PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Annexation Request. A request for annexation of 9.3 acres on Whitehead Road will be brought before the Planning Commission at their regular February meeting. The applicant has proposed a concept plan which includes 29 detached single-family homes with a minimum of 2,400 square feet of heated floor space. A second public hearing is schedule for the March City Council meeting.
Permits/Inspections. The city’s building department issued two new home permits in January with an average of 2,700 square feet. The department also conducted 130 building inspections which is 39% fewer than the 214 inspections carried out in January of 2020.
Code Enforcement. Our code enforcement team performed 212 property maintenance and zoning compliance inspections this past month which is slightly fewer than the 243 carried out last year at this time.
PARKS AND RECREATION
Parks. Precision Turf, LLC began work to remove the old synthetic turf in preparation for the replacement turf. The grass field renovation project is going well. All turf has been laid and looks great. Asphalt walkways, landscaping and final punch list items should be complete before the end of the month, weather permitting. Several garden maintenance projects have been completed to include fence repairs and an extension of the gravel drive.
Ice Rink. The Ice Rink continues to remain extremely popular. The rink is expected to remain open through Sunday, February 21, 2021.
E Center. Gym memberships have reached 12,178 and thorough cleaning practices continue throughout the facility. Classes and programs are still limited with a few private rentals being held in the Waterfall Room and classroom space.
Golf. The course had a successful start to the new year despite several wet, cold days. Several major irrigation repairs were completed throughout the course. Clubhouse renovations began the first week of January and are expected to be substantially complete by the end of the month. The Sugar Hill Golf Association will hold the ABC Scramble Tournament on the 20th of February. This tournament will kick off the 2021 season. For more information on the course or membership, contact a representative from the Golf Course at 770-271-0519.
EVENTS
News and Information. Upgrades to The Eagle Theatre’s sound and lighting systems are now complete. The changes will bring an elevated experience to all our guests and we are very excited to get back to hosting events in the space. The Events Department has two part-time positions available. Both are Venue Assistants; one for the History Museum and Art Gallery and one for The Eagle Theatre.
January Events. January programming at the theatre included a Leadership Gwinnett performance, a few private dance recitals, and private performance recordings for a local church. The Annual Chilly Willy 5K/10K Half Marathon was hosted Downtown this month as well. All events were hosted at limited capacity to follow proper COVID safety regulations.
Upcoming Events. The Players Guild installed their set and began stage rehearsals for their upcoming performance of Blithe Spirit coming February 12th-21st (tickets available on the events page of The Eagle’s website.) Acting classes are being offered by The State Theatre Alliance group in the gallery space each Wednesday. The city will host the 2nd annual Broad St. Film Fest in The Eagle on the 26th and 27th of February. There will be over 6 hours of films, several speakers, workshops, and networking opportunities. Tickets are available on the Broad St Film Fest website.
For more information on 2021 events, please visit www.thebowlatsugarhill.com and www.eagleatsugarhill.com
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Black History Month. The city is working hand in hand this month with the Black Women’s Association of Sugar Hill to expand our community’s knowledge of history as well as to highlight leaders and legacies in the black community. Follow our stories on Instagram and Facebook and join us in celebrating Black History Month.
Arbor Day Celebration. The city will celebrate Georgia’s Arbor Day (virtually) on the 19th of February. A video of a panel discussion with representatives from the UGA Extension Office – Gwinnett County Master Gardener Program, Sugar Hill Community Garden, and Gwinnett County Natural and Cultural Resources will be released on social media as well as details about a special Arbor Day giveaway for the community.
Downtown Rewards Program. Exclusive Downtown Sugar Hill rewards have been extended to the 14th of February. To participate, shoppers can visit one of our participating downtown businesses and make a purchase in the qualifying amount ($50 or $75 for various types of businesses). Then, bring a purchase receipt from one of the participating businesses into the City Hall Customer Service desk to select a special reward, including a basketball, an executive charging bank, a mini tumbling tower game, a pet pack with leash and water bowl, an urban peak cooler, or a yoga mat. Visit the Shop Small 2021 page on the city’s website for full details and a list of participating businesses.
PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
Gas Department. The staff has installed a total of 6,436 transmitters on our automated metering system, out of 11,854. Our utility locating staff completed services on 371 sites and worked with our construction contractors on various sites around the city to protect our underground utilities. Staff has been working through regulatory compliance tasks, new service installations, and 70 other service requests to round out the workload last month.
Street & Stormwater Department. The yard debris team remains very active over the winter months with four (4) loads of mulch, two loads of rock for stormwater stabilization and collected 68 truckloads of bagged clippings for the month. This generated seven (7) loads of debris to the disposal site. Yard debris disposal has been renegotiated to reduce our disposal costs, taking the debris for organic cover. Stormwater staff completed a training class on chemical spill response, preventative maintenance inspections, and has also assisted city projects with pipe inspections.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
Sugar Hill (Main) Greenway Trail. Construction is beyond the halfway point for the segment of construction on the Level Creek Road. As concrete construction on segment one wraps up, TriScapes is now focused on clearing the trail router south of Sugar Hill Elementary through EE Robinson park. Skipping ahead of previously completed portions, the segment from PIB to Level Creek Road, just north of Gwinnett Church, has been flagged for clearing operations to begin. The pedestrian traffic signal near Markim Forest is set for installation beginning this week. Submittals, RFI’s, orders are still a significant portion of the progress, but construction is well underway.
Gary Pirkle Park Field Improvements. Construction of the new fields is nearly complete, lacking walking trail repaving and punch list work prior to reopening. As Advanced Sports Group wraps up the project, a large tournament is in the works for February to open the newest section of the park. The football side (west) of the park has had the old, damaged turf removed and drainage layer restabilized and restored. The turf layer has been scheduled for later in the month with an anticipated completion in early Spring. All the work at the park is being coordinated with the various user groups, leagues, and programs in the park.
Art/History Room Buildout – Broadstone Project. After having to resurface the floor a number of times, Stonepoint was able to wrap up work on the space and get it ready for closeout. The project is substantially complete and final completion should be achieved this week. The Historic Preservation Society and the Arts Commission are gearing up for events now to celebrate the transition to the new space.
Sweet City/22-Acre Passive Park Project. The design team is in the middle of the process for phase one of improvements at the park whose preliminary scope is set to include a parking lot, pavilion, pond repairs, walking paths, and restroom building. Site considerations like the pond repairs and on-site septic management are part of the current process. The existing dam on the lower pond does not have a proper outlet structure and will need to be drained to clear and evaluate the dam condition. Significant seepage at the base of the dam will need to be repaired before work continues toward opening the location up to the public.
Roadway Resurfacing & Repairs 2020/2021. The project has been advertised and bids are due on the 18th of February. The road repairs will include sealing, milling, patching, resurfacing, valve and manhole adjustments and restriping. The following streets are proposed for this contract:
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Princeton Oaks Drive
White Oak Drive
Megan Court
Hunters Oak Trail
Frontier Way
Frontier Trail
Bankside Court
Davis Street
Amberside Court
Mountain Ridge Way
Amberside Lane
Spring Willow Drive
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Riverside Walk Drive
Grand Loop Road
River Ridge Lane
Eagles Rest Trail
Appling Road
Summer Breeze Lane
Frontier Drive
Long Needle Court
Forest Green Way
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