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SNELLVILLE – There are a few spots remaining for the spring session of the Snellville Citizens Police Academy.

The Snellville Police Department is offering this course in order to strengthen the bond of friendship and cooperation between citizens and police. The Academy also helps citizens gain a better understanding of the risks and responsibilities of officers.

The 12-week course begins March 2 and ends May 18.

Some of the classes included in the course are domestic violence, traffic stops, building searches, a tour of the jail and narcotics identification. This program also includes a ride along program with a Snellville police officer.

This program, founded in the spring of 2003, is open to all Snellville and Gwinnett residents 18 years and older. There is no charge for attending and participants do not have to live in the city limits to participate. A background investigation will be conducted on all applicants prior to acceptance in the Academy.

An application can be found here - http://www.snellville.org/Data/Sites/1/media/police/scpa-application---revised.pdf - and at the Snellville Police Department, 2315 Wisteria Drive.

For more information contact Lt. Pendleton at 770-985-3573 or rpendleton@snellville.org.

SNELLVILLE – The Snellville Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association is hosting its annual Blue Light Golf Tournament and Fundraiser April 24.

Registration begins at 8 a.m., there will be a shotgun start at 9 a.m. and lunch and awards are slated for 1 p.m. at Summit Chase Country Club, 3197 Classic Drive.

The SCPAAA is a 501c(3) organization with a goal of raising money and provide support to the Snellville Police Department. In the past SCPAAA has provided funds for the police K-9 and their equipment, laptops for the Criminal Investigation Division and push bumpers, tinted window treatments and spotlights for the police cars. This year, the funds will be earmarked to help purchase the SPD's fourth K-9.

Hole sponsorship is $110. Team is $400 for four players and a tee sponsorship. All donations are tax deductible.

Contact Mary Fergus at mfergus@bellsouth.net or 770-985-1322. Applications are also available at Summit Chase Country Club, in the lobby at City Hall and at the PGA Superstore in Lawrenceville.

SNELLVILLE – Keval Amin was just an infant during the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

But the soon-to-be Eagle Scout chose to create an everlasting memorial recalling the tragic events of that day. On Monday, that memorial was revealed during a ceremony on the front lawn of City Hall.

"I was 6 months old when the terrorist attacks of 9/11 occurred," Amin said, "My dad told me this was a sad day in the history of America. He told me that I watched the second tower go down while sitting on his lap. Ever since I became a Boy Scout and found out I have to do a service project for my Eagle rank, I wanted to build a 9/11 Memorial for those who died, those who served and those who carried on."

Amin contacted the Port Authority of New York/ New Jersey and obtained a piece of the World Trade Center which sits on top of the memorial. The bottom of the monument, painted by Billie Bradford, features an American Flag.

Mayor Tom Witts said he was impressed by Amin's dedication to the project.

"This will be an excellent addition to the City Hall campus and our other two (Veterans and Vietnam) memorials," he said.

Amin said he wanted to thank the Snellville Home Depot, the Snellville Lowe's, Randy's Perennials and Water Gardens, Northside Tool Rental and Awards Atlanta for donations to complete the project. He also thanked the Port Authority of New York/ New Jersey, City Manager Butch Sanders, Witts, the members of Boy Scout Troop 506, his uncle Suvas Patel for helping with design and his parents and grandparents for their help and support.

SNELLVILLE – A piece of steel from the World Trade Center will be permanently displayed at City Hall and serve as a memorial to those who perished on Sept. 11, 2001.

The monument will be dedicated during a ceremony at 6 p.m. Monday on the front lawn of City Hall, 2342 Oak Road. The public is encouraged to attend.

The monument was created by Eagle Scout Keval Parag Amin of Troop 506 with the help of volunteers.

"I will lead the building of a 9/11 Memorial for the City of Snellville to pay tribute to the victims of the 9/11 attacks on the country," Amin, who was born nearly two years after the attacks, wrote in his project description.

The monument is made up of actual aluminum and steel from the World Trade Center, acquired from the Port of Authority of New York/New Jersey.

Amin and Mayor Tom Witts are expected to speak at the ceremony.

The steel is affixed to a pole embedded in a concrete base surrounded by foliage and a mulch bed with a walkway leading to the structure coming off the existing walkway.

Upcoming Senior Center Events

Upcoming Parks and Recreation Events

SNELLVILLE – The Snellville Farmers Market is accepting applications from vendors and scheduling entertainment for its upcoming eighth season.

Applications are being accepted from vendors who would like to sell produce and other locally made food products. For vendor information and an application visit www.snellvillefarmersmarket.com.

Interested entertainers should email the market at snellvillefarmersmaket@gmail.com.

The market will be held every Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., June 3 through Sept. 30. The market is located on the Towne Green at the intersection of Highway 78 and Oak Road.

SNELLVILLE – The city's police department and leaders at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church are partnering in an effort to better relations between police and the community in the Metro Atlanta area.

The effort, called One Congregation One Precinct (1C1P), is an initiative of MovementForward, Inc., and works to meet objectives outlined by the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing. It is designed to "prevent, combat and solve crimes" by combining the resources of local police departments and faith-based organizations. It also works to "proactively create a direct link between law enforcement executives and community leaders in an effort to avert violent and divisive public responses to police-involved incidents while also giving voice to growing public concerns relative to policing," according to 1C1P documents.

"It's a great opportunity to expand the partnership we enjoy with our community," Snellville Police Department Chief Roy Whitehead said.

"This innovative effort is purposed to stem mounting tensions between citizens and law enforcement officers by building partnerships and mutual understandings, as well as establishing a structured framework for the public to assist law enforcement efforts," 1C1P documents read.

The program has drawn praise from church leaders.

"St. Matthew's Episcopal Church is honored to be one of the first 15 sites selected for the 1C1P program in the metro Atlanta area, whose goal is to 'build partnerships between cops and communities,'" said the Rev. Canon Elizabeth Hendrick, rector of St. Matthew's. "It is our hope and prayer that the collaborative partnership between the officers of Snellville Police Department and members of St. Matthew's will result in experiences we can share with the 1C1P coordinators, so that this program can expand beyond the initial 15 sites to every police department and faith congregation who wishes to participate."

Gregory Andrews, who is coordinating the effort at St. Matthew's said he hopes his church can provide a blueprint for other churches in the city – and world – to follow.

"There's nothing volatile in Snellville," he said. "But you must step out and do what you can to prevent bad things from happening."

For more information on the project visit 1C1P.org.

SNELLVILLE – Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Bender and Councilman Dave Emanuel both received the prestigious Certificate of Achievement from the Harold F. Holtz Municipal Training Institute at the Georgia Municipal Association's Mayors' Day Conference in Atlanta on Jan. 22.

The Harold F. Holtz Municipal Training Institute, a cooperative effort of GMA and the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government, provides a nationally recognized series of training opportunities for elected city officials. To receive a Certificate of Achievement, a city official must complete a minimum of 72 units of credit, including at least 36 hours from the required list. The training program consists of a series of more than 50 courses.

"This is an outstanding achievement," said GMA Executive Director Lamar Norton. "We commend Mayor Pro Tem Bender and Councilman Dave Emanuel for this accomplishment and for the dedication they've shown in using this valuable resource to become more effective city officials."

Based in Atlanta, GMA is a voluntary, non-profit organization that provides legislative advocacy, research, training, employee benefit and technical consulting services to its 521 member cities.

SNELLVILLE – On Friday, the City of Snellville rolled out several new online portals to keep citizens up-to-date on the progress being made on the city's planned Towne Center and to encourage public feedback as the project moves forward.

Snellville's new webpage, http://www.snellville.org/the-towne-center-snellville will serve as an online hub for Towne Center updates and residents can visit www.snellville.org/the-conversation to ask questions or provide feedback in real-time.

In addition, the city has launched new social media feeds on Facebook (www.fb.com/thetownecenter), Twitter (@TheTowneCenter), and Instagram (@TheTowneCenter) - all devoted to Towne Center updates.

"As we turn the Towne Center @Snellville proposal into a reality, citizen engagement remains our top priority. In addition to participating in our Town Hall meetings, we urge local residents and business owners to find us online and offer their feedback on new developments of this community-driven project," Mayor Tom Witts said.

Snellville's planning for the Towne Center began in 2007 and the city recently unveiled updated plans for the vision after soliciting input from citizens across the city.

Within the last year, the Snellville Mayor and Council have taken significant steps to make the Towne Center vision a reality.

The city rolled out their proposal for a re-location of the Elizabeth H. Williams library to a new state of the art facility that will include a City Market in the Towne Center. The library is proposed to be funded by 2016 Special Local Option Sales Tax dollars when approved by county leaders.

Late last year, the Council passed development code updates that were formed with citizen input that would guide the development standards of the Towne Center. This was the most vital step yet in moving the Towne Center plan forward. Code updates will continue in 2017.