May 14, 2020
Board of
Commissioners
Henry County Administration Building to Re-open May 18
Regular Meetings May 19th, 6:30 p.m. June 2nd, 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.
The Henry County Administration building and several other facilities will be opening to the public on May 18, 2020, and a plan is in place to reopen additional county facilities over the next several weeks. It was in mid-March when county facilities were closed to the public and many county employees switched to a teleworking schedule amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The County Administration building located at 140 Henry Parkway will open to the public beginning May 18 between the hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those entering the building are required to wear a face covering, have their temperature checked with a forehead thermometer and will be required to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Employees are already complying with these requirements. Other county facilities set to open on Monday May 18 include: • The Henry County Airport • Animal Control • DOT at full operations • Elections Office with limited service • Recycling Center Continued on page 5
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May 14, 2020 Published by
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Henry County Communications & Public Information Department Henry County Government
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Contributors Melissa Robinson Erika Richards
BOC Sets Restrictions on Dollar and Small Box Retailers The Henry County Board of Commissioners passed an ordinance to amend the Unified Land Development Code to limit dollar store and small box discount stores. The action came at the May 5 regular commission meeting, held by video conference. After a presentation by Chief Planner Stacey Jordan-Rudeseal, a public hearing, and much discussion, Commissioners voted unanimously to amend the code to require that small box discount stores be separated by five miles, or 26,400 feet to avoid over-concentration. henrycounty-ga.org
According to the ordinance, a small box discount store is defined as a retail store (a) with floor area less than fifteen thousand (15,000) square feet (b) that primarily offers for sale a combination and variety of convenience shopping goods and consumer shopping goods; and (c) continuously offers and advertises a majority of the items in their inventory for sale at a price less than ten dollars ($10.00) per item. Small box discount stores do not include drug stores or convenience stores.
Early Voting for Presidential Preference and the General Primary / General Non-Partisan Election Begins on May 18 Early voting for the June 9, 2020 Presidential Preference and the General Primary / General NonPartisan Election will begin May 18 and will run through June 5. Voting schedule, locations and times are as follows: Elections & Voter Registration Main Office: 40 Atlanta St., McDonough May 18–22 8:00 am – 5:00 pm • May 25 closed due to Holiday (Memorial Day) May 26–29 8:00 am – 5:00 pm May 30 (Saturday) 9:00 am – 4:00 pm May 31 (Sunday) 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm June 1–5 7:00 am – 7:00 pm Merle Manders Conference Center: 111 Davis Rd., Stockbridge May 18–22 8:00 am – 5:00 pm • May 25 closed due to Holiday (Memorial Day) May 26–29 8:00 am – 5:00 pm May 30 (Saturday) 9:00 am – 4:00 pm May 31(Sunday) 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm June 1–5 7:00 am – 7:00 pm Fortson (Hampton) Library: 61 McDonough St., Hampton May 30 (Saturday) 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
June 1–5 7:00 am – 7:00 pm Locust Grove Library: 115 M.L.K. Jr. Blvd., Locust Grove May 30 (Saturday) 9:00 am – 4:00 pm June 1–5 7:00 am – 7:00 pm Fairview Recreation Center: 35 Austin Rd., Stockbridge May 30 (Saturday) 9:00 am – 4:00 pm June 1–5 7:00 am – 7:00 pm JP Mosley Recreation Center: 1041 Millers Mill Rd., Stockbridge June 1–5 7:00 am – 7:00 pm In related elections news, the Henry County Elections and Registration Office wants to keep citizens informed throughout the voting process, sharing that it has recently received approximately 3,600 absentee ballots from county residents. As of Thursday, May 7 the 2020 Secretary of State’s vendor mailed out approximately 26,000 ballots. Citizens should allow two weeks to pass to receive their ballot once the Elections Office has processed it. Individuals may check their absentee ballot status at www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/. For more information on Elections, visit henrycounty-ga.com/elections.
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May 14, 2020 County to Enter into ATL Intergovernmental Agreement to Fund Transit Master Plan Henry County Government and the Atlantaregion Transit Link (ATL) Authority have entered into an intergovernmental agreement to fund the development of the Henry County Transit Master Plan after approval from the Board of Commissioners at the May 5 Commission meeting. Taliem Salters, Henry County Transit Director, presented the transit master plan resolution to the commissioners, and said that the plan will assist in identifying all strategies for Henry County’s public transportation system including future developments and capital priorities. County Manger Cheri Hobson-Matthews also clarified that citizen engagement is needed for this project.
“A stakeholder and technical committee will be formed, which include not only individuals from the county and city level, as well as citizens who want to be a part of the planning process,” said HobsonMatthews. “We definitely need citizen involvement throughout this process.” The ATL Authority will provide professional and technical services for the development of the transit master plan and completion of the project. Funding for the project includes the county’s portion of $130,000 which is available in the Transit Department’s budget, coupled with funds in the amount $520,000 allocated from the Federal Transit Administration. For more information on Henry County Transit, visit henrycounty-ga.com/transit.
Commissioners Formally Request Additional Testing Sites for Henry County The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution at the May 5 regular commission meeting to request that the District 4 Department of Public Health (DPH) open additional COVID-19 testing sites throughout the county. The resolution details that as of May 5, 2020, there have been 542 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Henry County, 14 total deaths caused by COVID-19 and that Henry County has more confirmed cases of COVID-19 than any other county within the District 4 Public Health region. Currently the District 4 DPH is operating one
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testing site for Henry County residents at Heritage Senior Center, in McDonough, with a second site in Coweta County, which is 54 miles away from the Henry County Public Health Facility. The resolution states that COVID-19 cases in Henry County continue to rise since the Governor’s Shelter-In-Place Order has been lifted and businesses begin to re-open, and the Henry County Board of Commissioners has determined that additional testing sites located within Henry County are necessary to protect the health and safety of Henry County residents and to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.
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Parks and Recreation - Currently all walking trails, paths, and greenways are open. Additional facilities set to open include: • Outdoor tennis and pickleball courts • Cotton Fields Golf Course • J.P. Mosley disc golf course • BMX Track • RC Car Track • Red Hawk RC Airport • Currently all walking trails, paths, and greenways open Henry County Manager Cheri Hobson-Matthews said that the health and safety of all is paramount. “I want to thank our citizens for their patience
during this extraordinary time, as well as our employees who have worked under very difficult circumstances,” said Hobson-Matthews. “As we begin to reopen facilities, I want to remind everyone that the health and safety of our employees and our citizens is of the utmost importance and we encourage everyone to continue best practices to stay safe.” A determination to open additional facilities will be made after Governor Kemp’s State of Emergency is lifted on June 12. For the latest information, please visit www. henrycounty-ga.com or visit Henry County’s Facebook page.
Board Supports Agreement and the Update of County Comprehensive Transportation Plan The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to update the Henry County Comprehensive Transportation Plan and supported an intergovernmental agreement with the Atlanta Regional Commission proposing both Henry County Government and the ARC share expenses. Sam Baker, Transportation Planning Director, led the presentation and reminded viewers that the county developed a comprehensive transportation plan in 2016. He further shared that over the last four years, the population growth of the county has increased, which has affected traffic congestion on roadways. “I am here to suggest that the county update its comprehensive transportation plan,” said Baker. “This will include the reassessment of the existing transportation infrastructure and the review of the transportation project list, as well as making modifications to the existing project list and addressing the transportation needs of the county going forward.” County Manager Cheri Hobson-Matthews
shared her remarks and explained the purpose of this item being presented to the Board. “One of the things we heard loud and clear is that transportation is definitely a priority for the county which is why we are bringing it to board at this time”, said Hobson-Matthews. “With everything that is going on, it’s all about timing and defining what is essential for the county, and we all agree that transportation is a priority and it is definitely essential.” The estimated cost for the updated plan is $625,000. The ARC is prepared to contribute up to $500,000 and the county is expected to provide up to $125,000. Funds have been requested and will be allocated from the Department of Transportation Planning’s 2021 budget. For more information on the Henry County Transportation Planning Department visit henrycountyga.com and click on Transportation Planning found under the Departments tab.
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May 14, 2020 Piedmont Henry Scheduled to Open on June 1 in Fairview Community
Another health and wellness asset to bring quality healthcare to North Henry
Henry County District V Commissioner Bruce Holmes is excited to announce the opening of the Piedmont Henry Primary Care office housed at the Fairview Urgent Care, a Nidus Development located in North Henry County. Piedmont Henry Hospital partnering with the medical community in Fairview is a collaborative effort that will continue the vision to make Fairview and District V a health and wellness community, an initiative in which Holmes has been developing for the past several years. “I’m excited to see Piedmont physicians ready to open their doors next to Fairview Urgent Care. This venture with Nidus Development has taken some time, however we’re now setup to provide a variety of healthcare services to a quad-county community consisting of Henry, Dekalb, Rockdale and Clayton counties, which have been medically underserved for generations. After seeing my next-door neighbor pass in front of my eyes a few years ago, I immediately became aware of the lack of access to emergent and other specialty healthcare services in North Henry County, and at that time, Piedmont was in the process of taking over Henry Hospital,” said Holmes. “Since that time, they’ve been an extraordinary partner and supporter and have been outstanding in providing henrycounty-ga.org
great healthcare to Henry County citizens and the surrounding areas. I’m excited for the future of this community and look forward to further infrastructure improvements with the upcoming widening of West Village Pkwy, Fairview Road and the new Fairview Public Safety Campus to be located on Fairview Road and Panola Rd. These SPLOST V projects along with the Panola Mountain Park Greenway Trail, which is currently under construction, align with the future growth of healthcare services in the area and our mission to further create and define a health and wellness community that citizens will enjoy for years to come.” The new Piedmont Henry medical office is scheduled to open on June 1, 2020 with physicians Prathima Reddy, M.D. and Thiruvannathapur Krishnamoorthy, M.D., both of whom specialize in internal medicine. We are excited to open a primary care office in the Fairview section of Ellenwood,” said Lily Henson, M.D., CEO of Piedmont Henry Hospital. “It is a rapidly growing community. Providing better access to primary care allows us to deliver on Piedmont’s purpose, which is to make a positive difference in every life we touch.” The new medical office is located 4477 West Village Parkway in Ellenwood. Continued on page 9
Henry County Student to Receive ACCG Youth Leadership Award Jayden Williams, a Dutchtown High School junior, has been selected to receive the prestigious 2020 Association County Commissioners of Georgia’s Youth Leadership Award. The annual ACCG award recognizes a student who demonstrates excellent leadership at school and in the community, exhibits initiative and leadership potential in setting and achieving long and short-term goals and exhibits an understanding of the skills effective leaders possess. Community service and leadership may be in Williams’ blood as he is the grandson of Henry County District IV Commissioner Vivian Thomas. “My grandmother, Commissioner Thomas, helped me get started as a community servant in Henry County. She has taken me to events around the county and introduced me to community leaders,” said Williams. “She definitely gave me the steppingstones to help me get to where I am at today by mentoring me.”
As stated in his nomination letter, Williams is a young community activist and has displayed strong leadership skills in multiple youth programs including the Stockbridge Student Council holding the chairman seat; chartering president for the Henry County NAACP Youth Council and College Division; and earning the high school freshman class president title. Williams said he plans to attend college to pursue a dual major in international business and political science, a choice heavily influenced by his work in the community. He also served as a participant for the 2020 Georgia legislative session. He continues to Chair the Stockbridge Student Council and encourages others to be a voice in community politics. As an honor student at Dutchtown High School, he served as president of the freshman class, was Dean of Student Affairs, a member of the Student Government Association, participated in Peer Mediation, and the Future Business Leaders of America. In the community, he serves on the Stockbridge Youth Council, Men of Valor, Georgia State NAACP and volunteers at the M&M Hope House. Due to current events involving the coronavirus, the 2020 ACCG Annual Conference has been cancelled however, in correspondence with ACCG, the organization is committed to honoring Williams as an award recipient by featuring him in a special newsletter next month.
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May 14, 2020 Commissioners Recognize May as Building Safety Month with a Proclamation The Henry County Board of Commissioners recognized the month of May as Building Safety Month with a proclamation at the May 5 regular Commission meeting. The proclamation read in part “Whereas, ‘Safer Buildings, Safer Communities, Safer World,’ the theme for Building Safety Month 2020, encourages all Americans to raise awareness about the importance of safe and resilient construction; fire prevention; disaster mitigation, and new technologies in the construction
industry. Building Safety Month 2020 encourages appropriate steps everyone can take to ensure the safety of our built environment, and recognizes that the implementation of safety codes by local and state agencies has saved lives and protected homes and businesses.” The Board of Commissioner’s meeting was held virtually through ZOOM and broadcast through Facebook live and through Spectrum Channel 180.
County to Receive Reimbursements Amid Coronavirus Pandemic Henry County Manager Cheri Hobson Matthews announced at the May 5 meeting that the county would be receiving various reimbursement funds related to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic that has affected countries across the globe. Hobson-Matthews made the presentation during the County manager comment portion of last week’s Board of Commissioner’s meeting and detailed that several departments would be receiving funds. Those departments are listed below: • Henry County Airport will receive approximately $69,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration • Elections will receive a 90 percent reimbursement, up to $3,000 for Personal Protective Equipment and 75 percent reimbursement up to $3,000 for dropboxes from the Georgia Secretary of State • Community Development will receive $704,701 from Housing and Urban Development • • Courts will receive funding from the District
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Attorney through the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council for emergency victim counseling • • Library System will receive $4,047 from the Georgia Public Library Service • • E-911 will receive $2,669,991 from FEMA or GEMA • • Henry County Police Department will receive two reimbursements. One in the amount of $98,000 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the other amount will be determined from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council • • Senior Services will receive funds from the Community Foundation for the reimbursement of meals • • Transit Department will receive $2.7 million from CARES Act For more information on Henry County, visit henrycounty-ga.com
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May 14, 2020 Public Hearing Signup - Budget Meeting (Instructions) Henry County Board of Commissioners Called Meeting 9:00 a.m., Tuesday, May 19, 2020 (via video conference) *Meeting to be held via video conference due to Local State of Emergency regarding COVID-19 TO WATCH: Please join us! HenryTV will be streaming live online at: www.henrycounty-ga.org, Facebook, and on Spectrum Channel 180 for public viewing. TO PARTICIPATE: If you would like to participate in the public hearing for the Proposed Budget (FY 20202021) listed on this agenda via videoconference, please follow the instructions below:
1) (Email): Stephanie Braun/County Clerk at sbraun@co.henry.ga.us prior to: May 18th by 5:00 p.m. 2) (Provide): Name, phone number, and Zoom user ID. 3) Log into the Zoom meeting (instructions below) no later than 8:45 a.m. on May 19, 2020:
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82563103435?pwd=TkxySHR3V3pJOGZVZzNyZUJlU096dz09 Meeting ID: 825 6310 3435 Password: 225817
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Public Hearing Signup - BOC Meeting (Instructions) Henry County Board of Commissioners 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 19, 2020 Via video conference *Meeting to be held via video conference due to Local State of Emergency regarding COVID-19 TO WATCH: Please join us! HenryTV will be streaming live online at: www.henrycounty-ga.org, Facebook, and on Spectrum Channel 180 for public viewing. TO PARTICIPATE: If you would like to participate in a public hearing listed on this agenda via videoconference, please follow the instructions below:
1. (Email): Stephanie Braun/County Clerk at sbraun@co.henry.ga.us prior to May 18th by 5:00 p.m. 2. (Provide): Name, phone number, and Zoom user ID. Reference case(s) below which you would like to speak. If it is a Planning & Zoning Item, please also list whether you are speaking “in favor” or “in opposition”. (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4) (#5) (#6)
Item IX.A (Budget Hearing for Proposed Budget FY 2021) Item X.A (Case #MC-20-01) Jonesboro Rd/Mt. Carmel Item X.B (Case #RZ-19-05) East Lake Road/Springdale Road Item X.C (Case #RZ-19-20) Hampton-Locust Grove Road Item X.D (Case #RZ-19-22) Chambers Road (postponed) Item X.E (Case #RZ-19-21) Old Kelleytown Road (postponed)
*Regarding the Public Hearings, the following times will be allotted • Item IX.A (Budget Hearing for FY 2021) – 3 minutes each • Item X. (Planning & Zoning/All Cases) - 10 minutes each (collectively as a group) to be heard “in favor” or “in opposition” of the case. We will go in order of sign in until designated time has expired. •
Log into the Zoom meeting (instructions below) no later than 6:15 p.m. on May 19, 2020: Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/98429330370?pwd=aGtVQ24yUVg3MnZraWZXdnVrbnpkZz09 Meeting ID: 984 2933 0370 Password: 500628
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