The agreement that is expected to lead to the opening of two Boys and Girls Clubs in Henry County is moving forward, as the Board of Commissioners voted September 3 to direct county staff and finalize a memorandum of understanding between the county and the other three parties – the Board of Education, the city of McDonough, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Georgia.

  Under the proposed agreement, the county would provide funding for the 2019-2020 program year as would McDonough. The school board would identify two program sites within existing schools inside the McDonough city limits, and the BGCCG would handle all facets of the program’s operation.

  The actual dollar amount of the county’s obligation is not yet written into the MOU, but Commissioner Dee Clemmons, who has spearheaded the project on the county’s end since the start, mentioned during the board discussion that $150,000 had been mentioned as a possible amount and McDonough officials are considering an equal amount. The county is committed to more funding should the special-purpose local-option sales tax be extended by voters in November.

  Two schools that have been mentioned as possible program sites are Oakland Elementary and McDonough Elementary. The plan is for both sites to be within the McDonough city limits with one on the east side and the other on the west side.

  Other school district obligations under the proposed MOU would include providing electricity, water, Internet and other necessary utilities and covering the costs for those. The district would also provide initial setup in the technology lab at each location.

  The BGCCG is expected to be responsible for all staffing, including a supervisor and/or coordinator, to operate the club. The organization will handle all programming and training for whichever sites are identified and make membership available to all participants regardless of their ability to pay any required dues.

  A representative of the BGCCG, which is based in Macon, addressed the board and explained that because district service lines were redrawn seven or eight years ago, Henry County falls into his district instead of one that includes metro Atlanta.

  When thanking her peers on the board for their help in getting this initiative underway, Clemmons showed how personal this project is for her when she got emotional in describing how the Girls Club of Atlanta was a big part of her life as a young person, since her single mother could not afford to put her in other programs. Clemmons added that her first job while in college was in the organization, and she is determined to give back to her present community by making its services available for young people today.

  Now that the county attorney and county manager have authorization to finalize the MOU, it will be brought back to the board for a vote once that is done.