The Towne Lake Pass Trail in Woodstock will be renamed in the memory of Mary Theresa “Tessa” Basford, according to a joint resolution approved recently by the Woodstock City Council and the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners.

Basford, 48, was a Woodstock Council member when she died of cancer in October 2014. An advocate for people with disabilities, she also was a swim coach for Cherokee County Special Olympics and a board member of the Woodstock Public Safety Foundation.

Basford was instrumental in the implementation of the Greenprints Plan for more than 60 miles of multi-use trails and open space in Woodstock and the surrounding area, according to the resolution. Cherokee County has helped fund the trails through a 2008 Recreation Bond fund.

The Towne Lake Pass trail will connect the Noonday Creek and Downtown Spur trails with the Towne Lake community, in Basford’s Ward 6 Council district west of downtown Woodstock. The county recently awarded a $2.6 million construction services agreement to extend the trail 1.2 miles.

About the Author

Featured

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (right) tours the Vine City neighborhood with his senior advisor Courtney English (left). (Matt Reynolds/AJC 2024)

Credit: Matt Reynolds