On Wednesday, December 20, 2023, officials from the City of Woodstock, Cherokee County, and Cobb County gathered in Woodstock for a groundbreaking ceremony for the Noonday Creek Trail Extension that will connect Woodstock and Cherokee County's trail systems to Cobb County's trail network.
"Nine years ago, Woodstock leaders kicked off planning for this project in earnest," said Woodstock Mayor Michael Caldwell. "We are so excited to finally get to tie into a strong, existing, trail-focused community in Cobb County and become the bridge into the rest of Cherokee County through this connection. It's an exciting day when a city that is as vibrant and lifestyle-focused as Woodstock becomes part of a regional infrastructure network in a significantly larger way," stated Caldwell. "We are making a big impact in both recreational opportunity and transportation infrastructure for the region."
Before breaking ground on the project, Woodstock Mayor Michael Caldwell, Cobb County Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, Cherokee County Manager Geoff Morton, Woodstock City Manager Jeff Moon, Woodstock City Council Member David Potts, and Cherokee County Community Development Director Brantley Day addressed attendees which included city and county employees, department of transportation representatives, and general contractors with J.G. Leone Enterprises, Inc.
"The Cobb Board of Commissioners and especially Commissioner JoAnn Birrell are excited about this trail, the connection that it will have to the Bells Ferry trailhead in Cobb County, and the connection that this will continue to broaden throughout the region," said Cobb County Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid. "Particularly post-Covid with the number of people enjoying the outdoors, there is a lot of interest by citizens to see us expand on this type of infrastructure. This has not been a short-run project. It has taken a number of years, almost a decade, for us to get to this point and it's taken a lot of commitment from people who see the value in providing amenities like this to our citizens."
Construction of the new segment of trail is set to begin in January 2024 at its southern end near Noonday Park on Shallowford Road in unincorporated Cobb County and will progress northward eventually continuing under Highway 92 to connect with Woodstock's existing Noonday Creek Trail.
Cherokee County Community Development Director Brantley Day said, "Having worked for the City of Woodstock and now Cherokee County on this project, I appreciate the openness of partnerships represented here today and also with the Atlanta Regional Commission and Georgia Department of Transportation. Everyone involved asked what they can do to help and how can we make this happen. This is what true partnership is all about."
Story maps of Woodstock's Noonday Creek Trail and Woodstock's Greenprints Trail System are available in the city's data hub at woodstockga.gov/gis.