April 21, 2016
Board of
Commissioners
Henry County Police Officers Recognized for Saving Lives
Regular Meetings May 3 at 9:00 AM May 17 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. The Henry County Board of Commissioners pictured with the honored officers, Police Chief Keith Nichols and other Police Department personnel.
Four Henry County Police Officers were recognized at the April 19 Commission meeting for saving citizens’ lives. Police Chief Keith Nichols presented the awards and stated, “These officers do an exceptional job on a daily basis and most of what they do goes unrecognized but I think the citizens of this great County are lucky to have them.” Officer Khiry Thomas was presented with a Meritorious Service Medal for showing tremendous restraint during a crisis situation involving a mentally disturbed man wielding a knife. Officer Thomas was able to end a potentially deadly situation with minimum force thanks to the timely Crisis Intervention Training that he finished the day before the incident. Crisis Intervention Training is a 40-hour training that helps officers recognize mentally unstable or disturbed individuals engaged in a crime, and gives them the tools to better approach, diffuse and apprehend them. Continued on page 2
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April 21, 2016 Officer Awards from page 1
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
Main Driveway of Administration Building Closed The main driveway to the Henry County Administration Building was closed at 9:00 a.m. today for reconstruction. It will remain closed throughout the weekend and week of April 25. Access to the front parking lot is available by using the lower driveway and driving around the building. The driveway will be re-profiled to allow for an appropriately sloped crosswalk. The reconstruction will involve removal and replacement of the existing curb and gutter, asphalt and base material. After construction on the main driveway is complete, construction on other driveways along Henry Blvd. will continue. Please direct all questions to Michael Toney at 770-288-7625. henrycounty-ga.org
Officers George Dixon, Dan Shelley and Roikendo Exum were presented with the Life Saving Medal for successfully rehabilitating an unconscious woman who wasn’t breathing. Officers Dixon and Shelley were able to administer CPR, which helped the woman take shallow breaths. Officer Exum arrived shortly after with an AED defibrillator and shocked her heart into palpitating while waiting for paramedics to arrive. “To be able to utilize this training when it’s pouring down rain in the middle of the night on a woman who has no pulse and be able to bring her back with no neurological deficiencies is great,” commented Officer Shelley.
Officials Break Ground on New Fire Station in District 2
Henry County Commission Chairman Tommy Smith, and Commissioners Brian Preston, Bo Moss and Gary Barham, along with the SPLOST Department, members of the fire department and others, were on hand for the official groundbreaking of a new fire station to be located at 1875 Hampton-Locust Grove Rd. in Locust Grove. The new fire station will be 9,517 square feet and will feature three bays, sleeping quarters, a kitchen, laundry facilities, common living area, a fitness room, staff offices and battalion chief’s quarters. District II Commissioner Brian Preston said that public safety is vital for citizens. “Paramount to what our duties are as county commissioners, is safety of our citizens, and that’s what this fire station is going to provide. We’re very excited about the opportunity to be able to provide this for the county, and I look forward to it being something that we look at for years to come with pride,” said Preston. Interim Fire Chief Brad Johnson offered words of gratitude for the investment being made into the community and public safety. “I’d like to thank the Commissioners for making public safety a priority. Our goal within Henry County is
to provide the best service possible. We have the best personnel and provide the best service,” said Johnson. “The quickest, the right place, the right time, and the right unit is our philosophy and we thank everybody for supporting that.” According to SPLOST officials, the pumper truck and ambulance that will service the new station have already been ordered. Architect for the new fire station is Bill Howell with the Howell Group of Marietta and the contractor is Tommy Gibson Builders of Warner Robbins. With a $2.2 million budget, the new station was made possible under the SPLOST IV initiative. Construction is estimated to be completed by January 2017.
(Left to right) Chairman Tommy Smith, District III Commissioner Gary Barham, District II Commissioner Brian Preston and District I Commissioner Bo Moss at the groundbreaking for Fire Station No. 14 in Locust Grove on April 19, 2016 at 1 p.m.
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April 21, 2016
Kickin’ it Old School Summer Day Camp Registration Open Summer is the time for fun in the sun, not the time for binge watching Netflix and Nickelodeon. Be prepared for when school lets out by registering students aged 5 to 13 for the Henry County Parks and Recreation’s eight week Kickin’ it Old School Summer Camp. Registration is open at any Parks and Recreation office, Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for eight, one week sessions of summer day camp taking place May 31-July 1 and July 11-July 29, Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The registration fee for one child is $100 per week. Each week of camp will offer a field trip and swim day. Week one, May 31-June 3, will feature a trip to a Braves game. For week two, June 6-10, campers will go to Pin Strikes bowling. During week three, June 13-17, participants will visit the World of Coke. For week four, June 20-24, campers will enjoy a trip to Sky Zone Trampoline Park, and to wrap up week five, June 27-July 1, inflatables and karaoke will be set up at a Parks and Recreation office location. Week six, July 11-15, will feature a trip to Medieval Times. For week seven, July 18-22, chaperones will take the campers to Starlite Skating Center and for week eight, July 25-29, a field day will be set up at the J.P. Moseley Recreation Center. For more information on the Kickin’ it Old School Summer Camp, visit www.hcprd.org or call Henry County Parks and Recreation at 770-288-7300. henrycounty-ga.org
Severe Weather Awareness Contest Awards Announced
The Board of Commissioners pictured with the Severe Weather Awareness Contest winners and members of the Henry County E.M.A. and Board of Education.
Knowing that prepared students are safe students, the Henry County Emergency Management Agency (E.M.A.) in conjunction with the Board of Education, developed a contest to engage students in Severe Weather Awareness. Three separate contests were held for elementary, middle and high school students within the Henry County School System. The winners received a book bag packed with goodies, a certificate of achievement and a challenge coin from the Henry County E.M.A. Elementary students were asked to create posters depicting severe weather awareness and Cecilia McCarthy from Wesley Lakes Elementary School was presented the award for best poster. Middle school students competed in an essay contest and Ethan Ledford from Ola Middle School was presented the award for best essay. High school students were asked to create a digital video public service announcement and a group of four students from Stockbridge High School, including Jamond Farrar, Justin Massey, Rashaundra Aikens and Braxton Johnson, were presented the award for best video. For more information on the Henry County Emergency Management Agency and it’s education efforts, please visit www.henrycounty-ga.org/911.
10th Annual Geranium Festival Wheelchair Tennis Tournament Set for April 22-24
Year after year the Annual Geranium Festival Wheelchair Tennis Tournament is a smashing success. Pictured (l. to r.) are tournament referee Denise Hanson, player Veronica Grove and Tournament Director Harlon Matthews from 2013.
Let the Geranium Festival Wheelchair Tennis Tournament serve you up a good time on April 22-24 at Richard Craig Park in McDonough. The tournament is celebrating its 10 year anniversary with its largest participation rate yet. Sixtyfour players from across the country, eighteen of which are women, will compete in the largest letter division only tournament in the United States for a $6,000 prize. In accordance with the tournament’s theme, staff will be Servin’ it up, Southern Style to the men’s A, B and C divisions, novice division and women’s A and B divisions. This is the inaugural year of the tournaments women’s B division, thanks to the increase in women participants. Singles and doubles competitions will begin at 9 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and end at 6 p.m. All spectators who come out to support the competitors will be entered to win a series of door
prizes. There will also be three drawings for three separate pairs of tickets to the BB&T Atlanta Open Semi-finals Evening match between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 23. The Geranium Festival Wheelchair Tennis Tournament is presented by Henry County Parks and Recreation and was made possible by the County’s support and generous community sponsors, including the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association, Luxottica, the Bennett Taylor Family Foundation, the Burns Family Foundation, Active Pest Control, R&R Mobility, Melwood Springs Water, ABC Medical, NuMotion and the Walton Foundation. For more information, contact Harlon Matthews at 404-308-2414 or hmatthews@co.henry.ga.us.
Previous competitors at the Geranium Festival Wheelchair Tennis Tournament including Tournament Director, Harlon Matthews.
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April 21, 2016 Early Voting Schedule for the May 24 Primary/General Election Early voting for the May 24, 2016 Primary/General Election will be conducted at various locations including the Elections and Voter Registration Main Office from May 2 until May 20. Polls will be open on election day from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. For further information or to request an absentee ballot, call 770-288-6448.
Merle Manders Fairview Conference Library Center
Fortson (Hampton) Library
Locust Grove Library
DATE
Elections Office
May 2-6
8 a.m. - 5 p.m. ------------------
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May 9-13
8 a.m. - 5 p.m. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. ------------------
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May 14
9 a.m. - 4 p.m. 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. ------------------
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May 16-20 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.
Commissioners Welcome Young Leaders
Henry County Parks and Recreation Tim Coley, Director
The Henry County Board of Commissioners welcomed a group of students involved in the Youth Henry Leadership organization, at the April 19 Commission Meeting.
2016 SUMMER BASKETBALL Registration will be accepted in the recreation office at Heritage Park May 2nd—31st from 9am - 4pm and online at www.hcprd.org. The Coach’s meeting is Monday, June 6th at 7pm at Heritage Park.. This meeting is mandatory!!!!
Competitive Church Competitive Open
Fee is $450.00 Per team and must be paid at time of registration
*If there are not enough teams to have separate leagues then the 2 leagues will be combined*
Season will consist of 10 games and a single elimination Tournament
GAMES BEGIN JUNE 16TH
Pictured in the first row (l. to r.) Kelly Tran, Nia Kimbro, Chairman Smith, Natalie Mangval, Lauren Mallory, Rachel McPhaul, Haley Crigler and Hima Nesbit. Pictured in the back row (l. to r.) Commissioner Barham, Commissioner Moss, Commissioner Holmes and Commissioner Preston.
henrycounty-ga.org
For more information Contact Peggy Hesselbach Phone: 770-288-7294 Email: phesselbach@co.henry.ga.us
99 Lake Dow Road •McDonough, GA. 30252 • (770)288-7300 • FAX (770)288-7288 www.co.henry.ga.us