NEWS BRIEFS: Suwanee plans veterans memorial in new park

The City of Suwanee seeks to commemorate individuals who have served or continue to serve in the military. 

Set to open in the summer of 2024, Suwanee’s newest park, Town Center on Main, will be home to a veterans memorial, to be called the Greater Good. It will be integrated within a tranquil water feature and include an entranceway lined with commemorative plaques honoring service members. 

Toni Hardy, Greater Good project manager, says that the heart of the project will include a series of plaques integrated into a walkway leading to the memorial, offering a tribute to those who have made a profound impact.

Each 8×4 inch plaque will be of customized etched in stainless steel which can be customized with up to four lines of text, allowing for 30 characters per line. This flexibility allows for the celebration of multiple service members on a single plaque. 

A limit of 300 plaques are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Service members do not need to be residents of Suwanee to be commemorated with a plaque. The cost per plaque is $350; orders will be accepted until November 30, 2023. 

• For more information regarding the Greater Good veterans memorial or to purchase a plaque, visit Suwanee.com or contact Toni Hardy.

North Gwinnett Kiwanis plans 15th annual Valentine’s dance

President Chris Witmer of The Kiwanis Club of North Gwinnett says that the club is planning its 15th annual Father-Daughter Valentine Dance on February 2 and 3.  The event will be held at the Braselton Civic Center.  There will be three sessions: on February 2 from 7-9 p.m.; and two sessions on February 3, from 5-7 p.m. and from 8-10 p.m.

Cost to participate in the dance Is $100 per couple, with $10 for each additional daughter. Click the links below to purchase tickets and for more information: 

• Tickets: https://www.bigtickets.com/e/ngkc/FDD2024.
• Website: https://www.northgwinnettkiwanis.com/father-daughter-dance.

NOTABLE

Braselton highway widening, short rentals and other topics

Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners acted on several initiatives during meetings recently. A recap of what they approved follows.

• Braselton Highway widening: The county awarded a construction contract to Wilson Construction Management, LLC to widen Georgia Highway 124 (Braselton Highway) from Pine Road to Spout Springs Road from two lanes to a four-lane road, complete with turn lanes, sidewalks, curb and gutter, and drainage improvements. The $10.6 million project is funded largely by SPLOST with $3 million coming from the  Georgia Department of Transportation. 

• Georgia DOT grant funds road resurfacing: An application for another Local Maintenance Improvement Grant to fund the resurfacing of more than 35 miles of roadways in Gwinnett County was also approved. GDOT’s contribution is $7.6 million with a local match of $2.3 million coming from the 2017 SPLOST Program.

• Short-term rentals:The Board created a new Short-Term Rental Citizen Task Force to address residents’ concerns that short-term rentals contribute to higher crime, negatively impact property values and cause a decline in the sense of community and stability within neighborhoods. From this study, the findings will present recommendations to the Board.

• Operation Save-A-Life contribution: Firefighters will distribute 252 Kidde smoke alarms and 234 Kidde carbon monoxide detectors to residents. Commissioners accepted the donation valued at $18,690.
• Sewer service expands in Dacula: an intergovernmental agreement with the city of Dacula and county to expand sewer service along Maxey Street to Sanjo Street. Gwinnett County is paying 20 percent of the construction costs along with design, permitting, construction, ongoing operation and maintenance of the sewer. Dacula will  pay for easements and 80 percent of the construction costs using American Rescue Plan Act funds.

SE Railway Museum hires new director

Miller

Chuck Miller is the new executive director of the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, according to Search Committee Chair Allen Rider.  He will replace Randy Pirkle. Miller was previously the executive of the Fox Theatre in Hutchinson, Kan.

Miller started his career in public broadcasting. He served as the production manager of the Vienna (Austria) Jazz Festival for 30 years, 25 of them in the Vienna Opera House. Miller also enjoyed 25 years as the production manager for JazzFest Saalfelden in Salzburg, Austria.  

Born in Oak Park, Ill., Miller grew up in Mt. Prospect, Ill, and is a graduate of Southern Illinois University, and holds a master’s degree from Illinois State University in Normal, Ill. He is married to Denise Brodsky, who is the executive director of Clubhouse Atlanta. He has three step children, one of whom lives in Atlanta, and he and his wife live in Lawrenceville. He still has his toy train set. “It’s in boxes at the moment.” 

Miller says he plans to “Learn the vast scope of opportunities, concentrate on volunteer recruitment, fundraising and the visitor experience, and what’s next in restoration of the historic property.”

Jackson EMC Foundation awards $66,520 in grants

The Jackson EMC Foundation board of directors awarded a total of $225,620 in grants for organizations during its recent meeting, including $66,520 to organizations serving Gwinnett County. The Gwinnett service area grants include:

• $20,000 to Neighborhood Meals on Wheels Inc. Norcross, to purchase a van that will help the organization expand its services in Gwinnett County.
• $15,000 to Buford First United Methodist Church for its Sack Kids Hunger relief program that provides weekend food bags for children in need in Gwinnett and Hall counties.
• $15,000 to Nothing But the Truth, Inc., Dacula, to purchase 3,333 bags of food for children in Barrow and Gwinnett counties for its Weekend Food Bag program.
• $11,520 to The Block Community Outreach, Inc., Sugar Hill, to provide 768 “break boxes” for school holiday breaks as part of its Weekend Food Program for children in need in Gwinnett County. 
• $5,000 to Canopy Studio, Inc., Athens, for sponsorships 24 students from Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Gwinnett, Jackson, Madison and Oglethorpe counties in its Canopy Outreach Program, an aerial arts program that serves students with autism, developmental disabilities, behavioral and emotional disorders.

Jackson EMC Foundation grants are made possible by the 211,732 participating cooperative members who have their monthly electric bills rounded to the next dollar amount through the Operation Round Up program.