SUGAR HILL, Ga. — More than two years after Sugar Hill officials formally requested funding for a new library, plans to modernize library services in the Buford-Sugar Hill area are beginning to take shape.
The effort began in March 2024, when Sugar Hill Mayor Brandon Hembree sent a letter to Gwinnett County Commissioner Matthew Holtkamp requesting that the county consider funding a new library through a future Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) program.
In the letter, Hembree said Sugar Hill had become Gwinnett County’s fourth-largest city but remained the only municipality of its size without a library dedicated specifically to its community. Residents currently rely on the Buford-Sugar Hill and Suwanee branches for library services.
To support the request, Hembree cited the Gwinnett County Public Library’s 2021 Facilities Master Plan, which identified the Buford-Sugar Hill branch as one of the library system’s most outdated facilities.
According to the study, the branch, built in 1989, is 10,624 square feet, has received no significant renovations in more than a decade and contains building systems that have reached the end of their useful life. The master plan also found the branch is undersized for the population it serves and recommended replacing it with a new 20,000-square-foot facility at a different location because the existing site cannot accommodate expansion.
The letter also noted that additional funding opportunities may exist beyond SPLOST, including state library construction grants administered through the University System of Georgia.
Momentum for the project increased earlier this year when District 4 Commissioner Matthew Holtkamp voiced his support for the effort and announced that county staff had begun studying potential improvements to the branch.
“Work is underway to study updates to the Buford-Sugar Hill library, one of Gwinnett’s oldest facilities,” Holtkamp said in an April update. “Conversations with city leaders are moving the project forward with the goal of defining a modern facility and preparing for inclusion in the next SPLOST program.”
Holtkamp said his support for the project is rooted in personal experience.
“As the parent of homeschooled children, I know firsthand how important a local library can be,” Holtkamp said. “Our family relied on the library not just for books, but for educational resources, research materials, technology and programs that enriched our children’s learning. Every family deserves access to a modern library that meets the needs of today’s community, and that’s why I support moving this project forward.”
Residents will have an opportunity to learn more about the proposal during a community open house on June 29 at the Eagle Theatre inside Sugar Hill’s E Center. Holtkamp, Hembree and Gwinnett County Public Library Executive Director Charles Pace will present information about the project, discuss potential concepts for the future of the Buford-Sugar Hill branch and answer questions from the public.
