Henry County Update - Newsletter

February 18, 2016

Board of

Commissioners

County on Track to Receive Millions for Road Projects

Regular Meetings March 1 at 9:00 AM March 15 at 6:30 PM 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.

Henry County has been awarded millions in federal grant funding through the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) for two transportation projects in the County.

Henry County District IV Commissioner Blake Prince said he made the announcement during Commissioner Bruce Holmes’ monthly town hall meeting held on January 31.

“I am always encouraged when the County is able to utilize grants for much needed improvement projects, particularly our roads,” said Prince. “I look forward to addressing these projects and helping to facilitate better transportation throughout the County.”

According to SPLOST Transportation Director Roque Romero, the County submitted the projects last summer for consideration, and they were approved for the grant funding for fiscal year 2017. The Rock Quarry Road widening project will receive $1.2 million for design, requiring a $300,000 match from the County. The other project set to receive federal grant funds for design services is the SR 81 widening in the amount of $1.2 million, which also requires a $300,000 match.

According to Romero, the grants will be available in fiscal year 2017, which begins in July 2016. In order to present the grants to the Henry County Board Continued on page 2

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February 18, 2016

Published by Henry County Communications Department The Henry County Board of Commissioners

Editor Melissa Robinson

Graphic Designer Meredith Butler Samantha Watson

Layout Designer Samantha Watson

Contributors Melissa Robinson Samantha Watson Kevin Williams

Road projects from page 1 of Commissioners for acceptance and allocation of the matching funds, the County needs a Project Framework Agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation. He said he expects that agreement to be in place by this June and will likely take a resolution to the Board of Commissioners in July. Funds for the required match are available in SPLOST IV.

For more information on any SPLOST project, please visit www.henrycounty-ga.org/splost.

henrycounty-ga.org

Youth Track and Field Registration Open

There’s no better way to “warm up” your kids in winter than by registering them for Henry County Parks and Recreation’s youth track and field program.

The youth track and field program is for children ages 7-14. It costs $85.00 per child to register, which includes a uniform, warmup sweatpants and hoodie, award and meet fees.

Registration takes place Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. from now until February 26, 2016.

You can register at the Heritage Park office, the J.P. Moseley Recreation Center, Locust Grove Recreation Center, Fairview Recreation Center or online at www. hcprd.org.

For more information on the youth track and field program, contact Henry County Parks and Recreation at 770-288-7300 or visit www.hcprd.org.

Free Tree Seedling Giveaway for Small Fruit Plant Sale Benefits Extension Programs Georgia Arbor Day

It’s never too early to start thinking about spring in Henry County, and with Georgia Arbor Day right around the corner, the Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District is partnering with the Henry County Extension Office, the Henry Master Gardeners, the Henry County BOC, and the cities of McDonough, Locust Grove and Stockbridge for this year’s Arbor Day Tree Giveaway, which will be held on Friday, February 19, 2016 beginning at 8:30 a.m.

The three species selected for this year’s giveaway are the Flowering Dogwood, Pecan and Yellow Poplar which are all beautiful ornamental trees that attract various wildlife. Seedlings will be available at four locations, including the Aubrey Harvey Agriculture Building located at 333 Phillips Dr., and Heritage Park, at 97 Lake Dow Rd., both in McDonough; the Locust Grove Municipal Building located at 3644 Hwy 42 S., Locust Grove; and Stockbridge Presbyterian Church, located at 4740 North Henry Blvd., Stockbridge.

The Henry County Extension Office wants to remind residents that warm weather will be here before you know it. With that in mind, be sure to order your small fruit plants from the Henry County Cooperative Extension Office’s “Small Fruit Plant Sale,” with proceeds going to support various extension programs.

Blueberry bushes are $10 each; blackberry bushes, fig trees and muscadines are $8 each; raspberry plants are $7; and 5-gallon pear trees are $16 each.

Plant orders are being taken from now until Friday, March 11, for pick up the following week at Heritage Park. Order forms may be found online at http://www.caes.uga.edu/extension/henry/ from the menu on the right.

District IV Town Hall Meeting with Commissioner Blake Prince on Feb. 20 District IV Commissioner Blake Prince is hosting a town hall meeting on Saturday, February 20, 2016 at 9 a.m. at the J.P. Moseley Recreation Center in Stockbridge.

The meeting will feature a discussion on E-SPLOST and education issues. Superintendent of Henry County Schools, Rodney Bowler, is the special guest speaker.

Town hall meetings are open to the public and all citizens are encouraged to attend.

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February 18, 2016 Early Voting Currently Ongoing

Early voting for the March 2016 Presidential Preference Primary, ESPLOST and Annexation by Referendum question for Locust Grove is being conducted at various locations including the Elections and Voter Registration Main Office from now until February 26, 2016.

During the early voting period, voters will have the opportunity to cast a ballot on Saturday, Feb. 21

and Sunday, Feb. 22.

In anticipation of a busy election season, Henry County is in the process of making upgrades to the new elections office located at 40 Atlanta Street in McDonough. Facilities Maintenance crews have been renovating the inside of the building for easier handicap access and are making improvements to the parking lot for enhanced traffic flow.

Merle Manders Fairview Conference Library Center

Fortson (Hampton) Library

Locust Grove Library

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Feb. 15-19 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. ------------------

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Feb. 20

9 a.m. - 4 p.m. 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. ------------------

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Feb. 21

1 p.m. - 5 p.m. 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. ------------------

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DATE

Elections Office

Feb. 8-12

8 a.m. - 5 p.m. ------------------

Feb. 22-26 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.

henrycounty-ga.org

Registration On for Rock Eagle Summer Camp For Henry County 5TH Graders

An amazing adventure awaits Henry County 5th grade students at the Rock Eagle 4-H Center, to be held this year from June 13-17, 2016. The Henry County 4-H staff will travel with students for a 5-day residential camp that week, where opportunities will

abound during a fun-filled week at the 1,500 acre camp located just north of Eatonton – about 60 miles from McDonough.

The camp is situated around a 110-acre lake and campers have the opportunity to canoe as well as engage in fun and educational activities, such as canoeing, archery, conservation, entomology, forestry, herpetology, lake ecology and the study of wildlife.

Campers will also enjoy periods of free-time where they can visit one of two swimming pools, play miniature golf or visit the canteen and hang out with friends.

All 5th grade campers take part in a hike to the actual Rock Eagle mound – a stone effigy measuring 120-feet from wingtip to wingtip. It is made entirely of milky quartz rocks and is believed to have been built about 2,000 years ago by Native Americans. The mound is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Camp sessions are led by very energetic counselors who have passed a rigorous selection process and completed multiple training sessions.

Camp chaperones include Henry County 4-H staff members along with volunteer leaders that are trained to meet the requirements for camp.

Knowing that physical activity and good nutrition are so very important for everyone, Rock Eagle offers the “Health’s Our Pledge” (HOP) Class during the week of camp. Students learn about the value of always being active and eating well.

A week of residential camp is an opportunity to gain independence, with emphasis placed on: * The importance of being early for each session. * The value of being responsible for one’s belongings. * The benefit of making new friends. * The merit of learning to work as part of a team or group.

Counselors and chaperones keep safety as the top priority while striving to help participants have great fun during a “technology-free” week.

Camp registration for Henry County 5th graders is ongoing at the Henry County 4-H Office, which is located in Heritage Park at 97 Lake Dow Road, McDonough. The camp registration form is distributed to all Henry County 5th graders in the Henry County School system and it may also be found at www.ugaextension.com/henry. Full payment can be made at time of registration or in three installments.

To view a video of camp highlights, go to the Georgia 4-H website, click on “activities & events”, then summer camp, and then Cloverleaf Camp Videos – Rock Eagle. The direct link is http://georgia4-h.wistia.com/medias/wzux86tm02.

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