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SNELLVILLE – Residents will have a chance to learn more about the upcoming intersection improvements at highways 78 and 124 and the results of a survey regarding the Towne Center at a Town Hall Meeting Oct. 19.

The meeting will take place from 7-8:30 p.m. at Snellville United Methodist Church, 2428 East Main St.

Scott Shelton of Gresham, Smith and Partners, the design team tapped by the Georgia Department Transportation for the project, will be on hand to discuss how the intersection – known as a Displaced Left Turn – will function and why and how the change will improve traffic flow. Construction is expected to begin next year.

Attendees will also hear the results of a survey which asked residents and city officials to identify the architectural features and use guidelines in the new Towne Center that appeal to them most. The survey was compiled from input at visioning sessions led by the city Urban Redevelopment Agency, resident input collected at a May Town Hall meeting regarding the Towne Center and an online query.

The city is currently in the midst of a revamp of its downtown building regulations in preparation for the creation of a city center with walkable residential and commercial properties.

SNELLVILLE – The Mayor and Council approved funds to improve area streets and stormwater infrastructure Monday.

Ten city streets will get facelifts after the council approved $709,459.55 in Special Local Option Sales Tax and Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant monies for the annual streetscape improvement project.

The city streets that will be repaved are:

• Tree Brooke Court
• Tree Brooke Lane
• Savannah Bay Court
• Little Forest Court
• Flintrock Way
• Splitwood Drive
• Eastwood Drive
• Eastgate Drive
• Timber Lane
• Industrial Way

Through the Stormwater Management Program, the city's Public Works Department addresses stormwater maintenance needs in right of ways, ditches, detention ponds and easements which are vital to stormwater management.

Management of stormwater runoff has become an increasingly important responsibility for local governments. Recently enacted stormwater regulations, combined with aging drainage infrastructure, has resulted in local governments like Snellville developing and implementing more comprehensive stormwater management programs to achieve regulatory compliance and address recurring drainage problems.

More than $553,000 in city Stormwater Funds will take care of stormwater infrastructure maintenance near the following addresses:

• 1359-1367 Summit Chase Drive
• Summit Chase at bridge
• 1963 Masthaven Court
• 2275 Springdale Drive
• 2311-2322 Junes Court
• 2760 Holly Springs Drive - 1602 Stonegate Way

Both projects will be completed by the end of June 2017.

SNELLVILLE – The city's police department is hosting a drug take back event Oct. 22.

In recent years, the event has netted nearly a ton of unwanted or expired prescription drugs.

This year's event will take place from 10 a.m.to 2 p.m., Oct. 22 at the Snellville Police Department, 2315 Wisteria Drive.

Residents can pull up to a tent and have medical students and police take the drugs.

More than 430 pounds of prescription medication was dropped off at the last drug take back event in May, a record for the program.

The event is a partnership between the SPD and the Drug Enforcement Agency National Take Back Initiative and ensures that powerful pain medications and other prescriptions are properly disposed of. Disposing of this medication properly thwarts the opportunity of abuse and improper disposal.

SNELLVILLE – Ready for a howling good time?

Snellville Parks and Recreation and the Gwinnett Humane Society are hosting a Canine and Kids Carnival from 12 to 4 p.m. Oct. 29 at T.W. Briscoe Park, 2500 Sawyer Parkway.

The free event will feature a Community Halloween Trunk or Treat for all kids – those with both two and four legs.

Attendees are asked to wear costumes to this old fashioned fall carnival.

Scheduled events include:

•Canine carnival games such as Treat Toss and Best Howler.

•Halloween costume contests for kids and pets with prizes awarded for first, second and third places.

•Cake walks and inflatables

•Carnival food and music

•Best Trunk or Treat display

•Low-cost pet vaccines from 12 – 1 p.m.

For more information, visit www.gwinnetthumane.com, www.snellville.org or email events@gwinnetthumane.com

SNELLVILLE – Brookwood Elementary School teacher Sharon Smith is one of 15 nationwide finalists vying for six $100,000 educational grants and she needs your help to win.

Smith's proposal to improve math and language arts standards through experiential learning with an entrepreneurial focus went through a competitive review process. The proposal was selected to move on to the public voting phase of the Dream Big Teacher Challenge.

With the $100,000 grant, Smith said she would implement a tuition-free after-school program for the lowest achieving 10 percent of third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students at Brookwood and Meadowcreek elementary schools.

This program would provide remediation on the students' weakest math and language arts standards by providing a real-life application of their skills to construct a community garden and maintain an aquaponics system. Through this interactive learning experience, students would learn about entrepreneurship, apply and interview for garden jobs and sell produce at a local farmer's market.

To vote for Smith's proposal, visit ThankAmericasTeachers.com. The public can vote for any of the 15 teacher proposals, but a person can only vote once for the same teacher proposal per day. Winners of the grants will be announced in December to those proposals with the highest vote count across the country.

"Winning the Farmers Insurance Thank America's Teacher $100,000.00 grant would truly be a life changer for academically at risk students at Brookwood Elementary and Meadowcreek Elementary," Smith said. "This tuition-free, innovative intervention would help strengthen students' weakest math and literacy standards through explicit instruction that would be applied to the building and maintaining of a community garden and aquaponics system. Students would also learn about entrepreneurship as they realized jobs that needed to be filled, completed job applications and interviewed for these jobs. As a result of this grant, we would be providing engaging intervention that feels more like enrichment and is one of a kind."

Upcoming Senior Center Events

Upcoming Parks and Recreation Events

SNELLVILLE – Snellville has a long history of helping people who are struggling to put food on the table.

For a number of years, Snellville residents and businesses have contributed food and financial donations through their churches, schools and the "Give Hunger the Boot" program.

City residents and businesses will be participating in a new program known as the "GwMA/GDOS Food Drive." Organized by the Gwinnett Municipal Association, in cooperation with the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services' "Great Days of Service" initiative, the food drive will culminate Oct. 21 and 22, the official "Great Days of Service."

"For many families in Gwinnett County, hunger is an ongoing problem," GwMA Executive Director Randy Meacham said. "Helping those families through their local co-ops is nothing new for our member cities so the GwMA/GDOS Food Drive is just the latest effort to not only raise donations, but to increase awareness of needs throughout the county. Those needs exist year around and GwMA will be launching other new programs to help provide year around support."

Considering the prosperity that is found throughout Gwinnett County, many people are surprised to learn that families are still struggling to put food on the table. Fortunately, food co-ops throughout the county offer assistance. One of the most efficiently run co-ops is the Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative which serves families in Snellville. Participants in the GwMA/GDOS Food Drive include the cities of Berkeley Lake, Duluth, Grayson, Lawrenceville, Loganville, Norcross, Peachtree Corners, Snellville, Sugar Hill and Suwanee. In addition to local volunteers, councilmembers Keith Roche of Lawrenceville, Rey Martinez of Loganville, Dave Emanuel of Snellville, Marc Cohen of Sugar Hill and Linnea Miller of Suwanee are serving as coordinators for their respective cities.

"In addition to raising donations, it's also important to increase awareness that throughout the county, many families are still struggling financially, and that hunger is still a problem," Emanuel said. "I'm honored to have been asked to chair the GwMA/GDOS Food Drive and have the opportunity to work with representatives from other cities who are helping their communities."

In Snellville, food donations can be dropped off at a number of locations including City Hall, the Public Works Department, United Community Bank and Gwinnett Animal Hospital. Give Hunger the Boot financial donation boxes are located at Main Street Restaurant, Fast Signs, United Community Bank, Mellow Mushroom and SarahCare.

SNELLVILLE – The sign outside Bill Rhodes Bakery reads, "A Family Tradition," so it's only fitting the owners of the Scenic Highway shop will appear on "Family Feud" next week.

The Williams Family will appear on the popular game show at 7 p.m. Sept. 27 on the CW network.

The journey to television screens started more than a year ago when Karen Williams shot an email to the producers of the show who were looking for families to be on the program. Two weeks later the Williams Family – Becky Evans, Karen and Tom Williams, Taylor Gagnon and John Evans – were at the Atlanta Civic Center auditioning for the show.

"They just wanted to see how you interacted with each other and your enthusiasm," Williams said.

But the family had a secret weapon. John Evans created a Lego replica of the family on the set complete with a mini Steve Harvey, the host of the show. It was a prop that helped the family stand out.

Apparently it worked. Months went by and Williams received an email with a list of dates the family could pick to have another audition to be on the show. She picked April 20. Then a clothes shopping marathon began and the Williams Family started "Family Feud Nights" during which they would practice answering questions and play the Family Feud board game. Two nights before they were to head to the studio, they had a dress rehearsal.

The Williams Family arrived back at the Atlanta Civic Center again at 8 a.m. and took part in mock games with music and lights on the famous set. Then they waited to see if their name to be called. Each game takes two hours to film. After nine-and-a-half hours, the Williams Family was called.

So how did they do? You'll have tune in to find out because they're not allowed to say.

"All I'll say is it's hard when you get up on stage," Williams said. "It's not like sitting in your recliner at home."

"It did bring our family together," said Becky Evans. "We got together to practice twice a week, when we'd otherwise be busy."

For more information on the bakery visit billrhodesbakery.com.