Henry County said it will repair and give Stockbridge a park the city has said it doesn’t want to own because of its poor physical shape.
The Henry Board of Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved spending $550,000 to correct the problems at Cochran Park, including sinkholes that have been created by leaking stormwater pipes, if Stockbridge will then takeover operations and maintenance.
The park, popular with Stockbridge youth baseball teams, has been closed since July because county leaders said infrastructure problems have made it unsafe.
“Overall, my concerns regarding public safety have not changed,” Henry Commissioner Bruce Holmes, whose district is home to the park, said Tuesday after the vote. “However, I along with the board, showed that we are willing to make concessions to fix the infrastructure and give the city the opportunity to own and make all decisions for Cochran Park in the future.”
Henry's move is the latest salvo in an ongoing argument between the two government bodies over the fate of Cochran. Leaders have been bickering for months over whether the park should be reopened, and Stockbridge and Henry leaders met last week in a special-called meeting to discuss the issue. Holmes has repeatedly recommended giving the greenspace to the city.
Then late last week Stockbridge offered to give the county $100,000 to make repairs at the park, but rejected the idea of taking ownership. On Thursday, a spokeswoman for the city said it has not yet evaluated Henry's latest offer to repair the park and then turn it over to Stockbridge.
Holmes said repair of Cochran could begin immediately if the city agrees to take possession of the park.
“I am pleased the board voted unanimously to fix Cochran Park and gift the park to Stockbridge, as this is a more than fair solution that will hopefully satisfy all parties involved,” Holmes said.
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