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SNELLVILLE - Gwinnett County student entrepreneurs braved the Shark Tank Thursday, collecting a total of $1,750 in donated funds to help grow their budding businesses.

The annual pitch competition, based on the popular TV show of the same name, encourages local students to create a self-sustaining business complete with business plans, financial forecasts and marketing strategies. They then pitch their businesses to a room full of judges comprised of local business leaders who grant them seed money based on the strength of their presentations. 

Each of the judges donated their time and $250 to the competition which has been taking place in the city for more than a decade.

“The City of Snellville believes in creating a bond between our schools, our business community and the city itself to bolster student entrepreneur efforts which, in turn, fosters a healthy business environment for all residents,” said City Manager Matt Pepper. “The competition brings together the best of our young student entrepreneurs and our business community to create a thriving business environment.”

Student businesses ranged from cakes in a jar to crocheted stuffed animals. 

Here’s a list of what was awarded:

Zuri Jackson - Styled By Z (Brookwood High School) - $425

Oluwaferanmi Ogunmefun - Anmi Jadore (Grayson Tech) - $100

Monty Robinson - Legends of the Minigame (Brookwood High School) - $300

Fazzilet Salewala – AdTract (Brookwood High School) - $100

Christopher Martin - Young Dedicated Hustlers (Grayson Tech) – Mentorship at The Print Lounge and The Wing Suite

Mina Torab – FoodCycle (Brookwood High School) - $325

Antwan Williams II – Transcendence (Grayson Tech) - $100

Simi Sodipe - Blissful Delights (Brookwood High School) - $100

Holly Nguyen - Cozy Crochet (Brookwood High School) - $300

The judges for the event were:

Sara Jones – The Print Lounge

Kelly McAloon – Experience Snellville

Sara Beddington – Walton Gas

Morgan Spivey – Walton Gas

Rodney L. Alexander – Piedmont Eastside

Kartisha Henry – The Wing Suite

Amanda Desena – Powell & Edwards

PICS: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/2ijn0h28vlyilo772u538/ADJ70gzXYaw84PCTx4jGyOg?rlkey=q5tchw7fbdpamun6ttoqebcmh&dl=0

SNELLVILLE — City officials are proud to announce the hiring of Mercy Montgomery to the position of Assistant City Manager.

Montgomery joins the City of Snellville after serving as Assistant City Manager for the City of Chamblee where she managed the directors of the Parks and Recreation, Planning and Development, and Economic Development departments as well as a range of policy development and special projects, including housing policy, downtown activation strategies, and collaborative community service provision. 

“I’m thrilled to be joining the Snellville team at such an exciting time in our community’s history,” she said. “I look forward to supporting ongoing progress in downtown Snellville and seeing The Grove thriving with new businesses and community activity. The city is fortunate to have exemplary leadership and a highly-skilled staff and I’m looking forward to building strong working relationships and collaborating on innovative ideas as I serve our city.”

Montgomery received her Bachelor of Arts in Education with a focus on experiential learning from the University of Georgia. She also holds a Master of Public Administration degree as well as a certificate in Non-Profit Management from UGA. Following completion of the top-ranked MPA program, she completed a Local Government Management Fellowship in Hamilton, OH through the International City/County Management Association. 

Returning home to Georgia provided Montgomery with the opportunity to work with students at her alma mater before joining the team at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government as a consultant on workforce development for communities and clients such as the State of Georgia’s Department of Economic Development.

She then served for three years as Director of Economic Development for the City of Sugar Hill, leading cultivation and support of business opportunities in the community and lease-up and opening of the community’s new E Center project. Mercy and her team also managed and provided customized small business support, implementation of an interactive public communications strategy, and various community and economic development initiatives. 

Montgomery proudly serves as a member of the Alumni Advisory Board for the Master of Public Administration program at The University of Georgia and is a 2020 graduate of Leadership Gwinnett.

She can be reached at mmontgomery@snellville.org.

Snellville Department of Public Works is asking all residents to review the regulations regarding illicit discharge in the city.

Illicit Discharge

Illicit discharge is the disposal or discharge of pollutants and non-storm water materials into a storm sewer system via surface flow, direct dumping into the storm sewer or water body, or through illegal connections to the city storm sewer system.

TYPES OF ILLICIT DISCHARGES:

Improper disposal of auto and household chemicals

Spills from roadway accidents or vehicle leaks

Improper disposal of yard and pet wastes

Construction site sediment

Drilling operation waste

Laundry and car wash water

Septic tank discharge and sanitary wastewater

Chlorinated pool water

WHAT TO LOOK FOR:

Persons dumping liquids, animal waste, leaves, grass clippings, or anything unidentifiable into a storm drain

Unusual colors or odors in the surface water

Stains, unusual odors, or structural damage to street surfaces

Dead or distressed fish, plants, or other wildlife near surface water

Abnormal vegetative growth in water bodies

Sediment accumulation in water bodies

Pipes with flowing water during a dry period

HOW TO HELP:

NEVER dump anything into a storm water sewer or storm drain

Wash your car on your lawn or at a commercial car wash

Report through "Report a Problem" link on City of Snellville website

Report to Public Works by calling 770-985-3527

SNELLVILLE — In an effort to safely discard unused and expired medication, there will be a Drug Enforcement Agency Drug Take Back hosted by the Snellville Police Department April 27.

The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Snellville Police Department, 2315 Wisteria Drive.

Participants can drive or walk up and drop discarded medication into the drop boxes. Medication may be left in its original containers with or without the labels as all items discarded are burned.

Please do not bring needles or sharp objects for disposal.

Contact Lt. A. Sullivan at asullivan@snellville.org or 770-985-3555 for more information.

SNELLVILLE — Local artist Joel Sturdivant’s artwork is now on display in City Hall.

Entitled “A Calendar of Drawings and Other Works,” the 25 pieces on display reveal a style Sturdivant calls “Beyond Realism.” 

The Vietnam veteran’s work primarily focuses on nature scenes.

“Nature and all her mysteries are my inspiration,” he said.

His work is currently on display in the City Hall Community Room weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is a reception of the work from 2 to 5 p.m. April 13 in the Community Room, 2342 Oak Road. The event is free and open to the public. The art will be on display through the spring. 

Sturdivant has a Bachelor’s Degree of Fine Art from the Atlanta College of Art. He staged the first “student” one-man show at the Hudgens Center for the Arts, entitled “A Celebration of Nature.” He has had exhibitions at the annual Hudgens Members Exhibition, Johns Creek Members Exhibition and the Annual Festival of the Arts at Cumming First United Methodist Church. He has contributed to Westmont College’s charity art auction and many of his works are now on display in private collections throughout the Southeast.

Sturdivant’s drawings are created in ink, color and graphite pencil. Paintings are usually acrylic on canvas, but several are started in acrylics but then over painted in oils for added richness of color.

Two new playgrounds at T.W. Briscoe Park will have safer playing surfaces thanks to a grant from the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Agency.

The inaugural DNR - EPD Tire Products Grant was created to reduce solid waste by recovering valuable materials through recycling and using them on local playgrounds.

The project included removing current "Engineered Wood Fiber" from two playground surfaces in Briscoe Park and replacing it with a "Bonded Rubber Product" that was created by recycled tire products. The new playground surface is a bonded rubber mulch poured in place around the playgrounds. 

"We are thrilled that we were awarded funds from the DNR-EPD grant,” said Lisa A. Platt, CPRP Director Parks and Recreation. “Switching the playground surfaces in these two playgrounds not only meets safety requirements and looks good, it is also a benefit to maintenance crew in reference to minimal upkeep. This is just one more upgrade we have been able to execute at Briscoe Park to give our citizens and visitors have the best experience possible at Briscoe Park.  The city would never have had the funding available to make this switch in surfacing without the DNR-RPD Grant, and we are very thankful for the grant funds."

Both playgrounds equal about 7,550 total square feet and 63,750 pounds of recycled rubber tires were used to complete project. Estimated costs for removal of current engineered wood fiber, prep of play surfaces, and adding new recycled rubber (tire) product (with bonding agent) was $178,640.29.

The grant covered $174,992.29 of the project while, the city will pay the $3,648 to cover costs not awarded through grant funds.

The staff of Snellville’s Municipal Court was honored as one of the state’s most efficient courts Monday with a proclamation by Mayor and Council.

Each year, the Judicial Council of Georgia's Standing Committee on Judicial Workload Assessment honors the state's most efficient courts with the Clearance Rate Excellence Awards. The award recognizes the top 10 percent of courts in each class of court that demonstrate exceptional performance in maintaining clearance rates, which is a key indicator of a court's ability to effectively manage its caseload. The Snellville Municipal Court's performance in meeting or exceeding 100 percent or better clearance rate has distinguished itself amongst its peers. 

“A clearance rate of 100 percent or higher demonstrates the court's ability to resolve at least as many cases as were filed each year,” the proclamation reads. “Chief Court Clerk Robin Gordon and deputy court clerks Tori Fobb-Moore and Ally Matyac always manage the daily operations of the Court and service to the public with efficiency, effectiveness and integrity.”

The City of Snellville is proud to announce the hiring of Matthew Pepper as City Manager.

Pepper replaces James “Butch” Sanders who retired after 12 years in the post.

“I am humbled that Mayor and Council have shown their faith in me by naming me City Manager of the City of Snellville,” Pepper said. “During the last two years, I have learned the position from my predecessor Butch Sanders and am confident I can help Snellville prosper for years to come. I am eager to continue serving our community and helping make Snellville the best it can be.”

Mayor Barbara Bender said she and members of Council are excited for Pepper in his new role.

“We are very pleased Matthew agreed to step into this role as City Manager,” Bender said, noting Pepper’s previous experience and recent on-the-job-training. “We are confident he will excel in his new position.”

The City Manager is responsible for the daily operations of the city, working with the various city departments and department directors. The policies adopted by and the vision for the city set forth by the Mayor and Council provide the parameters for both basic service provision and special projects all intended to best serve Snellville's citizens.

The City Manager is responsible for producing the annual city budget for general operating, needs and longer-term capital projects, planning and managing all major projects within the city and making sure the public is well informed and knowledgeable about all city initiatives and activities. 

One of the City Manager's most important duties, professionally and personally, is to build a city staff that is dedicated to serving the public good at all times and providing for that staff the best possible working environment, all needed supplies and strong moral support to enable our team to meet the goal of excellence in local government.

Pepper comes to Snellville after having served as the Manager for the City of Oxford in Newton County. He previously worked for the City of Alpharetta’s Economic Development Office.

Pepper earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Brigham Young University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Georgia.

He can be reached at mpepper@snellville.org.

Street-sweeping will be wrapping up in Sector 2 by tomorrow and should commence work in Sector 3 by Monday.

Please keep your vehicle off the street during the day to avoid delays and causing the area in front of your home to be bypassed. 

Streets in Sector 3 are:

Ashley Woods Court

Ashworth Circle

Ashworth Lake Road

Beverly Lane

Britt Road

Burford Lane

Cambridge Street

Carpenters Way

Country Farm Court

Country Farm Drive

Creek Lane

Dale Court

Dorian Drive

Greenbrook Court

Green Valley Court

Green Valley Road

Hickory Circle

Hickory Drive

Hickory Lane

Hickory Trail

Hickory Smoke Court

Hickory Valley Drive

Jenkins Drive

Kenilworth Court

Kingstream Drive

Kingstream Way

Lanier Drive

Lanier Way

Londonberry Court

Longfield Drive

Melissa Court

Middlesex Court

Newtons Crest Circle

Newtons Crest Lane

Oak Grove Lane

Pamela Drive

Parker Drive

Parkside Court

Parkside Way

Pierce Circle

Robie Lane

Scenic Drive

Skylars Mill Lane

Skylars Mill Way

South Lake Rd.

Springdale Court

Sussex Court

Tiffany Mazelle Court

Tyler Dewayne Court

Twin Springs Drive

Valley Drive

Valley Way

Westridge Drive

Wil-Co Court

Windmeyer Court

Mayor and Council have once again signed a pledge promising to “practice and promote civility in the city.”

Last year, Mayor and Council also signed the pledge, but with two new councilmembers – Norman A. Carter Jr. and Kerry Hetherington - joining the governing body following the last year’s election, another pledge was in order. 

“The members of city council, as elected representatives of the community and stewards of the public trust, recognize their special role in modeling open, free and vigorous debate while maintaining the highest standards of civility, honesty and mutual respect,” the pledge created by Georgia Municipal Association reads. “City council meetings are open to the public and thus how city officials execute their legal duties is on public display. Civility by city officials in the execution of their legislative duties and responsibilities fosters respect, kindness and thoughtfulness between city officials, avoiding personal ill will which results in actions being directed to issues made in the best interests of residents.”

The pledge “strives to ensure that all communication be open, honest, and transparent as this is vital for cultivating trust and relationships.”

As part of the pledge, council members agree to refrain from texting, sending email or any other actions that display a lack of concern or attention to the city's business during meetings. The pledge also strives to ensure that all communication be open, honest, and transparent.