Henry County Update - Newsletter

January 13, 2021

Board of

Public Safety Top Personnel Lead by Example

Commissioners Regular Meetings Wed. January 20, 6:30 p.m Tues. February 2, 9:00 a.m.

Meetings held at: Administration Building Community Room 140 Henry Parkway McDonough, GA 30253 Regular Commission meetings air daily on Henry TV Charter Channel 180 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99, at 9 a.m. & 7 p.m.

Henry County Public Safety leaders including Emergency Management Agency Director Don Ash, Police Chief Mark Amerman, Deputy Police Chief Mike Ireland and Deputy Fire Chief of Operations Rodney Wiggins were among the first public safety personnel to receive the COVID-19 vaccine earlier this month.

In an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Henry County public safety and first responders are encouraged to receive the vaccine.

Amerman said he is leading by example and showing his officers that the vaccine shot is safe to get.

“I think it is important that I start and lead by example for the men and women of the Henry County Police Department,” said Amerman. “I think that it is important for everyone who can possibly get vaccinated to do so, so we can beat this virus and get back to normal.”

Several members of Henry County’s public safety departments participated in the event.

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January 13, 2021

Published by Henry County Communications & Public Information Department Henry County Government

Editor Melissa Robinson

Graphic Designer Meredith Butler

Layout Designer Melissa Robinson Meredith Butler

Contributors Melissa Robinson Erika Richards

District 4 Public Health (DPH), in conjuction with Henry County EMS and Public Safety, successfully vaccinated over 800 citizens at the January 12th event held at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton. DPH has setup a dedicated phone number to call for vaccine appointments as more doses are made available to the State of Georgia and District 4 Public Health. The DPH scheduling line is 1-800-847-4262 option 1 to book appointments as available. For more informatoin please visit the DPH website at https://www.district4health.org/covid-19-vaccine/. henrycounty-ga.org

Henry County Launches COVID-19 Testing Initiative for the Public Drive-up testing to be available in various locations throughout the county

The Henry County Board of Commissioners has allocated funding for drive-up testing sites resulting in the county launching a COVID-19 testing initiative by setting up 3 SPOC (Specimen Point Of Collection) locations throughout the county.

Now through the month of January, Henry County will offer free COVID-19 testing at the following locations on the specific day listed. Additionally, Henry County Transit will offer free shuttle service to the testing sites. Residents should call 770-288-7444 to schedule a ride.

Pre-registration for testing is strongly recommended. Please visit https://covid19.dph.ga.gov/en-US/ to register.

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Mondays: Hidden Valley Park - 100 Spraggins Memorial Parkway, Stockbridge Wednesdays: North Mt. Carmel Park - 307 North Mt. Carmel Road, Hampton Fridays: Warren Holder Park - 301 Club Drive, Locust Grove

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Sites will operate 10am to 3pm each scheduled day.

The test and results will be provided through Public Health at no cost to Henry County. Henry County personnel will operate and support the sites.

This is a part of the ongoing support that has been requested by the Board of Commissioners and the Henry County Board of Health.

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January 13, 2021 Henry County Honors Fallen Police Officer Michael Smith with Memorial Marker

In honor and remembrance of fallen officer Michael Smith, Henry County Government held a memorial service and unveiled a memorial marker this morning at 378 Jonesboro Rd. in McDonough, near the intersection of Jonesboro Rd. and Dailey’s Mill Rd.

The service began with a procession from the Henry County Sheriff’s Department where the Smith family, accompanied by law enforcement, traveled to the memorial marker site. Upon the family’s arrival, a crowd of fellow officers, county leadership and staff, were in attendance to remember and show respect

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for Officer Smith who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our community.

Chaplain Leon Baxter opened the program with an invocation, followed by poignant remarks from Henry County Commission Chair June Wood, Police Chief Mark Amerman and County Manager Cheri Hobson-Matthews.

In solemn tribute, a releasing of doves and the unveiling of the Officer Michael W. Smith Hero’s Highway Marker was presented in memoriam.

Commissioners Continue Discussion on Henry County Aquatic Center Location

No decision has been made regarding the location of the Henry County Aquatic Center after a lengthy discussion between the Henry County Board of Commissioners during this morning’s Commission meeting.

Jonathon Penn, Leisure Services Cluster Lead, and the county’s Aquatic Consultant, Bob McCallister, made the presentation. Penn outlined the timeline of the project, identified four proposed locations for the aquatic center and shared McCallister’s recommendation for the aquatic center location.

During the meeting, McCallister gave an overview of each site to the Board of Commissioners, which included Jodeco Rd., Mill Rd., Red Hawk Park and Willow Lane. He further explained the advantages and disadvantages for each site and recommended the Red Hawk Park site for the Henry County Aquatic Center.

District II Commissioner Dee Clemmons and District V Commissioner Bruce Holmes shared the same views about the recommended project location.

“The areas off Willow and Mill are the best sites.

I think Mill Rd. offers us the best opportunity to build the state-of-the art facility but having a facility across from the jail does not make much sense to me,” said Holmes.

County Attorney Patrick Jaugstetter shared with Commissioners that he attended a meeting with individuals who were under contract to purchase the Mill Rd. property, who indicated that they would donate said property to the county.

“I am really excited about the Mill Rd. location.

We are inviting families and children to this area, we

are inviting competition teams to this area as well and in doing so they need to be close to entertainment, food, hotels. They need the accessibility and the Mills Rd. location offers that for them,” said District IV Commissioner Vivian Thomas.

District I Commissioner Johnny Wilson questioned the land donation of the Mill Rd. site that had been referred to earlier during the discussion and District III Commissioner Gary Barham echoed his sentiments.

Board members continued to discuss the proposed Red Hawk site.

“The site is across the street from the Admin Building. We have ball fields over there that we use for tournaments,” said Barham. “It makes sense. It is centrally located in the county and we haven’t acquired the Mill Rd. property. We should move forward with county-owned property.”

Chair Carlotta Harrell said that it is essential for Board members to have all the information regarding this project and stressed the importance of providing transparency.

“Making a decision and not having all the information on each site is premature,” said Harrell.

“When we talk about taxpayer dollars, we have to be transparent with everything we do across the board and though we may have the site promised that it will be donated, we don’t actually have the site. We are elected to make informed decisions for our constituents county-wide.”

County leadership is expected to continue discussion on the best location for the proposed aquatic center at a future meeting.

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January 13, 2021 Commissioners Make Board Appointments

During the first meeting of the New Year, Commissioners made several reappointments including the appointment of District III Commissioner Gary Barham as Vice Chair of the Board of Commissioners.

Board members also approved the appointments of Dawn Randolph (At-Large), Don Veum (District I), Jim Risher (District III), Noreer Walker (District IV) and Delander Nelson (District V) as a members of the Zoning Advisory Board, each for a two-year term; Warren Holder (District I), Jimmy Carter (District III), Sandra Rozier (District IV) and Siddiqa Gibson (District V) as members of the Water Authority Board, each for a two-year term; David Crowe (District

I) and Eddie Ausband (District III) as members of the Development Authority and John Dewberry, Jr. (District I) and David Wilkerson (District III) as members of the Recreation Board, all for a four-year term.

Commissioners approved the appointments of Sharon Ponder (Chair), Kathy Gardner (District I) and Anne Franklin (District III) as members of the Library Board for a four-year term and Vanessa Jackson (District I) as a member of the Henry First Board, all for a term to expire December 31, 2024.

For a complete list of all Boards and Authorities, please visit henrycounty-ga.com/clerk.

County Recognizes Recent Retirements

The Henry County Board of Commissioners recognized nine employees on their recent retirements, during the first Commission meeting of the New Year which was held via videoconference.

Human Resources Director Harold Cooper made the presentation and thanked employees for their dedication to the citizens of Henry County. Employees who recognized include:

Edward Floyd for 19 years with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office Dennis Hall for 28 years with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office Kenneth Kemple for 21 years with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office Michael Kehoe for 29 years with the Henry County

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Sheriff’s Office Carolyn Morgan for 22 years with the Henry Tax Commissioners Office David Foster for 38 years with the Henry Sheriff’s Office Howard Waddell for 24 years with the Henry Police Department Keith McBrayer for 45 years with the Henry Sheriff’s Office Barbara Harrison for 25 years with the Henry Superior Court

For more information on Henry Government, visit henrycounty-ga.com.

County County County County County County

Commissioner Bruce Holmes to Host Forum on Human Trafficking

District V Commissioner Bruce Holmes will be hosting a town hall meeting on Saturday, January 23 at 10 a.m. at New Hope Christian Ministries in Stockbridge to discuss the topic of human trafficking.

Attendees will hear from Kimberly Crawford with the Power Panel-Pink Bootz on the Ground organization, who will cover topics that include the state of human trafficking in the metro Atlanta area, how to identify cases of human trafficking and how to help those who have been affected by the crime.

Members of the Henry County Police Department will also be in attendance to give a human trafficking presentation specific to Henry County.

New Hope Cathedral Ministries is located at 1738 Fairview Rd. in Stockbridge which is across the street from the Fairview Public Library.

For more information on this event, please call 770-288-6001 and for more information on the Power Panel-Pink Bootz on the Ground organization call 404454-4601.

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January 13, 2021 Funds to Remain in SPLOST Interchange Project Account

The Henry County Board of Commissioners engaged in a spirited discussion today on reallocating $5 million from the SPLOST IV Bethlehem Interchange project to other roads projects, but the resolution did not pass in a 3-3 vote, with District II Commissioner Dee Clemmons, District IV Commissioner Vivian Thomas and District V Commissioner Bruce Holmes in favor of moving the funds, and District I Commissioner Johnny Wilson, District III Commissioner Gary Barham and Commission Chair Carlotta Harrell in opposition.

In 2013, voters approved the SPLOST IV project list which included an allocation of 5.5 million toward an interchange in the area of Bethlehem Rd. The project has not started and SPLOST Transportation Director Roque Romero, who presented the item, said that the project is expected to cost approximately $40 million Romero added that he is scheduled to meet with the Georgia Department of Transportation representatives next week to discuss funding, engineering and a project timeline. The Bethlehem Rd. Interchange project is a GDOT project and 5.5 million was allocated as the county’s portion of a 20 percent match for the approved SPLOST IV project.

Holmes said his concern about putting funding toward the project would result in an inland port and that he has several roads in District 5 that need repair and improvements. He said he favors giving district commissioners autonomy in deciding on how funds would be best spent.

Barham said when the SPLOST funds were approved, it was for Henry County to have “skin in the game” to alleviate traffic congestion on Highway 155.

Commissioners weighed in on thoughts and implications about reallocating funds from approved SPLOST projects, and county attorney Patrick Jaugstetter explained how funds could be reallocated.

Jaugstetter clarified that funds may be

reallocated, but once approved, SPLOST projects must still be completed and funds can come from a variety of sources, however, funds to complete a SPLOST IV project may not come from SLPOST V unless the project is also on the SPLOST V list.

Chair Harrell looked for clarification on the status of other SPLOST IV projects and what funding was available for unfinished projects.

Wilson, who opposed moving the funds, suggested that the Board table the item until staff had an opportunity to meet with GDOT representatives.

“We can then find out their recommendations and have a clearer understanding from them,” said Wilson.

Clemmons maintained that the resolution was not calling to abandon the interchange project, but rather to move funds to be used for shovel ready projects.

“We are not trying to abandon this project, and I don’t want to convolute this resolution. This project was approved by the voters and would have to go back before the voter, we would still fund the interchange project once GDOT comes up with the other $40 million.”

County manager Cheri Hobson-Matthews explained that the $5.5 million was allocated because the BOC at that time wanted the project to be a priority with GDOT.

Jaugstetter said that today’s debate raises one of the problematic things about SPLOST, saying that the timetable in the way SPLOST project lists are approved, current commissioners are saddled with policies and priorities from previous boards.

Harrell asked for further clarification on the specific projects that funds would be reallocated to and before moving those funds, said she would like to see a specific project list, however no list was available at Continued on page 9

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Board Approves Purchases, Grants and More

The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved several resolutions at the January 6 Commission meeting. Items approved include: • Henry County DOT resolution—authorized the Chair to sign a GDOT Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant Application for fiscal year 2021 • Technology Services resolution—approved the purchase of Dell computers, monitors, laptops and docking stations in the amount of $313,685 using Capital Funds.

• SPLOST resolutions—awarded the engineering design services for Snapping Shoals Rd. in the amount of $257,000 to Croy Engineering, LLC.; awarded the engineering design services for Airline Rd. Extension in the amount of $248,340 to EXP US Services, Inc. • Emergency Management resolution—approved the use of Henry County Heritage Senior Center

for a COVID-19 testing site by Mako Medical Laboratories. The drive-through testing site is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.

• Capital Projects resolution—awarded the design services for the Fairview Rd. Sidewalk Improvement Project in the amount of $143,650 to Kimley Horn & Associates of Atlanta, GA. SPLOST V funds and $3 million of unassigned Fund Balance will be allocated for this project.

• Financial Service and Grant Administration resolution—approved seven Henry County small businesses and two non-profits for COVID-19 relief through the Restart Assistance Program.

For more information or to view the meeting in its entirety, visit co.henry.ga.us/watchTV.

Interchange - continued from page 5 the time.

Thomas asked county management on the feasibility of a line item to replenish funds that are reallocated.

“We should make good use of this money. It’s been sitting too long,” said Thomas.

Harrell asked the county manager to clarify what happens when projects remain unfinished or how unused funds are utilized.

“Several months ago, we started cleaning up

our SPLOST 4 project list,” said Hobson-Matthews.

She went on to detail several projects that still needed funding, the difference between county-wide and district specific projects, and tier one and tier two project lists. She explained that if the funds are reallocated, the county would still have to provide the $5 million to put towards the project because it has already been approved by voters.

Romero is expected to brief leadership on his meeting with GDOT later this month.

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January 13, 2021 DOLE PACKAGED FOODS TO OPEN NEW FROZEN FRUIT FACILITY IN MCDONOUGH, GEORGIA

Operation will strategically service east coast customers in a timelier manner

Rendering of the new state-of-the-art Dole Packaged Foods frozen fruit facility at 1273 Medline Place, McDonough, GA 30253

Dole Packaged Foods will be opening a new state-of-art frozen fruit facility in McDonough, GA at the end of January 2021. This will be Dole’s third frozen fruit facility, complimenting the existing operations in Atwater, CA and Decatur, MI.

The new Dole facility is approximately 63,000 square feet, fully automated and will have four manufacturing lines which when at capacity can produce 60 million pounds of fruit annually. The operations will package frozen fruit for Dole’s retail, food service and private label customers on the east coast. Production will begin later this month in a phased approach and should be fully operational by September 2021. When at full speed the facility will employee over 100 Dole associates and will run three shifts.

Dole has a partnership with United States Cold Storage who will handle the warehousing and distribution in an adjacent building with a state-of-art automated storage/retrieval system.

The facility will enable Dole to bring more

nutritious and healthy frozen fruit to consumers. Dole fruit is picked at the peak of ripeness and flash frozen to keep all the nutrients and vitamins that are found in fresh fruit. Dole frozen fruit is incredibly versatile, economical and flavorful.

“We are excited to have this facility open later this month”, stated Sunil Phabiani, Vice President of Manufacturing, Dole Packaged Foods. He added, “Dole has strong commitment to bringing our healthy products to as many people as possible and this operation will help us achieve this goal. We look forward to many years of success at this facility.”

Earlier this year the company announced “The Dole Promise” which aims to increase access to sustainable nutrition, decrease food waste, plastics in packaging and carbon emissions and grow value for company stakeholders, including farmers and shareholders.

Dole has partnered with Atlanta CareerRise, the Georgia Department of Labor, and WorkSource Atlanta

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DOLE - continued from page 9 Regional, who will be hosting a virtual recruitment event on January 7, 2021 for a variety of jobs.

Interested candidates can request a referral through EmployGeorgia.com, the Georgia Department of Labor’s newest job search tool. New users can create an account and create/upload a résumé on EmployGeorgia.com. Visit https://bit.ly/2LSEK0Z to view job postings and request a referral. Qualified candidates will receive an invitation and interview time to attend the virtual recruitment event via zoom.

To request a referral and interview click here to apply in advance https://bit.ly/2LSEK0Z

To register for the event without a guaranteed interview click here: https://bit.ly/3aEyoww

About Dole Packaged Foods, LLC Dole Packaged Foods, LLC, is a world leader in growing, sourcing, distributing and marketing fruit and healthy snacks. Dole sells a full line of packaged shelf stable fruit, frozen fruit, dried fruit, and juices. The company focuses on four pillars of sustainability: water management, carbon footprint, soil conservation and waste reduction. For more information, please visit dolesunshine.com or dolesunshine.com/doing-good.

SEE CLICK FIX henrycounty-ga.com/SeeClickFix

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Henry County Receives Employee Safety Grant from ACCG Insurance Programs

Henry County was recently awarded an Employee Safety Grant from the ACCG - Group SelfInsurance Workers’ Compensation Fund (ACCGGSIWCF). The Employee Safety Grants are available to fund members that are fostering a culture of workplace safety through additional training, equipment or services.

With this year’s grant, the Henry County Risk Management Department purchased items to be distributed to employees, with a focus on employees who work in the field. Items included: • vehicle back up cameras • hard hats • back support belts • flashlights and headlamps (hands-free flashlights) • first aid kits for vehicles and offices

The ACCG-GSIWCF Board of Trustees allotted $1.5 million in grant funds over a three-year period, with $500,000 available to eligible members in 2020.

“We are pleased to provide this newly created grant program to assist members in improving their safety efforts,” said ACCG-GSIWCF Board of Trustees Chairman and McDuffie County Commissioner Frederick Favors. “The opportunity to receive the Employee Safety Grant is just one of the many benefits of being a part of ACCG’s member-owned workers’

compensation program.”

The ACCG-GSIWCF provides workers’ compensation insurance to more Georgia county governments than all other insurers combined and has assets of approximately $248 million. Since 1985, the program has returned more than $90 million in dividends to the membership.

ACCG offers loss control services to all members of its workers’ compensation program through Local Government Risk Management Services (LGRMS), a non-profit agency operated jointly with the Georgia Municipal Association. Each member appoints a Safety Coordinator to work with LGRMS on creating and maintaining safe working environments for their government officials, employees and volunteers.

ACCG is Georgia’s County Association and was formed in 1914 when county officials came together to help fund the state’s first highway department. ACCG works on behalf of county officials and their communities by providing public policy and legislative advocacy, leadership development, civic and community engagement initiatives, insurance and retirement programs that specialize in local government needs and other cost-saving programs. ACCG today serves as a catalyst for advancing Georgia’s counties.

For more information, go to www.accg.org.

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