The Henry County Board of Commissioners passed its second objection to a proposed annexation in the past two months, although a report on the first one revealed a likely positive outcome.

McDonough officials recently notified the county of a request to annex and rezone a 62.24-acre tract, along McDonough Park-way and on the north side of Jonesboro Road, for multi-family residential development. The county’s future land use map designates that area for parks and recreational uses, according to a staff report.

The resolution containing the board’s official objection alleges that the rezoning would result in a substantial change in intensity of allowable use, differ substantially from existing uses suggested in the county’s comprehensive land use plan and zoning ordinances, and result in increased infrastructure demands.

County attorney Patrick Jaugstetter told the board that an annexation alone would appear to be lawful, but the proposed rezoning is reason enough for the county to object.

A previous annexation request in Locust Grove also drew the county’s objection, but that issue apparently will not have the result that was once feared, Jaugstetter reported.

The Locust Grove City Council is expected to approve the annexation but under a residential zoning, not the industrial zoning previously discussed, Jaugstetter said. That is consistent with the county’s land use map.

“If they act in that manner, there are no grounds for objection,” said Jaugstetter.

In other business, the board approved four grants for Henry County public safety. The Henry County Police Department will receive three of the four grants the were approved, one awarded by the Department of Justice Bulletproof Vest Partnership in the amount of $27,468.25 for standard issued body armor for all sworn officers; and two awarded by the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, one in the amount of $27,670 for the department’s Public Safety Phase 1, which provides police officer’s protective portable body armor vests. The other grant is for the department’s Public Safety Phase 2, that includes protective/ portable body armor vests as well as lighted STOP safety paddles for the School Crossing Guard Unit in the amount of $28,353. The Henry County Fire Department will also receive a grant from Firehouse Subs in the amount of $36,600 for flotation devices, throw ropes, bags and cascade water helmets.

The board approved a resolution awarding a bid to McLeRoy, Inc. of Zebulon for the Lake Dow Road pipe replacement. It was discovered earlier this year that several decades-old metal pipes running beneath a portion of Lake Dow Road had corroded, causing damage to the roadway. During the initial assessment, engineers discovered that there were also compaction issues with the surrounding ground and additional pipes also need to be replaced. The project will cost $657,475 and funds will be allocated through the Stormwater account.

A request to install two additional stop signs at the intersection of East Lake Road and Harper Road, to create an all-way stop, was approved. The county’s Department of Transportation was asked to investigate the matter due to public complaint, and an engineering study was done to see if the location meets the warrants for a multi-way stop as required in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. The accident history was also checked for this location over the five most recent and complete years of data, and six accidents were recorded in the Georgia Electronic Accident Reporting System for 2013 through 2017, with four of the six accidents being a collision with an animal or a structure. County officials noted that there had been numerous complaints and many unreported accidents, which made it an important safety issue.

The board voted to approve a $1,016,987 bid for the paving of South Cleveland Church Road. The project is approved under the county’s SPLOST program. The winning bidder was Georgia Asphalt, Inc. A budget amendment of $480,000 was necessary for construction and utility relocation, and that was also approved. That money was transferred from seven other SPLOST project accounts, with six of those projects having already been completed. The seventh, from which $356,635 was transferred, is the Hwy. 155 account, which is not active right now.

Also approved was a memorandum of understanding for the designation of an ambulance to McDonough’s Station 51. The Henry County Fire Department is the sole 911 ambulance provider for all of Henry County, according to a staff report, and the territory covered by Station 51 does not currently have an ambulance located within that area, which has a higher call volume and often necessitates bringing ambulances from surrounding county stations, which causes longer average response times. The MOU approves moving one of the two ambulances at Henry County Station 1 to McDonough Station 51. County officials said this will reduce ambulance response times within the area, and even out call distribution in a larger portion of the county, which allows for better overall service delivery to all citizens.