The water level of Pate Lake at T.W. Briscoe Park will be lowered Monday so construction crews can begin work on repairing a portions of a crumbling lake wall.
The Dickerson Group, Inc. will begin work on the long-awaited $400,150 repair Monday, work that could last for 90 days. Since the lake level is being lowered, fishing is prohibited while the repairs are ongoing.
A bulk of the cost of the repairs is being covered by a Community Development Block Grant.
Approximately 100 feet of the stone wall is being replaced as well as a 20 to 25 foot retaining wall behind the pool area and Williams Pavilion.
Aside from the fishing moratorium, park activities and events will remain as normal during construction.
Transportation services will be expanded in Snellville in the coming months.
The Snellville Microtransit program, which was piloted by Gwinnett County in 2019, will begin in August and is designed to offer an alternative to ride-share services to and from locations in the city. And a new bus route will be added next month which will take riders from the parking lot at the corner of Wisteria Drive and Highway 78 to the Indian Creek MARTA Station.
To address the lack of connectivity within the Gwinnett County, Ride Gwinnett has expanded microtransit services in Snellville and Lawrenceville. By calling 770-822-5010 or using the MyStop app, those interested in traveling to a destination in the area of Snellville can request a pick up. Rides are $3.
On-demand microtransit is a flexible curb-to-curb shared-ride demand-response mode of passenger transportation, according to Gwinnett transportation officials. Riders request a vehicle — typically a small van or shuttle — through a mobile application or by calling a dispatcher to pick them up and drop them off at a location within a designated microtransit zone. The zones will have connections to fixed route service.
Route 70, which will allow riders to access all MARTA services, is slated to begin operating late next month, possibly early June.
The new proposed fixed route service will have the same fare cost as the existing fixed route service — $2.50 per trip.
Mayor and Council approved a bubble tea shop and deli to occupy the former Krystal restaurant on Highway 78.
Banh Mi Bubble Tea and Deli, located at 2484 Main St., will take over the vacated building located on the south end of the Towne Center.
The applicants had to modify their plans for the location several times before gaining approval by Mayor and Council so it would comply with Towne Center uses and guidelines.
Snellville Code Enforcement Officer Johnny Greene.
When Snellville Code Enforcement Officer Johnny Greene knocked on his door, 79-year-old Joseph Jones expected the worst.
Greene, who received a citizen-initiated Quality of Life complaint about Jones’ Summit Chase Drive home, climbed the rickety staircase of the corner lot. When he got to the door, Greene’s foot went through the wooden porch outside Jones’ front door.
The porch and the house was riddled more rotten boards, bare wood and overgrown weeds – violations of city Quality of Life regulations. Jones lives alone in the house and is strapped with medical bills. He was looking at about $3,000 in repairs and maintenance to bring his home up to code.
But instead slapping Jones with a lengthy of list of violations, Greene gave the help the widowed man desperately needed.
“He said, ‘I could fine you but I don’t want to,’” Jones said.
“It was very clear under his circumstances that he would never be able to fix everything that needed to be done,” Greene said. “There was no way he’d be able to finance what needed to be done. If I’d issued citations, it would’ve been another burden on him. He would be put on probation and making payments from here on. That wasn’t what needed to be done so I started looking at other solutions of being able to help him without creating another hinderance.”
Greene called his contact at Habitat for Humanity, and soon after, Jones’ home was being refurbished by a crew of 20 or so volunteers from the charitable organization.
“I presented it to Mr. Jones who just really hated to ask somebody for help,” Greene said.
Eventually, Habitat for Humanity met with Jones and determined he did qualify for assistance. A plan was put into motion to rehab his dilapidated house exterior and even some needed repairs inside his home that aren’t regulated by Code Enforcement. The floor in the kitchen was rotted due to a leaky refrigerator he wasn’t able to fix.
Summit Chase Drive resident Joseph Jones and Snellville Code Enforcement Officer Johnny Greene.
Work began in winter with the inside of the house and by March the outside was repaired as well.
This was the second time Greene called on Habitat for Humanity to help someone in need – the first being an elderly woman who lived alone on North Road. Greene also contacted the Rotary Club of Gwinnett Sunrise to help clean up Jones’ yard.
“It feels good,” Greene said. “A lot of people think Code Enforcement is about making money and that’s totally the opposite. The city would rather have voluntary compliance than having you pay fines. Being able to help someone who needs it, that is a citizen of Snellville, that really does make you feel good.”
Jones said he was grateful for Greene’s help. A friendship between the two as a result.
“The relationship we’ve made, I’d consider him a good friend now,” Greene said. “He knows when he sees me out and about, I’m here to help. Flag me down any time … call me any time.”
The first ever Family Fun Day at Briscoe Park in 2022 was such a success that Snellville Parks and Recreation decided to make it an annual event!
The 2023 Family Fun Day will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 22 at T.W. Briscoe Park in Snellville.
Admission for this event is FREE! There will be multiple main course food trucks along with a dessert food truck. Snellville Police Department and Gwinnett Fire Department will be on site along with other Snellville departments and churches.
Our Briscoe Park youth athletic groups along with other vendors will have booths set up with fun activities!
There will also be face painting, inflatables, games and MORE!
At 8 a.m., Wednesday, April 5, construction crews will temporarily block the southbound lane of Wisteria Drive at the new Snellville Library located at 2245 Wisteria Drive
This location is indicated in green in the screenshot below.
A crane will be positioned on the southbound shoulder with outriggers extending into the southbound thru lane.
Large HVAC equipment is to be hoisted and set onto the library rooftop.
The northbound lane will remain open during this time. Crews will employ traffic control measures include road cones, signage and flaggers.
This work is expected to take approximately four hours, but it is possible it could continue into the afternoon.
While the City of Snellville remains committed to providing our residents with opportunities to recycle household items, the city will discontinue free curbside recycling service on May 1 as the cost of recycling has increased greatly in recent years and the city is no longer in a position to offer the service free of charge.
Consequently, the city will transition to a paid subscription-based service for curbside recycling.
If you choose this option, you will pay an annual fee of $144, and receive a new 65-gallon recycling cart. The fee will cover the 12-month service period. You can call Public Works at 770-985-3527 to set up service. A website will be set up in the near future to take payment online. A mailer with program information and an application will also be sent to residents.
The deadline to opt in to the new recycling program is April 30.
As part of the program, the city will provide you with the information on what items are recyclable curbside, and how to avoid contaminating your recycling contents.
If you do not wish to participate in the program, but would like an extra garbage cart, you can pay an annual fee of $120 for a 65-gallon cart.
Residents that decline to pay for curbside recycling service will still have use of the city’s state-of-the-art Recycling Center free of charge. The center is located at 2531 Marigold Road, and is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information call Public Works at 770-985-3527.
The Mayor and Council of the City of Snellville hereby give notice of the City’s
intent to make available license(s) to sell distilled spirits by the package within the
City Limits of Snellville. Applications are available at City Hall, 2342 Oak Road,
Snellville, GA 30078 and online at snellville.org. Applications are due by June 5,
2023 at 4:00 p.m. and shall be submitted during business hours at City Hall to the
City Manager, Assistant City Manager or City Clerk who shall document the time
and date received. The City Manager will have up to 45 business days to
determine if an application complies with all Ordinance requirements. A written
determination will be sent by certified mail to all applicants. Should more than one
applicant meet all the criteria, the Mayor and Council shall appoint an independent
third party from outside the City limits to conduct a lottery to award the license.
One license will be awarded in this initial process and the City may issue a second
license as determined by Mayor and Council. Applicants are responsible for
accurately meeting and demonstrating all the requirements in their application for
license.
The City of Snellville and Gwinnett County have entered into a new Intergovernmental Agreement that will facilitate the construction of over a mile of new sidewalks on Skyland Drive and Pinehurst Road. The agreement calls for Gwinnett to contribute $800,000 toward the total project cost of $1.9 million with the city covering the remainder with funds provided by the American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress in 2023. New sidewalk on Skyland will stretch from the existing to Rockdale Circle and on Pinehurst from North Road connecting to the Saddlebrook subdivision.
The city is also partnering with another county department, Water Resources, as they will bring waterline improvements to the Valley Creek Circle area, new street paving and coordinated construction as the sidewalk and utility work will overlap on Pinehurst Road. The Intergovernmental Agreement for this work was adopted in late 2023.
“These infrastructure projects will certainly add to the quality of life of residents in these areas and it is only through a great relationship between city and county that makes such progress possible," said City Manager Butch Sanders. "The addition of county financial assistance will allow the Mayor and Council to move forward and plan for more sidewalk additions in the future.”
Monday so construction crews can begin work on repairing a portions of a crumbling lake wall. 
