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Highlights From Mayor Henriques’ 2020 State of the City Address

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.

Henriques said Woodstock was recently recertified as a Green Community at the Gold Level by the Atlanta Regional Commission. He shared stats about Greenstock Day, the Christmas Tree Chip N Dip, and Little River Clean Up. He announced that 850,000 pounds of recyclables were collected as part of the Mayor’s Recycling Challenge, for which Woodstock was recognized as having the highest percentage increase (67%) in 2019. Henriques also noted the installation of an urban orchard at Dupree Park. Additionally, over $450,000 in impact fees was collected in 2019 through new residential permits for the expansion of parks and recreation facilities.

The mayor then announced that Woodstock received the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Award for the fourth year in a row and the GFOA Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Award for the 26th consecutive year.

Henriques conveyed details of infrastructure improvements, stating 34 downtown parking spaces and 10 PTV spaces were added, new sidewalks (one-half mile in length) were created, and two actuated crosswalks were installed. Also, 3 miles of streets were resurfaced, 107 streetlights were added (while 24 were converted to LED), and five turning lanes were installed.

The Smart Woodstock Program to develop a master plan and conduct a Smart Corridor Study, using a grant funded by Georgia Smart, was also highlighted. Henriques encouraged citizens to participate in the study at WDSTK.ga/smart.

The mayor highlighted efficiency and security measures like the implementation of Project Lifesaver devices to locate at-risk individuals who are reported missing, the deployment of parks software to ensure timely inspections and upkeep, and the acquisition of rapid ID technology by Woodstock Police Department to identify fugitives in the field.

According to Henriques, Woodstock Police Department responded to 31,946 calls with a 2:10-minute response time on priority calls, and crime was down 11% from 2018. Woodstock Fire and Rescue responded to 5,901 calls with a 4:08-minute response time on priority calls.

Looking ahead in 2020, Mayor Henriques noted:

  • Engineering for Woodstock’s Noonday Creek Trail to connect to Cobb County’s section of the trail will be completed.
  • Engineering for the Neese Road/Highway 92 project, adding dual left eastbound Highway 92 turn lanes and dual left southbound Neese Road turn lanes will be completed.
  • Design, right of way, and public engagement for the Woodstock Hub project will take place, converting Mill Street to a two-way, creating a roundabout at Mill Street and Towne Lake Parkway, and adding a left turn lane westbound to Towne Lake Parkway from northbound Main Street.
  • Concept plans for the City Center Development on the Morgan’s Ace Hardware site will be finalized.
  • The master plan for Little River Park will be completed.

The State of the City Address is available at WDSTK.Ga/2020sotc. For more information on City of Woodstock, visit WoodstockGa.gov.

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