And if it turns out to be popular, the trolley service could become a long-term fixture, Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Billy Peppers said.
On Wednesday, the Woodstock Downtown Development Authority unanimously voted to approve a lease agreement with Cherokee County to use the county-owned trolley that was previously used by the city of Canton.
The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners will consider the lease agreement at its Tuesday meeting.
“We will have no cost to lease the trolley.” Peppers said. “We will, however, have some cost associated with running the trolley.”
Peppers said the city will use the 25-passenger trolley between Nov. 30 and Dec. 27 and will have to pay for a driver, fuel and insurance at a total cost of less than $2,000 for the month of operation.
Peppers said the city will find either one or two Commercial drivers license-certified drivers to drive the bus, and will contact the Cherokee County School District to see if any drivers might be interested in participating.
Peppers said the wheelchair-accessible trolley will be used for about four hours on Fridays and up to six hours on Saturdays and city staff will work with the driver develop a route and schedule.
“As soon as we have a driver, the last of November we’re going to drive around and figure out what works best for the vehicle (to) make turns and pick-ups and drops,” Peppers said.
He said staff may contact local neighborhoods, reaching possibly as far as the Woodlands and River Park, to get a feel for their interest and possibly use their clubhouses as pick-up and drop-off points.
The outside of the trolley is made of fiber-glass material, so Peppers said the city will need to find a solution in the form of a temporary sign to cover its “city of Canton” emblem.
“In the long-term, if this works for us, those letters are vinyl adhesive, so it’s not like you would have to repaint the whole thing to cover that up,” Peppers said.
No pics?