Gwinnett Daily Post

SUWANEE - Mayor Dave Williams addressed the Suwanee Business Alliance on Wednesday, delivering his first state of the city address to a packed room filled with Suwanee business owners and interested citizens.

Williams began his address with a look back at 2008, a year that he deemed a critical planning year as well as a year in which several projects were completed. The mayor pointed to the new city hall building, Sims Lake Park, Eva Kennedy Road construction and the new public works facility as highlights of last year.

The new city hall building will be open for business next month, and a grand opening ceremony is scheduled for March 28.

With the voters' decision in November to continue the special local option sales tax, Williams predicted that the estimated $10 to $12 million in revenue generated for Suwanee will ensure continued progress.

Parks and greenspace, pedestrian traffic in key areas within the city and continued planned development are high on Suwanee's list of priorities in 2009, according to Williams. And while the mayor acknowledged that the economy has impacted Suwanee's growth, he stressed that cautious navigation through the uncertainty will keep the city "well positioned to bounce back."

"I'm a firm believer that we have the opportunity to pick our own future," said Williams of his city, which was named one of the top 10 best cities in the country in which to live last year. The Suwanee Gateway area, Old Town, the Peachtree Industrial Boulevard corridor and Town center will be the areas of greatest change in the coming years, based on plans laid out in the city's 2030 Comprehensive Plan.

In short, according to Williams, "the state of our city is strong, and getting stronger."