October 23, 2018
Board of
Henry County Holds First Veterans Court
Commissioners Regular Meetings Nov. 6, 2018 9:00 a.m. Nov. 19, 2018 6:30 p.m. (Note: Date change due to holiday) 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.
Although in the planning process for more than two years, Henry County Superior Court, under the direction of Judge Trea Pipkin, held its first status hearing specifically for veterans who are in the court system. Two veterans, one initially in handcuffs, appeared before Pipkin on October 5 as a first step into a lengthy program that will allow them to avoid jail, but require a strict commitment to counseling, court appearances, home visits and determination to get their lives back on track. Before the brief proceedings, Pipkin explained the goal of Veterans Court saying that many veterans who face incarceration bring with them special circumstances from having served under very dangerous and life changing situations. He also noted that there were a lot of people who will work for the program to make it a success. Henry County Commissioner Blake Prince, an Air Force veteran, also spoke before the proceedings explaining why Veterans Court is so needed and important to him and others in the county. He explained how veterans support each other, both in and out of service and he showed that support as he stood next to one of the Continued on page 3
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October 23, 2018 Published by Henry County Communications & Public Information Department Henry County Government
Editor Melissa Robinson
Graphic Designer Meredith Butler
Board Approves Bid for HCDOT The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved the award for guardrail repairs for several areas throughout Henry County to Stembridge Custom Metals of Fairburn, Georgia at the regular Commission meeting. There are eleven locations in the county in need of guardrail repairs and the project cost is $54,511. Funds for this project are available in Henry County Department of Transportation’s budget. For more information on Henry County DOT, please visit henrycounty-ga.org/DOT.
Layout Designer Melissa Robinson Meredith Butler
Contributors Melissa Robinson Erika Richards
HENRY COUNTY SPLOST V COMMITTEE UPCOMING MEETINGS Meeting Dates through the end of 2018: *All held on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. District 2: November 1st (City of Hampton/Fortson Public Library) District 3: November 15th (City of McDonough/City Hall) Districts 4/5: November 29th (City of Stockbridge/Merle Manders Conference Center) County-wide: December 13th (Henry County Administration Bldg./Conference Room B) Stephanie Braun County Clerk for the Henry County Board of Commissioners
henrycounty-ga.org
Early Voting in Henry County Early voting in Henry County begins October 15 and will continue through November 2 at various locations. Voting locations, dates and hours are as follows: Elections & Voter Registration (Main Office) -Monday, October 22 through Friday, October 26 from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. -Saturday, October 27 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. -Sunday, October 28 from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. -Monday, October 29 through Friday, November 2 from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Stockbridge Municipal Court Building
-Monday, October 22 through Friday, October 26 from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. -Saturday, October 27 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. -Sunday, October 28 from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. -Monday, October 29 through Friday, November 2 from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. The Fairview Recreation Center and the Fortson and Locust Grove Libraries will also be open for early voting on Saturday, October 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. as well as Monday, October 29 through November 2 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There will be no voting on Sunday, October 21, Saturday, November 3rd, Sunday, November 4 or Monday, November 5. Henry County Elections and Registration Building is located at 40 Atlanta Street in McDonough; Stockbridge Municipal Court Building is located at 4602 N. Henry Boulevard in Stockbridge; Fairview Recreation Center is located at 35 Austin Road in Stockbridge; Fortson Library is located at 61 McDonough Street in Hampton and Locust Grove Library is located at 115 M.L.K., Jr. Boulevard in Locust Grove. For more information visit or to request an absentee ballot, henrycounty-ga.com/Early-Voting or call 770-288-6448.
Veterans Court continued from page 1 defendants in court. It was last March when the Henry County Board of Commissioners approved the Accountability Court Program to apply for a grant from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council to help fund a new Veterans Treatment Court Program. Veterans Treatment Court provides a program for individuals who have struggled with life after serving in the United States military. Research has shown that practices learned in similar programs have proved to reduce recidivism in the local community, save taxpayer
dollars, increase safety and improve the quality of life. The program works to enable participants to get their lives back and to be productive citizens through case management, stabilization, treatment and skills enhancement under the Accountability Court System. Accountability Court Director Craig Ogilvie said that through the Veterans Treatment Court, participants will have assistance from court officials, counselors, probation officers, drug treatment professionals and mentors to help them successfully complete the program.
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October 23, 2018 Wheelchair Handball Championships Set for November 3 Henry County Parks and Recreation and Henry County Schools will be hosting the 22nd annual American Association of Adapted Sports Programs (AAASP) State Wheelchair Handball Championships on Saturday, November 3 at J. P. Moseley Recreation Center in Stockbridge. The tournament will run all day with Junior Varsity games beginning at 10 a.m. and Varsity games scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. consecutively. Teams from across the state of Georgia, including Henry County’s very own Henry Hurricanes will be attending the tournament and there will also be students representing over 40 varying physical
disability groups ranging in grades 1 to 12 who will compete. This is Henry County’s 11th year hosting the Wheelchair Handball tournament. J.P. Moseley Recreation Center is located at 1041 Miller’s Mill Road in Stockbridge. For more information on Wheelchair Handball, for a copy of the rules, or how to start a team in your area, please log on to adaptedsports.org/ adaptedsports/athletics/athletics_wc_handball.html. Schools or districts can learn more about becoming a member of AAASP by contacting us 404-294-0070 or the Georgia High School Association.
EMA Looking for Volunteers to Join Community Emergency Response Team The Henry County Emergency Management Agency is pleased to offer the next Community Emergency Response Team Training Course which will be starting January 15, 2019 and is looking for volunteers who want to assist with emergency management efforts. The Community Emergency Response Team, also known as the CERT program, educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. CERT offers a consistent, nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders can rely on during disaster situations, which in turn, allows Emergency Responders to focus on more complex henrycounty-ga.org
tasks. Through CERT, the capabilities to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters are built and enhanced. Henry County’s Community Emergency Response Team Program trains volunteers to prepare for the types of disasters that their community may face. Through hands-on practice and realistic exercises CERT members: -Learn how to safely respond to man-made and natural hazards -Help organize basic disaster response preparedness by -Promote hosting and participating in community events For more information or to register for the class, please contact Robert Swanson, Henry County Emergency Management Specialist, at RSwanson@co.henry.ga.us or call 770-288-7890.
BOC Adopts Imagine Henry 2040 Comprehensive Plan
The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution adopting the completed “Imagine Henry” Joint Comprehensive Plan 2040 Update at the regular Commission meeting. The Henry County/Cities Joint Comprehensive Plan is an updated proposal of policies and data that aids in the county’s “big picture vision,” defines goals and lays out a list for county and city leaders, staff and citizens to place Henry County and its cities in a leading position within metro Atlanta. “This will be our policy for the next decade and it will be driving and steering the recommendations made for our land uses,” said Daunte’ Gibbs, Henry County Planning and Economic Development Director. After the Board approved the resolution, Commission Chair June Wood thanked all of the citizens who participated in open house sessions
and meetings, lauded the Planning and Zoning staff for their dedication and appreciated the cities and commissioners for their involvement. Both the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, agencies that support economic development and growth in communities, approved the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, as it met all requirements for local comprehensive planning. The Planning and Zoning Department conducted several meetings over the course of the update process which began in 2017 to engage the public and provide an opportunity for those who wished to discuss their ideas. The update was a twoyear process. For more information on the “Imagine Henry” 2040 Joint Comprehensive Plan or the Henry County Planning and Zoning Department, please visit www. hcpz.org.
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October 23, 2018 Property Search Now Offers Updated Zoning Information
The Tax Assessor has added another layer of information to its property search engine, allowing citizens to see updated zoning information in property searches. Daunte Gibbs, Henry County’s Planning and Economic Development Director, lauded the new feature. “What this means for citizens is that they now have a more efficient means to access updated county zoning through the public website site, QPublic,”
said Gibbs. “They can know the zoning of a parcel of interest from the click of a mouse, touchscreen or smart phone.” The Henry County Planning and Zoning Department, under the direction of Gibbs, recently completed a nearly two-year long process of updating the county’s Comprehensive Plan which also included updating the Future Land Use Map. For more information on the Comprehensive Plan or the Future Land Use map, please visit www. hcpz.org. For more information on the Henry County Tax Assessor, please visit http://www.qpublic.net/ga/henry/.
BOC Approves Donation for Henry County Senior Services Department
The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to accept a donation of a 2005 Chevrolet Impala from Snapping Shoals EMC for the Henry County Senior Services Department. The action came at the October 16 Commissioner meeting. The Senior Services Department will use the vehicle to deliver food through its Meals on Wheels program to senior adults in Henry County. Meals on Wheels is one of several programs, henrycounty-ga.org
services and activities the Senior Services Department offers to senior residents of the county. There are also four senior centers—Bear Creek, Heritage, Hidden Valley and Locust Grove that are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for seniors to enjoy. For more information on Henry County Senior Services, please visit henrycounty-ga.com/SeniorServices.
Henry County Holds Third Annual Healthy Children Conference
Connecting Henry and the Henry County NonProfit Collaborative hosted its third annual Healthy Children Conference, an education, awareness and networking event on October 16 at Shiloh Baptist Church in McDonough. The conference allowed educators, caregivers, providers, non-profits organizations, church groups and law enforcement personnel the opportunity to learn more about raising healthy children. The event featured breakout sessions on child wellness and protection topics including suicide prevention, internet safety, domestic violence, self-harm, crisis intervention, child trauma, child
development and much more. The keynote speaker, Dr. Denice Colson with Eagle’s Landing Christian Counseling Center, spoke about the long-term impact of child abuse and other types of childhood trauma. Participants learned the importance of treating adults who experienced past trauma and explained ways to prevent or reduce future suffering for children that come in contact with those adults. For more information on next year’s Healthy Children Conference or Connecting Henry, please visit connectinghenry.org.
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October 23, 2018 A 5th Grader’s Love for K-9s Turned into Action
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office is well known for their youth programs. They provide educational activities in our public school system and for young people all across the county. Many of the activities are offered around holidays and during the summer break. The goal is for young people to have fun while being taught how to make better life choices and to be more at ease around law enforcement personnel. It is unexpected that a young person is reaching out to help the Sheriff’s Office. On August 9th Sergeant Jodey Powell, head of the Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit received an email from Kellie Hand requesting a K-9 Demo. She explained that her daughter Nicole created a theme for her 11th birthday party to raise money to help buy law enforcement K-9 equipment. Nicole, a 5th grade student at Rock Springs Elementary, had become acquainted with officers and K-9s from the Alpharetta Police Department through her mother’s work. She bonded with the dogs and became friends with their handlers through frequent visits. Nicole learned about the different duties for which K-9s are trained. She realized that many of these duties are henrycounty-ga.org
difficult and dangerous. With that understanding she spoke with her family about helping these dogs. “I love K-9s and really want to protect our protectors,” Nicole told senior staff at the Sheriff’s Office. Her original goal was to raise money to purchase ballistic vests but after speaking with Sergeant Powell, she realized that the ways to help K-9s vary based on their duties. As a result, Nicole raised over $300 to buy NARCAN to counteract the effects of opioid narcotics for the Henry County Sheriff’s Office and Police Department drug dogs. A drug dog’s duties require constant sniffing for narcotics which makes them susceptible to a drug overdose. NARCAN is used to counteract the dangerous effects of an opioid overdose. K-9s are given the same medicine as humans in doses based on their weight. The Hand family has helped Nicole establish a Go Fund Me page called “Keeping K9’s Safe” at www.gofundme.com/keeping-k9039s-safe for anyone who would like to help Nicole meet her goal of raising $1,000 to protect the protectors.
Henry’s Night Out Set for October 25 The Henry County Police Department, along with the Henry County Sheriff’s, Henry County Fire, and Henry County E-911 Departments are hosting the annual Henry’s Night Out event on Thursday, October 25 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Henry Town Center in McDonough. Henry County’s National Night Out is a free event for the whole family where parents and kids alike will have an opportunity to meet and speak with various public safety professionals. Attendees will enjoy free food, fun activities, trunk or treating and live music for everyone to enjoy. Henry’s Night Out is modeled after National Night Out, traditionally held in August, however with the extreme Georgia heat, public safety officers scheduled
the event to October for the cooler temperatures. National Night Out is a unique crime and drug prevention event that involves citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials coming together in a show of solidarity against crime. The community event is observed in all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases. Last year’s event brought out hundreds of attendees, parents and children alike who enjoyed meeting Henry County public safety. Henry’s Night Out will take place in front of the Target Department Store located at 1850 Jonesboro Road, in McDonough. The event is free and open to the public.
Those who came out to last year’s Henry Night Out enjoyed meeting with local public safety.
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