January 13, 2017
Board of
Commissioners
County Dedicates New Fire Station In Locust Grove
Regular Meetings January 17 at 6:30 PM February 7 at 9:00 AM Meetings held at: Administration Building Community Room 140 Henry Parkway McDonough, GA 30253 Regular Commission meetings air daily on Henry TV Channel 180 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99, at 9 a.m. & 7 p.m.
The Henry County Board of Commissioners, along with the city of Locust Grove and members of the HCFD and the SPLOST Department celebrated the ribbon cutting and dedication of Fire Station no. 2 in Locust Grove.
The Henry County Board of Commissioners, along with Locust Grove city officials, members of the Henry County Fire Department and SPLOST Department celebrated a dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting for Fire Station No. 2 in Locust Grove. The new fire station is a replacement for the existing station, which was built by volunteers decades earlier. Officially dedicated on December 29, 2016, the new fire station will be part of the City of Locust Grove’s new Court and Police Complex. The nearly 10,000 square foot, three-bay station is located at 35 Frances Ward Drive and features sleeping quarters for ten, kitchen and laundry facilities, a common living area, fitness room, staff offices and a meeting room. Architect for the station was Bill Howell with the Howell Group, Inc. of Marietta and contractor was J.R. Bowman Construction of McDonough. For more information on this or any SPLOST project, please visit www.henrycountyga.com/splost. Continued on page 2
1
January 13, 2017 Published by Henry County Communications Department The Henry County Board of Commissioners
Editor Melissa Robinson
Ribbon Cutting from page 1 The project was budgeted under SPLOST IV in the amount of $2,361,600 and is expected to be ready for use by the end of the month. For more information on this or any SPLOST project, please visit www. henrycounty-ga.com/splost.
Graphic Designer Meredith Butler Melissa Robinson
Layout Designer Melissa Robinson Meredith Butler
Contributors Melissa Robinson Kevin Williams
Commissioner Bo Moss unveils the dedication plaque during the ribbon-cutting ceremony of Fire Station No. 2. in Locust Grove. Pictured (l. to r.) Chief Joe Kelley, Chief Nish Willis, Commissioner Moss and Distrcit III Commissioner Gary Barham
Commissioners Make Board Appointments During the first meeting of the New Year, Commissioners made several reappointments and appointed both the Vice Chair and the County Clerk. Commissioners approved the appointment of District IV Commissioner Blake Prince as the ViceChair of the Board of Commissioners. They also approved the reappointment of Stephanie Braun as the County Clerk and Consuelo Connor as the Deputy County Clerk. Board members also made several appointments to various Board and Authorities as follows: Re-appointment of Geoffrey Cauble and Charles Mobley and the appointment of David Linton and David Gill to the Development Authority; the reappointment of David Wilkerson and the appointment of John Dewberry, Jr. and Wayne Swanson to the Recreation Board; the reappointment of Sandy
henrycounty-ga.org
McGarity and the appointment of Sharon Ponder and Kathy Gardner to the Library Board; the reappointment of Jim Risher, Vikki Consiglio, Warren Bailey and Delander Nelson, and the appointment of Rick Fretwell, Simeon Nunnally and Darius “Pete” Peterson to the Zoning Advisory Board; the reappointment of Jimmy Carter, Harold Jenkins and Carlotta Harrell and the appointment of Warren Holder and Roslyn Williams to the Henry County Water Authority; the appointment of Dr. Terrance Gattis and Pastor Spencer O’Neal to the DFACS Board; the reappointment of Susan Craig and Charlie Tomlinson and the appointment of Paul Hooten, Yvonne Abraham and Easma J. Oliver to the Council on Aging; and the appointment of William Talmadge to the Connecting Henry Board of Directors. For a complete list of a Boards and Authorities, visit http://www.co.henry.ga.us/Board_of_ Commissioners/pdf/HENRY_COUNTY_BOARDS.pdf.
Public Safety Agencies Recieve Generous Donations
The Henry County Fire Department and the Henry County Police Department both recieved generous donations this month from a local church. Henry County Fire Chief, along with Fire Department officials and personnel were on hand to accept the donation from Turning Point Church in McDonough. Lead Pastor Michael Turner presented the $20,000 donation to the Henry County Fire Department on January 5, 2017. “We are so thankful for this wonderful donation
and we want to express our sincerest appreciation to the church leaders and congregation not only for this generous donation, but for their thoughts and prayers for Henry County’s public safety agencies,” said Chief Nish Willis. Henry County Police Chief Keith Nichols gratefully accepted a financial donation on January 4 from Pastor Turner, who presented the $20,000.00 donation to help the department’s First Responders with much needed equipment. “HCPD is grateful for the very generous donation that Pastor Turner and Turning Point Church have presented to us,” said Nichols. “The encouraging words and show of support from Pastor Turner and his church mean a great deal. To receive such a gracious and generous donation left me speechless. I am honored to receive this from Turning Point on behalf of HCPD and can’t thank them enough. We will definitely put the donation to good use.”
Free Homebuyer Education Seminar Scheduled for January 21 Looking to purchasing a home? Not sure where to start? Need to understand the home buying process? Metro Fair Housing Services, Inc., in partnership with the Henry County Community Development Department and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will be hosting a free Homebuyer Education Seminar on Saturday, January 21, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Henry County Administration Building in McDonough. The seminar is intended to assist potential
homebuyers in answering important questions and to provide information on home ownership, including the types of home loans available, home inspections and more. Space is limited. To register for this free event, please call Metro Fair Housing Services, Inc. at 404524-0000 ext. 17. The seminar will be held at the Henry County Administration Building in Conference Room B, located at 140 Henry Parkway, McDonough, GA 30253.
3
January 13, 2017 EMA and Local Girl Scout Troop Help Collect Teddy Bears Did you know that when a family leaves their home abruptly after a house fire, flooding or storm damage, that they often must leave their most prized possessions, taking away any sense of normalcy? Children are affected as well as adults although they may not express their anxiety, depression or sadness instantly. Something as simple as providing a stuffed animal that is warm and cuddly can often help children get back a sense of security. It was with that in mind that Henry County Emergency Management Officer Shelita D. Broomfield, Girl Scout Troop 3016, under Troop Leader Ty Williams, and Shana Lightfoot with Metro American Red Cross collected more than 130 stuffed teddy bears in an effort appropriately titled “Operation Teddy Bear,” which will be used in the Red Cross’ relief efforts to comfort children when emergencies strike. For more information, contact Shelita Broomfield at 770-288-7865 or sbroomfield@co.henry.ga.us.
Commissioners Attend State Chamber Event Given opportunity to network and share information
The Henry County Board of Commissioners attended the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s Eggs and Issues Breakfast, held earlier this week at the World Congress Center in Atlanta, where decision makers from across the state gathered to share information and network. Chair June Wood, District I Commissioner Johnny Wilson, District II Commissioner Dee Clemmons, District III Commissioner Gary Barham, District IV Commissioner Blake Prince and District V Commissioner Bruce Holmes joined several thousand others, including the state’s top business leaders, elected officials, influencers and decision makers. The annual event featured speakers Governor Nathan Deal and Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, along with a slate of leaders discussing what the future holds for the state of Georgia. The program also henrycounty-ga.org
featured a comprehensive presentation on upcoming projects by the Georgia Department of Transportation. District IV Commissioner Blake Prince said he was encouraged by the full participation of the Board and looks forward to many more opportunities to bring Henry County to the state table. “It was a great opportunity to network with our counterparts throughout the state and share what we are doing and our vision for moving Henry County forward,” said Prince. Prince said that events like this are important steps to enable the County to have a seat at the table with the State of Georgia, in order to be considered for available funding and other opportunities, and said he looks forward to future opportunities and events.
Henry County PD Earns State Re-certification
The Henry County Police Department earned re-certification from the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police and were presented with a congratulatory palague and certificate. Pictured in the first row (l. to r.) Police Chief Keith Nichols, Chair June Wood, Chief James Calloway with the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police and Captain Keith Going; Second row (l. tor.) District V Commissioner Bruce Holmes, District I Commissioner Johnny Wilson, District IV Commissioner Blake Prince, District III Commissioner Gary Barham and Deputy Police Chief Mark Amerman.
Henry County Updates Public Comment Procedure The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved an ordinance to update and refine its public participation procedure during Commission meetings. The action came during the January 3, 2017 regular meeting. The Public Participation section of the code was amended to remove the longer 15-minute public comment portions and allow for citizens wishing to voice concerns or comments to each have five minutes to do so. Commissioners took the action to provide for more efficient meetings of the Board of Commissioners and in order to ensure that all citizens have an equal opportunity to address the Board. Chair June Wood addressed the Board’s action in saying that the Commission has received complaints and concerns about the longer increments not being used in a constructive manner and delaying the conduction of county business. She added that
past instances also bordered on slanderous speech. “Through careful consideration and thoughtful contemplation, the board has collectively decided to eliminate the 15-minute increments of public comment,” said Wood. “We want to be respectful of everyone’s right to speak, while being mindful of the public’s right to see county business conducted in an efficient and productive manner.” District IV Commissioner Blake Prince also relayed that he has received several complaints from constituents over the past year about the longer public comment and how it has been misused. The new ordinance still allows for each citizen to address the Board for five minutes as well as enables the five-minute public comment to be extended by majority vote on a case by case basis, and prohibits citizens’ use of video, power point and multimedia presentations.
5