Tour City Hall

Tours of Suwanee’s new City Hall, which opened in February, will be offered at 11:30 a.m. every Friday through July. The free guided tours of the 23,600 square foot building will be led by Office Administrator Billie Marshall, who promises to share lots of details and little-known facts about the building and its construction.

To be part of the tour, simply show up in the lobby of City Hall by 11:30 on the Friday of your choice.  To schedule a tour at a different time or if you have a large group coming for the regular tour, please contact Billie Marshall at marshall@suwanee.com or 770/945-8996.

Suwanee’s own GI Joe

Joe Carter

After an 8-month “hiatus,” Joe Carter has returned to his job as a Suwanee police officer. Not that Carter was kicking back; the Marine Corps Reserves staff sergeant was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq.

This deployment, Carter, 29, served as the staff noncommissioned officer in charge of the Al Asad Ammunition Supply Point at the largest coalition military base and airbase in western Iraq, located about 120 miles west of Baghdad. Carter’s staff of about 25 was responsible for storing, issuing, conducting preventive maintenance, testing serviceability, and disposing of all Marine Corps ammunition, including rifle ammo, tank artillery rounds, and demolition materials.

As he settled in to Al Asad last September, Carter sent an email to Suwanee’s Deputy Chief Janet Moon: “The base where I’m at is almost just like any other military base in the U.S.,” he wrote. “In fact, it is very hard to believe that we’re in the middle of a war. As the direction is shifting from war-fighting to rebuilding, life over here turns more into a garrison environment. Of course, after my last trip out here, I don’t mind the change one bit!” Read the full story about Carter’s experiences in Iraq in the June issue of CrossRoads.

Community garden
Suwanee invites residents to play in the dirt

Like to play in the dirt? The first public meeting to discuss how Suwanee’s community garden should grow will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, at City Hall.

Area residents interested in participating in the organic garden, which will be created on a former nearly 7-acre farm property located between Buford Highway and White Street, are encouraged to attend the public meeting or contact Assistant to the City Manager Jessica  Roth at jroth@suwanee.com or 770/945-8996.

Community interest and input will help determine how many and what type of plots are created as well as additional park elements. At least two additional public meetings are scheduled for later this summer.

Also attending the June 10 public meeting will be representatives from Team Agro-Engineers, the firm that the City of Suwanee has contracted with for professional design and construction management services for the garden. Team Agro-Engineers includes: Farmer D Organics, SEI (Southeastern Engineering, Inc.), I.C.S. (Irrigation Consultant Services, and Michael P. Landry

“Team Agro-Engineers and Farmer D are passionate about organic and community gardening, sustainability, and our park site,” notes Jessica Roth, assistant to the city manager. “We feel confident that they’re the right team to help us get the community excited about this project and to help us figure out a way to take community gardening to the next level.” More info.

We’re all a-Twitter, be our fan

The City of Suwanee is diving into the 21st century pool of social networking. The City has opened Facebook and Twitter accounts and you’re invited to be our fan or follower and become part of the ongoing conversation.

The City has established a page on Facebook as City of Suwanee, of which citizens and others may become a fan. Suwanee fans will receive City posts on  their Facebook walls. Or become a follower on Twitter and “tweet” with us.

To find the City’s page on Facebook, search for “City of Suwanee.” When the results appear, click on the “pages” tab. If that doesn’t work (and we’ve had some trouble), delete your Internet temporary files, cookies, and history; close your browser; and try again. You’ll know that you’ve found  the City’s official page from the profile photo: it’s of the City of Suwanee monument sign at Town Center Park.

BB&T, downtown grant program help church put best face forward

Suwanee First United Methodist Church is looking a little less hole-y and bit more hallowed these days thanks in part to a $2,500 Façade Grant provided by Suwanee’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA). The Façade Grant Program is funded through a generous contribution from the Suwanee branch of BB&T bank, located in Suwanee’s Town Center.

Before

After

The church used the $2,500 grant it was awarded late last year to make minor wood repairs and repaint the exterior of its main building, constructed in 1910, as well as its fellowship hall.

“The grant was tremendously helpful,” says music minister Don Massey. “especially considering the tough economy. Without the grant, we wouldn’t have been able to do everything that needed to be done this year. We’re trying to grow our church and need it to look its best.”

For more information about the façade grant program, contact Suwanee’s Downtown Manager Jane Keegan.

Trail treasures to bloom in May

Art on a Limb, an annual program designed to celebrate the arts and nature, is about to bloom again. Daily throughout the month of May, two pieces of artwork will be placed along the Suwanee Creek Greenway and at the Sims Lake Park trail as well. Those who find the artwork may keep it.

This year’s art pieces are mixed media, historic collages created by local artist Melody Orr. Fashioned as magnets, the pieces feature historic Suwanee photos with mixed elements attached to the frame to add whimsy, sparkle, or a statement about the photo or time period.

“I came up with the idea when I was collecting family photos from my grandmother,” says Orr. “My primary goal was to preserve our history, but I fell in love with several photos and decided to make little keepsakes from them.”

Suwanee’s vintage-flavored magnets will be placed on the Greenway and at Sims Lake Park beginning May 1. For those who aren’t fortunate to find a magnet along Suwanee’s popular trails, the artwork will be available for purchase at City Hall and selected upcoming events for $25 beginning June 1.

Suwanee CARES: Police implement enhanced traffic enforcement program

photo by Jason Braverman, Gwinnett Daily Post

The Suwanee Police Department is conducting an enhanced traffic enforcement program along the Highway 317 corridor through at least the end of May. Through the Suwanee CARES program, police officers will have a decreased tolerance for accident- and injury-causing violations, such as speeding, improper use of lanes, following too closely, and failure to wear a seatbelt.

Suwanee CARES stands for Suwanee Corridor 317 Accident Reduction and Enforcement Strategy.

“Based on the number of accidents and injuries occurring along Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road, we have serious problems along the 317 corridor that need attention,” says Police Chief Mike Jones, noting that more than half of the City’s automobile crashes and injuries occur along this heavily traveled roadway. In 2008, a total of 1,136 traffic accidents, with 270 associated injuries, occurred in the City of Suwanee.

Jones adds: “We want to make our citizens and others aware of this initiative so that they can correct their driving behavior. With the summer driving season approaching, we’re working to police smart and make our community more safe.”

Downtown master plan envisions better connections

The City of Suwanee presented the final draft of its Downtown Master Plan to citizens during an open house at City Hall April 14. The master plan has been developed over a six-month period with leadership from Ecos Environmental Design of Atlanta and input from citizens.

“The vision put forward in the Downtown Master Plan,” says Suwanee’s Planning Division Director Matthew Dickison, “capitalizes on the success of Town Center and works to create stronger connections between Town Center and historic Old Town.”

The plan calls for creating a community garden, realigning a couple of existing roadways, adding new roadways as additional connectors, expanding the greenway system, and undertaking a more detailed study of Buford Highway as well as a parking study. See full press release.

More information about Suwanee’s Downtown Master Plan is available online at www.downtownsuwaneeplan.com.

Celebrating a Suwanee icon

Thanks to Mother Nature, the City Hall grand opening turned in to a two-day celebration the last weekend of March. More than 300 people filled the City Hall foyer on a rainy Saturday (March 28) for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, open house, and performances by the North Gwinnett High School chorus and Peachtree Ridge saxophone quartet.

Click on the image to enlarge a photo.

The new City Hall received favorable reviews from those in attendance:

“We came out to the grand opening so that we could be part of the excitement, fun, and history-making moment,” says Julie Perdue, owner of Main Street Photography. “I love the openness of the building and the ‘train station’ design.’”

Resident Linnea Miller says: “My husband and I came to the grand opening ceremony because we are proud of our City, and we wanted to celebrate its growth and success. Our favorite features of the new City Hall building are the soaring views from the second-floor balcony, the wood-paneled ceilings, and the building’s outward façade.”

Due to rainy weather, the human aerial art community photo was moved to Sunday. More than 1,000 people braved the blustery, chilly day to be part of the photo. Afterward, there was quite a bit of buzz on Facebook about the experience:

“Now I’m a work of art,” commented part-time public works staff member Chris Elton.

“I can’t wait to see what we look like from the air,” wrote Janay Schutte.

Lori Friedman commented: “It was fun! (cold…but fun!)”

Prints of the community photo are available for purchase online. Click here for more information.

One of the highlights of both days was the 6-foot x 4-foot, 200-pound cake that was a replica of City Hall (with blue sky!) created by Publix.

Summing up the weekend, resident Chris Lybeer says: “Suwanee is all about community – and when our community comes together and supports each other it makes us all stronger.”

Distinguished duty

Officer Fred Schumacher

Michelle Shepard

Officer Fred Schumacher has been voted by his peers as Suwanee’s 2009 Officer of the Year. Schumacher was instrumental in setting up the department’s new CAD (computer-aided design) system and, according to Chief Mike Jones, works “very hard” at addressing traffic and community policing issues.

Communications Officer Michelle Shepard also was selected by her peers as Civilian of the Year. Shepherd, says Jones, is professional, clear, and articulate as she operates the radio system. “She also is willing to assist anyone,” says the Chief.

Sgt. Jeff Dickens and Ofc. Shannon Hitchcock received The Chief’s Award, presented to officers who are distinguished by their professionalism and strong work ethic.

Ofc. Jody Spivey scored the highest rating on the firing range and was named the department’s Top Gun.