The Henry County Update - Newsletter

June 9, 2016

Board of

Commissioners Regular Meetings June 21 at 6:30 PM (cancelled) July 5 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.

Henry County Joint County/Cities Comprehensive Transportation Plan Update Adopted

This 2040 population projection map is featured on page 18 of the JCTP update and was used in the future transportation planning for the County and cities of McDonough, Hampton, Locust Grove and Stockbridge.

The highly anticipated and long-awaited Joint Henry County/Cities Comprehensive Transportation Plan (JCTP) update for 2015-2040 was approved at the June 7 Commission meeting.

The JCTP is a program initiated by and funded through the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and the update assesses current and projected transportation needs through the year 2040 and involves Henry County and the cities of Hampton, Locust Grove, McDonough and Stockbridge.

The update was conducted in stages by a project management team that encouraged citizen and stakeholder input. The project management team consisted of Henry County department heads lead by Henry County Planner II, Stacey JordanRudeseal along with city representatives, members of the ARC and a group of consultants including Jacobs Engineering, RS&H, PEQ and VHB.

To complete the update, the team took inventory of existing transportation Continued on page 2

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June 9, 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

henrycounty-ga.org

JCTP Adoption from page 1

conditions, assessed immediate and future transportation needs, developed policy and project recommendations that included a set of goals and objectives and constructed a five-year short term action plan to work on the recommendations.

The goal of the update is to enhance mobility for people and goods in Henry County and its cities, improve accessibility for people and goods in Henry County and its cities, reinforce growth patterns that meet county and city visions, protect and enhance the county’s and cities’ environmental quality and ensure coordination among the planning and development activities of the county, its cities and other involved organizations.

The update contains a list of preliminary transit needs that includes connections to local activity centers for local, non-work trips, plans for future regional connections, the need for alternative mode options for trips between McDonough and Stockbridge, the need for an alternative operations funding plan incorporating future eligibility and maximizing federal funds and the need to prioritize pedestrian and ADA accommodations along future proposed transit routes.

The short term action plan that concludes the update is made up of the projects to be undertaken in Henry County over the next five years. The project types include new roads, road widenings, safety and operational roadway projects, active transportation, intersections, transit and studies.

To view the complete short term action plan and read the JCTP update, visit www.henrycounty-ga. org/transportationplanning/CTP. To keep up with JCTP news, visit www.henryinmotion.com.

Henry County Convention and Visitors Bureau Delivers Annual Report

Laura Luker, Director of Tourism for the Henry County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), delivered an annual report presentation to the Board of Commissioners at the regular June 7 meeting.

In the presentation, Luker highlighted the following successful CVB projects that were initiated in 2015.

The CVB introduced a new blog on its website that provides a unique and customizable medium of communication with visitors that encourages interaction with the website’s content. To strengthen this blog campaign, the bureau hosted a group of six travel writers and bloggers on a press tour of Henry County. The tour generated multiple blog posts, three of which were published on ExploreGeorgia.com, a blog that receives more than 200,000 monthly visitors, and significant social media content posts.

The Henry County Treasure App was also launched and encouraged visitors to explore the “hidden gems” of Henry County in a fun and adventurous way. Within the app, tourists could visit locations, earn points and win prizes. The app and associated marketing earned the Henry County CVB the Southeast Tourism Society’s Shining Example Award for the Best Marketing Campaign.

In 2015, thanks to effective budget planning, the CVB was able to participate in a Georgia Tourism Foundation matching grant program for radio and television ads on Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) promoting the Heritage Park Veterans Museum.

Through this grant the Veterans Museum received 160 15 second television spots and 150 15 second radio spots. Curator of the museum, Jim Joyce reported that at least 100 museum visitors heard about the attraction from ads on GPB. The ads created for these spots

were given to the CVB for future use as well.

The CVB also launched a Tourism Marketing Grant Program which allows Henry County CVB tourism partners to apply for up to $5,000 in grant funding for advertising/marketing activities to support their events, businesses or attractions. More than $23,000 in grant funds have been awarded so far for website improvements, digital advertising, radio ads and much more.

For more information on the Henry County Convention and Visitors Bureau’s annual report contact Laura Luker at 770-957-5786 or for more information on the Bureau itself, visit www.visithenrycountygeorgia.com.

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June 9, 2016 June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD)

Did you know that every day 10,000 people turn 65 in the US alone? That trend is going to continue for nearly the next 20 years. Our demographics are shifting, and we will soon have more elder people in the US than ever before. At the same time that the population is growing, we know that a startling number of elders face abusive conditions. Every year an estimated 5 million, or 1 in 10, older Americans are victims of elder abuse, neglect or exploitation. And that’s only part of the picture: Experts believe that for every case of elder abuse or neglect reported, as many as 23.5 cases go unreported.

WEAAD serves as a call-to-action for individuals, organizations and communities to raise awareness about abuse, neglect and exploitation of

elders. The International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations (UN) launched the first World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15, 2006 in an effort to unite communities around the world in raising awareness about elder abuse. WEAAD is in support of the UN’s International Plan of Action acknowledging the significance of elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue.

If you suspect or are a victim of elder abuse, call the State of Georgia’s Adult Protective Services at 1-866-552-4464 or visit them online at www.aging. dhs.georgia.gov/adult-protective-services. For more information on WEAAD, please visit www.ncea.aoa.gov.

Transit Department Replaces Two Buses and Applies for State Funded Grant

Henry County Transit was authorized at the June 7 Commission meeting to purchase two buses to replace two older Goshen buses that meet the required mileage and age for replacement.

The two new 16-passenger Goshen II buses will be equipped with a wheel chair lift to place the county in compliance with all American with Disabilities Act and Federal Transit Administration requirements.

The buses, costing $95,630.30 for both, will be purchased with Federal Transit Administration grant funding that requires a twenty percent local match. The total cost to Henry County for the buses is $19,126.06.

In related news, Henry County Transit was approved to apply for the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) Coordinated Transportation System grant.

The Coordinated Transportation System provides a grant to fulfill transportation services for henrycounty-ga.org

individuals to attend programs offered by Senior Services, Developmental Disabilities, Mental Health Clinics, Department of Family and Children Services and Department of Labor.

Henry County has held a contract with the DHS for these grant services for 18 years and fully expects to renews its contract for a 19th year.

The goal of the Transit Department is to provide safe, reliable, accessible and affordable curb-tocurb transportation for the citizens of Henry County.

Scheduling transportation is provided by means of a demand-response system and reservations can be made up to seven days in advance. Fare per person per stop for individuals 60 years old or older is $2.00 and $4.00 for individuals under 60 years old. To make a reservation call 770-288-RIDE(7433).

For more information on Henry County Transit, visit www.henrycounty-ga.org/transit.

Family Fun at Safety and Protection Night

The Commissioner Bruce Holmes and Sheriff Keith McBrayer Safety and Protection Night successfully brought together public safety officials and members of the community for an evening of family fun.

The yearly event was held on June 2, 2016 and featured various public safety displays, entertainment, music, vendors and refreshments. Citizens had an opportunity to meet with their local public safety professionals, as well as elected officials, in an effort to promote strong relationships between the community and public safety.

Commissioner Announces Impending Resignation

District II Commissioner Brian Preston announced that he would be resigning his Commission seat at the end of July. The announcement came during the commissioner comments portion of the June 5 regular meeting.

Preston detailed his efforts over the past year in finding a balance between his role in public life and his responsibilities in his private life, explaining how he has split his time between Henry County and Tennessee in the care of his special needs daughter.

Preston, who was appointed in February 2012 to fill the unexpired term of former Commissioner Fred Auletta, who was tapped to fill the county manager position at that time. Preston ran for election in 2012, winning the District II seat, and whose term is set to expire on December 31, 2016.

Preston said he is stepping down to take care of family obligations but will continue in the capacity as

District II Commissioner through the end of July.

“My intention is that the next two months will be a transition period to get us through the millage hearings,” he said. “I wanted to give everyone enough notice.”

Preston said it was the right time for him to close the chapter on his public life and he expressed his appreciation to the citizens of Henry County.

“You’ve put me in and I’m so appreciative, I can’t tell you thank you enough,” he said. “I just thank Henry County for all you have given me. I wouldn’t have my business, I wouldn’t have everything I have without this county.”

Commission meetings air on Henry Television on Charter channel 180 and AT&T U-Verse channel 99, as well as on demand through the County website at www.henrycounty-ga.org.

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