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SNELLVILLE – Solange Destang is the city's newest council member after she defeated Brittany Marmol in Tuesday's Run-Off Election.

Destang, a South Gwinnett High School teacher, won the contest 557 - 401.

Destang will be sworn into office at the Dec. 9 council meeting.

The Run-Off Election was needed after neither of the four candidates who ran for the post Nov. 5 garnered more than 50 percent of the vote. Then, Destang received 567 votes, Marmol got 496 votes. Wanda Blow and Thomas Mwambay tallied 90 and 39 votes respectively.

Destang replaces Marmol's husband Roger who decided not to run for re-election for the seat.

SNELLVILLE – An amendment to the city's billboard ordinance will eventually cut the amount of billboards in the city from its current number of nine.

The amendment governs currently existing, non-conforming billboards on highways 124 and 78. If sign owners completely remove an existing billboard and support structure, they can request to replace an existing billboard with an electric one. The amendment states sign brightness will automatically be regulated with daylight, the signs must be able to show Amber Alerts and there cannot be any movement or animation on the sign.

"We definitely anticipate we are going have a reduction of signs within the city by doing this," City Attorney Chuck Ross said.

SNELLVILLE – A group of area businessmen have stepped up to help a local man keep his wheelchair-accessible van on the road while money is raised for a new one.

On Sept. 20, 2007, Que Crane sustained a paralyzing spinal cord injury playing football and has had to use a wheelchair since. Crane and his family have been using a van since the injury which has seen better days. After hearing about the need for a new van, the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office started a GoFundMe account to buy a handicap-drivable van for Crane who lives in the Loganville area. As a motivational speaker, Crane travels around to schools and other venues talking about his life's journey and about never giving up in the face of adversity. A new van is a must for the man Andrea Alabi, assistant district attorney for the Gwinnett Judicial Circuit, called our "silent hero."

It is estimated a new van will cost about $65,000.

Snellville Police Chief Roy Whitehead heard about Crane's story and offered to help keep the current van running while money is raised for a new one. Whitehead is an owner of Soesbe's Garage in Loganville which has stepped up to offer 24-7 care for the van free of charge in the meantime.

"It's all about stepping up to help," John Soesbe, also an owner at Soesbe's Garage, said to Crane Monday. "Like I told you, we've got your back."

Soesbe's Garage was joined by Tire Dock, which donated tires, Brooks Towing, which has towed the van for free to Soesbe's when it wouldn't run, and Autozone, which donated parts.

"It feels good," Jamey Towler, of Tire Dock said. "I feel great to be able to do it. God expects us to take care of each other."

Crane expressed his gratitude.

"Thank you all," he said. "I appreciate all your help."

To donate to help Crane get a new van visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/1speyng8mo?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

SNELLVILLE –The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting has been awarded to City of Snellville by Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for its comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR).

The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.

The Certificate was awarded to Snellville Controller Jan Burke for preparing the award-winning CAFR. This is the fourth time Burke was given the award in the four years she has applied for it.

"It is vital for the citizens of Snellville to trust the city with its finances," Burke said. "This award was given to us for making sure those finances are reported accurately and carefully, a responsibility we are proud to have."

The CAFR has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive "spirit of full disclosure" to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the CAFR.

Government Finance Officers Association advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources and practical research for more than 20,500 members and the communities they serve.

Mayor Pro Tem Dave Emanuel was one of the graduates from the 2019 Region 3 Multi-Day Training Program hosted by the Board of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development.

Participants represented a number of professional and non-professional economic development fields, including elected officials, public servants, business leaders, educators, and social service providers from ten counties.

"This series of classes provided excellent, useful information, much of which can be applied to Snellville," Emanuel said. "In addition to classroom presentations, we saw first hand what other cities have done to attract new businesses and support existing businesses. Each city's situation is unique, but there is a common thread of assessing the current business and community environments, formulating plans to improve them and putting those plans into action."

The Academy provided each of the graduates an opportunity to gain a unique understanding of the complexities of economic and community development on the local, regional, and state levels.

Created in 1993, the Academy assembles a cross section of economic development professionals and resources to provide this training in all 12 service delivery regions in Georgia.

"One of the goals for the multi-day regional Academies is to encourage multi-county cooperation," says Kelly Lane, director of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development. "Many times the participants discover the issues facing their community are the same as those facing other communities in their region, and can then combine limited resources to address the issue."

The Academy's multi-day program, taught one day a month over a four-month period, includes training in the basics of economic and community development, plus specialized segments on business recruitment and retention, tourism product development, downtown development, planning, and other essentials for community success. In addition, the curriculum features specific leadership skills such as consensus building, ethics in public service, collaborative leadership and other segments needed for effective community leadership in economic development. Local elected officials may receive certification training credits through the Association County Commissioners of Georgia and the Georgia Municipal Association for completion of this program.

SNELLVILLE – Early voting for the Dec. 3 Run-off Election is ongoing and will end Nov. 27 at 4:30 p.m.

The hours of early voting are each weekday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at Snellville City Hall, 2342 Oak Road.

During the original Nov. 5 vote, the Post 2 contest did not see any of the four candidates receive more than 50 percent of the vote needed to win the seat outright. Now, the top-two vote getters - Solange Destang (567 votes) and Brittany Marmol (496 votes) - will square off Dec. 3 to decide the winner of the seat. Marmol's husband Roger decided not to run for re-election for the post.

During the Nov. 5 election, incumbent Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Dave Emanuel defeated challenger Cortez Riden 989 to 211. Mayor Barbara Bender did not have a challenger in her race and notched 1,093 votes.

Early voting for the December 3, 2019 Run-off Election will begin Thursday, November 21, 2019 at 8:30 and end Wednesday, November 27, 2019 at 4:30. The hours of early voting will be each week day from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

El voto anticipado para la Elección de Segunda Vuelta 3 de Diciembre 2019 comenzara el Jueves, 21 de Noviembre 2019 a las 8:30 a.m. y terminara el Miércoles, 27 de Noviembre 2019 a las 4:30 p.m. Las horas de voto anticipado serán cada día de semana dentro de las 8:30 a.m. hasta las 4:30 p.m.

SNELLVILLE – There will be a run-off election Dec. 3 to determine the winner of the city's Post 2 council seat after none of the four candidates garnered more than 50 percent of the vote.

In the Post 2 contest, Solange Destang received 567, Brittany Marmol notched 496, Wanda Blow got 90 and Thomas Mwambay tallied 39 votes respectively, meaning Destang and Marmol will square off Dec. 3 to decide the winner of the seat. Marmol's husband Roger decided not to run for re-election for the seat. The winner of the race would've needed to receive 597 votes to avoid the runoff.

Incumbent Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Dave Emanuel defeated challenger Cortez Riden 989 to 211

Mayor Barbara Bender did not have a challenger in her race and notched 1,093 votes.

SNELLVILLE – A logo has been chosen to represent The Grove at Towne Center – a highly anticipated mixed-use town center coming the city.

Residents got a first look during a special reveal before the city council meeting Monday on the corner of Clower Street and Wisteria Drive.

"We're thrilled to have a visual representation of a project that we've been working to create for so long," said Mayor Barbara Bender. "Showing the logo to our residents brought such joy, and we're proud to have a design that represents a few of the wonderful aspects of Snellville's past and present, while also representing where we hope to go in the future."

The custom design features an oak tree with two intertwining trunks to represent the town's rich history coming together with the present. The leaves are said to represent the individual residents of Snellville who are at the center of the project. Additionally, the color green was chosen to symbolize the planned greenway and green space the area will offer. Finally, "The Grove" is a nod to the city's history, as this was the name of the location where founding community members came together for events and celebrations in Snellville's early days.

The $85-million project is being developed by CASTO, one of the country's leading commercial real estate companies, together with Atlanta- based development partner MidCity Real Estate Partners.

"We are pleased to provide a logo that the City of Snellville is proud to associate with The Grove," said Shannon Dixon, EVP of Southeast Development for CASTO. "We believe this design incorporates the most important aspects that the City wishes to convey – community, a nod to the past, and excitement for what's to come."

The Grove at Towne Center will be a walkable, destination space that will feature inviting restaurants, entertainment and retail spaces that will serve as key amenities for office users, residents and visitors. Shared use paths for pedestrians and cyclists will be located throughout the development, connecting the various components of the master planned project and the surrounding neighborhoods via the Snellville Greenway.

The first phase of construction of The Grove at Towne Center project will include relocation of the city's U.S. Post Office, expected to occur in early 2020 with a groundbreaking on the project anticipated for the second quarter of 2020.

For more information and updates on the Grove at Towne Center project visit www.snellville.org/the-towne-center-snellville.

SNELLVILLE – Spurred by reports of people getting sick or dying from vaping products, the Mayor and Council unanimously decided to place a 12-month moratorium on approving the opening of new vape shops in the city.

"This is something that is of particular interest to me, because as I have been reading, and all of you I am sure have been reading every day practically in the newspaper, there's more concern expressed for e-cigarettes and vaping and the illnesses and deaths that have been caused," said Councilwoman Gretchen Schulz, who spearheaded Mayor and Council's efforts looking into the issue. "What this resolution that we are looking at passing does is prohibit the opening of any new vape shops for the next 12 months. This will give us time to see what, if anything, is going to be done perhaps by the state legislature or by the federal government. After 12 months we can determine where we go at that point."

A vape shop is defined as a store which has total retail sales of more than 25 percent designated to vaping products or 25 percent of the floor area designated for the sale or advertising of vaping products, city officials said.