Lilburn CID April 2020 Newsletter

Lilburn CID April Newsletter

Former Councilman Tim Dunn Sworn in as Lilburn Mayor

In January, Mayor Johnny Crist resigned to pursue a seat in the state house, and around the same time Tim Dunn resigned as Lilburn City Councilman to run for Mayor. Georgia code permits an unopposed, qualified mayoral candidate be sworn into office right away in the case of a vacancy, and as a result Dunn was sworn in on March 23.

Dunn decided to run based on encouragement from his fellow councilmembers and Mayor Crist. Taking what he has learned from his predecessors Mayor Crist, the vision caster, and Mayor Preston, the community advocate, in addition to his 13 years on the City Council, he feels prepared to take on this new role.

Dunn credits the Lilburn Downtown Development Authority (DDA), Lilburn CID and Lilburn Police Department for helping to shape Lilburn into the strong city it is today by facilitating projects to attract great restaurants to Old Town and City Park, landscaping and maintaining the Highway 29 corridor and reducing crime. Accessibility, proximity to Atlanta and the diverse cultural and entertainment options make Lilburn attractive to businesses and residents alike.

For almost 40 years, Dunn has been a Lilburn resident and witnessed the city’s growth first-hand and applauds its cultural diversity. “Gwinnett County is the most diverse county in the United States and Lilburn is proud to be part of that. While only days into his first term, Dunn wants to be remembered as a team and consensus builder whose love for Lilburn brought the right people together to help the city continue to grow.

Spotlight on Lilburn’s City Manager Bill Johnsa

In this issue of the Lilburn CID newsletter, we are spotlighting Bill Johnsa who has served as Lilburn’s City Manager since 2008. People would describe Johnsa as service-oriented from his current position to previous jobs as a juvenile probationary officer, circuit court administrator and county manager. Interacting with families, attorneys, child advocates and judges gave him plenty of exposure to government, which facilitated his transition into city management.

Johnsa loves the city’s focus on planning and holding family-friendly events and community-building through partnerships like that with the CID.

Johnsa is proud of the partnerships the city holds with Lilburn CID, Georgia DOT and Gwinnett County to accomplish projects like the future realignment of Hood Rood and signalization of Hood Road and Bryson Park, the installation of turn lanes and signalization at Killian Hill Road and Lilburn Industrial Way. However, he is most excited about the new 4,000 square foot open-air pavilion at the old police headquarters location overlooking City Park.

Johnsa believes that the sky is the limit for Lilburn’s future. With its rich, diverse population, assorted cuisine options and selection of eclectic musicians and artists in the area, people are recognizing that Lilburn is a desirable place to live and are locating or relocating back to the city. The city’s population is predicted to increase by 5,000-10,000 residents as Lilburn is in the process of a complete transformation to a modern, hip community that maintains its small town vibe and family values.

Co-existing During the COVID-19 Pandemic

With the recent “shelter in place” order and schools remaining closed until April 24, it’s important to reinforce that citizens need to practice “social distancing” and staying home to prevent the virus’ spread. Please heed the advice from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and “do the five” – wash your hands often, cough or sneeze into your elbow, don’t touch your face, keep a safe distance from others and stay home whenever possible.

A COVID-19 Gwinnett Emergency Order Hotline call center has been established by the Department of Planning and Development to take questions and report violations related to COVID-19 emergency orders. The number is 770-822-7399 and will be open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. Reporting after business hours is encouraged through previously established emails: [email protected] and [email protected].

Please visit the Gwinnett County website for FAQs on the Stay-At-Home-Order and other helpful information.

Support Lilburn Businesses

While it’s critical to abide by the guidelines set by the government and the CDC, COVID-19 is having a devastating effect on restaurants and retailers in the area that depend on customer transactions for their livelihood. LCID encourages you to support local restaurants that are providing delivery, takeout or curbside pick-up services to minimize contact while still providing high-quality dining options. Another alternative is to purchase gift certificates from your favorite establishment for later use or to donate to an emergency or essential worker as a token of appreciation for their dedication and time away from family during this crisis.

Visit the Explore Gwinnett website to find your favorite Lilburn restaurant or business to help support.

Lilburn’s Police Department and Municipal Court Complex Is Now Complete

Eighteen months after its groundbreaking, the new 10-acre Lilburn Police Department and Municipal Court Complex was completed in early March. The new $4.9 million complex, located at 4600 Lawrenceville Highway, was completely funded by the 2017 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) program.

Given its centralized location and updated equipment, emergency response will be faster and more efficient. The former police headquarters, which is scheduled for demolition soon, will become a 4,000 square foot, open-air pavilion for the community.

New Safety Measures in Lilburn

LCID has partnered with the City of Lilburn and the Lilburn Police Department for a pilot program to install four Flock Safety license plate-reading cameras along Lawrenceville Highway. The cameras are integrated into a network that provides information on stolen vehicles directly to patrol officers in their cars or on their mobile devices. These cameras, which have been installed in other CIDs across the metro region, have proven extremely effective in identifying stolen vehicles and more.

LCID will be funding the 12-month pilot program, while the police and the City of Lilburn maintain and monitor the system. If successful, the program could potentially grow to 50 or more camera installations within the community. There are currently five Flock Safety cameras provided by various Lilburn neighborhood watch organizations.

Partnership Gwinnett’s Movers & Makers Award Keynote Address Delivered by Amazon’s Robert Packett

Robert Packett, Amazon’s southeastern regional director of operations, gave the keynote address at the Partnership Gwinnett Movers & Makers Awards on March 5. The audience was interested in not only the progress of the 640,000 square foot facility – scheduled for completion before the 2020 holiday season – but also the $1.2 billion impact it will have on the Georgia economy.

“Small business will no longer be limited by geographic location,” said Packett. “More than $1 billion local fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) products have been sold.”

Packett stated that Amazon currently enjoys great partnerships with the state and looks forward to being a part of the community now and for many years to come.

More information on Robert Packett’s Amazon presentation and the Movers & Makers event can be found on the Business RadioX website.

Congratulations to Gwinnett companies Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US for receiving the Gwinnett Cares Recognition, LAN Systems for the Most Valuable Provider Award, Alternative Apparel for the Corporate Citizen Award, LiftMaster for the Small Supply Chain Pioneer Award, Ryerson for the Large Supply Chain Pioneer Award, Displayit for the Small Manufacturer of the Year Award, Peachtree Packaging and Display for the Medium Manufacturer of the Year Award and Truck Hero and Lund International for the Large Manufacturer of the Year Award.

Gwinnett County Voter Registration and May 19 Elections

The March 24 Georgia Presidential Primary was postponed until the General Primary and Nonpartisan General Election on May 19. The voter registration deadline to vote in the May 19 elections is April 20.

For more information on voter registration, the 2020 election schedule and polling locations and times, please visit the Gwinnett County website.

LCID Partners with Neighboring CIDs, the City of Tucker and

Gwinnett County for Corridor Study

LCID has joined forces with Gateway85 CID, Tucker Summit CID, the City of Tucker and Gwinnett County to study 6.6 miles of the Jimmy Carter Boulevard and Mountain Industrial Boulevard corridor from I-85 to East Ponce de Leon Avenue.

The $200,000 study will be divided among each agency with Gwinnett County contributing $67,000 from the 2017 Special Purpose Local Options Sales Tax (SPLOST), the City of Tucker contributing $67,000, Tucker Summit CID contributing $27,000, Gateway85 CID contributing $27,000 and Lilburn CID contributing $12,000. Pond and Company is conducting the study.

For more information on the study, please visit the website and for information on the partnership, please read this Atlanta Journal-Constitution article.

BrightView Continues to Make LCID Look Good

BrightView’s crew was busy as beavers removing dead and fallen trees on Beaver Ruin Road.

LCID Project Updates

Landscaping of Jackson Creek Trail has begun! The first 20 American Hornbeam trees were planted along the trail on March 30 before a large rainstorm blew through town. Fourteen trees were installed on each side of the trail east of the Lilburn Assembly of God and six were planted along the trail near Binswinger Glass. The trees are just beginning to come out of dormancy and will be blooming soon. Stay tuned for more updates!

Connect with Us!

Lilburn Community Improvement District has a new website and is on LinkedIn. For more timely project updates and news, please follow our page.

To have your business or event included in our next CID newsletter, please contact Tad Leithead at [email protected].