ross COfficial newsletter R ads of the September 2011 9/11 artifact to be unveiled at commemorative event Candlelight, bagpipes, and goose bumps will be on order when Suwanee remembers loss, courage, and resilience dur- ing a 10th anniversary 9/11 commemorative ceremony to be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, September 10, at Town Center Park. Area residents are invited to attend this free event at which the 1,638-pound World Trade Center artifact that the City of Suwanee has acquired will be unveiled. The City obtained the artifact, which has been named Remembrance, from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in July. The piece, an exteri- or panel from the 101st-104th floors of CELEBRATE Community! one of the World Trade Center towers CELEBRATE Suwanee Day! that collapsed on September 11, 2001, 10 am–10 pm is described as the Saturday, September 17 lower one-third of three columns, but is Town Center Park so twisted and damaged that it’s difficult to distinguish the three columns. The piece is one of 236 structural steel ele- Details, line-ups, and schedules ments studied by the National Institute of Standards and beginning on page 6. Technology to determine probable causes of the post-impact collapse of the towers. In addition to the unveiling, the September 10 candlelight remembrance ceremony will honor public safety officials and INSIDE THIS ISSUE… others. Police, fire, and EMT officials from throughout Gwinnett County have been invited to the event. Fire trucks City lowers tax and police vehicles will be on display as part of the ceremony. rate…p. 5 “We’re planning a respectful, reverent, spine-tingling event,” says Office Administrator Billie Marshall, who, along with police and fire officials and other City staff members, has organized the ceremony. “We really want to pay homage How will to our public safety officials, our community, and this sacred your garden Greenway: Detour artifact.” ahead…p. 2 grow?...p. 17 Continued on page 2 Page 2 September 2011 www.suwanee.com Gwinco Blvd. becomes Celebration Drive Artifact… The City of Suwanee is renaming Gwinco Boulevard in the continued from page 1 Gateway area. The road’s new name, Celebration Drive, will Following the ceremony, Town become official when the Georgia Department of Transportation Center Cinema will show World Trade (GDOT) project to extend McGinnis Ferry Road across I-85 to Center, a 2006 Oliver Stone movie Old Peachtree Road is completed. While the bridge across I-85 starring Nicholas Cage. The movie is recently opened, the entire project is expected to be finished at rated PG-13 for intense and emotional the end of September. content, some disturbing images, and “The City has for several years had a vision for this particular language. If you’re staying for the section of the Suwanee Gateway to serve as a hospitality hub,” movie, bring chairs and blankets. Food says Special Projects Coordinator Toni Shrewsbury. “A compo- and non-alcoholic beverages will be nent of our plans called for changing the road’s name. This available for purchase; no alcohol may seemed like an opportune time to do so with the conclusion of be brought to the park. this significant road project that’s really going to improve traffic Remembrance will remain on exhib- flow and safety in the area.” it at Town Center Park at least through When the GDOT project is completed, McGinnis Ferry will Suwanee Day on September 17. The extend over the interstate to Old Peachtree Road. Celebration City currently is considering perma- Drive will connect to Old Peachtree as the road did previously, nent locations for display of the artifact but with one-directional access. A new road, Celebration and will work with artists and planners Connector, also will connect Celebration Drive and Old to create an appropriate base or setting Peachtree, north of the Courtyard Marriott. for the display. Greenway section to be closed for improvements beginning this fall This is one of those good news/bad news stories, and the bad news comes first. Approximately one-mile of the Suwanee Creek Greenway, from near Martin Farm Road to Suwanee Elementary, will be closed beginning this fall for a minimum of seven months. The good news? When the work is finished, area residents will have a better Greenway. This oldest section of the Greenway, installed in the 1990s, will be completely rehabilitated, with existing asphalt and boardwalk demolished and new concrete and boardwalk installed. Concrete rather than asphalt is being used, says Capital Projects Manager Russell Small, because it’s more durable, particularly considering that this section of the Greenway is in the floodplain. Because it is in the floodplain, this part of the Greenway still will flood, says Small, but changes are being made to minimize as much as possible the impact of that flooding. For example, where possible the trail will be moved to higher ground (6-18 inches higher) so that floodwaters will recede from the trail surface first. The project manager explains that the trail can’t be completely moved from the floodplain because that would require it be moved to private property, nor can the trail be easily or inexpensively raised using fill material because of federal regulations. The rehabilitative work, currently being bid, will require at least seven months, depending on how much rain and flooding occurs over the con- struction period. While this segment of the Greenway is closed, it’s impor- tant for safety reasons that residents heed the “closed” signs and stay out of the construction area. “When we’re done,” says Small, “it’s going to be a better Greenway. It will have a more durable surface and should last a long time.” Funding for the project will be provided through SPLOST and open space bond monies. Need a little more good news to get you through the closing of this sec- tion? If not already completed, work on the Gwinnett County trail section from the Greenway to George Pierce Park will be finished soon, and the trail is expected to be re-opened this fall. photo by M. Michael Farr September 2011 Page 3 www.suwanee.com 20/20 Vision Strategic Plan Open House ideas shared; small-group conversations getting underway The City’s 20/20 strategic planning process has shifted gears. Some 435 people offered their input and ideas at the strategic plan open house over a five-week period throughout July. Now about 300 people are ready to begin a series of facilitated roundtable discussions through which, it is hoped, information gleaned from the open house can be fleshed out and ideas explored more thoroughly as the community works to create a vision for the Suwanee of 2020. Approximately 25 roundtable groups of 8-12 people each will meet four times each through the end of the year. Groups are meeting every day of the week in homes, restaurants, and community locations; the earliest meetings start at 7:30 a.m. and the latest at 7 p.m. All of the groups will discuss the same topics. “We want to build on what we heard through the open house,” says Assistant to the City Manager Jessica Roth. For example, she offers, eco- nomic development was the number one priority identified by participants through the do-it-yourself budget exercise at the open house. “We want to flesh that out, find out more about what the community is think- ing and how this topic should be addressed in the coming decade.” In the collaborative map exercise, in which residents identified where they live, their favorite place in Suwanee, and where money should be spent for improvements, Town Center blew it out of the water as the favorite location. The Suwanee Gateway was easily the number one place where residents feel improvements are needed, receiving about double the number of “votes,” or stickers, as historic Old Town and Town Center, which tied for second place. Through the open house process, Roth says, about 35 percent of ideas and suggestions related to “the desire or need for more things to do and more places to go.” Another 25 percent of comments dealt with parks and recreation. A lot of comments and suggestions also related to increased services and opportunities for youth. The exercise that involved writing a postcard from the Suwanee of 2020 gen- erated some creative ideas as well. Consider this excerpt: “Took the trolley bus to dinner tonight at a new place called Just Adults. Wow – we love children, but sometimes you just need a break…. You’ve got to come out Sat[urday], they’re having a masquerade for the 1950s. Come dressed up! Oh! My teens are jamming at Pierce’s Corner – super fun!” To keep up to date with the 20/20 Vision strategic plan or to share your ideas, visit www.suwanee2020.com. Page 4 September 2011 www.suwanee.com Serving up a varied menu of fall events Suwanee’s signature event is coming up the third Saturday of September, but Suwanee Day isn’t the only opportu- nity for some community fun this fall. Several additional City and privately sponsored events are planned throughout September and October. Antique cars and Elvis featured at Sept. ‘Toast’ While we can’t promise a pink Cadillac, both Elvis and antique cars will be featured at the September 22 Toast @ Town Center event. A monthly happening, held from 6-10 p.m. the fourth Thursday of each month through October, Toast @ Town Center is a regular event through which merchants offer special deals, entertainment, and in- store events.