I am resident of Sugarloaf C.C. in Duluth. Last night we had our annual fireworks display at the clubhouse.

The past few years we have had the guys from the local fire station come to the event. To show our appreciation for what they do, we provide dinner for them in the clubhouse restaurant. They usually have seating provided for them on the mezzanine to enjoy the show.

Last evening my husband and I had just arrived in the restaurant and were just sitting down to eat when the firefighters arrived. I was looking forward to sitting down with them and enjoying our meal together. I wanted to thank them for their service to us this past year.(We had a relative visiting that had a massive heart attack earlier in the year. They did a great job and saved her life.) Much to my surprise they did not stay in the dining room, they were escorted downstairs to the employee’s lunch room to have their dinner.

I can’t believe that our guests of honor, our heroes, were treated this way. I am totally shocked and embarrassed. I asked why they were sent away and was told that seating was not available for them.( I counted 12 open tables.)The manager of our restaurant is obviously responsible for this atrocious error. I would like to apologize for this error to the gentleman from the fire station and assure them that the HOA will be asked to investigate this incident completely.

We appreciate your sacrifices to the community. We also understand that you sacrifice your time with your families to provide service to the citizens of Gwinnett County every day of the year including holidays. I would like to extend my deepest apologies to you for this embarrassing incident. Please do not allow this unfortunate incident to sway your opinion of the residents of our community. I can assure you we all appreciate your efforts.