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SNELLVILLE – A logo has been chosen to represent The Grove at Towne Center – a highly anticipated mixed-use town center coming the city.

Residents got a first look during a special reveal before the city council meeting Monday on the corner of Clower Street and Wisteria Drive.

"We're thrilled to have a visual representation of a project that we've been working to create for so long," said Mayor Barbara Bender. "Showing the logo to our residents brought such joy, and we're proud to have a design that represents a few of the wonderful aspects of Snellville's past and present, while also representing where we hope to go in the future."

The custom design features an oak tree with two intertwining trunks to represent the town's rich history coming together with the present. The leaves are said to represent the individual residents of Snellville who are at the center of the project. Additionally, the color green was chosen to symbolize the planned greenway and green space the area will offer. Finally, "The Grove" is a nod to the city's history, as this was the name of the location where founding community members came together for events and celebrations in Snellville's early days.

The $85-million project is being developed by CASTO, one of the country's leading commercial real estate companies, together with Atlanta- based development partner MidCity Real Estate Partners.

"We are pleased to provide a logo that the City of Snellville is proud to associate with The Grove," said Shannon Dixon, EVP of Southeast Development for CASTO. "We believe this design incorporates the most important aspects that the City wishes to convey – community, a nod to the past, and excitement for what's to come."

The Grove at Towne Center will be a walkable, destination space that will feature inviting restaurants, entertainment and retail spaces that will serve as key amenities for office users, residents and visitors. Shared use paths for pedestrians and cyclists will be located throughout the development, connecting the various components of the master planned project and the surrounding neighborhoods via the Snellville Greenway.

The first phase of construction of The Grove at Towne Center project will include relocation of the city's U.S. Post Office, expected to occur in early 2020 with a groundbreaking on the project anticipated for the second quarter of 2020.

For more information and updates on the Grove at Towne Center project visit www.snellville.org/the-towne-center-snellville.

SNELLVILLE – Spurred by reports of people getting sick or dying from vaping products, the Mayor and Council unanimously decided to place a 12-month moratorium on approving the opening of new vape shops in the city.

"This is something that is of particular interest to me, because as I have been reading, and all of you I am sure have been reading every day practically in the newspaper, there's more concern expressed for e-cigarettes and vaping and the illnesses and deaths that have been caused," said Councilwoman Gretchen Schulz, who spearheaded Mayor and Council's efforts looking into the issue. "What this resolution that we are looking at passing does is prohibit the opening of any new vape shops for the next 12 months. This will give us time to see what, if anything, is going to be done perhaps by the state legislature or by the federal government. After 12 months we can determine where we go at that point."

A vape shop is defined as a store which has total retail sales of more than 25 percent designated to vaping products or 25 percent of the floor area designated for the sale or advertising of vaping products, city officials said.

The City of Snellville is currently selling surplus items on Ebay. One item will be listed per day on Ebay under the seller "cityofsnellville" starting on October 11, 2019 and will list for seven (7) days. The items are as follows:
1984 Ford 2910 Tractor – S/N U9048404

1993 Toro Top dresser – S/N 30387

2007 Club Car XRT 800 – S/N XH0708-729392

2007 Toro Z-Master Mower – S/N 270002152

500 Gallon Trailer Tank – S/N 10173170

These are pieces of machinery that are old and inoperable in their current condition. The cost to repair for general use would exceed the value of the equipment. If you are interested please visit ebay and search under the seller "cityofsnellville'

SNELLVILLE – The city's Digital Badge Program kicked off Thursday with a meeting between city officials and area educators.

A digital badge is an indicator of accomplishment or skill that can be displayed, accessed and verified online. The badges are earned by completing certain tasks outlined online in subjects such as financial management, and can be used by students, job seekers or employees looking to advance their education or career. A digital badge is a digital version of a traditionally paper certificate used to designate course completion or competency.

Now the city is looking to partner with area schools to offer the free program to students using LRNG.org, an online resource "powered by" Southern New Hampshire University.

"We can use this for elementary school, middle school and high school students," said Mayor Pro Tem Dave Emanuel who helped organize the program he said will "improve skill sets" of those who participate. "The applications are almost endless."

Emanuel said he believes Snellville is the only city in Georgia and the smallest city in the country to adopt the program, joining larger cities like Chicago, Washington, DC and Philadelphia.

The program impressed Shiloh High School Principal Dr. Danyel Dollard.

"For our seniors, what better way to be prepared for college than a financial literacy class," she said. "The wheels are spinning on how we can use this."

For more information on the program visit www.LRNG.org or contact Economic Development Director Eric Van Otteren at evanotteren@snellville.org.

SNELLVILLE – Mayor and Council approved the stormwater and patching and paving projects for the 2020 fiscal year Monday.

The projects will be completed by July 2020, city officials said.

The stormwater projects were awarded to The Dickerson Group with a bid of $454,664. Stormwater infrastructure improvement projects are scheduled for the following areas:

1898-1899 Harbour Oaks Drive

2018-2039 Harbour Oaks Drive

1560 Summit Chase Drive

3197 Classic Drive -1271 Green Turf Drive

3156 Classic Drive -1235 Green Turf Drive

3317-3329 Summit Turf Drive

2990 Riverbend Drive

3327-3326 Classic Drive

3211-3200 Grand Central Drive

1863 Bennett Ridge-1843 Valley View Drive

3310-3311 Grand Central Drive

The street patching and paving bid was awarded to the lowest bidder, E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc. not to exceed the budget amount of $696,000.

The streets that will be repaved and/or patched are:

Valley Drive

Valley Way

Lanier Drive

Lanier Way

Twin Springs Drive

Scenic Drive

Vail Valley Court

Deer Valley Court

Aspen Ridge

Heavenly Lane

Zermatt Way

Beaver Creek Lane

Brooks Court

Summit Turf Lane

SNELLVILLE – The city's police department won the top prize at the Governor's Office of Highway Safety Awards Banquet in Macon Wednesday.

Gov. Brian Kemp presented the prestigious Governor's Cup to Chief Roy Whitehead and Lt. David Matson in recognition of the achievements of the Snellville Police Department.

"I am honored and privileged to represent the hard work of the men and women of our department as they strive to keep our city's streets and roadways safe," said Chief Roy Whitehead. "I am especially honored to receive this award on their behalf from Gov. Brian Kemp."

SPD also won first place in the Occupant Protection and Distracted Driving categories.

Agencies throughout the state submitted applications based on their participation in the various enforcement initiatives of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety focusing on impaired driving, occupant protection, distracted driving and speeding together with efforts in education and community involvement.

The Snellville Police Department achieved the highest score, earning the Governor's Cup.

Lt. David Matson and Sgt. Scott Smith prepared SPD's submission qualifying the department for the award.

SNELLVILLE – Regulations on short-term rentals in the city, like those used through companies like Airbnb, were adopted by Mayor and Council Monday.

While not an issue currently in Snellville, city officials were concerned with reports of illicit activity at short-term rental properties and decided to create regulations locally "to provide for the continued availability of quality transient lodging within the city and proper maintenance of short-term rentals," according to the new ordinance.

Short-term rentals are defined as dwellings rented out for 30 consecutive nights or less.

There is "evidence that there can be unsafe short-term rentals, that minimum life safety codes are not enforced and that unregulated commercial use of these structures can become havens for criminal activity affecting the quality of life in the surrounding communities," the ordinance reads.

Under the new ordinance, a separate business license is required for each short-term rental unit, except where an owner owns multiple short-term rentals in a residential community or multiple residential communities and applies for a business license for a single business license for such units.

Applications for a short-term rental business license must be filed with the city's Planning Department by the owner prior to use of the property as a short-term rental. All applications for a short-term rental business license must contain, among other requirements, the square footage and maximum occupant information, verification of code and safety requirements, parking space information, a hotel/motel occupancy tax registration certificate and an application fee payment.

The ordinance states occupancy is limited to two occupants per bedroom plus two additional residents. Aside from those occupants, six additional visitors are allowed. Sufficient parking for renters must be provided on paved parking spaces within the property, not on right-of-ways. Owners must have security cameras recording all entry ways to the dwelling and driveways.

Punishment for violating these conditions is a warning, followed by fines and eventual license revocation.

SNELLVILLE – When Mayor Pro Tem Dave Emanuel created the Snellville Clean & Proud program, he had three goals in mind - inspiring residents to adopt a road by picking up litter, making people aware of the problems litter creates and adding ways the neighbors can help each other in cases of code violations.

But more people need to know about the program to make the city cleaner, Emanuel said. That's why Snellville Clean & Proud is hosting a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at City Hall, 2342 Oak Road.

The program has been successful – two official clean-up dates collected nearly 40 bags of litter on Oak Road and other groups have formed in Clean & Proud's image, including a recent clean-up effort by the South Gwinnett High School Softball team.

"The program has gotten off to a good start with several groups adopting roads and others in the process of selecting a road," he said. "I've also found that quite a few individuals regularly pick up litter. Some go out specifically for that purpose, others do it while out walking their dogs."

In addition to being unsightly, litter can also create blockages in stormwater systems and become harmful debris and pollution leaches into the soil or flows into lakes and streams. Litter can also form a breeding ground for mosquitoes and cause the injury or death of animals who ingest discarded objects or are cut by sharp objects.

"Litter is often thought of as harmless pieces of paper, but when you go out and clean up a road, you find a surprising variety of things," Emanuel said. "When we cleaned Oak Road, we found nuts, bolts, screws, nails, bottles, tires and some items that are better left unmentioned. Many of these items aren't merely unsightly, they're potential hazards."

Emanuel will speak about the Clean & Proud program. Gwinnett County Solicitor Brian Whiteside will be on hand to discuss the steps he's taking to prevent illegal dumping and catch people in the act. Snellville Police Chief Roy Whitehead will also be in attendance to explain the city's code enforcement policies and procedures and the options that are available to people who have been cited for violations.

The meeting is open to the public.

SNELLVILLE – Adult education classes took place Aug. 26 in Snellville City Hall's new education and business space, kicking off a new era of citizen engagement in the city.

Gwinnett Technical College is offering General Education Diploma classes in the newly remodeled space on the second floor of City Hall.

"As a Gwinnettian myself I feel this program is a powerful investment in the Snellville community," said Gwinnett Tech Adult Literacy Instructor Kevin Black. "Our goal is to help those students who would benefit from a high school equivalency gain the tools they need to succeed in a college or in a career. I tell students that earning a GED is a worthy goal but that it should never be the end goal."

Half of the second floor of Snellville City Hall was renovated this year to bolster local education and business opportunities. The Greater Eastside Chamber of Commerce has already secured office space and others are soon to sign on, according to Economic Development Manager Eric Van Otteren.

Those interested in registering for the Gwinnett Tech program can complete an application at www.gwinnetttech.edu/fm/registration/regform/.

Gwinnett Tech is continuing to offer classes during its next session which begins Oct. 14.

Gwinnett Tech is also offering GED classes at South Gwinnett High School.

SNELLVILLE – A student and his teacher will display their work at City Hall starting next week.

The art of David Raderstorf and Isaac Alcantar will be shown at the City Hall Art this month. There is a reception for the artists from 1 to 3 p.m. Sept. 12, also at City Hall.

"Art leaves a legacy for all to view, long after the artist has departed this earth," Raderstorf said. "Art is a window into the mind and soul of its maker. The impact is viewed and felt both the artist and the viewer."

Raderstorf said he took early retirement and chose to pursue his art.

"Most of my career was in upper management in the textiles field which required extensive travel around the world," Raderstorf said. "This provided me the opportunity to discover the designed and color of many diverse cultures. My work today reflects those observations with the use of vivid colors, textures and designs. My art is currently in private and international collections."

Raderstorf is a signature member of the Georgia Watercolor Society, artist in residence for the Georgia State National Fair, he has held more than 30 solo exhibitions, has been accepted in over 50 art exhibitions at various levels, is a past member of the Norcross public arts commission and the current resident of Kudzu Art Zone in Norcross.

Alcantar said Raderstorf has been instrumental in his art career.

"Art reflects my surroundings, culture, and thoughts," he said. "It is an adventure of discovery that takes me on a journey of exposure using color, texture and subject. Art allows me to express feeling, including one stimulated by living in a new culture."

In the past year, Alcantar applied to and was accepted into 20 juried exhibitions, including the Kudzu Open Exhibit and the Georgia Watercolor Society Member Exhibition. In February 2018 he was honored to receive an invitation from the Mexican Consulate to show a solo exhibition.