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SNELLVILLE – The sharks are back!

Students will pitch their business ideas to local entrepreneurs Tuesday and Wednesday in the annual Snellville Shark Tank program created by the Snellville Entrepreneur Council. The program, based on the popular television show, asks students to create an actual business and compete to win seed money after pitching their business to a panel of judges or "sharks."

The competition is open to students at Brookwood, Grayson Shiloh and South Gwinnett high schools.

"It's been a year and the sharks are back in Snellville," said Economic Development Coordinator Eric Van Otteren. "The high school students, at the beginning of the school year, were asked to create their own summer job. The mission, the task of the sharks, is to identify the young entrepreneurs and businesses that are most likely to accomplish this and launch them accordingly. These young folks represent the innovators and entrepreneurs of tomorrow, today. Their stories are amazing: their passion is relentless."

SNELLVILLE – The creation of the Towne Center took a major step forward Monday as the City Council unanimously approved a contract with TSW to design a library/city market building.

"This will be an enormous step in the direction of building our Towne Center dream," City Manager Butch Sanders said.

The contract totals $1,261,306 with the city paying $922,890 and Gwinnett County paying the difference. County officials are expected to approve the contract at a May Board of Commissioners meeting.

The plan calls for relocating the Gwinnett County Public Library currently housed on Lenora Church Road to the Towne Center. Coupled with a City Market based on similar retail space like the historic Atlanta Curb Market, the building and parking deck will become the anchor of Snellville's Towne Center. City officials said the Towne Center will create a livable, walkable downtown with commercial, recreational and residential space. Plans call for a floor above the Library/City Market which could be used as classroom space for a surrounding college and other beneficial civic uses.

The vote capped a year-long process during which TSW was chosen over eight other applicants for the task of designing the proposed three-story building and creating construction documents ready for bidding.

City officials are targeting mid-2019 to break ground on the highly anticipated project once design plans and a new intergovernmental agreement with Gwinnett County for construction is negotiated.

The Snelllville Council recognized Chad Greene Livsey for his dedication to cleaning up the city and surrounding areas Monday.

Livsey, a South Gwinnett High School graduate, grew up watching his grandfather clean up litter in the Promised Land area. Beginning in November of 2017, he adopted the project as his own in the City of Snellville and the Centerville community.

"It is easy to sit and drive by somewhere and say 'Someone should do something about that,'" said Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Bender. "Sometimes it's got to be you. Thank you Mr. Livsey for everything you do."

His efforts have raised awareness of the ugliness of litter as well as encouraged other local residents to join his clean-up campaign. He has collected more than 220 bags of litter, contributing to the beautification of the City of Snellville and surrounding areas. He was recently named Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful's first Unsung Hero.

"The City Council of the City of Snellville wish to show their heartfelt appreciation to Chad Greene Livsey who has unselfishly given, and continues to give, of his time and leadership talent for his clean-up campaign," the proclamation reads.

Upcoming Parks and Recreation Events

Upcoming Senior Center Events

SNELLVILLE – Gwinnett County Transit is taking a comprehensive look at the future of transit in the county and it wants to hear from Snellville residents.

Talks on the Connect Gwinnett Transit Plan will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. April 24 at City Hall, 2342 Oak Road. The meetings are formatted for drop-in attendance.

For more information, visit www.ConnectGwinnettTransit.com.

SNELLVILLE – The Snellville Days Festival is returning to T.W. Briscoe Park May 5 and 6.

Crowds of more than 30,000 are expected to pack the two-day arts and crafts festival to get a glimpse of the diverse talents of local artisans and entertainers.

The event is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 5 and from 12 to 5 p.m. May 6.

There will be a free shuttle from First Baptist Church from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.

Plenty of food options will be available from local civic and non-profit organizations that will be serving up everything from barbecue, hamburgers, hot dogs, funnel cakes, to peanuts and popcorn.

Some of the best local entertainment – including school student acts - will fill the stage near the food court all day Saturday and Sunday.

Wolves of the World are new this year and will be presenting the mystical, enigmatic wolf pack. The show features a hero wolf that saves a young girl from drowning, showing that wolves can be intelligent and empathetic animals.

Also debuting this year is Wildlife Wendy. Wendy and her tropical birds provide an up close and personal encounter with the most entertaining species of the bird world. Audiences will be intrigued by the majestic macaws as they present their physical abilities and personalities. Roaming the grounds will be Robocars, a range of brightly colored, life-sized, transforming robot vehicles. Operator driven, they walk and drive, creating excitement and photo opportunities for families.

Don't miss the Walking TreeMan and Cowboy Woody. Barely distinguishable from real trees, Walking TreeMan moves slowly and deliberately down the street, and can be seen from 150 yards away. There will be also someone dressed as a 10-foot-tall Woody from "Toy Story" performing lasso tricks.

Dozens of arts and crafts vendors will be selling their wares and information about local nonprofit and city organizations will also be on hand.

For more information visit www.snellvilledays.com.

SNELLVILLE – A group of small business owners had a direct line to President Donald Trump Tuesday and used it to voice their questions and comments about issues facing their businesses.

Trump appointee Bruce LeVell, the Small Business Association's Office of Advocacy's Region 4 advocate, was the first guest speaker at the Snellville Business Dinner Series. The event was held at GarageWorx where attendees enjoyed dinner and conversation with LeVell, a retail and real estate company developer and former chairman of operations at the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.

"Often small business owners do not think anyone cares or is listening," said Economic Development Director Eric Van Otteren. "Mr. LeVell said one of the most difficult things he hears from small businesses is that they have to just accept burdensome federal regulations. Tuesday evening at the Snellville Business Dinner, city leaders proved they care and are listening and local business owners felt like their pain was heard."

LeVell said the Trump Administration is "serious" about the repeal of "bogus" regulations which hinder the millions of small businesses owners in the country, repeating Trump's campaign mantra of cutting two regulations for every one created.

FastSigns of Snellville owner Edward MacFarlane said he has already seen an increase in aluminum costs from his suppliers after Trump's recent talk of increasing tariffs on Chinese imports. And while the tariffs are only talk right now, LeVell said there will be "bumps and bruises" but to "hold on and stay tuned" as the climate for business owners will improve once the already approved tax cuts and regulation repeals take hold.

Conversation drifted from talk of future drone regulations, to lobbyists, to payroll taxes.

LeVell said a key to getting changes made to help small business is discussion between owners and lawmakers on all levels of government.

"We're the job creators," LeVell said of the small business owners, "and that is the economic engine for the country."

Van Otteren said he hopes to continue the series in the near future.

"The Office of Economic Development is looking forward to continuing meaningful conversations that support small businesses," he said. "Stay tuned for the next business dinner and conversation with leaders."

SNELLVILLE - Snellville Police Department announced today it has been awarded a grant for a drug collection unit as part of CVS Health's Medication Disposal for Safer Communities Program. The new unit will be located at the Snellville Police Department, 2315 Wisteria Drive, and will provide residents with a safe and environmentally responsible way to dispose of unwanted, unused or expired medication, including controlled substances.

"CVS Health is dedicated to helping the communities we serve address and prevent prescription drug abuse," said Tom Davis, R.Ph., Vice President of Pharmacy Professional Services at CVS Health. "Reducing the amount of unused and unwanted medication in the home is critical to preventing prescription drug abuse. We are proud to work with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids and local leaders to increase convenient access to safe medication disposal."

The new drug disposal unit will help to reduce the amount of unneeded medicine in residents' homes and decrease the potential for prescription drug abuse, which has soared in recent years, especially among teenagers. More than 70 percent of teenagers say it is easy to get prescription drugs from their parents' medicine cabinets, according to a Partnership for Drug-Free Kids study. Proper drug disposal also helps to prevent the contamination of local landfills and water supplies from unused medication.

"Safely disposing of unused medication is critical to preventing prescription drug abuse and keeping pharmaceuticals out of our waterways," said Asst. Chief Greg Perry. "The Snellville Police Department is proud to partner with CVS Health and we thank them for their commitment to helping residents reduce the amount of unneeded medicine in our community."

"The Snellville Police Department will still participate in the National Drug Takeback initiative twice a year. This new program allows us to provide service 365 days a year enhancing our willingness to partner with our community to properly dispose of these substances," said Chief Roy Whitehead.

The Medication Disposal for Safer Communities program has donated more than 800 drug collection units to police departments across the country, which have collected more than 100 metric tons of unwanted medication. CVS Health also assists law enforcement by supporting local drug take back events and promoting local drug disposal collection sites. CVS Pharmacy locations have taken part in more than 800 events sponsored by local law enforcement as part of National Drug Take-Back Day.

The Medication Disposal for Safer Communities program builds on CVS Health's overall commitment to help communities address and prevent drug abuse, including through education and prevention. Launched in 2015, CVS Health's Pharmacists Teach program gives its pharmacists the opportunity to volunteer to speak to students at local schools about the dangers of drug abuse. More than 300,000 students have already benefitted from the program. CVS Pharmacy's website also provides patients with resources to prevent prescription drug abuse and ensure safe use of medication.

Snellville Police Department's new Drug Collection Unit site is open to the public 24/7 but encourage members of the community to make use of the location from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The medications can be dropped off with no questions asked. Snellville residents and CVS Pharmacy customers can also inquire about the Medication Disposal for Safer Communities Program at the toll-free phone number 1-866-559-8830 or visit http://www.cvs.com/content/prescription-drug-abuse.

About CVS Health

CVS Health is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Through its 9,700 retail locations, more than 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with nearly 90 million plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million patients per year, expanding specialty pharmacy services, and a leading stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, the company enables people, businesses and communities to manage health in more affordable and effective ways. This unique integrated model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is shaping the future of health at https://www.cvshealth.com.

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SNELLVILLE – Modeled after the city's highly successful regional Civic Dinners, Snellville has announced plans to host a series of Business Dinners which will serve as a forum for discussion of a variety business-related topics.

"City Councilman Dave Emanuel has had great success with the Civic Dinners he has hosted, so his suggestion to use a similar format to discuss topics of interest to local business owners, fit perfectly with our efforts to develop innovative ways to help Snellville business owners," said Eric Van Otteren, director of Economic Development.

Snellville's first Business Dinner is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. April 10 at GarageWorx, 2385 Clower St. Bruce LeVell of the Office of Advocacy for the U.S. Small Business Administration will be attending and will be listening to suggestions and insights regarding the challenges facing today's small businesses. This is your opportunity to voice concerns and provide feedback that will assist the Office of Advocacy in voicing the region's small business concerns before the White House, federal agencies and Congress.

LeVell, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, brings more than 25 years of experience as a successful small business founder and owner to the job of regional advocate. He has operated and developed a retail and real estate company, both of which received SBA loans. For seven years, he served as the chairman of operations at the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, the regional mass transit system that moves 450,000 passengers daily. LeVell is based in SBA's Region 4 Office in Atlanta.

The dinner is on a first come first served basis. Space is limited. If you'd like to take part, contact Van Otteren at 770-985-3502.