PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Permits/Inspections. One single family home permit totaling 2,766 square feet and five (5) townhome permits were issued with an average square footage of 2,349 square feet.
A commercial remodel permit was issued for the former Mercado Fresco space located at 4450 Nelson Brogdon Boulevard (Sugar Hill Station Shopping Center). The 33,235 square foot anchor store will be converted to a retail location for O’Reilly Auto Parts (moving from 4300 Nelson Brogdon in Buford).
PARKS AND RECREATION
Parks. Precision Turf, LLC continued work to replace the turf at Gary Pirkle Park. The grass field (east side) project is now complete with a few remaining punch list items that need to be addressed before final close out. All-In Futbol Club held their first tournament of the season on the 21st and 22nd of February with close to 1,500 participants and guests over the weekend. New barrier netting was installed to protect balls from entering the creek and additional netting on the newly completed fields is being pursued. Weekly maintenance occurred throughout the park.
Ice Rink. Have An Ice Day Rinks completed a very successful 2020-2021 season. Work to deconstruct the rink and tent began at the end of February and will take several weeks to complete.
E Center. Gym memberships have reached 12,477 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. Arbor Day and Film Festival activities were also held in the Waterfall Room. The Recreation Department has a part-time Customer Service position available at the E Center. Anyone interested in this position may visit the employment page on the city’s website for an application and more information.
Golf. The course had a slower month due to the wet weather and colder temperatures as is expected in February. Several major irrigation repairs were completed throughout the course. Clubhouse restroom renovations are now complete with additional attention to the banquet room to freshen up the appearance next on the list. The Sugar Hill Golf Association held the ABC Scramble Tournament on the 20th of February. Players enjoyed a successful day of competition and comradery. The next Sugar Hill Golf Association Tournament is planned for the 20th of March. For more information on the course or membership, contact a representative from the Golf Course at 770-271-0519. There is one part-time and two full time positions available at the Golf Course for both Golf Maintenance and Irrigation. Anyone interested in these positions may visit the employment page on the city’s website for an application and more information.
EVENTS
February Events. The Players Guild completed their version of Blithe Spirit in February. The shows brought in over 500 people to The Eagle and sold over $2,000 in concessions during the two weekends of the showing. The first exhibits were installed in the new History Museum and Art Gallery spaces on West Broad Street. The spaces are now open for visitors to enjoy during the week. The second annual Broad St. Film Festival was held on the 26th and 27th of February. It was a wonderful event with growth and improvement from the first year. Lanier High School swim team held their banquet in The Bowl on the 28th of February bringing over 100 visitors to the downtown area.
Upcoming Events. Three theatre rentals are scheduled for March. The private rentals include filming, dance, and theatre productions. Indio Brewing and 5 Star Running will host the Sour Patch 5K event in Downtown Sugar Hill on the 27th of the month. The Players Guild plans to move their next show, Dilemmas with Dinner, into the theatre on the 4th of April.
The Events Department has two part-time positions available, one for a Venue Assistant for the new History Museum and Art Gallery spaces and the other for The Eagle Theatre. Anyone interested in these positions may visit the employment page on the city’s website for an application and more information.
For more information on 2021 events, please visit www.thebowlatsugarhill.com and www.eagleatsugarhill.com
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
News and Information. Sharna Fulton joined the Economic Development team on the 2nd of March as a Communications staff member. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge from her previous time spent as a writer, artist, business owner, and educator. We are excited to have her as part of the team. The city has been invited to apply for consideration for the next level of Main Street Georgia classification as a “Classic” Main Street. Staff will work on comprehensive application content and preparing a presentation to be given in early April to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Sugar Hill celebrated Arbor Day on the 19th of February with custom basil planters provided to the community as well as an informative discussion with representatives from the Sugar Hill Community Garden, GA Gwinnett Extension Office, and Gwinnett Parks and Recreation shared on social media.
Upcoming Events and Dates. Sugar Hill will celebrate a Day of Play on March 12th from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Join us outside at the E Center and throughout the downtown for giant lawn games. Be sure to pick up your custom scorecard at the Customer Service desk of the E Center or City Hall and do not forget to challenge your friends. Memorial bricks at the Veterans Monument are available for purchase through the 11th of March.
Business News. Congratulations to Sugar Hill Distillery on their grand opening on the 3rd of March. The locally owned business offers a full menu with gourmet German fare, beer brewed on-site, and spirits from the distillery. Scoops Ice Cream shop is expected to open this spring in the space behind The Eagle Theatre. The community is looking forward to the opportunity to enjoy both new businesses in Downtown Sugar Hill.
PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
Gas Department. The staff has installed over 6,000 transmitters on our automated metering system, out of 11,861. Our utility locating staff completed services on 419 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 119 other service requests to round out the workload last month.
Street & Stormwater Department. Yard debris collection slowed for the month with ten (10) loads of mulch and 98 truckloads of bagged clippings collected. This generated three (3) loads of debris to the disposal site. Department staff assisted with downtown projects such as gate installation and gate repair and restriping one of our raised crosswalks. The stormwater department responded to four (4) requests for rock to ensure stormwater stabilization. Our staff also came in early for the winter weather potential on the 16th.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
Sugar Hill (Main) Greenway Trail. Construction continued in a wet February as TriScapes lost four (4) days on the schedule due to the weather. A total of some 2,450 feet of trail has been constructed on Level Creek Road and connects to EE Robinson park just south of Sugar Hill Elementary. The trail leaves the road at this point and connects to the park near the new community garden and will make its way over to Peachtree Industrial Boulevard (PIB). Retaining wall construction is wrapping up in the park, allowing trail construction to continue through the area. Skipping ahead of previously completed portions, the segment from PIB to Level Creek Road, just north of Gwinnett Church, has started clearing operations. The pedestrian traffic signal near Markim Forest experienced a slight delay in February but installation will commence in March. Unsuitable soils at the Whitehead Trail head at the Bethany United Methodist Church parking lot is delaying construction on this location until the geotechnical engineer provides guidance on a solution.
Gary Pirkle Park Field Improvements. Construction of the new fields is substantially complete. The football side (west) of the park has almost 50% of the new turf installed as of the end of February. The turf layer will most likely be completed in March, weather permitting, with an anticipated final 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. Our new Art Gallery and History Museum is open and hours, while subject to change are currently:
Tuesday: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Wednesday: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Thursday: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Friday: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sweet City/22-Acre Passive Park Project. Site considerations like the pond repairs and on-site septic management are part of the current design (and geotechnical investigation) process. The existing dam on the lower pond does not have a proper outlet structure and will need to be drained to clear and install one. Significant seepage at the base of the dam was identified in the process and will also need to be repaired before work continues toward opening the location up to the public.
Roadway Resurfacing & Repairs 2020/2021. Award for this project is under consideration at the March Council meeting. The road repairs will include sealing, milling, patching, resurfacing, valve and manhole adjustments and restriping. The following streets are proposed for this contract:
[columns] [column size=”1/3″]Princeton Oaks DriveMegan Court
Hunters Oak Trail
Bankside Court
Amberside Court
Amberside Lane
Riverside Walk Drive[/column] [column size=”1/3″]River Ridge Lane
Appling Road
Frontier Drive
Forest Green Way
White Oak Drive
Frontier Way
Frontier Trail[/column] [column size=”1/3″]Davis Street
Mountain Ridge Way
Spring Willow Drive
Grand Loop Road
Eagles Rest Trail
Summer Breeze Lane
Long Needle Court[/column] [/columns]
Gold Mine Park. Construction contract for this new proposed park will be advertised in March. Construction is expected to begin this summer.
