Planning and Development:
Planning. The department welcomed a new team member. Randy Warren will serve in the capacity of City Planner. Randy has degrees from the University of Georgia and Georgia State University and has an extensive background in local government planning and development. He recently retired from Gwinnett County where he worked in Planning and Development and the Fire Marshal’s Office.
Development. Twenty-seven (27) single family home permits were issued for the month of July with an average square footage of 2,927 and fifty-two (52) multi-family home permits were issued with an average square footage of 1,506. Year-to-date, there has been over a 90% increase in residential permit issuance as compared to 2016.
Number of Residential Permits Issued (Year-to-date)
Inspections. In the month of July, 509 building inspections were accomplished; an increase from the 237 performed the previous July. A 66% increase in building inspections can be seen year-to-date, with 2,859 being performed as compared to the 1,726 in the same duration.
Staff completed 395 zoning and property maintenance code inspections this July, an increase from the 232 performed in July of 2016. There has been a 14 percent rise in code enforcement inspections overall, with 2,041 inspections performed year-to-date.
Parks and Recreation:
Parks. The Splash Park continues to draw large crowds on a daily basis and finished the last full month of the summer break with record numbers of kids. Improvements to the lighting continue as staff works with the contractor to reach completion of a number of warranty items. Weekly maintenance was completed throughout Gary Pirkle Park and the Community Garden.
Golf. Although we experienced extremely wet weather over the past month, the course maintained good numbers with multiple tournaments being hosted and remains in great condition. The Sugar Hill Golf Association held a Texas Scramble tournament earlier in the month and their Club Championship tournament is scheduled for August 19th and 20th. Another large tournament is scheduled to be held later in the month as well. New signage was installed around the clubhouse and entrance areas throughout the course. Georgia Lottery to include Keno is now in place and is already an attraction. Employees were trained on all aspects and we look forward to the opportunity of increased attendance in the bar and grill.
Marketing, Events and Economic Development:
2017 Concert Series. The Josh Turner concert on Saturday the 12th was the 9th consecutive sell-out event at The Bowl. Limited tickets for all remaining shows are available at www.thebowlatsugarhill.com. The remaining lineup includes Ben Folds on September 2nd and The Atlanta Rhythm Section on November 11th.
Other Events. Thursday’s @ The Hill occurs on the third Thursday of each month through September on the Community Plaza. Latin Nights continue on the fourth Friday of each month on the Plaza.
New Mural. The Downtown Development Authority has raised $6,275 which will be matched (up to $10,000) by the DDA. The fund-raising “thermometer” outside of the Suite Spot continues to showcase how much has been raised. Visit the website, www.sugarhillmural.com to find out more information about sponsorship levels and information about the arts in Sugar Hill. The “Art–B–Que” has been postponed to August 26th due to technical setbacks in mural production. The cost for this will be $20/person and participants will have the opportunity to eat some great barbeque with mural artist, Chris Walker. To register for the event, visit artbque.sugarhillmural.com.
Preservation Society. The Preservation Society is embarking on a plan in the next two months to start Sugar Hill’s own historic marker program. These recognizable signs will pay homage to Sugar Hill’s past and will be constructed in a way that, they too will stand the test of time.
Youth Council. Applications are now being accepted for Sugar Hill’s Youth Council and Youth Ambassadors programs and are due by the 25th of August.
Friends of the Sugar Hill Greenway. The Friends of the Sugar Hill Greenway met last week. The group is gaining a lot of momentum as they have created four sub-committees aimed at creating awareness for the Greenway project. These committees include: running, cycling, logistics, and communications. Community members are encouraged to get involved with this group as the first phase of the Greenway should begin in the next two months. If you are interested in becoming a part of this group, contact Dekotah at dmathis@cityofsugarhill.com.
Business Alliance. The Annual Business Alliance Golf Tournament will be held on Friday, August 25th. There is still time to join the fun. All interested parties can contact Nic Greene at ngreene@farmersagent.com
The 3rd Annual Friends of Sugar Hill Banquet. Save the date for this exciting evening in our #SweetCity where city leaders honor and recognize the accomplishments of the community leaders driving change in Sugar Hill. This event will take place at City Hall on November 30th at 7:00 PM.
Marketing/Communications. Marketing efforts for Sugar Rush are being developed, including t-shirt designs, advertisements, and social media graphics. Advertisements for Suwanee Magazine, Georgia Trend, The DiG, and the North Gwinnett Voice are also being developed.
Public Works and Utilities:
Street/Stormwater. Our staff has been busy during the month with the second installment of mosquito spraying along with storm cleanup from the significant rainfall events we have experienced in July. A couple of downed trees were removed from two streets as were storm debris that clogged drains over that period as well. Our weather station recorded double the average monthly total rainfall with over ten (10) inches for the month and over three (3) inches during one storm on the 23rd of July. Staff also responded to service requests for stormwater maintenance and inspections at a much higher pace for the month as a result.
Gas. Our annual leak survey continued with no significant findings while staff completed inspections at the test stations. Our staff coordinated PSC compliance response with gas authority representatives during the month, verifying our distribution system integrity. The equipment for our new meter reading system is on order and is expected for delivery in October. The installation will proceed following a strategic schedule over the next five years, allowing each of the routes to be gradually absorbed into the system. Gas department staff completed 108 work orders, 14 new service installations and 728 locates for the month.
Construction Update:
E Center. The structural steel was the focus of much of the work on the project during the month as the large crane arrived in June and began placing much of the frame for the mixed use portion of the project. A large segment of the mixed-use podium was also poured at the end of the month, extending the project out to meet the north wall of the building with about one-third of the podium to go. The contractor transitioned much of their staging to the old JW Trucks property and is also using the driveway to the city hall parking deck for access to the interior of the jobsite. The masons have also completed the majority of the three elevator towers in the mixed-use portion of the project along with a number of interior walls below the podium.
Sugar Hill Greenway Project, Phase I. The first phase of this project connecting the city’s downtown with the two parks on Level Creek and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard along with some new stops on Level Creek Road and Whitehead Road is in the final stages of design. Permit plans are being assembled to begin the review process by GDOT and Gwinnett County for portions of the project passing through those entities.
Gateway Sign at Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. The sign is undergoing some slight modifications to address lighting concerns and the power will remain off until the light levels can be adjusted slightly. The brick pavers are on backorder and their installation is being scheduled around product-delivery and weather.
Peachtree Industrial Sidewalks – Spring Hill to West Price. The contract for this portion of SPLOST-funded construction is on the agenda for the August meeting and work is expected to begin this fall. The scope includes sidewalk on the west side of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard from Spring Hill south to West Price Road a length of almost two miles.
