The Henry County Board of Commissioners voted Oct. 15 to accept two grants that will help its law enforcement efforts.
A Governor’s Office of Highway Safety grant for $304,938 will be utilized by the Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (HEAT) unit, which enforces DUI, traffic and occupant safety laws. The money will fund salaries for a sergeant and three officers, regular operating expenses, travel and equipment purchases for the officers, including vehicles.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance also awarded the police department $30,467 in funding to aid in the enhancement of HCPD’s Criminal Intelligence Unit, providing technological advancement that will efficiently produce data and protect against critical information loss as well as provide specialized professional training programs for personnel advancement, according to county officials.
In other business, the board approved funding for a company to obtain multiple-angle images of the county for the benefit of the Tax Assessors Office. The contract with Pictometry International Corporation is for two flights, the first of which took place in 2016. With this new funding – $129,805 to be paid out in three installments – a second flight will be scheduled for January or February of 2020. The deal also includes technology that will compare building outlines on the two flights and report changes in building structures. The 2016 flight and its building outlines helped add more than $5 million in annual fair market value to the tax digest, according to county officials.
A bid award was approved for construction of the Panola Mountain Greenway Trail PATH to Lewallen Construction in the amount of $2,724,673.91. A total of $2,179,739 in federal money is being used along with $544,935 in county funds. Completion time for the project is to be within 365 calendar days after notice is given to proceed, with liquidated damage charges assessed each day after that, according to county officials. The contract will be executed after the Georgia Department of Transportation approves the award. Construction of the trail in this phase will include a bridge over Hwy. 155 just south of Alexander Road and ultimately reach the edge of the Austin Road Middle School campus.
A bid of $489,548.50 from Universal Underground Utility Contractors for drainage replacement on New Hope Drive was also approved. The repair work was deemed necessary by the county’s Stormwater Department and will include installation of a triple concrete box culvert to replace two metal pipes that are in poor condition, according to county officials. The road, which extends south from Keys Ferry Road to New Hope Road next to New Hope Elementary School, will have to be closed for a month or two while the work is completed. In a separate action, the commissioners approved the allocation of $21,819.13 for relocation of Henry County Water Authority utilities.
A memorandum of understanding with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Georgia was approved unanimously. The county will pay $150,000 per year according to the agreement, and officials said the payment for the 2020 fiscal year is in the Henry County Parks and Recreation Department budget. The MOU is part of an arrangement that includes the city of McDonough and the Henry County School system, under which the BGCCG will operate two club locations within McDonough using existing school facilities. The school board is expected to consider possible host sites at a November meeting.
Henry County Fire Department chief Luther Phillips addressed the board regarding a $1,268,818.18 federal grant the board voted to accept with a 10 percent local match. He said the money would be used to purchase, install and maintain 20 power stretchers, 22 power load systems and 15 stair chairs. The equipment will help get people from ground level into ambulances without unnecessary stress on emergency personnel. Other departments have seen a decrease in back injuries and other problems by using this equipment, Phillips reported.
The HCFD transported about 15,000 people in 2018.
