Please note that indexed items appear as they were published in the printed version of CrossRoads. Any dates mentioned were current at the time of publication but may have since become outdated.

Index, 6/01:

• Two more chances to feel the beat

• 2000 Census offers few surprises, proof of growth for Suwanee

• How do open space, recreation fit into quality of life equation?

• City director is a real clown

• Firm to help map Old Town's future

• A note to lawn enthusiasts: Help protect the environment

• YIELD SIGNS

• ADVANCE students all winners

• Big-screen family fun under the stars

• Family flick nights

• CALENDAR

• Archived Newsletters

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Two more chances to feel the beat

You've got two more chances to have as much fun as the more than 500 people who came to Old Town on May 5 to usher in concert season in Suwanee and to sing and dance along with Soul Support. The lawn area around the Burnette-Rogers Pavilion at Main Street Park was covered with picnickers on the nearly weather-perfect evening as the North Gwinnett High School Jazz Band got things started. Once Soul Support began playing through their repertoire of oldies classics like "Mustang Sally," "Georgia," and "Under the Boardwalk," it was the paved "dance floor" in front of the pavilion that got crowded.

As this newsletter was being printed, the variety band Class Act was scheduled to rock Suwanee with its May 18 performance. The 2001 Concerts in the Park series is brought to the community by the Suwanee Business Alliance with corporate support from Primrose Schools of Suwanee and Suwanee West.

The final two concerts in this year's series will be presented this month. On Saturday, June 9, the Joy Waters Band will perform new country selections. The band's lead vocalist is a Suwanee-area resident who has performed with the Gwinnett Philharmonic and has sung for regional commercials. Chiropractic Healthcare Associates is the sponsor for this concert, for which Church & State will open at 7 p.m.

On the Air, an eight-piece swing orchestra, will close out this year's Concerts in the Park series with its performance on Friday, June 22. In addition to big band and swing classics, On the Air will play Frank Sinatra and Harry Connick Jr. tunes; their brand of swing is for all generations! Rock band Tin Roof will be the opening act, and the Allstate Office of Toby Blackwell is the sponsor.

The free concerts take place at the Burnette-Rogers Pavilion in Old Town's Main Street Park. Headline bands perform from 8-10 p.m. while opening bands begin at 7 p.m.

Suwanee Concerts in the Park
June Performances

Saturday, June 9 - Joy Waters Band
Sponsored by Chiropractic Healthcare Associates
Opening act: Church & State

Friday, June 22 - On the Air
Sponsored by Allstate Office of Toby Blackwell
Opening act: Tin Roof

CONCERT PHOTO 'CUTLINE':

Concert photos by M. Michael Farr

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2000 Census offers few surprises, proof of growth for Suwanee

The 2000 Census presents a numerical story about a small city in north Georgia that grew and grew and grew. With a growth rate of 262 percent and a population increase from 2,412 in 1990 to 8,725 in 2000, Suwanee is the fastest-growing city in mushrooming Gwinnett County, which added 235,538 residents.

"The Census numbers are clearly not a surprise," notes City Manager Hardin Watkins. "Anyone who lives or works in Suwanee has seen the growth happening over the past 10 years and has experienced the impact of that growth in our daily lives."

With an estimated average of 30 families per month moving to Suwanee, Watkins says that the City's population currently is hovering around 9,000.

"Suwanee will continue to grow and will continue to change," he adds. "Suwanee will not be the same city in 2010 as it is now. There will be more people and more businesses. The growth is coming and we need to work to shape our community so that it will be what citizens want it to be."

Watkins notes that City Council and staff will be relying on the City's comprehensive plan to guide future development. Suwanee 2020: A Citywide Comprehensive Plan and Town Master Plan offers an encompassing examination of Suwanee's development over the next 20 years, including population projections as well as design guidelines and alternative transportation options. The comprehensive plan is available via the City's website, www.suwanee.com, on the Development/Reports & Regulations page.

CUTLINE FOR CENSUS STORY:

Boom town New homes, like this one in the Old Suwanee neighborhood, keep going up as an estimated 30 families move into Suwanee each month.

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How do open space, recreation fit into quality of life equation?

If you haven't traveled down a Suwanee road in a week or so, chances are that you'll see new homes or a business going up the next time you travel that way. That's how quickly Suwanee is growing and how quickly its approximately 40 percent of vacant land is being developed.

In the face of this kind of growth, how much, if any, of the City's undeveloped land do citizens want to try to keep as open space? Where should open space be and what type of land-wetlands, woods, fields-should it be? How will we pay for that land?

Lose & Associates, of Nashville, with an office in Lawrenceville, is conducting a study that will help the City of Suwanee determine the answers to such questions as well as similar questions about active recreational space and needs. The study is scheduled to be completed by September. Incorporating community-based input, the firm will provide specific suggestions for existing and proposed parks, facilities, open spaces, maintenance needs, and recreation programs.

Citizen input will be a key component in shaping the recommendations to be put forward by Lose & Associates. Plan to participate in at least one of the four public hearings to be conducted as part of the open space study. See the box below for information about where and when these meetings will be held.

"We're looking to Lose & Associates," says City Manager Hardin Watkins, "to offer recommendations regarding open space acquisition and implementation of recreational programming as well as for suggestions on how to prioritize our needs and fund what citizens say they want.

"During the preparation of our comprehensive plan, participants expressed interest in preserving land," Watkins adds. "This study begins our analysis of the feasibility of one component of our City comprehensive plan."

Lose & Associates has begun the needs assessment by preparing an inventory of existing parks, facilities, and current programming, including those offered by the county and private facilities, and by interviewing City staff and elected officials. A citizen steering committee has been developed to help guide policy recommendations and establish priorities.

Currently Lose & Associates also is assisting Gwinnett County with development of its greenspace plan and is working with Cobb County on a comprehensive parks and recreation master plan. The firm completed a parks and recreation master plan for Gwinnett County in 1996.

For more information about the open space needs study, contact City Planner Josh Campbell at 770/945-8996 or campbell@suwanee.com.

Where should Suwanee play in the future?

Help provide the answer by participating in at least one of the following open space and recreation public meetings. Each meeting is from 7-9 p.m.

CUTLINES FOR OPEN SPACE STORY:

Take me out to the ballgame Does Suwanee need additional recreational facilities?

Tree city Suwanee still has several large areas of trees. Should we try to preserve any of these areas?

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City director is a real clown

Diane Boone is a professionally trained clown, but it's at her job as the City of Suwanee's administrative services director that she really has to juggle. Hired in January, Boone not only manages the City's human resources matters, she also serves as City clerk and election supervisor. In addition, she oversees municipal court operations.

It's not the clown training, which she undertook in 1997 as a fire safety volunteer, that prepared her to juggle all the hats she must wear-in addition to her City roles, she's also a wife, mother, and grandmother. Rather, it was her 15 years as human resources director with the City of Rome (Georgia), which employs more than 600.

Boone's Rome roots run deep. Her family received 1,000 acres in the Cherokee Indian land grant in 1842; her mother still lives on part of the property. She attended Berry College in Rome on scholarship and graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration. She gave up her original plan to major in music when she discovered that pay in that field often came in the form of food rather than money, Boone notes with a hearty laugh that has become familiar at Suwanee City Hall. Boone continues to play the piano and organ and to sing at the slightest invitation.

Feeling that she had done all that she could in her 15 years there, Boone left her position with the City of Rome in 1998 to go into business for herself. She opened a women's and children's boutique, Feet 'n' Frills, which specialized in clothing, shoes, and accessories. It was a lot of fun, she says, but "I made no money." She adds, "Owning your own business is a 24/7 job," requiring (only) slightly more hours than she spends in her Suwanee job.

As she made the hard decision to close her business, she received a phone call from Suwanee Police Chief Mike Jones, with whom she previously had worked in Rome. Jones called to tell her of the open position in Suwanee.

Although her family has lived in Rome for five generations, Boone and her family, including her husband and 7-year-old son and eventually her 22-year-old daughter and two grandchildren, did not find it difficult to leave. They enjoy living in Suwanee, and Boone is glad to be a government employee again.

"I love government work, and I love working with people," Boone says. "I truly believe that the purpose of government is to serve the people and provide people with what they want. People want to live in safety and be provided a high quality of life. The only instrument provided to us to achieve that is our government."

Because the work of government affects so many, Boone says, "It's vital to [employ] people who are dedicated to the organization. I don't mean blind loyalty. I mean people who want to come in every day and give 100 percent because they know that as a
government employee their work impacts thousands of lives and they take pride in that."

Despite the earnestness with which she approaches her job, or perhaps because of it, and despite the 90 minutes it requires to apply the white pancake and other clown makeup, Boone thrives on the absurdity that her clown personality allows. Boone recently transformed herself into Polkadot-her clown personality-for an employee appreciation picnic.

"I can be so silly," she says with that laugh. "And just for a minute, the people I'm with don't have to think about the work piled on their desk or the grass that needs to be cut. They can be silly too."

Maybe every city should have a professional clown on staff.

CULTINES FOR CLOWN STORY:

City of Suwanee Berry College Alumni Association Three of the City's department heads, Diane Boone, sitting; Financial Services Director Amie Sakmar; and Police Chief Mike Jones all graduated from Berry College in Rome.

Boone as Polkadot

Boogie man Boone as Polkadot and Jones dance during a City picnic.

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Firm to help map Old Town's future

The Suwanee Old Town area has a rich history and a potential-filled future. To help the City of Suwanee fully realize the area's potential, the City has hired Jordan Jones & Goulding (JJ&G) to prepare an Old Town Master Plan. The Norcross-based planning and engineering consulting firm was one of eight to respond to the City's request for qualifications.

"We were impressed with Jordan Jones & Goulding's multidisciplinary approach to addressing the opportunities and challenges that exist in our Old Town area," notes Marty Allen, Suwanee's director of community development and planning. "We're looking to JJ&G to provide us with a plan that outlines specific actions and projects that will help make the area the functional as well as symbolic heart of Suwanee."

Among the issues to be addressed are lack of visibility and accessibility to Main Street, traffic patterns in Old Town and the possibility of creating one-way streets, limitations because of the railroad track running through the area, connection to greenways, preservation of the historic character, and where best to concentrate commercial development. JJ&G will address these issues through two public meetings and a design workshop as well as analysis of land uses, transportation, pedestrian opportunities, and infrastructure.

JJ&G currently is working on plans for the Suwanee Greenway as well as the Town Green design in Duluth, a Livable Centers Initiative Project for Sandy Springs and redevelopment plans for a mixed-use downtown area in Gainesville. Urban Collage, an Atlanta-based firm, will serve as an architectural consultant to JJ&G.

For more information, contact Denise Brinson at 770/945-8996 or denise@suwanee.com.

Help set the course for tomorrow's Old Town

Two public meetings will be held at City Hall. Food will be provided.
---June 9 * 8:30 -11 a.m.---July 16 * 6-8:30 p.m.---

A design workshop is scheduled:
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, August 24
8:30 a.m.-noon Saturday, August 25

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A note to lawn enthusiasts:
Help protect the environment

As you care for your lawn through the summer season, please take measures to help protect the environment by not further contributing to non-point source pollution, the nation's number one cause of water quality problems. Non-point source pollutants, such as motor oil, fertilizers and pesticides, yard waste, antifreeze, paint, and animal waste, enter waterways via storm drains and eventually affect fish and aquatic life.

Last year, several community volunteers, including Boy Scouts and members of the Suwanee congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, helped the City stencil fish symbols and a "no dumping" message on storm drains in neighborhoods throughout the City.

Here's a short list of things to do (and not to do) in order to help protect our water:

• Don't pour anything, especially oil and grese, in a gutter or down a storm drain that you wouldn't want to swim in.
• Take used motor oil and antifreeze to a recycling location.
• Don't blow leaves or grass clippings into storm drains or ditches.
• Fix your vehicle's oil leaks and service it regularly.
• Pick up animal waste and dispose of it in garbage cans.
• When washing your vehicles, wash them on the grass so that the lawn can act as a natural filter, instead of allowing the runoff to go directly into the storm drains.
• Don't use more fertilizer on your yard and plants than what is recommended by the manufacturer.

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YIELD SIGNS

A clarification about City Hall recycling

A story about City Hall recycling in the last issue of CrossRoads inspired an enthusiasm for recycling that was unanticipated. It seems that the story led a few residents to believe that City Hall would accept recyclable materials from citizens. Imagine the staff's surprise when residents appeared with "contributions" toward City Hall's newly established recycling program! However, for clarification, the City Hall recycling program is limited to materials generated at City Hall through the course of doing City business. Residents who are interested in recycling-and we applaud you!-may contact their waste removal service about recycling programs, deliver recyclable materials directly to the Gwinnett Recycling Bank at 4300 Satellite Boulevard, or bring newspapers only to the recycling bin behind Gwinnett County Fire Station #13, adjacent to City Hall.

New faces

Three new employees have joined the Suwanee Police Department recently. Alan Dye previously was a certified officer with the Cumming Police Department and a detective and field training officer with the Forsyth County Sheriff's Department. He also is a certified motorcycle officer. Dye, who speaks Greek and Italian in addition to English, served in the U.S. Air Force from 1979-92. Rob Russell previously was a certified officer with the Jefferson Police Department, serving as state certification officer. He also was commander of the traffic accident reconstruction team as well as a team trainer and member of the SWAT team. He has a bachelor's degree from Georgia State University.

Amanda Sturgill joined the department this spring as a dispatcher. Originally from Mississippi, Sturgill previously was employed as a dispatcher with the Duluth Police Department.

Suwanee Day looking for veterans, performers

The theme for this year's Suwanee Day festival, September 15 in Old Town, will be a salute to veterans. The theme was developed in part in recognition of the 10th anniversary of Desert Storm. All veterans will be honored and are welcome to participate in the parade. If you or your veteran organization is interested in participating in the Suwanee Day parade, please contact Clay Eggleston preferably via e-mail at clay@leegrennercpas.com or by phone at 770/614-3894.

Also, if you or your group is interested in volunteering to perform (i.e., perform for free) at the Burnette-Rogers Pavilion during the festival, please send e-mail to events@suwaneeday.com or denise@suwanee.com.

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ADVANCE students all winners

Angie Tripp, a fifth-grader at Suwanee Elementary School, took first-place honors in the school's ADVANCE poster design contest. She is pictured with Suwanee Principal Nancy Hammond and Suwanee Police Chief Mike Jones.

ADVANCE, which stands for Against Drugs, Violence and Negative Choices Early, is an eight-week program for fifth-graders designed to provide them with the skills necessary to deal with pressures they may face, including drug and tobacco use, violence, and negative peer pressure. The program, sponsored by the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department and the Gwinnett County School System, encourages students to choose drug-free and violence-free lifestyles. At Suwanee Elementary, nearly 200 children in eight classes participated in the program taught by Suwanee Police Sgt. Elias Casanas.

In the second photo, ADVANCE finalists show off their work. Pictured from left to right, front row are: Alex Richardson, Sara Kim, Ansley Stephenson, and Stephanie Owen; back row, Principal Nancy Hammond, Angie Tripp, City of Suwanee Administrative Services Director Diane Boone (dressed as a clown), Jamie Williams, Police Chief Mike Jones, Nikolt Granados, and Sgt. Elias Casanas.

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Big-screen family fun under the stars

The 2001 Concerts in the Park series comes to a close June 22, but there will be no need to suffer the effects of withdrawal from fun, free family entertainment. The City of Suwanee will host two evenings of movies under the stars on Friday, July 13, and Saturday, August 18. Movies will be shown at dusk (i.e., as soon as it's dark enough) on a large screen at the Burnette-Rogers Pavilion in Old Town.

Movie selections may change due to availability, but currently "Back to the Future" is scheduled for its Suwanee "premiere" on July 13. Entertainment, including a magician and animal display from the Lanier Museum of Natural History, is scheduled to precede the movie. On August 18, "Grease" will be shown, with a hand jive and costume contest as part of the evening's fun.

As with the concert series, you're welcome to bring chairs, blankets, and your own snack. Refreshments, provided by a local Boy Scout troop, will be available for purchase.

Walking through history About 50 folks joined Suwanee resident and author Richard Plumer for a walking tour of Suwanee's historic Old Town area in April. Plumer shared information about the City's early businesses and residents as well as some of the events in Suwanee's history that made local headlines about 100 years ago.

The art of planning Frank Jenkins, an attorney who specializes in zoning and land use issues, was one of two presenters at the City of Suwanee's Planning and Development Issues training session on March 24. More than 20 individuals involved with planning with the cities of Suwanee and Duluth participated in this first part of a two-part training series. Jenkins spoke about the legal aspects of land use while Walt McBride, of the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government, spoke about effective meetings, the Open Meeting Act, and parliamentary procedure.

Graduation smiles Six City of Suwanee employees completed this spring the three-level management skills development program offered through the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government. Pictured from left to right are Instructor Walt McBride; Nancy Miller, administrative assistant for the police department; Jackie Robinson, administrative assistant for City Hall, Elvira Rogers, development coordinator; Amie Sakmar, financial services director; Denise Brinson, community and economic development manager; and Mac Hackney, accounting analyst.

PLEASE PLACE ON BACK PAGE BESIDE CALENDAR:

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Family flick nights

Summertime family fun will continue at the Burnette-Rogers Pavilion as the City of Suwanee presents two Movie at the Pavilion nights, Friday, July 13, and Saturday, August 18. Catch two family "classics" under the stars and enjoy some pre-show entertainment. For more details, see "Big-screen family fun under the stars" on page X.

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CALENDAR

June

July

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Archived Newsletters:

• September 1998
• October 1998
• December 1998
• December 1999
• February 2000
• May 2000
• July 2000
• September 2000
• November 2000
• February 2001
• April 2001