Some extra effort by county staff led to an additional $1 million in funding for the first phase of the Panola Mountain Greenway Trail.

  The Henry County Board of Commissioners voted Oct. 1 to approve a supplemental funding agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation, after a June bid solicitation resulted in bid amounts that exceeded the amount of available funding.

  The county coordinated with the Atlanta Regional Commission to secure an extra $1,044,138 in the form of Transportation Alternative Project funds. That money will be added to the Transportation Enhancement funding amount of $1,135,600 that was already in place.

  County manager Cheri Hobson-Matthews credited county DOT director David Simmons with finding the additional funding after learning how much of a shortfall was produced by the original bids. He reached out to the ARC and found out about funding on another phase of the project that had not been scoped out.

  ”Through his efforts, the ARC was able to move funds over and make the county’s cost impact much less than it would have been,” said Matthews. “It will be an asset not only to District 5 but to all who love the trail.”

  Bruce Holmes, the commissioner for District 5, also thanked Simmons while noting the importance of the project, which he said could be the beginning of a countywide trail network with the potential to connect Locust Grove with the Panola Mountain trail, then perhaps eventually to the Atlanta Beltline and the Silver Comet Trail.

  This action brings the total federal funding amount to $2,179,739 with a 20 percent county match of $544,935 applied to the $2,724,674 total project amount.

  A resolution awarding a bid for construction of paths on the trail was originally on the Oct. 1 meeting agenda but was removed at the start of the meeting.

  In other business, the board approved an annual report for submittal to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on behalf of the county’s Community Development Block Grant program. More than 40 single-family, owner-occupied, low-to-moderate-income households received housing rehab assistance during the last fiscal year from Henry County’s Community Development Block Grant program, according to the report. Approximately $1,211,504.47 of CDBG funds were expended on activities during the program year, according to county officials. Seven public service activities were completed providing services for the homeless, health and medical services, and youth services.

  Two public facilities and improvements projects were completed providing assistance to expand sidewalks in McDonough and to improve an existing park in the city of Hampton. Modernization improvements were completed on a total of 65 public housing units (25 with the Hampton Housing Authority and 40 with the McDonough Housing Authority). More than 8,000 individuals were assisted through activities such as food banks, clothing drives, local shelters and youth services.

  The commissioners voted to approve a general commercial rezoning for a two-acre tract at 100 Mount Carmel Road, east of I-75, for a shopping center. The site is just south of the intersection of Mount Carmel Road and Jonesboro Road and is to be developed in conjunction with a separate tract at that corner which was already zoned commercial, according to a county staff report.

  The county’s Zoning Advisory Board recommended approval in July with the condition that the development meet the intent of the Henry County Highway Corridor Overlay District.

  The board voted to accept a donation of a rodeo rink and a dual-purpose permanent stage for Nash Farm Park. The acquisition is from Rancho El Paraiso LLC, according to county staff documents.

  Also approved was the installation of four new speed humps on Sims Drive east of Stockbridge, off Old Conyers Road near Hwy. 138. The required number of residents on Sims Drive and Hickory Lake Trail signed a petition in accordance with the county’s speed hump ordinance, according to officials, and the humps will be placed an average of 658 feet apart.

  The county will pay $50,980.50 in annual dues to the Metro North Georgia Water Planning District after approval by commissioners. The amount is based on 25 cents per capita according to recent census figures.

  The board approved the renewal of an annual maintenance agreement for IBM hardware at a cost of $71,288.