four standards in order to become a Tree City USA community: The City has a tree board, tree-care ordinance, comprehensive community forestry program, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

This year, Suwanee will celebrate Arbor Day in April by planting orchard trees at the new Harvest Farm at White Street Park.

Snap Suwanee winners focus on community

The winning photographs in the 2010 Snap Suwanee photo competition are now on exhibit at City Hall. A dozen winning photos were selected from among 67 entries to be on display for the next year. The exhibit is along the central foyer on the first floor of City Hall, 330 Town Center Avenue, and is free and open to the public during regular City Hall business hours, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays.

The winning images reflect several locations throughout the community, including Town Center Park, Sims Lake Park, the Suwanee Creek Greenway, and historic Old Town.

Snap Suwanee is an ongoing competition, and photographs may be submitted throughout the year. 2011 Snap Suwanee guidelines and application.

Creativity, fun wanted

WANTED: Creative t-shirt designs to make a real fashion statement and serve as the official logo of the 2010 Suwanee Day festival. Printed and JPEG formats required. Bold, colorful, fun, creative concepts preferred. Applications and entries are due by June 1. Compensation: Satisfaction and $500 for winning design.

Digitally created designs as well as original artwork – including paintings, drawings, and photographs – will be accepted.

If you’re the creative, artistic type, you’ll also be interested in being part of Suwanee’s Arts in the Park festival on May 22. The festival is a celebration of the arts in all their wonderful, various forms. Artists and other vendors are invited to apply to be part of this fun festival. The deadline for vendor applications is April 5.

Something to tweet about

The City of Suwanee has something else to tweet about: The City recently received a CREATE Community Award from the Atlanta Regional Commission for its social media initiatives. Presented annually, the CREATE Community awards recognize local government innovations in five categories.

Suwanee was the winner in the Application and Innovation in Technology category for its commitment to utilizing social media as a tool to engage citizens and for development of a progressive Social Media Policy.

In early 2009, Suwanee established active Facebook and Twitter accounts as yet another means to share information, but most importantly as a way to engage residents and others in conversation.

Making an impression through public art

The City of Suwanee and the Suwanee Arts Partnership are set to launch a fund-raising effort to make possible an exhibit of original outdoor sculptures to be displayed year-round throughout downtown Suwanee.

Public arts initiatives like this upcoming Suwanee SculpTour can have a real economic impact on the community, bringing additional visitors to downtown Suwanee. In addition, public arts programs:

• Make art accessible to everyone.
• Attract a creative workforce.
• Celebrate civic achievements or memorialize local or national events.
• Stimulate creativity in the workplace and our schools.
• Increase livability, walkability, and desirability of neighborhoods and the community.
• Educate and inspire citizens.
• Enhance roadsides, pedestrian corridors, and community gateways.
• Encourage dialogue.
• Demonstrate civic pride.

Click here for more information about the Suwanee SculpTour, the City’s public art initiative, and sponsor opportunities. Or contact Denise Brinson.

Real-life ‘Law & Order’

When the next Suwanee Citizens Police Academy class graduates in April, the number of alumni of this eight-week “glimpse behind the badge” will total more than 300. The Suwanee Police Department has offered its Citizens Police Academy roughly twice a year since 2000 as a means to help citizens gain a better understanding of the risks and responsibilities of officers and to strengthen the bond of friendship and cooperation between citizens and the police department.

The next academy begins February 16. Classes will be from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday evenings through April 6.

The deadline for notarized applications is Friday, February 5. Participants must be at least 19 years old; preference is given to Suwanee residents or to those who work in the City of Suwanee. For more information, contact Ofc. Elias Casanas at elias@suwanee.com or 770/945-4607, ext. 327.

Class topics include crime scene processing, traffic stops, building searches, crime prevention, and narcotics identification.

Census count matters

Census questionnaires are scheduled to arrive in mailboxes in mid-March, and accurate data is critical to local communities, like Suwanee and others across the country, in apportioning seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and in determining how more than $400 billion per year is allocated for projects like new hospitals, schools, roads, and services such as job training and senior centers.

Select data about Suwanee from the 2000 Census
Median age	34.2
Moved into current home 1995-98	41.7%
Heat using electricity	29.8%
Non-white population	15.5%
Population (25 or older) with at least a bachelor’s degree	45.6% (another 21.7% had some college)

“Obtaining a precise Census count is critical for local governments,” notes City Manager Marty Allen. “This data will determine funding eligibility and inform planning efforts for the next 10 years. It really helps us to have good and complete information, so we encourage residents to be cooperative with the Census Bureau and provide accurate information.”

The 10 questions on the 2010 Census form relate to name, sex, age, race, date of birth, and household relationship of every individual in the residence as well as whether the home is owned or rented. The Census Bureau will not ask about legal status, for social security numbers, nor information related to bank accounts or credit cards. The Better Business Bureau offers additional tips related to the 2010 Census.

Suwanee court goes paperless

Judges in Suwanee’s Municipal Court may still need to wield a gavel every now and then, but one thing they won’t require anymore is paper.  Suwanee’s court has implemented a new paperless system developed by Alabama-based Syscon, becoming the first court in Gwinnett County to go essentially paperless and only the second in the state.

The new system – which includes a software platform, three courtroom computer screens, electronic signature pad, biometric fingerprint signature scanner, and document scanner – is expected to save about 860 sheets of paper per court session – that’s 51,600 pieces of paper a year.

“In addition to being good for the environment,” says Court Services Administrator Mariza Abdeljawad, “this system will enhance the efficiency, productivity, and quality of the court. It takes us to a completely new level of service.”

After the initial court session using the Syscon system on December 16, Chief Judge Mark Lewis says that his first impression was “wow.”  Even after the first experience, Lewis says, the improved efficiency is obvious because “we aren’t shuffling paper from the clerk to the solicitor to the judge to the court clerk to the cashier anymore. We all are on the same system and have instantaneous access to the workflow.” See full press release.