Henry County Update - Newsletter

November 19, 2015

Board of

Commissioners

A Heritage Christmas Set for December 12

Regular Meetings December 1 at 9:00 AM December 15 at 6:30 PM 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.

Santa is coming early to McDonough this year for the Heritage Park Christmas festival on December 12 from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. and he’s bringing Anna, Elsa and Olaf with him!

The Henry County Parks and Recreation Department invites you and yours to a joyous and merry Christmas celebration that will feature hayrides, crafts, holiday music, a tree lighting and photos with Santa and the cast of the Disney movie “Frozen.” Refreshments will be available for purchase.

Heritage Park is located at 101 Lake Dow Road. For more information, visit www.hcprd.org or call 770-288-7300.

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November 19, 2015 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 Samantha Watson Melissa Robinson Kevin Williams

American Red Cross Training to be Held on November 21

At a November 5 informational meeting, the American Red Cross announced the upcoming training session to be held on November 21 at the Henry County Emergency Operations Center at 9 a.m.

The American Red Cross is a non-profit, humanitarian organization that provides relief to those affected by disasters and helps people across the nation prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

The training session is for individuals who want to be a Disaster Workforce Volunteer. To apply to be a Disaster Workforce Volunteer, log on to www.redcross. org/local/Georgia/volunteers. After applying online, you will have to go through a phone interview and complete an online orientation. Those who attend the training session will support responders in Henry, Clayton and Rockdale Counties.

For more information, visit www.redcross.org. henrycounty-ga.org

Commissioners Approve Public Safety Positions

Twenty new certified firefighter positions were approved by Commissioners at the November 17, 2015 Commission meeting, as was the purchasing of new firefighting gear.

As planned in the fiscal year 2015/2016 budget, the Henry County Fire Department will soon be hiring a full staff for Station 14 and supplemental full time staff members, for a total of twenty new hires, in the amount of $998,996.42.

To fully equip the new hires and to replace old equipment, the department was approved to purchase new firefighter turnout gear from Nafeco in the amount of $76,368.

In related public safety news, the Henry County Police Department was approved to purchase four 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe Pursuit vehicles for the Traffic Unit of the Uniform Patrol Division in the amount of $139,368.

The purchase is made possible through previously seized funds.

To keep up with breaking public safety news, visit www.henrycounty-ga.org.

Christmas Program in Need of Volunteers and Donations

Preparations for Connecting Henry’s annual Community Cares Christmas Toy Shop, to be held on December 10 and 11, are underway and officials are looking for donations of toys, money and gift cards as well as volunteers for a number of positions.

The toys and donations collected will stay right here in Henry County and go to families in need to make Christmas a little brighter for those that might not otherwise have anything under the tree. The Community Cares Christmas Toy Shop helps provide Christmas gifts and other resources for families in need. In years past, this holiday event has been a huge success, thanks in part to the generosity of donors and volunteers who made a difference in the lives of

thousands of Henry County children. Unfortunately, the need this year is expected to be just as great.

Volunteers are needed for a variety of jobs, including pre-event volunteering (sorting toys, decorating the warehouse, painting, etc…) as well as on the days of the event (hosting families, wrapping gifts, security, registration) to be held on December 10 and 11.

For those who are interested in volunteering and to find out how your time and talents can make a difference this Christmas season, or for more information, call 770-288-6230 or email Susan Crumbley at scrumbley@co.henry.ga.us.

Commissioner Bruce Holmes to Host 5th Annual Community Appreciation Breakfast & Christmas Celebration

New Floors and Kitchen Equipment for Seniors

District V Commissioner Bruce Holmes will be hosting the fifth annual Community Appreciation Breakfast and Christmas Program, the last of his town hall meetings for 2015, on December 5 at 9 a.m. at the Hidden Valley Senior Center in Stockbridge.

The event will be a morning of fellowship and celebration in appreciation of the community and their continued support. Christmas carols and entertainment will be provided by saxophonist Ollie Patterson, the Fairview Elementary Dance Team and the Fairview and Austin Road Elementary School Chorus’. A hearty breakfast will be served to the community at no cost.

This event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend to celebrate the holiday season.

The Hidden Valley Senior Center is located at 600 Spraggins Memorial Parkway in Stockbridge.

The purchase of new floors and kitchen equipment for the Heritage and Hidden Valley Senior Centers was approved at the November 17, 2015 Commission meeting.

The new cafeteria flooring for both centers and exercise room flooring for the Heritage Senior Center will be completed by Thomas Carpets, Inc. for a total of $52,394. These floor replacements were purchased through an NJPA Contract.

“I’m very excited to see this. I’m glad to see it happening because we need to take care of our seniors and I hope this gives many years of service to them,” stated District IV Commissioner Blake Prince.

One gas stove tilting skillet and one dishwasher will be purchased for the Heritage Senior Center and one dishwasher will be purchased for the Hidden Valley Senior Center. All purchases will be made from TriMark Strategic Equipment and Supply Co. in the amount of $27,336.40.

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November 19, 2015 Commissioners Recognize Hospice Care Month

In honor of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, the Henry County Board of Commissioners issued a proclamation at the November 17 Commission meeting recognizing the month of November as Hospice Care Month in Henry County.

The proclamation read, in part, “Every year more than 1.6 million Americans living with life-limiting illness, and their families, received care from the nation’s hospice programs in communities throughout the United States; and...More than 430,000 trained volunteers contribute 19 million hours of service to hospice programs annually in the U.S….”

The proclamation was accepted by several members of the hospice community in Henry County.

For more information on Hospice and Palliative Care Month, visit www.nhpco.org.

Several members of the hospice care community were on hand to receive a proclamation in recognition of Hospice Care Month.

Pictured in the front row (l. to r.) Susan Wilson-Tucker, Business Development Manager for Providence Hospice, Ian Ash, CEO of Providence Hospice, Henry County Commission Chairman Tommy N. Smith, and Karen Bailey, Director of Nursing for Providence Hospice; Second row (l. to r.) District IV Commissioner Blake Prince, District II Commissioner Brian Preston, District I Commissioner Bo Moss, District V Commissioner Bruce Holmes and District III Commissioner Gary Barham.

Adopt-a-Senior Program in Need of Donations

The Henry County Council on Aging and the Henry County Senior Services Department are once again making the holidays a little brighter with its AdoptA-Senior for Christmas program, where residents can buy a gift for a senior or simply make a donation to the program.

Instead of a suggested gift item this year, organizers have interviewed local seniors and created individual wish lists of specific items. Gift-givers will have the satisfaction of knowing that they are providing a gift from a senior citizen’s wish list that will be appreciated and because it was chosen especially for them.

Currently, there are 275 seniors in Henry County to be adopted and many of the residents who will benefit from the program are homebound and on a fixed income. These simple, but much-needed gifts will help bring them Christmas cheer. The idea behind the program is for individual, families, groups, churches businesses or organizations to adopt seniors in our community, who are aged 60 and over who are in need, henrycounty-ga.org

in order to provide them with a Christmas gift.

“Adopt-a-Senior allows all of our senior clients to experience the joy of Christmas and for some it is the only gift they will receive,” said program coordinator Ann Marie Quincey. “It also provides a special experience for those that chose to adopt and keeps the community and our senior population connected.”

Those interested in participating should call Senior Services who will provide information on a senior in need. Gifts can be festively wrapped or placed in a gift bag and should be delivered to any Henry County Senior Center no later than December 4, 2015. Cash or check donations are always appreciated.

Heritage Senior Center is located at 1050 Florence McGarity Boulevard in McDonough. If you are interested in adopting a senior during this holiday season, please call Ann Marie Quincey at 770-2886975. For more information about the Henry County Senior Services Department, visit www.henrycounty-ga.org/seniorservices.

Pride and Patriotism Shine at the 2015 Veterans Day Celebration

November 11, 2015 was a day for praise, pride and patriotism at the Veterans Wall of Honor in Heritage Park. The 2015 Veterans Day Celebration paid tribute to those who have served our country while celebrating their lives, legacies and sacrifices.

Henry County Commission Chairman Tommy Smith, District I Commissioner Bo Moss, District III Commissioner Gary Barham and several other county officials were present for the service, along with citizens, veterans groups and family members enjoyed the patriotic program that featured music, a

poem and speakers, including keynote speaker LTG James R. Helmly (Retired). LTG Helmly spoke on his pride of being called “soldier” and the importance of supporting our veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country. He urged supporters to make sure that veterans have the medical, housing and other care that so many desperately need.

For more information on the Veterans Wall of Honor or the Henry County Heritage Park Veterans Museum, pleas log on to www.hcprd.org or www.heritageparkveteransmuseum.com.

Fall Farmer’s Market to Feature Thanksgiving Favorites

Being home for the holidays requires a lot of preparations, especially if you’re in charge of cooking the much-anticipated Thanksgiving Day meal. So when looking for holiday-inspired dishes and a great place to stock up on Thanksgiving favorites, check out the Henry County Extension Office’s Fall Farmer’s Market, scheduled for November 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The fall market will be held at the Jason T. Harper Event Center at Heritage Park in McDonough and will offer delicious local produce as well as homemade jams, jellies, baked goods and more.

For more information on the Fall Farmer’s Market contact the Extension Office at 770-288-8421.

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