The City of Winchester’s 2021 Rockin' Independence Eve event and fireworks, usually held on July 3 in Old Town Winchester, was canceled due to the pandemic. However, we’re excited to announce that Old Town Winchester and Winchester Parks and Recreation will sponsor a new event, Let Freedom Swing!, at the Taylor Pavilion on Saturday, July 3 beginning at 3 pm (no admission or tickets sold, free to attend).
Following a nation-wide search resulting in 54 applicants, Winchester City Manager Dan Hoffman has appointed Christopher Konyar, of Winchester, as the City’s new Parks and Recreation Director. Christopher, who has over 20 years of experience in the field, served the past 14 years as the Superintendent of Recreation and the prior seven years as Program Supervisor both with Frederick County Parks and Recreation. He has also been a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional since 2006 and is currently a Recognized Clinician with the American Sports Education Program.
In observance of the Memorial Day holiday, the City will follow the below schedule for the week of May 31, 2021:
The City’s Percy D. Miller Water Treatment Plant received the 2020 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. The plant first achieved the Gold Award in 2018, and received the Silver Award in 2019 and 2012-2017.
On Saturday, May 15, 2021, the Winchester Fire and Rescue Department (WFRD) will partner with the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association and the International Association of Fire Chiefs to produce a statewide volunteer recruitment and retention video through an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG).
Virginia’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will again release emergency allotments of benefits to eligible households this month. Benefits will be automatically loaded to recipients’ Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards on Sunday, May 16, 2021.
The emergency allotments raise each household’s monthly allotment to the maximum allowable based on household size as follows:
City Manager Dan Hoffman has appointed Winchester Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief (AC) Jon Henschel as the City’s new Chief. AC Henschel was selected following an extensive nation-wide search resulting in 57 applications from candidates across the country. AC Henschel has 30 years of experience with volunteer and career agencies, spending the previous 23 years with the Winchester Fire and Rescue Department.
City of Winchester government offices and the Rec Center will not be closed on Friday, April 30, 2021. This closure was previously included in the City’s annual holiday schedule and informational calendar, but is no longer needed since the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival parade and other large events usually held in downtown and Jim Barnett Park are not being offered this year.
Beginning this weekend, the Winchester Parking Authority (WPA) will be installing new automated gate and payment equipment at the four downtown parking garages which will cause some lane closures and access restrictions (see schedule below). Replacing the current antiquated system has been planned for approximately two years, but placed on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The City of Winchester has launched a community survey to gather input about the priorities and sentiments of residents for a 2021 update to the City’s Strategic Plan. Deadline to take the survey is April 30.
Survey questions will focus on the following topics:
Survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/D5PCC5Q