Henry County Update - Newsletter

July 20, 2018

Board of

Commissioners

SPLOST V Committee Kickoff Meeting Set for July 23

Cancelled Meetings August 7, 2018 9:00 a.m.

Regular Meetings August 21, 2018 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 5, 2018 9:00 a.m.

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.

A kickoff meeting for the SPLOST V Committee will be held on Monday, July 23, 2018 at 6 p.m. at the Henry County Government Administration Building in Conference Room B.

The committee is made up of one appointee from each commission district, one by the commission chair, one by the county manager, and one member appointed by the Henry County Municipal Association.

This is the first of several planned meetings and the duties of the committee include formulating an accurate estimate of the revenue which could potentially be generated; receiving public input from members of the Henry County community as to projects for inclusion into a new SPLOST program; formulating accurate estimates for those potential projects; and presenting a report to the Henry County Board of Commissioners as to cost estimates and recommended projects for inclusion on a SPLOST V ballot initiative.

The Henry County Administration Building is located at 140 Henry Parkway in McDonough. All are welcome.

For more information on SPLOST, please visit henrycounty-ga.org/splost.

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July 20, 2018 Published by Henry County Communications & Public Information Department Henry County Government

Editor Melissa Robinson

Graphic Designer Meredith Butler

Layout Designer Melissa Robinson Meredith Butler

Contributors Melissa Robinson Erika Richards

Milage Public Hearings

July 24, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. & at 6:00 p.m.

July 31, 2018 at 9:00 a.m.

Back to School Expo Set for July 21

The new school year is right around the corner, so come and celebrate with the seventh annual Henry County Communities in Schools Parent Expo, which will be held on Saturday, July 21 at the Jason T. Harper Event Center in McDonough from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The Henry County School System will be represented along with other local businesses and non-profit organizations. In addition, there will be valuable information for parents, as well as a school supply giveaway, free food, inflatables, and other fun activities for the kids.

The Parent Expo is being sponsored by Communities in Schools, in partnership with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Connecting Henry, Inc. and Henry County Schools, among others.

Communities in Schools is the country’s largest dropout prevention organization with the mission to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

The Jason T. Harper Event Center is located at 95 Lake Dow Road in McDonough. For more information, call 678-432-4499, visitcishenry.org or visit their Facebook page.

Locust Grove Senior Center to Host Grand Re-Opening/Open House

The Locust Grove Senior Center will host a Grand Re-Opening/Open house on Thursday, August 2 from 1 to 3 pm and the public is invited to stop by and see the newly remodeled downstairs and kitchen. The new kitchen was recently completed and allows for the preparation of meals on-site.

Staff and class instructors will be available to provide information and assist with registration for classes, activities and trips.

The Senior Center’s hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with breakfast served from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. for $3.00, and lunch from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. for $4.00.

Meal service and activities are open to Henry henrycounty-ga.org

County residents age 55 and over, and all of Henry County Senior Centers offer a wide variety of activities for seniors of all activity levels, including exercise classes, crafts, trips, opportunities for fellowship and much more.

The Locust Grove Senior Center is located at 280 Mose Brown Dr. on the left side of Warren Holder Park in the Locust Grove Event Center, off Bowden Street/South Bethany Road.

Please call Melissa Sloan 770-288-7004 or Cindy Collins at 770-288-7003 for more information.

For more information about Henry County Senior Services or any of the four senior centers, please visit www.henrycounty-ga.org/seniorservices.

17th Annual Tennis Clinic to Be Held on August 4

The 17th Annual Jac Roth Free Tennis Clinic will be held on Saturday, August 4 from 9 a.m. to noon at Richard Craig Park in McDonough with registration starting at 8:15 a.m. The first 50 participants to register will receive a free tee-shirt.

The clinic is free to everyone and open to all age and experience levels.

Participants will learn the basic fundamentals of the serve, volley, forehand and backhand from experienced volunteer tennis instructors. Equipment will be provided by the Henry County Parks and Recreation Department as well as the instructors themselves.

Participants will be split into age groups ranging from elementary up to adult and will have

the opportunity to win prizes during court lessons. Ball machines will be set up for more experienced players who wish to focus on consistency.

The clinic will be followed by a free weenie roast/cook out provided by clinic sponsors such as the McDonald family, Legacy Ford, Herman and Joeann Compton, Union Grove Tennis Camp and many more.

Jac Roth was the founder of the free tennis clinic and an avid tennis enthusiast.

Herman and Joeann Compton and the McDonald family honor his memory by continuing the clinic 17 years after his passing.

For more information about the clinic or the Henry County Tennis Association contact the Recreation Department at (770) 288-7300.

2018 S.W.A.G. Graduation Ceremony

Connecting Henry’s Swag Program (Students Working to Achieve Greatness) held a graduation ceremony on July 12, where 27 graduates earned their high school diplomas.

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July 20, 2018 Animal Care and Control’s “Operation Cool Down” is Heating Up

With warm temperatures upon us, Henry County Animal Care and Control is once again stepping up patrols to be on the lookout for pets left in hot cars. Too often, beloved pets are left in dangerous situations where owners leave them locked inside of their vehicles during the heat of the day, while they stop by a store or restaurant or run other errands.

To combat this distressing trend, Henry County Animal Care and Control is now in its seventh year of implementing “Operation Cool Down,” reminding people not to leave their pets in hot vehicles. Any animal that is found unattended in a vehicle, that is in distress, will be removed from that vehicle by Animal Care and Control officers by whatever means necessary, as permitted under Henry County Ordinance. Violators of the ordinance may face fines up to $1,000 or 60 days in jail.

The Animal Care and Control Department has already received several calls this year regarding animals being left in cars, however since the implementation of Operation Cool Down, the number of calls has decreased a little each year.

Director Gerri Yoder of Henry County Animal Care and Control said that dogs cool their bodies by panting, allowing them to take in cooler air but when

henrycounty-ga.org

they are inside a hot car they breathe in air that is hotter than their body temperatures. She also said that the temperature inside a car on a hot day spikes higher than what the barometer reads on the outside, for example, on a 85-degree day, temperatures inside a car can quickly reach up to 120 degrees.

Yoder said officers from Animal Care and Control will be patrolling parking lots, looking and listening for animals that are left in vehicles. Officers won’t be giving warnings; they will be writing citations.

“For pet owners, the best rule of thumb is this, if you want to go somewhere and your pet cannot get out of the car and go in with you, leave your pet at home,” said Yoder.

Officials at Henry County Animal Care and Control advise residents to keep their pets at home if their pets cannot be with them at all times. Experts say that a dog naturally has a higher body temperature than a human and that leaving them in a hot car could be deadly. In addition, owners should make sure that their pets have a constant source of clean, drinkable water at all times and have adequate shelter from the heat.

For more information about Henry County Animal Care and Control, please visit www.hcacc.org.

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July 20, 2018

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