Board honors Henderson, approves jail projects
As county commissioners reflected on the volunteers who helped those affected by last month’s severe storms, they honored one who would have been right there with them.
Many Polk County Commissioners gave thanks to the number of organizations who arrived following the aftermath of the March 25 storms at their work session on Monday, April 5.
Commissioner Scotty Tillery expressed his gratitude to several of those who helped provide relief to residents who had been affected by the destructive path of the storms. He said the American Red Cross was helping nine families, while the Salvation Army had provided 200 meals and 150 tarps.
The meeting then turned to recognizing one of Polk County’s own who had become a loyal member of the sheriff’s office’s disaster response team, Sgt. Barry Henderson.
Henderson died March 9 following a two-month battle with COVID-19 that forced him to remain in an Atlanta hospital and unable to travel for further treatment. With his wife, Chrissy Henderson, and son, Andrew Henderson, in attendance, Commission Chairman Hal Floyd read a remembrance of Barry on behalf of the board.
“Despite residing in Rome, Georgia, Barry always knew Polk County to be home and he served Polk County citizens for 23 years,” Floyd read.
“Sergeant Barry Henderson can never be replaced. His law enforcement career serving the citizens of Polk County reached far more lives than anyone will ever know. We’d like to remember Barry for his character and his job devotion, and encourage our citizens to keep his family, friends and co-workers in their thoughts and prayers.”
Henderson and his wife volunteered several hours with the sheriff’s office’s disaster response team, traveling to areas in Florida, Louisiana and within Georgia to help storm-ravaged communities. On several occasions they traveled with the group from Rome-GaCares, who sent people to Polk County after last month’s storms as well.
The commission also honored a long-time member of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at the meeting as recently-retired Polk County Jail chief jailer Al Sharp was recognized for his 23 years of service to the county.
The sheriff’s office announced in January that Maj. Rachel Haddix had been promoted to the position of chief jailer, making her the jail’s first female lead administrator.
Among the items approved by the board during its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 6, was a new jail control system for the Polk County Jail, as well as the annual agreement with the contractor to maintain the system.
The unanimous approvals include $46,315 for the project by Montgomery Technology Solutions and $6,900 annually for maintenance. The same company was approved by the board earlier this year for a $38,500 project to install new intercoms in the original part of the jail.