The wait continues for a commuter parking lot conceived about a decade ago but yet to come to fruition.

The Henry County Board of Commissioners voted April 18 to approve an extension of an existing agreement with the State Road and Tollway Authority for construction of a park-and-ride facility near I-75 on Jonesboro Road.

The agreement has been in effect since 2017 for the state to use $3.5 million in Go! Transit Capital Program funds to complete the project, and that money must be spent by August 2024.

Officials said that amount is not enough to do the job and the SRTA does not have the extra money to complete it. The extension allows both parties more time to plan the project and avoid the potential loss of state funds.

In other business at the April 18 meeting, the board approved an amended ordinance regulating the location of car wash facilities. According to county documents, staff recommended that “an automobile wash must be separated from another automobile wash within or outside the zoning jurisdiction of Henry County by a minimum distance of 5,280 feet [one mile].”
A map presented at the meeting showed 23 car wash facilities in Henry, including 13 in the unincorporated county, five in Stockbridge, three in McDonough, and one each in Hampton and Locust Grove. A motion to approve the staff recommendation passed with a 3-2 vote.

The board approved a new one-year contract that continues a relationship with Spalding County, which has been providing three full-time correctional officers and up to eight inmates per detail that provide labor for stormwater and community service projects in Henry. Officials said the arrangement is helping the county complete certain jobs more quickly and efficiently.

Also approved was a contract for a refresh of its phone system at a cost of $449,538 for the first year and $147,102 for each of the four years after that.

The commissioners voted to approve the $212,798 purchase of playground equipment, poured rubber surface and shade structure for Mickie D. Cochran Park on Banks Road in Stockbridge. The purchase will be funded through the county’s special-purpose local option sales tax program.

For another county park and transportation improvement project, the installation of sidewalks at North Ola Park, a change order was submitted by the contractor for unsuitable soil remediation. The board approved the $75,898 budget amendment required for the change. This money will also come from SPLOST funds.

The board approved the demolition of a former fire station that has been deemed unsafe. The previous Fire Station 4 on Keys Ferry Road was replaced in 2004 by a new station a block away, with the older structure designated as a storage facility. Officials said it has since become unusable, having been tested positive for asbestos among other issues. The board authorized demolition of all structures on the property, with the work being done in-house by county staff. The only cost will be about $2,500 for rental of dumpsters to carry away the debris.