The Henry County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously at its September 15 regular meeting to approve a resolution addressing several features at the county-owned Atlanta Speedway Airport in Hampton.

  A $2,211,549.17 contract for design/build services for a fixed-base operation and terminal building was approved, with the accepted bid coming from J.R. Bowman Construction Co. of McDonough. The project is being funded by the county’s special-purpose local option sales tax. County officials estimate that the design and permitting process will take approximately six months, followed by 10-12 months for the construction.

  Design work by a separate firm for taxiway improvements at a cost of $83,069.44 will be covered by 95-percent federal reimbursement and 5-percent state reimbursement, as will the $12,500 cost to furnish and install new beacon equipment. The county will also be reimbursed for some work that has already been done at the airport, a total of $48,645 for surveying a runway approach and removal of some tree obstructions. A contract with the Georgia Department of Transportation outlining all of these details was approved as part of the resolution.

  In other business, the board voted to distribute relief funds to recommended small businesses and nonprofit organizations that have been affected negatively by the COVID-19 shutdown. Under the Small Business Restart and Non-Profit Assistance Program, a review committee was established to vet applications from local establishments seeking reimbursement for lost revenue. The six-member committee included one member representing each county commissioner.

  A list of seven approved businesses was included with the resolution. The Board of Commissioners voted in August to approve total allocations of $2,537,392 for small businesses and an equal amount for nonprofits.

  The board voted to enter into two lease agreements for one Stock Pierce Impel Rescue fire engine and one Stock Pierce Mid-Mount Aerial ladder truck for the Henry County Fire Department. The two vehicles will cost $75,854 and $155,384 per year, respectively, over the seven-year lease term. Officials said they are replacing two aging vehicles and will be available much sooner with the lease agreement than if they were purchased outright, and the lease price is less than it would cost to upgrade the existing vehicles. Funding will come from the capital project budget.

  A rezoning request for a 70-acre site west of Hwy. 155 and north of Town Square Drive in McDonough received unanimous approval. The request from TRG Investors LLC for RS (residential suburban) zoning was intended to allow an age-targeted, gated residential community with a mix of single-family residential and townhome development on the site. The vote to approve came with 19 conditions that include a limit of 198 total dwelling units on the property as well as the stipulation that all of them are designed for senior living.

  A discussion regarding budgetary needs in the District Attorney’s office resulted in three separate motions, all of which failed to pass. Three additional positions in the D.A.’s office were requested, and the various motions suggesting different ways of funding them resulted in two 3-3 votes and one 2-4 vote. The discussion began at the board’s September 1 meeting, with three proposals that day all failing due to tie votes, and a special called meeting scheduled for September 9 to discuss the issue never took place because of a lack of a quorum.