It’s Time to Move Forward

“It’s Time to Move Forward”

Henry County is the county that has missed many chances over the years, but those can be found if we try as citizens to move forward toward the betterment of our community. Now is the time to extend hands across the divide and work for a compromise to make our communities better places to live and to leave our eyes open to possibly better ideas for the future. I have been in Henry County for just over 40 years now. We bought property here to build a home in 1967 in the Luella area. Henry County is the home of my great great great grandparents Matthew and Evilene Goss who moved here in 1835 in the area between Bear Creek (Hampton) and what would become Locust Grove. This county means a great deal to me. In grade school, we lived in the southern part of DeKalb County before moving here full time.

But by looking at the past I can see a bright future if we plan it correctly and give the citizens chances to truly put their feelings into what is happening. I can seen in the years to come the Norfolk Southern Rail Yard planned for the Bethlehem Rd. area along Hwy 42. This yard will take in containers from ships at the Port of Savannah and place them on trucks to be routed in all directions for the destinations they are planned to fill warehouses for distribution.

We have the opportunity for our history to bring in dollars to the county coffers if we plan that well. There are sites from the Native American Period, the Civil War and areas where historical people have lived in our communities. This can bring in tourism and trade that will help local restaurants, hotels and stores. We are coming upon the 200th anniversary of this county in 2021. That is not that many years away now and now is the time to begin planning for this event.

I personally have discussed with other associates about the Orion Space Project that is being developed for NASA. They will need better and improved tracking systems and locations to locate them. Henry County could benefit from this project that will mean millions of dollars to the county. But that is only in the discussions as this will be something that is likely 5-10 years down the road.

Given our airport at Hampton near the raceway the airport is being lengthened and can be a new hub for air traffic and for commerce. That is something that can be worked on as time continues to move on. The airport authority is well on the path to creating a viable aircraft site for our county.

I can see something like a “Gone with the Wind” theme park in the Hampton-Lovejoy area that could benefit not only Henry County, but Clayton County as well. There are several avenues of how this can be planned and appropriated if it is worked correctly and with the right people to be behind the project.

We can invite movie studios to our County to use some of our large empty warehouses for sound stages. They can make it work for them and bring money to our area as well. This would fill an empty space and make Henry County part of the film industry in the process. This is a good idea that maybe can be brought to fruition.

The main course of commerce will be along the I-75 corridor through the county. It has built up along the path already, but this will continue to grow in the coming years bringing in fine dining and places to shop that we don’t already have here to do. It would be nice to see some even more fine restaurants locate here and for some good places for people to shop.

I remember telling people in the county years ago that we needed a flea market that would bring in people. Well, they helped to bring in Peachtree Peddlers in 1993 and look at the size of the complex today with people shopping their from all over. It has turned into a success and a success for Henry County in the process.

Let’s all be in the process of keeping our roadways clean. Adopt sections of roads and pick up the trash that looks so bad on our roads. We don’t want to be known as the trash county. And while we are cleaning up our roadways let’s clean and make our old cemeteries look good. It’s the right thing to do.

We have potential here for something even better than what we have today if it is planned and worked out correctly. We need to listen to the older generation of this county who have been here since their youth and don’t push them aside because they have created the foundation of this county and it is wrong to alienate them from the process. Give them a chance and let’s give Henry County and our towns a chance to blossom. Thank you all for reading.