Henry County Update - Newsletter

November 18, 2016

Board of

Commissioners Regular Meetings December 6 at 9:00 AM (Cancelled) December 20 at 6:30 PM

Commissioners Appoint Dee Clemmons to Fill District 2 Seat

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.

Surrounded by family, friends and supporters, Commissioner-elect Dee Clemmons is sworn in by Probate Judge Kelley Powell after being appointed by the Henry County Commision to fill the unexpired District II seat.

The Henry County Board of Commissioners appointed Dee Clemmons to fill the unexpired term of District II Commissioner Brian Preston, who resigned this past July. The action came at a called meeting held on November 14.

Clemmons was elected to serve on the Henry County Board of Commissioners, after defeating Republican challenger Jeffrey Robinson in the November 8 General Election.

After the resolution was approved and the meeting adjourned, Clemmons was officially sworn in by Probate Court Judge Kelley Powell, to serve out the remainder of the term, which ends on December 31, 2016.

Next month, Clemmons will take her Oath of Office to serve her full four-year term, which begins on January 1, 2017.

1

November 18, 2016

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 Melissa Robinson Samantha Watson

Parks and Rec Seeks Volunteers for Fundraising Event Henry County Parks and Recreation is looking for seventy or more volunteers for its “Share the Joy” fundraising event that benefits Special Olympics within Henry County.

Volunteers are needed to help collect money in the streets of McDonough, Locust Grove and Hampton on Saturday, December 10 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

To sign up as a volunteer, please contact Brandy Sanders at bsanders@co.henry.ga.us and to learn more about the fundraising initiative, please call Parks and Recreation at 770-288-7300. henrycounty-ga.org

Commissioners Recognize the Centennial Birthday of Southern States, LLC.

The Board of Commissioners presented a proclamation recognizing the 100th anniversary of the Southern States, LLC at the November 15 regular meeting.

“My dad worked at Southern States and retired after 42 years. Southern States was very instrumental in providing many dollars for the youth in Hampton by sponsoring sports teams and it was the backbone of the success of Hampton,” stated Chairman Tommy Smith.

CEO of Southern States, Raj Anand was in attendance to accept the proclamation, which read in part, “Southern States survived the Great Depression, WWII, an economic recession, multiple acquisitions and management changes, high federal regulatory periods, national and international competition and the ever-changing evolution of an industry, all while providing jobs, resources, power and economic stimulus to Henry County and its cities.”

“We are honored to receive this proclamation and are honored to be in Henry County and to be a part of this community. We intend to be here forever and ever,” stated Anand, who presented a commemorative book to the Board detailing the history of Southern States.

Pictured left to right (front row) Chairman Tommy Smith, Southern States CEO Raj Anand, Southern States representative, (middle row) District V Commissioner Bruce Holmes, District IV Commissioner Blake Prince, District II Commissioner Dee Clemmons, (back row) District I Commissioner Bo Moss and District III Commissioner Gary Barham.

Stranded Students Extend Warm Thank You to Henry County and entertained until arrangements could be made for their safe return home.

Last week, the students invited Henry County officials to their school where they provided lunch and showered Henry County employees with cards of appreciation, gifts and candy, along with a banner signed by each student from the bus.

“We truly enjoyed our time with the students and staff at Cheatham Hills Elementary School,” said Assistant County Manager Cheri Hobson-Matthews.

(Pictured left to right) Henry County Budget Director Angie Sorrow, Assistant County Manager Cheri Hobson-Matthews, Fire Chief Nish Willis and E-911 Director Don Ash look through the many hand-made, thank you cards the county received from students at Cheatham Hills Elementary School.

Elementary students from Cheatham Hills Elementary School in Cobb County hosted several Henry County officials for a special thank you luncheon earlier this month, after Henry County police, fire, E-911 and county manager employees came to the students’ aid when their charter bus caught fire on I-75 while travelling from South Georgia through Henry County on their way home.

On October 21, public safety was dispatched to call of a highway bus fire, near exit 218 in Interstate 75 after one of the bus’s tires blew out and caught on fire.

All of the 51 school children and four adults were safely evacuated from the bus and transported to the Henry County Emergency Operations Center where Henry County employees made sure the students were fed

“They are an outstanding group of students and we appreciate the wonderful welcome and recognition they gave to Henry County. We’re just grateful that no one was injured during the incident and we were able to help them return home safely.”

3

November 18, 2016 Commissioners Recognize the Achievements of Parks and Recreation Staff and Athletes

Commissioners presented certificates of congratulations to three Henry County Parks and Rec staff members and one Henry County Special Olympics Athlete at the November 15 regular meeting.

Special Olympic Athlete, Michael Collins and Therapeutic Coordinator, Terry Nash were both recognized for their nomination to represent Special Olympics Henry County and Special Olympic Georgia in the Dream Ride Australia.

Dream Ride Australia is an event to celebrate the achievements of Special Olympic Athletes and to honor the outstanding men, women and children living with intellectual disabilities in our community. Collins and Nash will be attending the event on December 4 at Sydney Motorsports Park in Australia.

Henry County Parks and Rec Facilities Coordinator and Curator of the Veterans Museum, Jim Joyce was recognized at the meeting for winning the Outstanding Veteran of the Year Award by the Andrew McBride Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Henry County Parks and Rec Administration Assistant II, Jamey Dixon was also recognized at the meeting for winning the Administrative Support Staff Award from the state agency, Georgia Recreation and Parks Association (GRPA). She accepted the award on November 8 at the GRPA annual conference.

Pictured left to right (front row) Therapeutic Coordinator Terry Nash, Special Olympic Athlete Michael Collins, Administrative Assistant Jamey Dixon, Facilities Coordinator and Museum Curator Jim Joyce, Executive Assistant Donna Holder, Chairman Tommy Smith, (back row) District V Commissioner Bruce Holmes, District IV Commissioner Blake Prince, District I Commissioner Bo Moss, District III Commissioner Gary Barham and District II Commissioner Dee Clemmons.

Henry County Animal Control Releases Annual Rabies Report

Henry County Animal Care & Control works diligently to get the word out regarding not only the importance of having pets vaccinated against rabies, but of all of the requirements mandated under the law.

In addition, the department has the responsibility of notifying citizens when a rabies incident is suspected or confirmed.

Vince Farah, Supervisor and Animal Control Officer with Henry County Animal Care & Control, presented a compilation of these activities in the form of the department’s annual rabies report, to the Henry County Board of Commissioners at the November 15 regular meeting. henrycounty-ga.org

According to the annual report, which spans the time period from November 2015 to October 2016, there were 79 reported animal bites, of which twentythree animals were submitted for testing, including 11 pets and 12 wild animals. Of the animals tested, five raccoons tested positive for the rabies virus and Animal Care and Control issued 69 ten-day animal quarantines.

Commissioners commended Farah and the department for their excellent work in dealing with animal control issues.

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

SPLOST Bid and Utility Relocations Approved

Two utility relocations due to the SPLOST IV construction at Mt. Carmel Road and Chambers Road were approved at the November 15 Commission meeting, as was a budget amendment and bid award for the Lester Mill Road improvement SPLOST project.

Because of construction on Mt. Carmel Road and Chambers Road, the Henry County Water Authority will relocate a portion of its utilities for an estimated cost of $143,371.08, which is 22.54 percent of the total cost of construction.

Also due this construction, Central Georgia EMC will relocate a portion of its utilities for an estimated cost of $32,000, which is 5.03 percent of the total cost of construction.

The lowest bid for the dirt road improvement project on Lester Mill Road was awarded to Southeastern Site Development, Inc. for $3,761,719.60.

A budget amendment of $1,684,304 is needed for utility relocation and construction.

To keep up with these or any SPLOST IV project, please visit www.henrycounty-ga.org/splost.

Early Voting for December 6 Runoff Election

Early voting for the December 6 General Election/Special Election Runoff will begin November 28.

Early voting will be open November 28-December 2 from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Elections and Voter Registration Main Office at 40 Atlanta Street in McDonough and the Merle Manders Conference Center at 111 Davis Road in Stockbridge.

Polls will be open Election Day from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. at your regular polling location.

For further information or to request an absentee ballot, call 770-288-6448.

Henry County Citizen Recognized for Act of Heroism

Chairman Tommy Smith presents citizen Corey Small with a Certificate of Appreciation for heroism in responding to a plane crash incident that occurred last month in the county. Pictured Chairman Smith, Corey Small, District II Commissioner Dee Clemmons, Police Chief Keith Nichols and District V Commissioner Bruce Holmes; back row District IV Commissioner Blake Prince, District I Commissioner Bo Moss and District III Commissioner Gary Barham.

The Henry County Board of Commissioners recognized citizen Corey Small with a certificate of appreciation for his heroic act of helping to pull survivors of a recent plane crash to safety. The recognition came at the November 15 regular Commission meeting.

According to Henry County Police Chief Keith Nichols, on October 16, 2016, Small was in the area of Miller’s Mill Rd. when he heard the sputtering of small aircraft and quickly rode to the scene where he thought the aircraft may have gone down. Nichols said that upon arriving on scene, Small jumped into action and pulled both the pilot and the passenger from the plane to safety.

Small addressed the Commissioners and lauded Henry County’s first responders and public safety agencies for their quick response and actions during the emergency.

5