The Henry County Update - Newsletter

August 20, 2015

Board of

Commissioners

Special Olympic World Games Participants Honored by Commissioners

Regular Meetings September 1 at 9:00 AM September 15 at 6:30 PM 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 180 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99, at 9 a.m. & 7 p.m.

Jennifer Maddox and family (left front) with Davina Ford (right front) being presented certificates of achievement by Chairman Tommy Smith and Commissioners Blake Prince, Gary Barham, Bo Moss and Brian Preston.

Special Olympic World Summer Games equestrian athlete, Jennifer Maddox, and Special Olympic coach and unified partner, Davina Ford, were honored and presented certificates of achievement during the August 18, 2015 Commission meeting.

Maddox, who was the only Equestrian Division athlete from Georgia to compete at the World level, won three Olympic medals during her competitions with Team USA in Los Angeles, California. She took home the gold medal in equitation, a silver medal in dressage and a bronze medal in working trail.

The Commissioners offered their heartfelt congratulations for her excellent achievements and for proudly representing Henry County and the State of Georgia at the World Games.

Maddox joined the Henry County Special Olympics in 2003 as a softball and basketball athlete and later joined County equestrian competitions in 2010 at Continued on page 3

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August 20, 2015 Published by Henry County Communications Department The Henry County Board of Commissioners

Editor Melissa Robinson

Graphic Designer Meredith Butler

Layout Designer Samantha Watson

Contributors Samantha Watson Melissa Robinson Kevin Williams

Bethlehem Bottoms Road Renamed to Medline Place

The Board of Commissioners approved the renaming of Bethlehem Bottoms Road in Locust Grove to Medline Place at the August 18 Commission meeting.

The request for the name change was made by MRE MGA LLC, Medline Industries Inc. on July 21 via the Department of Transportation’s application process.

Medline Industries Inc. is the first business to open and operate on the road. There have been no objections from local businesses in the immediate area. henrycounty-ga.org

4-H Open House to Be Held on August 24

The Henry County Extension Office will be holding an open house for the Henry County 4-H club and County Council on August 24 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Extension Office at Heritage Park.

Students and parents are encouraged to attend the informational meeting in order to sign up for County Council and other specialty clubs as well as to learn more about 4-H, a youth education program for both boys and girls.

The Henry County 4-H County Council is a leadership and community service specialty club within the Henry County 4-H youth program. Children and teenagers aged 9 to 19 can join the 4-H youth program, but only teenagers in grades 7 through 12 can join the 4-H County Council. Other specialty clubs include Dog Club, Horse Club, Elementary School 4-H and Middle School 4-H. All clubs meet monthly, after school, during the school year.

The mission of Georgia 4-H is to assist youth in acquiring knowledge, developing life skills and forming attitudes that will enable them to become self-directing, productive and contributing members of society. This mission is accomplished through experiential “hands on” learning focused on agriculture, citizenship, communication skills, environment, family and consumer science and leadership.

The Extension Office is requesting that all attendees of the open house bring one canned food item to help support the “Helping in His Name” food pantry.

For more information on the Henry County 4-H youth program visit www.ugaextension.com/henry/4h.

Special Olympic Honoring from page 1

the Calvin Center in Hampton. She has competed in several state competitions over the last seven years and recently received a bronze medal in doubles tennis and a silver medal in singles tennis for her performance in the state summer games.

Davina Ford, a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist for Henry County Parks and Recreation, also attended the games as an assistant coach in kayaking and unified partner to Maddox. Her efforts in coaching helped kayaking athletes take home two gold, two silver, two bronze and two fourth place medals.

For more information on the Henry County Parks and Recreation Department’s Therapeutic Recreation Division, log onto www.henrycounty-ga. org/ParksRecreation/TherapeuticRecreation.

HCPD Captain Completes Academic Endeavor

HCPD Deputy Chief Mark Amerman congratulates Captain Phillip Bratton for completing the 380th Class at the School of Police and Command.

Congratulations to Henry County Police Captain Phillip Bratton who completed the 380th Class at the School of Police and Command (SPSC) on August 14, 2015. The class is structured by Northwestern University’s Center for Public Safety and was hosted by the Kennesaw State University Police Department. The SPSC is an intensive ten-week program that prepares law enforcement managers for senior positions by uniquely combining academic principles with practical applications.

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August 20, 2015 Connecting Henry Receives Grant

The non-profit organization, Connecting Henry, received a Family Connection operating grant from the Georgia Department of Human Services which was approved by the Board of Commissioners on August 18.

The reimbursement grant is a total of $46,000 and requires no local match of funds. The grant will go towards operational costs of the department.

Connecting Henry is a planning and coordinating agency for services and programs directed at improving child health, child development, family function, school performance and family economic capacity.

Connecting Henry is currently facilitating the Students Working to Achieve Greatness (S.W.A.G.) Program which caters to Henry County at-risk youth.

Through this program, students will be given the tools to obtain their GED through help with tutoring and study skills, alternative secondary school offerings, paid work experience, occupational skill training, leadership development, supportive services and follow-up activities for 12 months after completion.

For more information on the S.W.A.G. program or other resources from Connecting Henry visit www.henrycounty-ga.org/connectinghenry.

henrycounty-ga.org

Citizens’ Fire Academy Begins September 10

The Citizens’ Fire Academy will begin September 10, 2015 and run for eight weeks ending on October 29, 2015. Classes will be held at Henry County Fire Headquarters every Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The academy is designed to educate and inform citizens about fire and emergency services that will help the public achieve a greater understanding of the inner workings of the Henry County Fire Department. It is not intended to train participants as firefighters or to assist at any fires.

Physical limitations of applicants will not be considered a reason for exclusion from the academy.

Potential candidates for the Citizens’ Fire Academy must be a minimum of 18 years of age, live in Henry County and have no prior felony arrests or misdemeanor arrests within six months of the application process.

For more information on the Citizens’ Fire Academy please contact (770) 288-6620 or visit www.co.henry.ga.us/Fire/CitizenFireAcademy.shtml.

Police Officers Promoted

The Henry County Police Department recently held a promotion ceremony for two officers. Officer Kristina Fearon was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and Sergeant Michael Hobgood was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in a promotion ceremony held on Monday, August 17, 2015 at Henry County Police Headquarters. Congratulations on a job well done.

Pictured at a promotion ceremony held on August 17, 2015 are (l. to r.) Henry County Deputy Chief Mark Amerman, Lieutenant Michael Hobgood, Sergeant Kristina Fearon and Chief Keith Nichols.

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