Local officials got a chance to share the successes of the municipalities during the virtual State of the Community event for 2020, and among those provide a list of good news from this year was Polk County Commission Chair Hal Floyd.

The annual event organized by the Polk County Chamber of Commerce was forced to go digital this year because of COVID-19, along with so much of our lives throughout what has been a challenging year. A fact that Floyd said has touched every citizen of the county but that hasn’t impacted the ability of local government to continue big projects and improvements for the county.

“In a time for crisis, many people look to their government for guidance, for help and for answers,” Floyd said in the video. “I’m proud to say that our County Manager Matt Denton and the Board of Commissioners never stopped working for our citizens, and our county employees never hesitated to provide the necessary services for our county.”

Floyd talked about several ongoing projects happening within the county this year that started in 2019. That includes the upgrades at the airport (more on this coming Wednesday – KtE) that were first proposed by former Governor Nathan Deal, approved in 2019 and is costing $8.7 million in total with funding combined from local, state and federal sources.

The county’s $1.5 million spending on the project covered most of the preliminary work that began when the project was approved more than a year ago. It is expected to be completed in Spring 2021, with weather permitting construction to continue to a regular pace. The runway extension at the airport brings the length of the strip to more than 5,000 feet which means it can accommodate many more types of aircraft, including small executive jets.

Floyd praised the work being done by Airport Manager Chuck Beavers to ensure the project continues on time. He also talked about the value that will be brought to the airport in the years to come when the extension is completed since it can handle bigger aircraft, which with aggressive fuel pricing could bring more traffic to Cornelius Moore Field from around the region.

A setback earlier in the year caused some additional work to be completed to the runway and mitigate stream issues on the site at the same time and extended the overall time it would take to complete.

Another project of importance that is still underway and slated for a mid-2021 completion is the new Public Safety communications system being setup at a cost of $7.7 million out of local funds. The upgrade to the system being built by Motorola will increase the number of towers to bounce radio signals across Polk County to four in total, and a potential fifth is still in the works as well. Commissioner Ray Carter is in charge of this project, which in coming weeks is set to head for the staging phase.

The new P-25 Mission Critical Public Safety Communications System will provide a greater amount of coverage for public safety officials out in the field talking to each other and to 911 operators at the center at the Emergency Management Agency in the Det. Kristen Hearne Public Safety Complex.

Along with new towers and communications equipment, local agencies will also have to upgrade their handheld radios as part of the overall cost of the system built-in and those agencies are chipping in on the overall price.

The system also allows neighboring agencies to communicate with each other from several counties and utilizes the backbone already installed by Cobb County to have radio operations around the region work digitally.

Floyd said in the video the system is on track for a late spring to summertime deployment at latest.

Officials are traveling to the Chicago area in coming weeks to take part in the staging process, when core components are put together for a round of testing to ensure that everything works correctly before deployment in the field.

Along with an update on Public Safety communications, Floyd had additional praise for two members of law enforcement who rushed to help in an emergency situation earlier in the year.

Deputy Dwain Roberts and Deputy Jailer Danyale Evans were honored earlier in the summer for their heroic efforts to help during a wreck in mid-April, providing aid to people injured on the scene and putting out a car fire during the incident. Floyd praised the pair for their dedication to the county, and they were honored previously in a proclamation.

Floyd’s annual address for the State of the Community also covered the county’s proclamation to ensure that Second Amendment rights are protected, work toward promoting tourism locally and across the globe, new mapping, the County’s new Facebook page in an effort to help keep citizens informed and smaller projects like the façade work on Polk County Courthouse No. 2, among other items.

He also touted a vote back in August to approve a 9.95 millage rate for local property taxpayers, the lowest rate in decades voted by the Commission as an effort to help citizens save during a year when property assessments were readjusted.

The Commission Chair also honored two employees who died in 2020: Kathy Blalock and Perry Williams, and former Commissioner Phillip Bentley.

Additionally, he thanked the work done by now-retired Probate Judge Linda Smith, and upcoming retiree Tax Commissioner Kathy Cole. She’s set to end her time in the position at year’s end.

“Overall, 2020 has been a year of learning, and a very successful year,” Floyd said. “As we finish 2020, and look forward to 2021, there are still many projects in the works and you’ll be pleased to see more progress in our county in the coming year.”