Henry County Parks & Recreation
ANNUAL REPORT HENRY CARES. HENRY COMMITTED.
CONTENTS
Message from the Director 1 Snapshot 2 Leadership and Staff 3 BRAVOs Award Winners 4 Parks 5 Athletics 6 Administration 7 Recreation 8 Therapeutic Recreation 9
CREATING AMAZING RECREATION EXPERIENCES
LEADERSHIP MESSAGE
Jonathon “J.P.” Penn
Director Executive Director Leisure & Public Services At Henry County Parks and Recreation, our work is rooted in a clear purpose: to strengthen our community through spaces, programs, and experiences that bring people together and enhance quality of life. In 2025, that purpose guided every decision we made and every milestone we reached. This past year marked a period of meaningful growth and momentum for our department. With support from the SPLOST program, we celebrated the opening of the North Mt. Carmel Recreation Center, an investment that reflects both modern design and long-term thinking. At the same time, we advanced planning and development efforts for a region-leading Aquatic Center and Waterpark scheduled to open in Summer 2026, positioning HCPRD to meet future demand and elevate recreation opportunities across Henry County. Equally important to our physical growth was the continued investment in our people and services. In 2025, our team emerged as a statewide leader in training and professional development, strengthening our ability to serve residents with excellence and consistency. We expanded therapeutic recreation offerings at the JP Moseley Recreation Center, increasing access and inclusion for individuals with special needs. Across the system, staff introduced more than 40 new programs and delivered 41 free community events, ensuring that cost is never a barrier to participation. These outcomes reflect the dedication, creativity, and professionalism of our staff, as well as the trust and support of our leadership and partners. Together, we are building a department that is adaptable, forward-thinking, and deeply connected to the community it serves. As we move into the next year, we do so with pride in what has been accomplished and confidence in the foundation we have established for the future. Henry County Parks and Recreation is well positioned to continue growing, innovating, and delivering exceptional experiences that will benefit residents for generations to come. Thank you for your continued commitment to our mission and to the people of Henry County.
COMMUNITY. LIFE. HENRY. Page 1
YEAR END REVIEW
2025 Snapshot YEAR
2025
Total Revenue
$1,855,444
Total Reservations
818
Therapeutic Participants
2,129
Programs Participants
24,192
Special Events Participants
44,502
Athletics Participants
41,407
Parks Work Orders
759
Community Outreach
45
See-Click-Fix
32
Donations/Sponsorships
$127,448
27 Parks
4 Rec Centers
6 Event Venues HENRY CARES. HENRY COMMITTED. Page 2
LEADERSHIP & STAFF Board of Commissioners
Recreation Services
Carlotta Harrell - Chair Johnny Wilson - District I Neat Robinson - District II Dee Anglyn, III - District III Michael T. Price - District IV Kevin Lewis - District V
Brandi Dailey - Supervisor II, JP Moseley Rec Casinious Moore - Supervisor II, North Mt. Carmel Rec J. Bull Martin - Supervisor II, Fairview Rec Kathy Hunt, CPRP - Program Coordinator, LG Rec Tina Fuss - Program Coordinator, Homeschool Rec Dr. Zac Graham - Program Coordinator, Afterschool/Camp Anthony Tyus - Recreation Specialist, JP Moseley Rec John Knapp - Recreation Specialist, North Mt. Carmel Rec
Parks & Recreation Advisory Board
Therapeutic Recreation
Bridgette Foresyth - At-Large John Dewberry, Jr. (Vice-Chair) - District I Andre Byrd - District II David Wilkerson (Chair) - District III Brenda Winston - District IV Jonathan Buck - District V
Terry Nash, CTRS - TR Superintendent Cheryl Williams - TR Coordinator Harlon Matthews - TR Specialist Seth Youmans - TR Specialist Angel Starks - TR Specialist Marleaux Williams - TR Specialist
Executive Leadership Cheri Matthews - County Manager Jonathon Penn - Executive Director - Leisure and Public Services Donna Holder - Deputy Director Michelle Dunn - Deputy Administrator of Admin. Services Kevin Patterson, CYSA - Deputy Administrator of Athletics Bryan Dixon, CPRP - Deputy Administrator of Parks Thomas White, MPA - Deputy Administrator of Recreation
Administrative Services Jamey Dixon - Operations Specialist James Tremor - Operations Specialist Katrina Wagoner - Special Events Coordinator Sondra Landrum - Special Events Coordinator Paige Ferguson - Special Events Assistant Cosia Crum-Ewing - Administrative Assistant I Bobbie Pope - Administrative Assistant II
Parks Services Leadership Shane Massey - Park Superintendent Chris Colmenero - Park Services Manager Shane “Alex” Moseley - Supervisor II Maureo Coleman - Supervisor II JK Lee - Supervisor II Austin Collins - Crew Leader Miles Hoffman - Crew Leader James New - Maintenance Specialist I Kevin Watkins - Maintenance Specialist I Logan Tweed - Maintenance Specialist I Douglas Walter - Maintenance Specialist I Kobie Goulden - Maintenance Specialist I Justin Lambert - Maintenance Specialist I Rob Green - Maintenance Specialist 1 Rodney Johnson - Maintenance Specialist I
Athletic Services Schley Devereux - Athletic Coordinator, Youth/Adults Darryl Rowe - Athletic Coordinator, Youth Ayana Morris - Athletic Coordinator, Youth/Adults
HENRY CARES. HENRY COMMITTED. Page 3
BRAVOs Awards BRAVO Award Employee of the Year 2025
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2025
BRAVOs
EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR
AuSTIN COLLINS MAINTENANCE CREW LEADER BRAVO is a recognition program for Henry County Parks & Recreation Department (HCPRD) employees that allows employees to nominate their peers to recognize them for going above and beyond expected roles within their job description and embracing our commitment to Pillars of Excellence: Fiscal Stewardship, Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Collaboration. Outstanding employees deserve to be recognized as a reward for exceptional performance and as a model to other employees.
Brandi Dailey
Austin Collins
Steve Wallace
Sondra Landrum
Casinious Moore
Paige Ferguson
Brad Pearce
Ty Cobb
HENRY CARES. HENRY COMMITTED. Page 4
PARKS Key Accomplishments •Renovated Sandy Ridge Park by adding new signs to the entrence, updating the rock gateways, replacing concrete walkways, repairing irrigation, installing windscreens, clearing invasive vegetation, installing new foul poles, laser grading the fields, installing a new gate at BMX, adding utility box art, repairing the walking track and addressing drainage issues. •Renovated North Mt. Carmel Bark Park. •Renovated Cochran Park by clearing overgrowth, replacing concrete walkways, installing new playground, removing old concessions, installing Beast Hack hitting stations, installing custom windscreens, installing new scoreboards, replacing netting and fencing, and restoring rock gateways. •Assisted Harris County creating a Turf Management Program. •Hosted Year 3 of The Watering Can Mentoring Program. •Shane Massey presented at the NRPA Annual Conference in Orlando, FL about creating productive work environments. •Added security cameras to parks. •Bryan Dixon, Shane Massey, Chris Colemenero, and Alex Moseley presented at the GRPA Annual Conference in Jekyll Island about various maintenance topics. •Bryan Dixon presented at the LRPA Annual Conference in Baton Rouge, LA about The Watering Can Mentoring Program and other alternative program ideas. •Planted new dogwood and cherry trees at Heritage Park. •Upgraded dugouts and backstops at Heritage Park. •Installed new asphalt finish line at Sandy Ridge BMX for their 25th anniversary. •Bryan Dixon appeared three times in Parks and Recreation Magazine. •Bryan Dixon appeared four times on The Daily Parks and Recreation Show Maintenance Series. •Shane Massey won the Setting the Standard Award at Henry Heroes. •Implemented the Goats in the Park Program, a way to organically clear invasive vegetation. •Broke ground on the pollinator garden of wildflowers at Nash Farm using a seed blend unique to our program. •Limbed trees at Bud Kelley Park to facilitate better movement routes for patrons. •Completed the new 18-hole disc golf course at Bud Kelley Park. In its opening weeks, the course ranked as one of the top 100 courses played in the world. •Opened new Parks Maintenance building at Heritage Park. •Added a parking area to Mickie D. Cochran Park.
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ATHLETICS Key Accomplishments •Hosted the 3rd Annual Youth Basketball Spelling Bee at Locust Grove Event Center. •Hosted the 3rd Annual Youth Basketball All-Star Competition at JP Moseley Recreation Center. •Increased interest and registration in Track and Field. •Continued to expand the Girls Football Program. •8U Girls District All-Star Basketball Team, 10U Boys District All-Star Basketball Team, and 17U Boys District All-Star Basketball Team won GRPA District 6 Championships. •Hosted Shock Doctor's 7v7 Flag Football Tournament at North Mt. Carmel Park. An estimated 6,400 people attended. •Hosted GRPA District 6 Youth Basketball Playoffs. •Partnered with Stockbridge High School on a Coaches Clinic for Baseball and Softball. •Organized four adult softball leagues for the Adult Spring Softball Season (Men's, Church, Co-ed, 55+ Seniors). •Hosted the HCPRD Youth Baseball and Softball End of the Season Tournament at Heritage Park. •Hosted the 3rd Annual Henry Choice Awards at LGEC. Held pep rally and increased youth basketball. •Added freeplay pickleball options at Richard Craig Park and North Mt. Carmel Rec Center. •Expanded pickleball options at JP Moseley Rec Center and Fairview Rec Center. •Kevin Patterson appeared on multiple episodes of the Daily Parks and Rec Show. •Recognized two young athletes, CJ and Kollin Matthews, at the BOC meeting for their book Making Change with The Good Brothers. •Kevin Patterson presented at the GRPA Annual Conference at Jekyll Island about working with parents and rulemaking. •Partnered with the Police Athletic League to create a girls basketball clinic. •Hosted the Battlefield Football Tournament at JP Moseley Park. •Attended the GMYFL Coaches Symposium at Henry County Performing Arts Center. •Hosted both boys and girls basketball clinics with Stockbridge High School. Over 50 in attendance. •Entered into an agreement with Sports Engine Play to install cameras at rec centers to stream basketball games. •Kevin Patterson received an award from Just Kingdom Athletics, recognizing the ongoing partnership at Richard Craig Park. •Assisted Butts County Parks and Recreation with a toy drive. •Won bids to host GRPA 10u State Basketball Championships.
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ADMINISTRATION Key Accomplishments •Represented Henry County throughout the year at GRPA meetings. We currently have a seat on the Board of Trustees and representation at both district meetings and the State Athletic Committee Meetings. •Expanded social media reach, hitting 8.9 million views. We increased short-form video marketing. •Hosted Red Cross emergency warming shelters. •Increased both state and national presence by presenting at multiple conferences/workshops, publishing articles/photos, and appearing on podcasts. Staff presented 14 times at the GRPA Annual Conference and traveled to Baton Rouge, LA and Orlando, FL. Multiple staff members have appeared on The Daily Parks and Rec Show and The Rec Room podcasts. Articles/photos have been featured in the NRPA Magazine, GRPA Magazine, ACCG Magazine, My Henry Magazine, and the DPRS Media and GRPA Newsletters. •Hosted 41 special events, bringing together tens of thousands of residents and visitors. •Staff participated in and hosted HC Government Toastmasters. •Completed construction of North Mt. Carmel Rec Center. •Continued construction of the Aquatic Center. •Completed Construction of Bud Kelley Disc Golf Course. •Completed renovations at Sandy Ridge Park and Cochran Park. •Began construction of Butler's Bridge Park and Kayak Launch. •Hosted several internal events, including classes, trainings, and voting. Departments assisted have been Communications, HR, E911, EMA, Facilities Maintenance, Fleet, Elections, PD, Fire, Stormwater, Elections and the County Manager's Office. •Named as a member of the Henry County Schools CTAE Advisory Board. •Hosted the GA Sports Field Management Field Day at Heritage. •Received the AKA President's Award. •Established a partnership with the Tony Hawk Skatepark Project to build public skateparks. •Entered into a partnership with Creekside Academy for gym usage, field usage, and STEM projects. •Received a grant for the ACCG Summer Internship Program. •Recognized Mike Haney for winning the GRPA State Volunteer of the Year Award. •Released four quarterly activity guides. •Recognized by Chair Harrell at the State of the County with the Hero Award. •Hosted volunteer days with both the AKAs and Morehouse School of Medicine. •Accepted a conditional grant award to construct an outdoor fitness court at Village Park.
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RECREATION Key Accomplishments •Conducted Winter Break Camp, Midwinter Break Camp, Spring Break Camp, Summer Camp, and Fall Break Camp. •Opened North Mt. Carmel Rec Center. •Began an esports league at North Mt. Carmel Rec Center. •Began offering free professional development classes at North Mt. Carmel, transforming the gaming room from just a gaming room into a community resource center. •Opened new Afterschool locations at North Mt. Carmel Rec Center and JP Moseley Rec Center. •Tom's Coffee operated the coffee bar at North Mt. Carmel until a permanent vendor could be named. EdTech Integrations was awarded the bid and began operations in December. •Taught three homeschool programs with staff instructors: creative writing, public speaking, and gardening. •Partnered with parents to help homeschool students with a booth at the UGA Extension Farmers Market, teaching entreprenuership. •Hosted the GRPA Programmers Roundtable at North Mt. Carmel Recreation Center. •Hosted the GRPA District 6 Business Meeting. •Submitted multiple articles to NRPA Magazine, GRPA Magazine, and the DPRS Media Newsletter. •Hosted Rec N' Roll at the McDonough Housing Authority and the Hampton Housing Authority. •Submitted 24 session proposals for GRPA Annual Conference. Rec Services Staff presented five times. •Attended multiple career days, career fairs, and field days. •Expanded homeschool programming to 14 programs. •Handed out over 30,000 Pokemon cards donated by Nerd's World and Atomic Gaming/ •Joined GSAN and GRPA at the Capitol to appeal to the General Assembly for out-of-school time funding. BOOST 2.0 was passed. BOOST 2.0 funds will be used to support afterschool and summer camp programming. •Awarded $65,000 in grant funds throught BOOST 2.0 for afterschool and summer camp funding. •Hosted Homeschool Fishing Day at Nash Farm with GA DNR. •Presented to the Board of Commissioners about Summer Camp, the Homeschool Program, and Therapeutic Recreation. •Entered into an agreement with Briggs & Associates to create an employment program for residents with special needs. •Created over 40 new recreation programs. •Held the first Park Players performance featuring actors from the Homeschool Program. •Received $4,000 from Central Georgia EMC Operation Round-Up for robotics programming at North Mt. Carmel Rec Center.
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THERAPEUTIC RECREATION Key Accomplishments •Promoted Terry Nash to the newly-created position of Therapeutic Recreation Superintendent. Superintendent Nash will oversee expansion of the TR program to other locations and programming opportunities. Cheryl Williams replaced Superintendent Nash as TR Coordinator and will lead the day-to-day operations of the TR team. •Partnered with 10 Chick-Fil-A stores to hold the Swing for a Cause Golf Tournament. •Received multiple donations for Special Olympics, Sunshine League, and Wheelchair Sports from local community organizations, businesses, and individuals. •Attended the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter Special Olympics Georgia State Games. • Henry Big Dogs selected for the 2026 USA Softball Games in Minneapolis. •Georgia Storm had a successful wheelchair basketball season. •Competed in Boone, North Carolina at the Special Olympics Southeast U.S. Winter Games. •Represented HCPRD at the ESE Family Empowerment and Transition Fair. •Hosted the Sunshine League Spring and Fall Seasons at Richard Craig Park. •Expanded programming to JP Moseley Recreation Center with Creative Minds, Wheelchair Basketball, and Special Olympics Basketball. •Won the Henry Heroes Teamwork Award. •Hosted the Circle of Friends Fashion Show at Locust Grove Event Center. •Hosted the Georgia Special Olympics Kayaking Invitational in Macon, GA. •Cheryl Williams presented to the GRPA State Athletics Committee about creating an athletics league for special needs athletes. •Hosted the 3rd Annual Special Olympics Turkey Trot. •Circle of Friends visited Jekyll Island, hosted numerous events, took several enriching field trips, and performed community service. •Presented twice at the GRPA Annual Conference. •McDonough High School Basketball Team partnered with Sunshine League athletes for a day of games. •Georgia Storm won the Wheelchair Handball State Championships. •Hosted a discussion at the GRPA Programmers Roundtable. •Worked with Publix to raise money for Special Olympics. •Presented at the BOC Meeting about the special needs employment program.
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MASTER PLAN
The Master Plan serves to create a vision for the next ten years of progress, growth, and adaptation within Henry County’s Department of Parks and Recreation. Parks have a unique, multi-faceted power to serve their community. By providing spaces for people to gather and play, protecting and enhancing the local ecology, and representing the area’s social and cultural character, parks weave together nature, public health, and culture in ways that benefit everyone. Scan to View
HENRY CARES. HENRY COMMITTED.
PARKS & RECREATION
99 Lake Dow Road, McDonough, GA 30253 parksrec@henrycountyga.gov www. hcprd.org Follow us on social media Facebook @HenryCountyParksRec Instagram @HenryCountyParksAndRec Twitter @HenryCoParks TikTok @HenryParksRecreation
HENRY CARES. HENRY COMMITTED.