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New development coming to Downtown Duluth!

Posted on by Talore Ruedt
The parking lot located between Truck & Tap and Taylor Park, affectionally known to many as the Paver Lot, will be closed long-term for construction starting early morning on Tuesday, February 15. The area is being developed by Fabric Developers, LLC and Vantage Realty Partners in conjunction with the City of Duluth and was designed by Studio SOGO. While a completion date is not certain, we hope that the space will be reopened for even better enjoyment in the spring of 2023.
We hope our growth didn’t cause you to lose your favorite parking spot! Fortunately, there is plenty of parking in Downtown Duluth just steps away. An updated parking map can be found here on our website.

Black History Month Events in Gwinnett County

Posted on by Talore Ruedt

 

Hosted by the Duluth Library

African American Genealogy –Saturday, February 12, 2:00pm – Discover tips and tricks to successfully find your African American ancestors using GCPL genealogy library resources and databases. Learn More

BlackSuperHero-Con – Saturday, February 19, 1:00-3:00pm – Join us for a day of trivia, games, and more as we celebrate the legacy of Black Superhero comics during Black History Month. All ages (and costumes) welcome! Learn More

 

Hosted by Gwinnett County 

Black Heritage Night – February 11 from 6:30-9:30pm at the Shorty Howell Park Activity Building Community Room – A festival for one and all! Come for culture education and exposure, visit vendor booths showcasing African American historical and cultural merchandise. Learn More

Guess Who: Black Heritage – February 19 from 7:00-9:00pm at Lucky Shoals Park Community Recreation Center Community Room – Celebrate Black History month with this fun, interactive game. Find clues, answer trivia and solve puzzles to move to the next level. Light refreshments will be served. $5 fee. Learn More

Bus Tour: Black History Month – February 26 from 10:00am-5:00pm – Come tour some of Gwinnett’s rich African American historic landmarks. The tour will visit the Salem Missionary Baptist Church, Elisha Winn House and more. Register before February 21 by calling 770.822.5178.

 

Hosted by the Aurora Theatre

Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed & Unbowed – Multiple Friday/Saturday/Sunday dates in February – Unbossed & Unbowed is an immersive and interactive solo show about the 1st African-America woman to run for Presidency of the U.S. In the 1960s and ‘70s, this Brooklyn-born daughter of Caribbean parents was on a mission. They called her the black Joan of Arc. She called herself Fighting Shirley as she faced off against the political machine in the name of justice. Learn More

 

Event Vendor Information Meeting

Posted on by Talore Ruedt

Are you interested in being a vendor at City of Duluth events in 2022? Join us at one of our mandatory virtual vendor interest meetings!

Interested vendors are only required to attend one of the below Zoom meetings in which we will share the list of 2022 events, vendor requirements and information on how to apply. Time will be left at the end to answer your questions.

Meeting Options:

February, 1 at 10:00am – https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83198849917?pwd=YVNQLy9Ic1hoekt1LzVHRHZDWG1jdz09

February 3 at 4:00pm – https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89831781160?pwd=SDgxdlNPdE80MXlqTTNxZWROeW9wZz09

If you have questions about the upcoming meetings, please reach out to our events team at events@duluthga.net.

Jamin Harkness & Lamar Doss are Sworn in as Council Members

Posted on by Talore Ruedt
Help us welcome our newest council members!
Jamin Harkness was elected to fill the Post 1 seat and Lamar Doss was elected to fill Post 3.
Jamin was born and raised in Atlanta. Prior to joining The Management Group, LLC, he worked for private and public (REIT) management companies in various rolls with direct oversight of Conventional, Tax Credit and Section 8 Based Communities. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications and has a MBA from Kennesaw State University. He is President of the Duluth Cluster School Foundation, President of the Board of Directors for Professional Adoption and Family Services, Member of the Coleman School Council and a Member of the Atlanta Apartment Association Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council. He was joined at the ceremony by his husband and son.
Lamar is a lifelong Gwinnett County resident and he has lived in Duluth for nearly 20 years. He looks forward to keeping Duluth a safe and vibrant place to raise a family, encouraging smart growth and being inclusive of the wonderfully diverse community that is Duluth. He graduated from Georiga Southern University with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management. He was joined at the ceremony by his wife and two daughters.
“We are looking forward to working with Jamin & Lamar to continue moving Duluth forward. We are excited for the new perspective and ideas that they will bring to our City,” said Mayor Nancy Harris.

Recycling Services Temporarily Suspended

Posted on by Talore Ruedt

The following message is from Republic Services for residential customers:
Until noted otherwise, Republic Services has temporarily suspended recycling, bulk item and yard waste pickup in Duluth.
Republic Services’ customers in Duluth can expect uninterrupted, on-schedule trash collection, but due to the significant impact that a spike in COVID-19 infections is having on Republic’s workforce, recycling services will be suspended until Republic’s workforce begins to normalize. Bulk items and yard waste pickup are also suspended temporarily. On-schedule trash collection remains a top priority.
During this temporary service interruption, the City of Duluth and Republic Services are offering the following recycling solutions:
• Duluth Public Works Facility – Starting on Monday, Public Works will accept bagged, non-sorted recycling. Dumpster cards must be shown but they will not be punched for recycling services. Hours of operation are Saturdays from 8am-3pm and Monday through Friday from 3-6pm.
• Gwinnett County Recycling Facility (75 Curtis Road, Lawrenceville, GA) – This facility is unmanned and open from dawn to dusk. Please place only recycling materials in the dumpster located in the center of the lot.
We apologize for the inconvenience this temporary service interruption is causing residents. Like many industries all over the country, we are trying to manage a severe manpower shortage. The COVID Omicron variant continues to hit our operations hard; we currently have approximately 20 percent of our Gwinnett workforce on quarantine. There will continue to be temporary service disruptions for recycling, bulk materials and yard waste in the coming days. We ask for and appreciate your patience as we work to get past these issues.
To register for your 2022 dumpster card, visit: https://duluthga.wufoo.com/forms/z1i1gpbv0dpd77a
For more information on acceptable recycling practices, visit: https://duluthga.net/…/refuse_recycling_services.php

Manfred Graeder Sworn in to Fill Unexpired Term for Council Post 4

Posted on by Alisa Williams

Help us welcome our newest Councilmember, Manfred Graeder!

Council Post 4 became vacant upon the passing of Councilmember Kelly Kelkenberg earlier this year. Graeder won the special called election for this post.

Manfred is originally from Germany and moved to Duluth, Georgia in 2003. He is married to Eva and is currently employed as a Senior Program Manager Server Development. Prior to being elected to Council, Manfred served on the Finance Board, Planning Commission and Citizens Budget Committee for the City.

Manfred Graeder being sworn into office by Judge Charles Barrett.
Manfred Graeder being sworn into office by Judge Charles Barrett.

His goal is to continue to develop policy in the spirit and vision of the current City Council while adding focus to the areas outside of the downtown. He is ready to make decisions using common sense, weighing all available information, and valuing the input from our citizens.

“We look forward to working with Manfred to continue moving Duluth forward. We are excited to have Manfred’s attention to detail and new perspective on our team,” said Mayor Nancy Harris.

Calling All Artists!

Posted on by Talore Ruedt

The Duluth Public Art Commission (DPAC) is pleased to announce a new Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Rogers Bridge public art project.
In October 2021, the historic Rogers Bridge was removed to make way for a new pedestrian bridge connecting to Johns Creek. The bridge, which spanned the Chattahoochee River at Rogers Bridge Park, was 110 years old, almost 228’ long and weighed in excess of 50 tons.
DPAC is seeking a qualified artist to re-purpose salvaged steel from the original bridge and reimagine it into a public art project that will preserve the significance and history in a unique and interesting way and accompany a newly re-designed Rogers Bridge Park.
For more details on the bridge reconstruction project, visit:
We can’t wait to see your ideas come to life! Please visit the Call for Artist page for the full RFP, including timeline and submission details.

3CMA Marketing Awards

Posted on by Talore Ruedt

The City of Duluth marketing team recently attended the City-County Communications & Marketing Association conference in St. Louis, MO where they were awarded the following:

  • Savvy Award for the Discover Downtown Duluth Campaign
  • Silver Circle Award for the Visitors Guide
  • Award of Excellence for the City’s Instagram (@city_of_duluth)
  • Award of Excellence for the Mayor’s Carpool Karaoke video
Alisa Williams, Marketing Manager, Mayor Nancy Harris and Talore Ruedt, Senior Marketing Coordinator

The Savvy Awards, held in conjunction with 3CMA’s Annual Conference, recognize outstanding local government achievements in communications, public-sector marketing and citizen-government relationships. The Savvies salute skilled and effective city, county, agency or district professionals who have creatively planned and carried out successful innovations in communications and marketing. 3CMA accommodates local government organizations of all sizes and budget classes by judging entries in several different population groups. Over 800 entries in 40 categories were received. 3CMA utilized volunteer judges from across the United States to review every entry and provide constructive comments on the winning entries. The list of all award winners is available online at 3cma.org.