Woodstock Notes

City of Woodstock urges all citizens and businesses to make or update a disaster plan during the month of September. As we continue to respond to COVID-19, there’s no time like the present to update your plan. You can find resources to help at Ready.gov. The Department of Homeland Security suggests weekly activities to do during this month, so that you are ready for whatever comes.

Recently, the City of Woodstock took steps forward by adopting its first citywide Sustainability Plan, a significant milestone on the community’s path to going green. For over a decade, Woodstock has pursued sustainability initiatives under the guidance of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Green Communities program, working up from achieving the Bronze certification level to maintaining Gold for years on end.

Now, City leadership has built upon these successes and lessons learned to create a unique plan that highlights the strengths and pride of our community.

The City of Woodstock is implementing new measures to provide financial assistance to businesses for 2021.

While temporary measures had earlier been implemented to assist in the short term during the COVID-19 response, this broader plan is intended to assist businesses meeting certain criteria through a longer recovery period. 

Assistant City Manager Coty Thigpen presented the plan to Woodstock City Council at the June 8 meeting.

The City of Woodstock staff invites residents to celebrate Family Health and Fitness Day Saturday, June 13, and discover how “Parks Build Healthy Communities.” Organized by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), Family Health and Fitness Day promotes the importance of local parks and recreation in keeping communities healthy.

To celebrate, Woodstock Parks and Recreation encourages families to get active at outdoor recreational locations like Dupree Park or on trails like Towne Lake Pass.

National Travel and Tourism Week is May 3-9. Tourism is an integral part of Woodstock’s economy. Many of our businesses and thousands of our workers serve visitors to our city. Woodstock’s tourism industry includes transportation, lodging, recreation and entertainment, arts, retail, food and beverage, travel advisers, and destination marketers. The unprecedented public health crisis that began in March halted ground travel, putting our businesses and workers in a bind.

Visit Woodstock GA exists to promote business and leisure travel to visitors around the country and the world, and those visits fuel our local economy and job opportunities. The tourism industry businesses that contribute to our community, almost all of them small businesses, simply could not weather the storm on their own.

The results of the 2020 Census will help determine congressional representation and the amount of federal funding that flows into our community every year for the next decade. Census results also influence highway planning and construction.

In our local schools, census results help determine how money is allocated for the Head Start Program, school lunches, and grants that support teachers and special education.

During his recent State of the City Address, Mayor Donnie Henriques highlighted numerous outreach programs like Law Enforcement Explorers, Citizens’ Public Safety Academy, and Shop with a Hero. He congratulated Officer Shane Bonebrake on deploying a pink patrol car for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which gained national attention and over 1,600 signatures in tribute to survivors.

February is a great time to explore the outdoors. Woodstock has a wonderful network of trails that are used for recreation, fitness, and even commuting.

Through our partnership with Woodstock Elementary, the WellStar Community Health Trail provides a quarter mile asphalt walking surface in the grove of trees in front of the campus. The trail is open to the community outside of school hours.

Happy 2020! The parks in Woodstock are a great place to work toward your fitness-related New Year’s resolutions.

Dupree Park is located on Neese Road, just south of Arnold Mill Road. It features a large playground, a disc golf course, four tennis courts, a pickleball court, two basketball courts, one-quarter mile walking trail, one-third mile paved walking path with fitness stations, and a family mountain bike trail. Dupree Park also has a boardwalk and a floating dock, which are perfect for fishing in the beautiful pond.

Members of the local development community recently gathered to learn about current trends and projects relating to transportation in downtown Woodstock and the surrounding area.The event was hosted by City of Woodstock Community Development Department and the Council for Quality Growth, a not-for-profit trade association that works every day to ensure the metro Atlanta region’s regulatory environment supports quality growth and development.

City of Woodstock Police Department and Fire and Rescue have some tips to help keep your loved ones and your property safe in the coming months. Taking the time to think through possible hazardous scenarios related to holiday shopping and trimming the tree can make a big difference.In the weeks before Thanksgiving, replace the batteries in your smoke detectors and go over an emergency exit plan with your family.

The City of Woodstock mayor and council serve four-year terms with staggered elections. Staggered elections mean that the mayor and council seats for Wards 1, 3, and 5 are elected in one election cycle, and council seats for Wards 2, 4, and 6 are elected during the next election cycle. Municipal elections are held in odd-numbered years, two years apart.This year is the election cycle for Council Member David Potts, Ward 2; Council Member Tracy Collins, Ward 4; and Council Member Rob Usher, Ward 6. Each of their terms expire December 31, 2019.

Woodstock Parks and Recreation Department is hosting a health and fitness fair Saturday, September 7, in conjunction with the September AMPED in the Park monthly fitness event at Northside Hospital Cherokee Amphitheater. The fair will take place following the regularly scheduled hour-long AMPED in the Park workout that begins at 8:00am.The AMPED in the Park Fair goes until 1:00pm. There will be fitness demonstrations on the amphitheater stage and a variety of vendors, businesses, and organizations on-site to educate citizens about the wealth of fitness, health, and wellness options available in Woodstock. Health, fitness, and wellness businesses interested in participating should contact amphitheater manager Jamey Snyder. Healthful restaurants and makers of wellness products are also welcomed to participate.