Emergency communications coverage in western Henry County is expected to improve greatly after the relocation of a tower in Hampton was approved by the Henry County Board of Commissioners.

  A contract was approved for a company to move the 20-year-old tower from its current location on Oak Street to 233 Richard Petty Blvd. County emergency department director Don Ash told the board that the new location at a higher elevation will increase the tower’s height by 250 feet, thus bolstering coverage. Both sites are on property owned by the city of Hampton and there is no cost to the county to use the land.

  The cost of the upgrade is $588,111, which will be paid out of the emergency department’s budget and with E911 fees.

  In other business, the board approved a modification of zoning conditions for 18.69 acres of a 51-acre site on Town Center Village Drive, increasing the maximum number of dwelling units on the overall site to 840. The change will allow developers to build 300 new apartments on the rear of the property to complement the 540 that are already there, although the developers had initially requested permission for 357 additional units. The site is on the south side of Jonesboro Road, just west of I-75 and adjacent to the Henry Town Center retail corridor.

  Three separate resolutions regarding grant funding from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council were accepted by the board. A total of more than $180,000 in federal funding for the District Attorney’s Victim Services Program was included in the three items intended to fund expenses related to victim advocate and counselor positions for the 12-month period beginning October 1 of this year and ending September 30, 2020. The funding comes with a required 20-percent local match totaling just over $45,000. The vote to accept the grant funding was unanimous.

  The commissioners voted unanimously to approve a resolution amending the action plans for the county’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which has seen the acquisition and redevelopment of more than 300 homes made available to low-income buyers in the county over the past decade. The change means the NSP can pursue the demolition of blighted structures as well as the redevelopment of demolished or vacant properties. Officials stated that changes in the housing market have made it much more difficult to acquire foreclosed homes than in past years. In a separate action, the commissioners approved a $78,167.14 contract for the rehabilitation of a Stockbridge home, which is the first house purchased by the NSF since 2015.

  Another vote served to abandon a portion of Fortson Road and declare it surplus, citing the fact that it is no longer used by the public. The 3.59 acres which constitute the road portion is a prescriptive easement and not a right-of-way, meaning the county does not own property along the road. A developer will place a gravel cul-de-sac south of the abandonment area.

  The board also approved a resolution reallocating $385,124 in SPLOST funds for Moseley Park. The money is left over from five other projects which have already been completed.

  The commissioners’ 2020 meeting schedule was approved. Next year the board will meet each month on the first Tuesday at 9 a.m. and the third Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the meeting room of the county administration building, 140 Henry Parkway in McDonough. The only exception to that schedule right now is the first November meeting, which is set for November 4, since November 3 is election day.

  The board also approved a $240,637 contract for Senior Services to provide case management, meals and supportive services to low-income senior adults during the current fiscal year.