The popular tourism ambassador training program, offered twice yearly by the Winchester-Frederick County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) since 2018, is sporting a new name and will provide even more information beginning this spring.
The City’s Public Services Department will begin two significant infrastructure improvement projects next month.
On Wednesday, February 26 from 4-6 pm, the City of Winchester will host the Rouss City Hall Reveal, a unique event to celebrate the recent Rouss City Hall renovation and the annual Charles Broadway Rouss Day. Community members are invited to stop by Rouss City Hall to see the historic building’s transformation and the many original features that were uncovered and restored. There will be guided tours held every 30 minutes (space is limited), refreshments and an opportunity to chat with the renovation’s architects, Reader & Swartz Architects, P.C.
Chief John Piper of the Winchester Police Department (WPD) will host a new recurring event titled Mocha Mondays, the latest event to be added to the Department’s stacked outreach calendar. Beginning in March, Mocha Mondays will occur on the first Monday of each month from 7:30-8:30 a.m. and will be held at various coffee shops throughout the city.
Winchester Common Council expects to appoint Mary T. Price of Strasburg, VA as Interim City Manager during the February 25, 2020 Council meeting. Following Council’s official vote, Ms. Price will assist with the transition period and begin service as the Interim City Manager on March 17, 2020. City Manager Eden E. Freeman has accepted the position of Deputy City Manager in Greenville, SC. Her last day with the City of Winchester will be March 16, 2020.
At the February 11, 2020 meeting, City Council approved a resolution naming the new neighborhood park on the corner of N. Kent and E. Cecil Streets Ruth Jackson Memorial Park as recommended by the Winchester Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Ruth E. P. Jackson was the original owner of Ruth’s Tea Room which was located on the site of the new neighborhood park from 1925 to 2005.
In observance of the Presidents Day holiday on Monday, February 17, 2020, the City will follow the below schedule.
The City of Winchester and Winchester Fire & Rescue Department (WFRD) is working with Emergency Services Consulting International, a consulting firm specializing in assisting local governments, to facilitate a strategic planning process for the City. This strategic plan will establish a vision for the future, a mission, and a set of organizational values for WFRD. The plan will also identify a set of priority goals and strategies, as well as indicators to measure progress toward each goal. By completing this survey, you are helping plan the future of the City.
The Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) in partnership with USDA Forest Service, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), Virginia Department of Transportation, and USDA-APHIS will be deploying Urban Forest Strike Team (UFST) members for rapid data collection of an invasive pest from February 10-14. The spotted lanternfly (SLF) is an invasive plant hopper that was found in Virginia in January of 2018.
Old Town Winchester will host the seventh annual Chocolate Escape on Saturday, February 8 from 2:00-5:00 pm. Romance and chocolate will fill the air as attendees stroll from restaurant to boutique, shopping and sampling throughout Old Town. There will be chocolate mousse, chocolate cake, chocolate beers and cocktails, chocolate coffee and tea, chocolate-themed activities, and chocolate treats for everyone to enjoy. For those who enjoy sweet and savory, there will be chocolate bacon truffles as well as chocolate mole chicken wings.