Interview with the Mayor - November 3rd, 2025

Monday, 3 November 2025 10:54

With budget season right around the corner, some big ticket items will be presented to Woodstock City Council this week.

WOODSTOCK - A Food Rescue Hub could be on the horizon for the Friendly City.

The local group has been trying to create a warehouse that can hold excess food from farmers, organizations and businesses. From there, the food would go to non-profit organizations that help people in need.

Mayor Jerry Acchione says the group has found a location for the hub, but there is a catch.

"A building has been found, so the Mayor's Task Force for Social Well Being is being asked for $50,000 to help lock down that location because they need the funds almost right away."

Allison Henkel, Chris Cunningham, and Karen Sample will present a delegation to council during this Thursday's meeting.

If the hub is approved, Acchione says South Gate Centre already has 100 volunteers on standby to help with its operation.

Woodstock City Council will also look over some of its options for the expansion and renovation of City Hall and Museum Square. Some of the options include whether council meetings should be held elsewhere, should Museum Square have it's own ice pad, and public washrooms be available at Museum Square. You can find all of the specific details in the staff report online here.

Acchione says the Friendly City will grow significantly over the next few decades.

"The City of Woodstock is planned to double over the next 50 years. So when you're looking at these big capital projects, you don't want to do something and know in 10 or 15 years that you're going to be at capacity again."

He says council was originally looking at a renovation that would have cost over $23-million, but councillor Mark Schadenberg brought forward a motion, asking to see some of the other potential options on the table.

Thursday's City Council meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. and it will be livestreamed on the City of Woodstock YouTube page. You can also find the meeting agenda online here.

Mayor Acchione also discussed the following during his interview this morning:

- A Transit Route Study that's currently underway.

- The upcoming expansion to Southside Park.

- The Blue Jays loss to the Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series.

You can listen to the full interview below: