By Kristal Dixon
Cherokee Tribune Staff Writer
An initiative to add more trails and green space to Woodstock has passed the first hurdle of approval.
The Woodstock Planning Commission and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board in a joint meeting on Monday night both recommended approval of the city's Greenprints Project.
The Woodstock City Council is scheduled to consider the project during its June 16 meeting.
The project could be adopted as early as the end of July, according to Richard McLeod, planning and economic development director for the city.
The council in September hired ECOS Environmental Design Inc., at a cost of $150,000, to create a plan to add more parks, trails and recreation facilities to the city.
The council also appointed citizens to a Greenprints Steering Committee, which conducted meetings with ECOS to help develop the project.
ECOS, along with the city government, also conducted open houses to hear feedback from residents as to what they would like to see included.
The draft plan shows trails that cover more than 60 miles and extend beyond city limits.
It would cost roughly $32.2 million to create the trail system. The projected cost does said city Senior Planner Brian Stockton.
"We haven't identified the land we need to acquire," he said, noting it's hard to estimate how much the plan would cost the city government.
Possible funding to construct trails include state and federal grants, city budget appropriations and bond referendums.
The plan shows trails along the city's natural areas like Little River, Noonday Creek and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' property, in the city's core areas and next to roads throughout Woodstock.
It also calls for bike lanes, which within the project are considered trails, to be built along roads.
The proposed trails would connect with existing trails elsewhere in Cherokee County as well as in the cities of Roswell and Alpharetta and Cobb County.
The project also would preserve greenspace throughout the city and create new parks.
Before recommending approval, members of the parks board and planning Commission praised the draft plan, but pointed out concerns they had about funding sources.
One idea floated during the meeting was to require developers working in the city to set aside greenspace as part of their developments.
Planning commission member David Dyer said he thinks city residents also should help with the cost of construction.
"If the citizens of Woodstock want this, they need to work with the developers," he said.
Parks board member Shaun Harty said he is excited about the proposal.
"It's an excellent 'green' print for the next 30 years," he said.
Planning commission member Judy Davila said the process has helped her "learn a lot about her community."
Planning commission vice chairman John Szczesniak said he also was impressed with the plan to make the trails accessible to neighborhoods.
"It's really exciting to know that it can be outside our backdoors," he said.
Former Councilwoman Liz Baxter, who served on the Greenprints Steering Committee, said she is thrilled to see the community get behind the project.
Ms. Baxter pointed to other communities, such as Roswell, that continue to prosper because of their dedication to providing adequate green space.
"To have a really good community, you need parks and recreation to be really strong," she said.
Planning commission member James Drinkard was not present nor were parks board members Shari Stewart, Genevieve Georges and John Hilburn.
kdixon@cherokeetribune.com
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SOUNDS GREAT , I HOPE IT COMES TO PASS