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City Manager appoints new Fire and Rescue Chief

May 24, 2019

City Manager Eden Freeman has appointed William A. Garrett as the City’s new Fire and Rescue Chief. Mr. Garrett was selected following an extensive nation-wide search resulting in 57 applications from candidates spanning 20 states. Five finalists were selected who then participated in a rigorous interview process involving representatives of the community, local and regional fire and rescue professionals including representatives from the city’s four volunteer companies, management experts from other localities, and members of the City’s leadership team. Mr.

Councilor Herbstritt and Vice-Mayor Hill schedule community meetings

May 15, 2019

In an effort to provide opportunities for open dialogue, Vice-Mayor John Hill and Councilor Kim Herbstritt will hold several community informational meetings at various locations. The entire community is invited to attend the meetings to hear the presentations (where applicable), ask questions, brainstorm ideas, and/or discuss community issues/concerns. 

Winchester Fire and Rescue Interim Chief appointed

May 06, 2019

Due to retirement systems restrictions, Winchester Fire and Rescue (WFRD) Interim Chief Frank Wright will step down from his post on Tuesday, May 7th. Winchester City Manager Eden Freeman has appointed Emergency Management Coordinator and former WFRD Assistant Chief Scott Kensinger to fill the Interim Chief position until the recruitment and hiring process for a permanent Chief is completed.

Seventh annual KidzFest returns to Old Town May 18th

May 06, 2019

Old Town Winchester’s popular KidzFest returns Saturday, May 18th. This free, family-friendly event to be held on the Loudoun Street Mall from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, features over 50 exhibits highlighting education, art, music, sports and more. The festival is also a great opportunity to discover upcoming summer activities in the region.

Water Treatment Plant Receives Highest Recognition

May 01, 2019

The City’s Percy D. Miller Water Treatment Plant received the 2018 Virginia Optimization Program Gold Award for its high-quality drinking water treatment from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) Office of Drinking Water. This is the highest possible ranking in operations excellence for water utilities and is based on a 12-month analysis of data. This is the first time the plant has achieved the gold award (2012-2017: Silver Award).

Annual Arbor Day Celebration is this Saturday

Apr 24, 2019

The City’s 2019 Arbor Day celebration on Saturday, April 27 will honor the City’s 37 years as a Tree City USA with a tree planting at 11 am and the fourth annual Spring Greening stream cleanup at 1 pm. Local residents are encouraged to take part in both events.

The Arbor Day Celebration will be held at Frederick Douglass Park on Smithfield Avenue. A free lunch will be provided by Weed Control Inc. and kids can enjoy free face painting provided by Winchester Parks and Recreation.

Piccadilly Street fire displaces three people

Apr 23, 2019

On April 22, 2019 at approximately 4:20 p.m., the Winchester Fire & Rescue Department (WFRD) was dispatched to a structure fire at 325 East Piccadilly Street. The first units arrived on scene at approximately 4:22 p.m. and observed fire and smoke coming from a second-story window facing the street.

Crews entered the home and extinguished the fire, which was located in a bedroom on the second floor. The fire was mostly contained to the room. Smoke alarms were present and working.

Jim Barnett Park Dog Park is now open to the public

Apr 15, 2019

As of today, Winchester Parks and Recreation’s Dog Park in Jim Barnett Park is open and free to the public. To use the dog park in the past, owners were required to maintain an annual membership which provided a key for access. Now, the locks have been removed, and anyone can use the two dog park areas seven days a week, dawn to dusk. NOTE: The Dog Park is closed for routine maintenance every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2-3 pm.

The two areas in the Dog Park consist of the following: