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Sign language class at Active Adult Center betters staff communication

City staff joined members of the Snellville Adult Activity Center Thursday to learn helpful sign language techniques they may find helpful during the course of their workdays.

Officers Thaddeus Clark and Scott Hermel of the Snellville Police Department along with Chief Court Clerk Robin Gordon learned several signs from instructor James Scales who led the course. 

Signs for words such as “license,” “insurance” and “help” were shown to the class participants – words that will be helpful to the officers and court personnel if they need to communicate with a deaf person. 

Scales, who has a friend who is deaf, is a dialysis nurse who volunteers at the center free of charge. He learned sign language as a sort of hobby to communicate with his friend and others and now teaches the language as a way to give back. 

The sign language class is free of charge to all members and takes place each Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in the center located next to City Hall at 2350 Oak Road. 

For more information on the center visit www.snellville.org/senior-center-parks-and-recreation/center.

 

 

 

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Snellville Shark Tank competition gives $1,750 to local entrepreneurs

SNELLVILLE - Gwinnett County student entrepreneurs braved the Shark Tank Thursday, collecting a total of $1,750 in donated funds to help grow their budding businesses.

The annual pitch competition, based on the popular TV show of the same name, encourages local students to create a self-sustaining business complete with business plans, financial forecasts and marketing strategies. They then pitch their businesses to a room full of judges comprised of local business leaders who grant them seed money based on the strength of their presentations. 

Each of the judges donated their time and $250 to the competition which has been taking place in the city for more than a decade.

“The City of Snellville believes in creating a bond between our schools, our business community and the city itself to bolster student entrepreneur efforts which, in turn, fosters a healthy business environment for all residents,” said City Manager Matt Pepper. “The competition brings together the best of our young student entrepreneurs and our business community to create a thriving business environment.”

Student businesses ranged from cakes in a jar to crocheted stuffed animals. 

Here’s a list of what was awarded:

Zuri Jackson - Styled By Z (Brookwood High School) - $425

Oluwaferanmi Ogunmefun - Anmi Jadore (Grayson Tech) - $100

Monty Robinson - Legends of the Minigame (Brookwood High School) - $300

Fazzilet Salewala – AdTract (Brookwood High School) - $100

Christopher Martin - Young Dedicated Hustlers (Grayson Tech) – Mentorship at The Print Lounge and The Wing Suite

Mina Torab – FoodCycle (Brookwood High School) - $325

Antwan Williams II – Transcendence (Grayson Tech) - $100

Simi Sodipe - Blissful Delights (Brookwood High School) - $100

Holly Nguyen - Cozy Crochet (Brookwood High School) - $300

The judges for the event were:

Sara Jones – The Print Lounge

Kelly McAloon – Experience Snellville

Sara Beddington – Walton Gas

Morgan Spivey – Walton Gas

Rodney L. Alexander – Piedmont Eastside

Kartisha Henry – The Wing Suite

Amanda Desena – Powell & Edwards

PICS: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/2ijn0h28vlyilo772u538/ADJ70gzXYaw84PCTx4jGyOg?rlkey=q5tchw7fbdpamun6ttoqebcmh&dl=0

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Mercy Montgomery named Snellville’s new Assistant City Manager

SNELLVILLE — City officials are proud to announce the hiring of Mercy Montgomery to the position of Assistant City Manager.

Montgomery joins the City of Snellville after serving as Assistant City Manager for the City of Chamblee where she managed the directors of the Parks and Recreation, Planning and Development, and Economic Development departments as well as a range of policy development and special projects, including housing policy, downtown activation strategies, and collaborative community service provision. 

“I’m thrilled to be joining the Snellville team at such an exciting time in our community’s history,” she said. “I look forward to supporting ongoing progress in downtown Snellville and seeing The Grove thriving with new businesses and community activity. The city is fortunate to have exemplary leadership and a highly-skilled staff and I’m looking forward to building strong working relationships and collaborating on innovative ideas as I serve our city.”

Montgomery received her Bachelor of Arts in Education with a focus on experiential learning from the University of Georgia. She also holds a Master of Public Administration degree as well as a certificate in Non-Profit Management from UGA. Following completion of the top-ranked MPA program, she completed a Local Government Management Fellowship in Hamilton, OH through the International City/County Management Association. 

Returning home to Georgia provided Montgomery with the opportunity to work with students at her alma mater before joining the team at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government as a consultant on workforce development for communities and clients such as the State of Georgia’s Department of Economic Development.


She then served for three years as Director of Economic Development for the City of Sugar Hill, leading cultivation and support of business opportunities in the community and lease-up and opening of the community’s new E Center project. Mercy and her team also managed and provided customized small business support, implementation of an interactive public communications strategy, and various community and economic development initiatives. 

Montgomery proudly serves as a member of the Alumni Advisory Board for the Master of Public Administration program at The University of Georgia and is a 2020 graduate of Leadership Gwinnett.

She can be reached at mmontomery@snellville.org.

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Public Works urges residents to avoid illicit discharge

Snellville Department of Public Works is asking all residents to review the regulations regarding illicit discharge in the city.

Illicit Discharge

Illicit discharge is the disposal or discharge of pollutants and non-storm water materials into a storm sewer system via surface flow, direct dumping into the storm sewer or water body, or through illegal connections to the city storm sewer system.

TYPES OF ILLICIT DISCHARGES:

Improper disposal of auto and household chemicals

Spills from roadway accidents or vehicle leaks

Improper disposal of yard and pet wastes

Construction site sediment

Drilling operation waste

Laundry and car wash water

Septic tank discharge and sanitary wastewater

Chlorinated pool water

WHAT TO LOOK FOR:

Persons dumping liquids, animal waste, leaves, grass clippings, or anything unidentifiable into a storm drain

Unusual colors or odors in the surface water

Stains, unusual odors, or structural damage to street surfaces

Dead or distressed fish, plants, or other wildlife near surface water

Abnormal vegetative growth in water bodies

Sediment accumulation in water bodies

Pipes with flowing water during a dry period

HOW TO HELP:

NEVER dump anything into a storm water sewer or storm drain

Wash your car on your lawn or at a commercial car wash

Report through "Report a Problem" link on City of Snellville website

Report to Public Works by calling 770-985-3527

 

 

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Drug Take Back event hosted by Snellville police set for April 27

SNELLVILLE — In an effort to safely discard unused and expired medication, there will be a Drug Enforcement Agency Drug Take Back hosted by the Snellville Police Department April 27.

The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Snellville Police Department, 2315 Wisteria Drive.

Participants can drive or walk up and drop discarded medication into the drop boxes. Medication may be left in its original containers with or without the labels as all items discarded are burned.

Please do not bring needles or sharp objects for disposal.

Contact Lt. A. Sullivan at asullivan@snellville.org or 770-985-3555 for more information.

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Local artist shows work at City Hall

SNELLVILLE — Local artist Joel Sturdivant’s artwork is now on display in City Hall.

Entitled “A Calendar of Drawings and Other Works,” the 25 pieces on display reveal a style Sturdivant calls “Beyond Realism.” 

The Vietnam veteran’s work primarily focuses on nature scenes.

“Nature and all her mysteries are my inspiration,” he said.

His work is currently on display in the City Hall Community Room weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is a reception of the work from 2 to 5 p.m. April 13 in the Community Room, 2342 Oak Road. The event is free and open to the public. The art will be on display through the spring. 

Sturdivant has a Bachelor’s Degree of Fine Art from the Atlanta College of Art. He staged the first “student” one-man show at the Hudgens Center for the Arts, entitled “A Celebration of Nature.” He has had exhibitions at the annual Hudgens Members Exhibition, Johns Creek Members Exhibition and the Annual Festival of the Arts at Cumming First United Methodist Church. He has contributed to Westmont College’s charity art auction and many of his works are now on display in private collections throughout the Southeast.

Sturdivant’s drawings are created in ink, color and graphite pencil. Paintings are usually acrylic on canvas, but several are started in acrylics but then over painted in oils for added richness of color.

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State grant creates safer Briscoe Park playground surface

Park RubberTwo new playgrounds at T.W. Briscoe Park will have safer playing surfaces thanks to a grant from the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Agency.

The inaugural DNR - EPD Tire Products Grant was created to reduce solid waste by recovering valuable materials through recycling and using them on local playgrounds.

The project included removing current "Engineered Wood Fiber" from two playground surfaces in Briscoe Park and replacing it with a "Bonded Rubber Product" that was created by recycled tire products. The new playground surface is a bonded rubber mulch poured in place around the playgrounds. 

"We are thrilled that we were awarded funds from the DNR-EPD grant,” said Lisa A. Platt, CPRP Director Parks and Recreation. “Switching the playground surfaces in these two playgrounds not only meets safety requirements and looks good, it is also a benefit to maintenance crew in reference to minimal upkeep. This is just one more upgrade we have been able to execute at Briscoe Park to give our citizens and visitors have the best experience possible at Briscoe Park.  The city would never have had the funding available to make this switch in surfacing without the DNR-RPD Grant, and we are very thankful for the grant funds."

Both playgrounds equal about 7,550 total square feet and 63,750 pounds of recycled rubber tires were used to complete project. Estimated costs for removal of current engineered wood fiber, prep of play surfaces, and adding new recycled rubber (tire) product (with bonding agent) was $178,640.29.

The grant covered $174,992.29 of the project while, the city will pay the $3,648 to cover costs not awarded through grant funds.

 

 

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City Municipal Court honored for efficiency by state organization, Mayor and Council

From left are Cheif Court Clerk Robin Gordon, Mayor Barbara Bender, City Clerk Melisa Arnold, Municipal Court Judge Jammie Taire and deputy court clerks Ally Maytac and Tori Fobb-More.

The staff of Snellville’s Municipal Court was honored as one of the state’s most efficient courts Monday with a proclamation by Mayor and Council.

Each year, the Judicial Council of Georgia's Standing Committee on Judicial Workload Assessment honors the state's most efficient courts with the Clearance Rate Excellence Awards. The award recognizes the top 10 percent of courts in each class of court that demonstrate exceptional performance in maintaining clearance rates, which is a key indicator of a court's ability to effectively manage its caseload. The Snellville Municipal Court's performance in meeting or exceeding 100 percent or better clearance rate has distinguished itself amongst its peers. 

“A clearance rate of 100 percent or higher demonstrates the court's ability to resolve at least as many cases as were filed each year,” the proclamation reads. “Chief Court Clerk Robin Gordon and deputy court clerks Tori Fobb-Moore and Ally Matyac always manage the daily operations of the Court and service to the public with efficiency, effectiveness and integrity.”

 

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