At the August 25, 2020 Regular Meeting, City Council officially appointed Daniel “Dan” C. Hoffman of Gainesville, Florida as Winchester’s new City Manager. For the national recruitment process, which netted 93 applicants, Council utilized the services of Colin Baenziger & Associates out of Daytona Beach Shores, Florida.
Beginning August 11, 2020, community members will have additional ways to address Council during the public comment and public hearing sections of the agenda for virtual City Council meetings. In addition to the online public comment form, community members now have the option to call in or use the WebEx platform to address Council live during the meeting.
The Lord Fairfax Health District is pleased to offer 7th Grade Immunization Clinics at Frederick/Winchester Health Department. Please note that to maximize safety, the Health Department is using a special outdoor location.
COVID-19 has presented many challenges for local governments holding virtual public meetings, especially when there is a closed session (closed to the public as allowed by the Virginia Code) aspect involved. We’ve been working diligently to ensure there is adequate public access to all open virtual meetings, but we now realize this hasn’t occurred during the open portions of last several virtual Special Meetings of the Winchester Common Council where Council entered into and came out of closed session.
The City’s contractor is expected to resume working on the Central Downtown Infrastructure Improvements Project on N. Loudoun Street between Wyck Street and North Avenue beginning Monday, July 27, 2020. During construction, sections of N. Loudoun Street will be closed to through traffic and parking for up to two blocks at a time.
The Winchester-Frederick County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) has received $9,840 from the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) DMO WanderLove Recovery Grant Program, a new grant made available to Virginia’s Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) across the Commonwealth that have been heavily impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic to fund recovery marketing initiatives. The program awarded $866,504 in marketing grant funds to 90 DMOs.
The Winchester-Frederick County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is offering a special virtual edition of their Destination Ambassador training program on July 29, 2020 for front-line restaurant, hotel and attraction employees. The program’s focus will be on operational best practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as how to manage guests, policies and expectations. The special program will also cover challenges in today’s environment and offer an opportunity for participants to network and share experiences.
Construction of the next phase of the Green Circle Trail (Phase III) on the south side of Jubal Early Drive from west of Harvest Drive to east of Valley Avenue will begin this week. This phase will construct a 10-foot pedestrian trail between Abrams Crossing shopping center and The Lofts at Jubal Square apartment complex (see map below).
When the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020, many of the city’s residents were forced to stay home for an extended period of time. Understandably, this resulted in more household trash being generated than normal. In an effort to provide the best level of customer service as possible, we have been picking up additional trash that exceeds the established limit of three (3), 42-gallon containers or bags. Click here for the regulations.
Prior to COVID-19, one in seven children in Virginia struggled with hunger. In these unprecedented times, even more children are living in food insecure homes.