The status of Cochran Park in Stockbridge was addressed at the August 20 meeting of the Henry County Board of Commissioners, and the county’s top administrators clarified the position of officials who decided to close the park while publicly inviting Stockbridge officials to work with the county to determine the best way to proceed for the long term.

  After county manager Cheri Hobson-Matthews spoke at the beginning of the meeting on the issue, she returned at the end to reiterate the county’s position after several people addressed the issue during the public comment portion of the meeting.

  The park was closed July 19 after county officials examined a sinkhole and a damaged stormwater pipe. The decision was made for safety reasons, officials said.

  “I asked staff if the area should be barricaded because of the sinkhole,” she told the board. “They said yes.”

  Some local residents protested the decision loudly on social media and in the community.

  Matthews said she stands by the decision she and her staff made, and she asked the commissioners to do the same while a plan is formulated regarding the future of the park.

  “The decision was made as a precaution for safety of the residents, the children, and anyone who uses that park,” she said. “I don’t have a reason for shutting down a park beyond seeing that the safety of our residents is taken care of.”

  Matthews stressed that her office has never suggested that the park closing is permanent. County staff are now looking at preparing a full master plan for the area and also doing a cost analysis regarding replacement of the pipes and repairs needed for the park’s infrastructure.

  “But that takes time,” she said. “We can’t put together a plan in a week.”

  As for pushback from the city of Stockbridge, Matthews said she has previously invited city officials to meet with her and she extended that invitation again.

  “Let’s sit down and have a conversation and see what we can do jointly, if it is the desire of the city to move forward and get this park reopened,” she said.

  Matthews reported that only one person has contacted her office regarding Cochran Park aside from Stockbridge officials.