DDA Approves Trolley Lease

The Woodstock Downtown Development Authority voted to approve a lease agreement with Cherokee County to utilize a trolley during the holiday season.

The authority voted unanimously to sign the lease agreement, which the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners will consider during its meeting on Tuesday. The county owns the trolley, which County Manager Jerry Cooper said was transferred to them when the city of Canton discontinued its transit services.

The city will use the trolley between between Nov. 30 and Dec. 27. DDA Executive Director Billy Peppers said it won't cost anything for the authority to lease the trolley from the county. He noted the trolley will be used as a trial period to measure its popularity with residents. 

The trolley most likely will be used for about four hours on Fridays and up to six hours on Saturdays during the lease period. He noted he and staff will sit down and develop a schedule and possibly work with local neighborhoods to use their clubhouses as drop-off and pick-up points. 

The trolley is a 25-passenger vehicle and is also complaint with the Americans with Disabilities Act. He noted the outside is made up of fiber-glass material and the DDA will have to find away to cover up the "city of Canton" writing on the its side. 

The total costs, Peppers added, won't exceed $2,000 for the month, which will include fuel, money to pay a driver and other associated costs.

"I don't think we'll have a problem with finding a driver," Peppers stated, adding the driver would have to have CDL certification. He also said he could reach out to local entities such as the Cherokee County School District to see if they have any drivers who would be interested in participating. 

He noted the trolley will be free for riders to use. 

If the trolley proves to be a hit among residents, the DDA could consider using it in the long term. Specifically, plans have been discussed about possibly using the trolley as a shuttle to take people between the downtown area and to the Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta once it opens.