PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Fifteen single-family home permits were issued with an average of 2,674 square feet. The department also issued twenty-one certificates of occupancy over the past month.
A commercial building permit was issued for Precision Turf on Buford Highway to construct a large open-air steel building as they continue to invest in improvements. A commercial remodel permit was issued to remove the SunTrust that was located inside Publix. Five compliance inspections were completed this month for new businesses.
Also, last month, 267 building inspections were accomplished which is 37% fewer than the 427 performed the previous January. Caleb Harris joined the Planning and Development Department as a transfer from the Gas Department. As a result of the increased efficiency from the automatic meter reading program, the two departments were able to work together to recruit and cross train Caleb to fill a vacant Code Enforcement position authorized for 2019. Together Caleb and Donna performed 263 zoning and property maintenance code inspections (70% more than the 155 performed January of last year).
PARKS AND RECREATION
Parks. Weekly maintenance occurred throughout the park. Repairs were made to a broken pipe at the restroom facilities near the playground and to the deer fencing around the Community Garden. Plots are now available at the garden, and any interested parties may contact the Recreation Department at 770-831-7413 or visit the E Center reception desk for more information.
Downtown and City Hall. Regular maintenance was performed throughout the downtown area to include City Hall and the Community Plaza.
The Bowl/The Ice Rink. Regular maintenance to The Bowl was completed, and support was provided for the Ice Rink as needed.
E Center. Maintenance was completed to the pumps on the E Center water feature with repairs on the LED light system next on the schedule. The new fire pits located on the promenade have been connected and are ready for visitors to enjoy. Memberships for the gym have now reached 2,741 and quickly rising. Staff continues to provide daily tours of the facility to show residents the new space and class areas. The Georgia Force basketball team completed their season in the gym this past month, while the season for Lanier Athletic Association will reach completion by the end of February. Final steps in the installation of the gym bleachers are nearing completion, while remaining punch list items are being addressed throughout the center.
Golf. The course was recognized as a Best of Gwinnett winner for golf courses. Attendance was slow this past month due to the wet, cold conditions. The greens were tarped to ensure protection against the extreme cold temperatures. Winter maintenance was performed on all equipment. Several large storm drainage and irrigation pipes were replaced and/or repaired throughout the course. The Sugar Hill Golf Association postponed their first tournament of 2019 due to cold temperatures. The annual meeting is scheduled this month, and the group looks forward to meeting all the new members.
EVENTS
The Eagle Theatre. The theatre hosted The Players Guild’s production of The Odd Couple. Over 1,000 tickets were sold which was their highest sales to date. They began auditions for their upcoming performances of Never Too Late and will continue casting through the 20th of February.
February 5th kicked off the $2.00 Tuesday movie series which will run throughout the year in the theatre. Every Tuesday, there will be two showings, at 12:00 PM and 7:00 PM, pending any rental conflicts. The theme for February is Back to the ’80s which includes E.T., Dirty Dancing, The Karate Kid and The Breakfast Club. There were 100 people in attendance during the showing of E.T.
The Sugarloaf Ballet held their show at the theatre during the week of February 4th, and the Susan Chambers Dance Academy is scheduled to perform on the 15th and 16th of the month.
For event announcements, a list of schedules, ticket information and more, visit www.eagleatsugarhill.com and follow our social media platforms.
The Bowl. Staff utilized the month of January to map out the year of events for The Bowl. The 2019 Concert Series is in the process of being finalized and will be announced soon. Visit www.thebowlatsugarhill.com for information on upcoming concerts and ticket information.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
E Center. Crazy Dough’s Artisian Slice Bar is scheduled to open for business in mid-February and will serve a variety of fresh pizzas, sandwiches, and salads. Several other tenants are in various stages of their build-out programs and are expected to open in the months to follow.
Community Connections. A Transit Education Open House will be held on February 12th from 6:00-8:00 PM at City Hall. The city is partnering with the Sugar Hill Business Alliance to host the event. Residents will have the opportunity to learn details of the Gwinnett Transit Plan.
Regions Bank opened its newest location on Suwanee Dam Road on the 22nd of January. The branch brings five new finance jobs to Sugar Hill. A grand opening celebration will be held on February 23rd from 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM.
Join Girl Scout Troop #19426 along with the Downtown Development Authority and other members of the community on February 23rd at 2:00 PM in front of city hall for a downtown clean-up day.
The Youth Council attended the Georgia Municipal Association’s Mayors’ Day Conference in Atlanta on the 27th of January. The group attended policy discussions and had the opportunity to discuss current legislation with Senator Renee Unterman.
The quarterly Community Round Table was held on the 28th of January. Leaders from Sugar Hill’s active community groups discussed several projects to include the expansion of volunteer opportunities and an Arbor Day celebration.
PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
Gas Department. The Gas Department staff assisted in welcoming 12 new customers into Sugar Hill this month, bringing the total number of customer accounts to 11,463. Our team also completed utility-locate services on 498 sites for the month and worked with our construction contractors in various sites around the city to protect our underground utilities.
The staff has been working through regulatory compliance tasks, new service installations, and 158 other service requests to round out the workload last month.
Street & Stormwater Department. Street Department staff worked on the demolition of both 1174 and 1184 Hillcrest Drive, making way for future downtown redevelopment. Stormwater and development inspections, yard debris collection, storm debris removal, leaf clearing, storm drain clearing, regular equipment maintenance and repair continues to keep the department staff busy.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
E Center. Crazy Dough’s Artisian Slice Bar is in the final stages of testing and training before they go live with our newest addition to the downtown restaurant scene with pizza by the slice. Rushing Trading and Crazy Dough’s Artisian Slice Bar are among the other office tenants that have blazed a trail for Indio Brewing, Central City Tavern, Sweet City Smiles Dental practice, and Perazim (women’s clothing) as they are further behind in their buildout programs.
New South construction has been busy during the month of January, knocking out most of the punch list work with final completion right around the corner. We are still adjusting to the usage patterns in each of the project components as the intensity ramps up with events in various spaces. Users of the space are testing out systems and helping identify these adjustments needed prior to project closeout. Signage needs are also evolving and growing as we determine the general public’s reaction to wayfinding and establishing boundaries for use.
Sidewalks Projects – Whitehead and Suwanee Dam Roads. This SPLOST-funded sidewalk project is well underway on the Suwanee Dam portion of the work. Approximately 15% of the project has been completed. Traffic impacts, unfortunately, are severe as we are forced to close lanes for safe construction of the sidewalks and exacerbated by the high volumes of vehicles on Suwanee Dam Road in this section. The phasing plan for the project will allow the contractor to start at the south end of Suwanee Dam Road, working north then back. Whitehead Road will follow in similar fashion working north as well. This work is jointly-funded with the county and will link key destinations in and around the city.
LMIG Annual Resurfacing Program. The project to complete road repairs and repaving through this program is slated to get started this spring and has a contract completion date of June. The contractor has been issued a notice to proceed and is ready to begin work as soon as the materials, equipment and weather align to allow for construction to start, expected to be in March. The project includes repairs and resurfacing to nearly 6 miles of city streets. The roads included in this contract are:
Brogdon Park Court Wetherby View Spring Hill Drive
Brogdon Place Cove Railroad Avenue Old Suwanee Road
Brogdon Exchange Hillcrest Drive Pine Acre Drive
Creek Park Hidden Meadow Way Sadie Court
Cook Drive Simmons Mine Circle Tallant Drive
Mendi Court Frontier Drive Richland Creek Court
Edinborough Place Forest Green Drive
Sugar Hill Greenway. Right-of-way and easement acquisition are still in progress, but we are nearing completion on a handful of properties, paving the way to get the project out for bid. Permit status is still pending with GDOT, but we expect to have the project advertised in February and construction underway later this spring.
Veterans Memorial Relocation. The project to relocate the current obelisk-shaped monument, as well as commemorative bricks, will also involve the installation of a new grand water feature, captivating eternal flame, and additional memorial features and sculptures. The project is expected to get underway in early 2019, and a portion will be open and available for Memorial Day activities. Plans for this project have been finalized and bids are due later in February.
Oaks at Lanier Storm Water System Modifications. The project to construct stormwater improvements in the Oaks at Lanier neighborhood is nearing the halfway point with a few more manhole and pipe segments still to be installed. Rain and other adverse weather conditions have slowed progress on the project during the months of December and January. The project involves the installation of about 100-feet of additional pipe to safely convey stormwater at a lower speed to the natural discharge point in the area.
Stormwater Pipe Repairs. Repairs to pipe culverts under Secret Cove Drive and Deep Creek Drive have been completed. One more pipe segment remains to be completed under Eagle Close Lane in the Links neighborhood. This last segment in the contract is the subject of a change order under consideration prior to completion of the project. The cured-in-place liner solution will allow the roads to be repaired without impacting traffic or access to these neighborhoods and add considerable service life to these pipes.
2019 Bowl Improvements. A design kick-off meeting for a series of improvements to The Bowl was held in January initiating the design phase for a two-year program of customer-focused improvements to the venue. Lighting, sound, customer experience and visual enhancements will be the aim of this iteration of upgrades.
Gold Mine Park. The city’s newest park will get under construction in 2019 as we make some final changes to the plans as a result of the plan review process and will be timed to coordinate with the Greenway construction (the greenway runs through this new park on Level Creek Road). The project involves an enhanced trailhead and features access to the old gold mine entrance. Plans are currently in review prior to permitting and the bid phase for the project.
Downtown Gateway Signage. The next location for the iconic gateway monument sign developed recently is proposed for the west end of downtown, signaling its western entrance at West Broad and Highway 20. Plans for the sign will very closely match the one at the east end (Alton Tucker at PIB), but include a few modifications to fit the slightly different site conditions.
Golf Clubhouse Improvements. Staff recently met with contractors and our designer to develop a schedule for the 2019 improvements to the clubhouse. The work will be coordinated with activities at the course to allow the clubhouse to remain open during the renovations.
Downtown Highway 20 Pedestrian Bridge. A design kick-off meeting was held with our consultant on this project to get the concept report prepared and ready for grant applications (LCI) and final design development phases to proceed.
