Towne Lake Pass Trail Is Complete

Completion of Towne Lake Pass Trail is another step in pulling together all of Cherokee County.

By Jennifer Stockton

On Jan. 4, Mayor Donnie Henriques, members of the Woodstock City Council, Cherokee County Commission and staff from the city and county gathered at Woofstock Dog Park to officially open the Towne Lake Pass Trail.

Despite the frigid weather that day, many of the community trail enthusiasts attended to celebrate and get their first look of the next section of the Greenprints Trail System.

This section of trail begins at Woofstock Dog Park and runs along Noonday Creek to Towne Lake Hills South. With multiple sections of boardwalk, this spur of the Greenprints Trail will undoubtedly be a beautiful walk through the treetops once spring arrives. This multipurpose trail connection was funded by the 2008 county parks bond. In December 2016, the Cherokee County Commission awarded the $2.86 million contract to Integrated Construction & Nobility, Inc.

The city of Woodstock and Cherokee County Board of Commissioners approved a joint resolution dedicating this section of trail in loving memory of former council member Tessa Basford, who passed away in 2014. A longtime resident of Cherokee County, Bassford was an integral part of the support for the trail system. The uniqueness of the Greenprints Master Plan is the connectivity between schools, parks, greens space, neighborhoods and downtown Woodstock. That connectivity was at the heart of the overwhelming support that she shared with other city leaders.

It has been almost 10 years since Mayor Henriques and the Woodstock City Council adopted the Greenprints Master Plan in June 2008. The award-winning plan was formulated through a steering committee of residents, business owners, and other vested partners. In that 10 years, the investment by the county commissioners and the city has seen the trail system continue to grow.

Towne Lake Pass connects directly to the Noonday Creek Trail that runs from Downtown Woodstock to Highway 92. Together they form the beginning of meaningful trail connections in Cherokee County; there are more projects on the horizon. Parking can be found at Woofstock Dog Park or at the trailhead in downtown Woodstock along Market Street.

In December, the Atlanta Regional Commission staff recommended funding for the Noonday Creek Trail extension, which would extend the current Noonday Creek Trail from Highway 92 to the Noonday Park in Cobb County. If approved by the board, this trail extension would be a critical connection for Cherokee County, enabling the future connectivity to multiple destinations in the Metro Atlanta area.

At press time, Woodstock Parks and Recreation was planning a Jan. 22 groundbreaking ceremony for the Rubes Creek Trail extension. This extension will connect the William G. Long Senior Center to the Northside Hospital-Cherokee Amphitheater, connecting Rubes Creek Trail to downtown Woodstock.

All this connectivity means that Woodstock residents can choose to spend less time in cars, exploring the world around them on the trail system. If you are looking to get connected take a stroll on one of the new trails, we guarantee the trails will connect you to parts of Cherokee County that you haven’t seen before.