Friday, May 17, 2013
Seven companies submitted bids.
An Atlanta-based engineering and planning services firm has been awarded a $20,700 contract to assist with the City of Dacula's comprehensive plan update. Robert and Company was one of seven companies that bid on that project. Bids ranged from $19,000 to $120,400. Companies were scored based on related experience; qualifications and project management; project understanding and approach; and price. Robert and Company's score of 93 was the highest. The company that submitted the lowest-priced bid of $19,000 scored an 80. The Dacula City Council awarded the contract to Robert and Company during a called meeting on Wednesday, May 15. In order to maintain qualified local government status and retain eligibility for certain grants, the city is…
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Several people attended the May 2 Dacula City Council meeting to express concern regarding the rezoning of property on Harbins Road for a drive-through cafe.
Even though she does not live within the city limits of Dacula, Alice O'Lenick said the construction of a drive-through cafe on the Great Beginnings campus on Harbins Road will have a negative impact on her since she lives nearby and drives through the area each day. "This is a neighborhood of just residential and agricultural areas," O'Lenick said. "There's no retail area except for Texaco anywhere close to this and then, all of a sudden, in the middle of a neighborhood, you're going to put a drive-through cafe." Lloyd DeLatour, owner of Great Beginnings daycare on Harbins Road, applied to have part of his property rezoned from O-I (office institutional district) to C-1 (neighborhood commercial district) to allow for the construction of a…
Thursday, April 25, 2013
The facilities would be part of the Great Beginnings complex.
Lloyd DeLatour, owner of Great Beginnings daycare on Harbins Road, hopes he will soon be able to expand his business. "We're the biggest childcare facility in the state of Georgia," DeLatour said in a presentation during the April 25 Dacula City Council work session. "We're constantly reinventing ourselves and adding new programs." DeLatour has asked that part of his property be rezoned to C-1 to allow for the construction of a drive-through cafe primarily geared toward serving breakfast to the 540 people who bring their children to Great Beginnings on their way to work and lunch for the 65 people employed by the daycare. He would also like to construct a new family activity center which he says would complement Great Beginnings' existing…
Thursday, April 11, 2013
The city is looking for a professional consultant to help update its 2030 vision plan. Transportation is one of eight key elements for study.
The City of Dacula wants to take an inventory of its transportation infrastructure and study travel options for people with or without cars. The city has issued a request for proposals for a consultant to study eight elements of municipal life and help update its 2030 Comprehensive Plan. Among other issues to be examined are a vision statement and economic development. On transportation, the consultant will be asked to do the following: How do you feel about transportation options in Dacula? What would you like to see changed? Share your ideas in the comments below.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
In its request for proposals for a consultant to update its 2030 Comprehensive Plan, the city expresses economic development ambitions.
Among the eight elements Dacula wants to explore as it revises its long-range plan is economic development. The city is looking for a professional consultant to help guide the 2030 Comprehensive Plan update. Here's what the request for proposals has to say about economic development: The Consultant will identify any new Needs and Opportunities related to economic development and vitality of the community, including revisions and deletions of old Needs and Opportunities that may have been addressed or partially addressed over the last five years. Some considerations include: What kind of economic progress would you like to see for Dacula? Tell us in the comments below.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
The city is seeking proposals for professional services to update the plan, and expects to involve the community as well.
The city of Dacula is looking to develop a new vision statement and logo as part of an update to its 2030 Comprehensive Plan. A request for proposals for professional services to help update the plan, approved by the City Council on April 4, outlines several goals for the process, including significant community input: The City of Dacula’s Community Goals element needs to be updated to effectively represent the community’s vision and marketing strategy. It is expected that 2-3 visioning workshops will be needed to gain meaningful participation and input from interested persons. Specific interactive discussions will be facilitated to gain input from the community, staff and the Vision Committee, to prepare a new City Vision statement and …
Thursday, April 4, 2013
The new employee will assist with elections, licensing and other administrative tasks.
The City of Dacula will soon have a new employee on the payroll. By a unanimous vote, the Dacula City Council authorized the hiring of an administrative clerk to assist with various duties. "It has come to our attention that we do need some backup in terms of administrative work," said City Administrator Jim Osborn during the April 4 council meeting. The administrative clerk will process licenses, maintain the court docket, assist with elections and perform various accounting duties. Osborn said the ideal candidate will have prior government and accounting experience. The clerk must also be a Gwinnett County resident in order to be certified as an election assistant. The new employee must be able to work well with the public and with …
Thursday, March 28, 2013
City leaders considering option to allow credit and debit card payments.
If you need to pay a bill or fine or permit fee at Dacula City Hall, you currently have two options: cash or check. That may soon change though. Earlier this week, city officials met with Courtware Solutions Inc. to discuss a debit and credit card processing system that would, as Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks joked, eliminate the need to "bring a strongbox with you to come to City Hall." The payment system, according to City Administrator Jim Osborn, would require no contract and the cost -- 2.99 percent of the total amount paid through the system monthly -- would be covered by a transaction fee. "It's really a win-win situation," Osborn said during the March 28 city council work session. "We're not losing any money." The system would cover most …
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Majestic Circle resident says city's new maintenance facility is a "huge safety concern."
A Dacula woman wants the city to take measures to prevent trespassing and other illegal activity at the new maintenance facility off West Drowning Creek Road. Nanette Klinect, who lives on Majestic Circle, says the new facility has created "a massive safety issue" for her and her neighbors. According to Klinect, the paved drive and the well-lit facility are attracting trespassers. "There is nothing to keep them from just going back there. They cannot be seen. They can just walk right through our backyards," Klinect said. During the March 7 Dacula City Council meeting, Klinect asked the city to consider installing an 8-foot high privacy fence along the buffer to curtail the activity. She also asked that "no trespassing" signs be posted. …
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Conservative estimates place expected proceeds at $3.7 million over 5-year SPLOST.
Later this year, Gwinnett County voters will be asked to extend the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for another five years. In preparation for the election, Dacula City Council members must decide which projects would be funded should voters approve the extension. "We think we're going to continue with what we're doing," Dacula Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks. Under the current SPLOST, the majority of funds were allocated for transportation projects. Tentative plans call for a similar distribution for 2014-2019 SPLOST proceeds. If the SPLOST extension passes, the city stands to receive $3.7 million. Of that, $1.7 million would be used to fund the city's 5-year transportation plan, $1 million would be earmarked for administrative …
Kristi Reed
12:18 pm on Friday, May 3, 2013
Absolutely! more ›