The Henry County Board of Commissioners voted at its May 2 regular meeting to approve bids for two large transportation improvement projects as well as a key component of an ongoing park improvement project.
The board approved a $2,067,501 bid for construction of intersection improvements at Bridges Road and Willow Lane. Also approved was a $1,946,257 bid for construction of a Selfridge Road improvement project, along with a $115,546 agreement with Georgia Power for lighting of a parking lot and walking trail slated for construction at Mickie D. Cochran Park.
All of these expenditures will be funded by the county’s special-purpose local option sales tax.
In other business, the board approved the $81,485 purchase of a new diesel generator for Henry County Animal Care and Control. The device is needed to care for animals and county employees when a power outage occurs, according to officials.
The county shelter has operated at or near full capacity since the COVID-19 pandemic began to subside, and many animals have developed an upper respiratory infection nicknamed “Canine Covid.” Officials said animal ownership rose incrementally since the pandemic and has since declined just as rapidly, causing a number of animals to be discarded and placed at the shelter. Funding for the generator will come from American Rescue Act Plan funds.
The board voted to officially accept a $170,000 grant that was awarded to the Henry County Parks and Recreation Department. It is from the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association Building Opportunities in Out-of-School Time (BOOST) Grants Program, with no matching funds required.
According to officials, the grant seeks to leverage out-of-school time and address learning loss in Georgia. The HCPRD “has been selected to receive a contract to operate comprehensive afterschool and/or summer programming in our community,” a county staff report stated.
A number of electronic items formerly used by the Henry County Police Department, such as radars and lasers, have been declared surplus because they are broken and can no longer be used. There is no cost associated with this disposal, according to officials.
