Henry County Update - September 19, 2013

SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Henry County Board of Commissioners Honors Veterans Museum Volunteers

Regular Meetings October 1st at 9:00 a.m.

October 15th at 6:30 p.m.

Meetings held at: Administration Building Community Room 140 Henry Parkway McDonough, GA 30253

Regular Commission meetings will air Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays on Henry TV Channel 14 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99, at 9 a.m. & 7 p.m.

The Henry County Board of Commissioners presents Certificates of Appreciation to the veterans who volunteer their time and talents in making the Historical Veterans Museum a success.

At their September 17 regular meeting, the Henry County Board of Commissioners issued a proclamation honoring the Veterans Historical Museum and the veterans who volunteer with the Henry County Historical Veterans Museum, which is located at Heritage Park in McDonough.

The proclamation reads in part, “The Historical Veterans Museum’s fascinating collection was curated from donations, and its staff is comprised almost entirely of volunteer American veterans who fought and served our country, each of whom has firsthand

knowledge of the uniforms and medals, tools and equipment on display… the Historical Veterans Museum at Heritage Park in McDonough, Georgia is a source of pride for this community, and we wish to recognize it for its success in bringing our wartime history to life while honoring the men and women whose service and sacrifice made our way of life possible, as well as express our humble gratitude for those veterans who first bravely served our country and now are donating their time.”

The volunteers were also given certificates of appreciation for their Continued on Page 3 the henry county update

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September 19th, 2013 Henry County Marks First Year of CDBG Program with Numerous Achievements

Back in June 2012, the Henry County Board of Commissioners adopted plans for the County’s first-ever allocation of federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds through the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). The award was for $850,000, funds for which the County became eligible following the 2010 Census, which revealed that Henry County has exceeded the 200,000 population threshold.

The initial five-year Consolidated Plan (CP) and Annual Action Plan (AP) identified housing and community development needs and priorities and the geographic distribution of activities and programs that will receive part of this funding.

The achievements of the first year of the CDBG program were outlined in the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) adopted by the Board of Commissioners at Tuesday’s meeting.

With a focus on citizens in low to moderate income areas, with special emphasis on affordable housing, access to shelter, job training, at-risk youth and the special needs populations, the County marked the following achievements in the first year of the five year plan:

 The ARTreach 180 program provided

constructive after school activities for 60 youths

 The FERST Foundation provided books to

358 children

 The Flint Circuit for Domestic Violence, Inc.

(Haven House) assisted to 807 women and

children, more than double their projections

Henry County D.O.T. Resurfacing Schedule

Starting the week of September 23rd, Old Conyers Road from SR 138 to Flat Shoals Church Road will be resurfaced. henrycounty-ga.org

 Connecting Henry graduated 32 people from its

STRIVE employment training program,

which provided

 The Hands of Hope Clinic, Inc. provided

healthcare services for 692 indigent people,

more than six times their projection.

 A Friend’s House provided emergency shelter

for 65 abused and neglected children

To achieve these goals, program recipients expended $212,212.65, with less than $85,000 going to program administration.

While much was accomplished, a few of the program goals were not met in the area of affordable housing. This was due largely to it being the first year for the program in Henry County, during which time a coordinator had to be hired, and contract language and a policy manual had to be developed before contracts could be signed, thus impeding the process. Now that these items are in place, it is anticipated that progress will be made quickly in these areas.

And Henry County continues to work closely with Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity and the Henry County Fuller Center for Housing as homeowner interviews are conducted and applications are reviewed in order to effectively begin addressing Henry County’s low to moderate income housing needs.

To review the FY 2012 – FY2016 Consolidated Plan and the FY2012 Annual Action Plan, please visit

www.henrycounty-ga.org/CDBG.

REVERSE 911 SIGN UP FOR THE HENRY COUNTY EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM! http://tinyurl.com/lnqzh5q

VOLUNTEERS Continued from Page 1 generous and outstanding efforts in assisting Jim Joyce, Henry County Parks and Recreation Department’s Recreation Facilities Coordinator, with the day to day operations of the museum. Volunteers perform a variety of functions, including staffing the museum, assisting visitors, cataloguing donations, creating displays and many other duties, all on their own time. Volunteers honored during the Tuesday evening meeting include John Anzalone Robert Brown John Fischer, Richard McCleod, Tom Oakes, Jim Risher, Bill Steele, Lloyd Witt, and Phil Woodall.

It’s estimated that approximately 3,500 visitors tour the museum every year, with people coming from 37 states, as well as the Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain,

Canada, China, Croatia, France, Korea, and various countries in South America. The Museum, together with the adjacent Veterans Wall of Honor, has been hailed as a preferred place for both veterans and their families to ponder, reflect, and heal from the trauma of combat.

In related news, the Veterans Museum was just awarded a donation of a Bensen X-25A Gyrocopter.

According to Joyce, the Gyrocopter is one of only three in existence and was awarded TO Henry County by the U.S. Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio through the Georgia Department of Administrative Services.

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September 19th, 2013 Henry County Community Meeting for Fairview Road Design Guidelines Henry County Division of Planning and Zoning Services in Partnership with the Collaborative Firm Initiate the Development of the Fairview Road Overlay District

Henry County’s Community Development Division is hosting a community workshop to obtain public input on the County’s development of design guidelines for the Fairview Road Overlay District. The meeting will take place at the Fairview Recreation Center on Tuesday, October 8, 2013 at 6:00 p.m.

The Henry County Planning & Zoning Department in association with its consultant team, The Collaborative Firm, is initiating the development of the Fairview Road Overlay District. This project will result in the establishment of design guidelines intended to encourage improvements in the design quality of residential and business districts in the Fairview Road Corridor helping to encourage

economic revitalization through the use of development and design standards. Because community participation is vital to this process, the County is inviting residents out to a Community Kick –Off Meeting in an effort to solicit input on key aspects of the project.

The Fairview Recreation Center is located at 35 Austin Road in Stockbridge.

DOMESTIC SHORT HAIR CAT MIX www.petfinder.com/petdetail/26712847

I am one of the many kitties here at the shelter in need of a lifetime companion that will give me the love that I so deserve.

If you would like to meet me, you can visit me here at the shelter or call my friends at (770) 288-PETS. My ID# 6/201652 black male 6/20-1651 black female 7/2-1826 cream male with nail tips is and I hope to see you soon. Lost and stray animals are held at the Henry County Animal Care and Control Shelter for four (4) calendar days (excluding Sundays and county holidays) in order to give their owners a chance to reclaim them. After that time period, adoptable animals are held as long as space allows.

henrycounty-ga.org

Commissioners Recognize September 17th through 23rd As Constitution Week

The Daughters the American Revolution, Andrew McBride Chapter, accept a proclamation from the Henry County Board of Commissioners in recognition of Constitution Week, observed from September 17th through the 23rd.

The Henry County Board of Commissioners proclaimed the week of September 17 through 23 as Constitution Week in Henry County, to coincide with the national observance of Constitution Week. The action came at the regular Commission meeting held on September 17, 2013.

The Daughters of the American Revolution, Andrew McBride Chapter, accepted the proclamation from the Henry County Board of Commissioners. As part of the special presentation, DAR members also led the Pledge of Allegiance and

a recitation of the American Creed and member Julie Gilbert sang the National Anthem.

This year marks the 226th anniversary of the drafting of the Constitution of the United States of America by the Constitutional Convention. The proclamation issued by the Commissioners read, in part, “for more than two centuries, the Constitution has presided as the supreme law of the land, keeping our leaders true to America’s highest ideals and guaranteeing the fundamental rights that make our country a beacon

of hope to all people in search of freedom and justice…together with the Bill of Rights, our Constitution is the backbone of our government and the basis of our liberties, and while retaining its structure, our founding document has grown with our Nation’s conscience, having been amended over the years to extend America’s promise to citizens of every race, gender, and creed.”

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