Henry County Update - Newsletter

August 19, 2016

Board of

Commissioners Regular Meetings September 6 at 9:00 AM September 20 at 6:30 PM

Police Department Purchases Two Un-manned Aircraft Vehicles

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.

Aerial support for law enforcement can reduce man-hours, increase response time, aid in search and rescue, provide direction to officers, document a crime scene, offer situational awareness and support the tactical deployment of officers and equipment.

Currently the closest aerial support to Henry County is located in Spalding, Clayton and Dekalb County. The Henry County Police Department has responded to this support deficiency by purchasing Un-manned Aircraft Vehicles (UAV) that are more inexpensive, easier to maneuver and quicker to deploy than helicopters.

Commissioners approved the department’s purchase of two UAV’s for $18,661.16 at the August 16 regular meeting. The purchase includes training for officers, licensing and registration costs and maintenance. The funds are available in the Federal Seized Assets and Forfeiture Account.

The department will purchase a Maxsur Seeker compact SAR UAV for $11,907.16 that will be the primary UAV due to its ability to use FLIR and full color camera systems.

Continued on page 3

1

August 19, 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

Bids Awarded for SPLOST IV Projects

Bids for three separate SPLOST IV projects, including the construction of Fire Station No. 16, were accepted at the August 16 Commission meeting.

The most responsive and low bid for the construction of Fire Station No. 16 in McDonough came from Tommy Gibson Builders of Warner Robins, Georgia in the amount of $2,282,000.

A budget amendment for the transfer of $600,000 from the SPLOST Moseley Park account to the SPLOST Fire Station No. 16 account was also approved at the August 16 meeting in order to fulfill the bid amount.

The bid for providing an Interchange Justification Report (IJR) for the new Interchange on I-75 South of SR 155 was awarded to Pond & Company for $148,500.

The report will include screenings for alternative development, evaluation of potential interchange justification alternatives, community engagement, concept development, environmental screening and documentation of the IJR and concept report.

Additionally, the bid for construction of 13 bridge and culvert repairs located in all five districts was awarded to Baldwin Paving Company for $1,016,021.04. By combining all 13 projects into one contract, the County will save approximately $644,000.

The following are the approved SPLOST IV bridge and culvert repairs included in the bid: King Mill over Tussahaw Creek, Locust Grove over Indian Creek, Old Jackson over Tussahaw Creek, South Ola over Tussahaw Creek, Hampton over Indian Creek, Hampton over Towaliga River, Jonesboro over Walnut Creek, Old SR3 over Norfolk Southern RR, Dailey Mill over Walnut Creek, Oak Grove over Walnut Creek, Hemphill over James Creek, Old Conyers over Big Cotton Indian Creek and Stagecoach over Big Cotton Indian Creek.

Police UAVs from page 1

The department will also purchase a DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAV for $1,221 to be used as a training tool and secondary unit for operations that occur simultaneously.

Onsite training on the use of UAV’s will cost $1,500. UAS Consulting and Implementations Services will assist department personnel in obtaining and processing the paperwork to meet FAA requirements for UAV operation for $1,550. The remaining $2,433 will be used to purchase registration, pilot testing, paint and logo application and licensing for UAV operators.

The use of UAV’s will provide an aerial visual perspective in responding to emergency situations and exigent circumstances.

In related news, a resolution to accept two HEAT vehicles from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety for the Henry County Police Department HEAT Unit was also approved at the August 16 Commission meeting.

The vehicles are 2013 Dodge Chargers outfitted with RADAR, Lasers, a WatchGuard video recorder and Alco-sensors and will be added to the department’s growing Dodge Charger fleet.

For more information on the Henry County Police Department, please visit www.henrycounty-ga.org/police.

Stormwater Purchases Cost-Sharing Agreement Signed New Equipment for Panola Mountain Trail

A new path was cleared in the Panola Mountain Greenway Trail Project at the August 16 Commission meeting when the board signed the final cost-sharing agreement with the PATH Foundation.

The updated overall project cost estimate now totals $1,865,000.

The county will provide $211,000 in funding within the preliminary engineering phase and $157,400 in contribution or in-kind services during construction.

PATH will provide $361,000 in funding and $1,135,600 will be funded through the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Transportation Enhancement Reimbursement Program.

The Panola Mountain Greenway Trail Project is a partnership between Henry County and the PATH Foundation that aims to construct a multi-use trail from Austin Road Middle School to the Panola Mountain State Park.

To keep up with this project, log on to www.henrycounty-ga.org/dot.

In the Fiscal Year 2016-2017 budget, Henry County Stormwater Management was approved to purchase multiple pieces of equipment. Bids for the equipment were awarded at the August 16 meeting.

Three vehicles will be purchased from Ford including a 2017 Ford F150 Regular Cab for $27,233, a 2017 Ford F250 Crew Cab (short bed) for $32,142 and a 2017 Ford F250 Regular Cab (long bed) for $32,002.

The vehicles will be used for staff transportation to project construction and water quality testing sites.

The bid for a Caterpillar 289D HF Skid Steer was awarded to Yancey Brothers for $69,612. The funds for the purchase are available in the Stormwater Capital Equipment account.

The bid for a Kubota KX057-4R3 Excavator was awarded to Mason Tractor & Equipment Company for $56,623. All funds for the purchase are available in the Stormwater Capital Equipment account.

For more information on Stormwater Management visit www.henrycounty-ga.org/stormwater.

3