Suwanee Day! Emergency Calls by Completing a “Do Not Call” Form
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ross COfficial newsletter R ads of the September 2012 City employs emergency, weather notification service One Friday evening this past spring, many Suwanee area residents found themselves hunkering down in their basements or interior closets as local television forecasters were tracking potentially tornadic weather conditions in the area. With a new notification service to be provided by the City of Suwanee, citizens will no longer need to won- der whether nasty weather incidents are indeed headed their way. The City has contracted with Emergency Communications Network to provide its CodeRed emer- gency and general notification services via phone calls, email, or text. Notifications that may be made through the system fall into three categories: emer- Live well…play hard… gency weather, emergency situations (such as a gas leak or terrorism threat), and general notification about events show your Suwanee pride and other non-emergency City information. Citizens will be required to opt in for general and weather notifications Keep your eyes open, perhaps you’ll spot the newest car fash- and to opt out of emergency notifications. ion trend in Suwanee. Better yet, the City of Suwanee hopes that The first step in setting up the system will be an “all you’ll be part of this hot new trend and sport a super groovy call” in which the Emergency Communications Network Suwanee S magnet on your vehicle. The magnets, which also will use existing public phone databases to inform residents include the “Live well…play hard…smile more!” slogan are avail- about the service; it’s anticipated that most of these calls able at City Hall – and get this, they’re FREE. Just stop by City will go to landlines. This call is expected to go out some- Hall at your convenience during regular business hours and ask time shortly after Suwanee Day, which is September 15. for your magnet at the front window. The City also will hand out Residents will be given information about how to sign magnets at the September 15 Suwanee Day festival; magnets will up online for the service and will be invited to provide be available at the festival information booth. preferences for how they wish to be contacted (e.g., cell phone call, text, email) and what kinds of information – weather and/or non-emergency notifications, such as Get ready for information about events – they wish to receive. Residents also will be given the option of opting out of receiving Suwanee Day! emergency calls by completing a “do not call” form. “This is a service that our citizens have requested,” says Saturday, September 15 City Manager Marty Allen, “and we’re pleased to be able to provide it in a manner that we believe is effective and More info beginning on page 8 cost efficient.” Continued on page 2 Page 2 September 2012 www.suwanee.com Weather notification… continued from page 1 Citizens should be aware of a couple of caveats related to this service. The emergency component of this service is not meant to satisfy curiosity about a typical police sit- uation, Allen says. It will be used sparingly and only in instances when the situation requires awareness or action in order to ensure the safety and well-being of residents. Also, the City won’t have any control over weather notifications; those will be generated through the National Weather Service for alerts or warnings, not watch situations, and will be geocoded so that sub- Your tour guides City Receptionist Annette Phelps and City scribers only in impacted areas are notified. Councilmember Dick Goodman are the guides for the 2012 Citizens may enter multiple phone numbers for the Suwanee SculpTour audio tour. same address, however, at this time only one address may be associated with each phone number. Data provided by citizens to the Emergency SculpTour audio tour Communications Network will not be shared, even with the City of Suwanee, except as required by law. available on iTunes So, be ready for the post-Suwanee Day phone call With City Hall as the starting point, the 2012 inviting you to sign up online for notifications you want Suwanee SculpTour audio tour provides walking direc- to receive, the way you want to receive them. Even if tions to and information about each of the 15 sculptures you don’t receive a phone call, you may sign up for noti- included in the exhibit as well as insights from the 11 fications; more information and the link you’ll need will participating artists. Suwanee SculpTour is an annual be posted at www.suwanee.com in mid-September. walkable exhibit of public artworks placed in and around Town Center; the current display will be up through March 2013. The podcast may be downloaded from iTunes; simply Next Citizens Police Academy search “Suwanee SculpTour” at the iTunes store. The podcast also may be accessed online via a link on the begins Oct. 2 SculpTour page at Believing that the best weapon against crime is an www.suwanee.com. informed citizen, the Suwanee Police Department is As they did last year, once again offering its popular Citizens Police Academy. Annette Phelps, the Over the past eight years, more than 300 individuals City’s receptionist, and Councilmember Dick have participated in this hands-on, eight-week program. Goodman lead the tour, Classes for this fall session will be offered at 6:30 offering clear walking Tuesday evenings beginning October 2 at the Suwanee directions, information Police Department’s new training facility/substation at about each piece, and 2966 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road in the Gateway area. gentle humor. Before (Please note that while most classes will be on Tuesday beginning the guided evenings through November 20, class during the second tour, it would be helpful to pick up a Suwanee week will be held on Monday evening, October 8.) SculpTour brochure/map from City Hall or a participat- Those wishing to participate must provide notarized ing Town Center business. Maps also may be down- applications by 5 p.m. Friday, September 21. loaded from the SculpTour page at www.suwanee.com. Applications are available at www.suwanee.com. Each year, SculpTour is organized by Suwanee’s The program, open to Suwanee residents and those Public Arts Commission and funded solely through cor- who work in Suwanee, offers a better understanding of porate and private donations. This year’s generous spon- the day-to-day functions, risks, and experiences of sors include People’s Bank & Trust; Suwanee Magazine; Suwanee police officers. Topics addressed include crime Chandler, Britt, Jay, Beck & Zwald; Mellow Mushroom; scene processing, traffic stops, building searches, crime and the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau, who prevention, and narcotics identification. sponsored the podcast. September 2012 Page 3 www.suwanee.com You’re invited Police training facility opens Sept. 10 The Suwanee Police Department will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony, tour, and demonstrations at its new training facility/substation in the Suwanee Gateway from 4-7 p.m. Monday, September 10. The public is invited to the ceremony at 2996 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road. The new facility provides the Suwanee Police Department with office space for its training and community relations officers, a four-lane fir- ing range, and training facilities that will serve law enforcement person- nel from throughout the region. Perhaps most importantly, the building offers a highly visible public safety presence in the Suwanee Gateway. With interior spaces painted in cayenne pepper, lemon meringue, and sage, the new substation sports bright colors never before seen in a Suwanee police facility. The 7,100-square-foot building smelled of fresh paint, cleaning materials, and new equipment as the construction punch list was being finalized in mid-August. The photos that accompany this story show some of the interior spaces (the classroom to the left and firing range above) as the City was poised to begin moving in last month. While the substation will not be staffed 24-7, the facility does provide direct access to the police department's dispatcher, a safe zone for those in need, and work stations that can be used by officers on patrol to com- plete reports or meet with citizens. The substation doubles as a training facility with a classroom for up to 40, firing range, gun-cleaning room, and tactical defense room where officers can train in hands-on self- defense or utilize equipment installed by Meggitt that provides simulated training in use of force. Plotting your space in community garden Want access to the freshest herbs and produce? Want to get in on the “grow your own” movement that has become so popular? Then, you may need a plot next year in Suwanee’s Harvest Farm Community Garden. Applications for plots for next year will be accepted from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 3, at White Street Park, where the community garden is located. Applications may be downloaded at www.suwanee.com. The garden’s 76 plots are available first to City of Suwanee residents. The annual fee for a plot ranges from $50-$100, depending upon the size of the plot requested; City residents receive a 25 percent discount. “When my family and I were looking at Suwanee last year as a possible place to live,” says Julie Chahboune, “the Harvest Farm Community Garden was a huge selling point. My kids love coming to the garden…and we’ve all enjoyed the experience of meeting the other plot holders. Gardeners are some of the nicest, most generous people I’ve ever met. They not only share information and anecdotes, but their extra produce, too.” Harvest Farm has an active managing board and engaged group of gardeners.