“There’s nobody that can tackle something like that alone,”
said Emergency Management Director Ashley Tye in a
West Mims Fire Special Presentation
with firefighters from all over Lowndes County and its cities,
including a resolution from the Charlton County Commission.
Citizen Gretchen Quarterman spoke about WWALS and trash and cameras at the Naylor Boat Ramp site, and about Boy Scouts at the GA 133 Boat Ramp. Citizen Jim Parker poked them about public transportation and renewable energy.
They’re settling on “Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Road to Success”, but when did Commissioners decide on that between the previous morning’s open meeting and this one? But wait: that’s not actually what they finally decided.
There’s a date and time scheduled for the new Naylor Community Center opening.
In the one day since the county asked, nobody proposed any other plumber for the Valdosta-Lowndes County Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals, so they unsurprisingly approved the one they had.
They spent four minutes debating purchasing public safety radios even though they were inexpensive and under budget. And more than three minutes on the Motorola System Upgrade Agreement, including the County Manager waved around a review by an attorney. They got to see the Motorola Subscriber Maintenance Agreement, but the taxpayers paying for it did not.
They approved the Special Tax Lighting Districts for Gramercy Phase 3 and Kinderlou Fourest Phase VII (“Mr. Langdale is in the room”), but tabled both parts of Creekside West because one part wasn’t ready.
Below are links to each LAKE video, with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session, and the agenda.
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1. Call to Order 2. Invocation 3. Pledge
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4. Special Presentation- West Mims Fire
Video. Emergency Management Director Ashley Tye said, “You can imagine when you have something of that magnitude. It doesn’t matter what community it happens in. There’s nobody that can tackle something like that alone,” Mutual aid is alive in emergency management cooperation among local governments, including drawing in equipment from counties surrounding Lowndes.
Tye also recognized Jessie McKinney, who could not go to Charlton County, but helped in other ways.
Chairman Bill Slaughter read the resolution from the Charlton County Board of Commissioners.
People took pictures from where-ever they were in the room, once again making clear the photography and video ordinance posted on the door is an illegal bill of attainder directly only against LAKE.
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5. Minutes for Approval
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6a. Appointment Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals
Video. “It has been recommended that Mr. Mike Vickery be replaced by Mr. Trip Howell,” said County Manager Joe Pritchard, passively, not revealing who recommended that. They did it by acclamation.
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7a. Decorative Special Tax Lighting District — Gramercy Phase 3
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7b. Decorative Special Tax Lighting District — Kinderlou Forest Phase VII
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7c. Decorative Special Tax Lighting District — Part of Creekside West
Video. One is ready, the other is not, so County Planner Jason Davenport asked for tabling until at least September 12th.
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8 a. Annual Contract Renewal for Mosquito Identifying and Testing
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8 b. Request to purchase Public Safety Radios
Video. Yes, if one of the local cities or the county can probably buy more later at the same price. And they’re already all on the same system, although police and fire may have different radios.
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8 c. Acceptance of Infrastructure for Knights Landing Phase II
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8d. Professional Services for Improvements to Simpson and Parker Roads
Video. Questioned by Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker, County Engineer Mike Fletcher detailed that recent previous contracts had gone to Innovate and EMC. He said they weren’t required to issue bid requests. He didn’t exactly answer the question of whether they go down a list. If they do, why did they give Innovate two in a row?
Commissioner Demarcus Marshall asked about the percentages, but didn’t get to the basic point that basing contractor payment on percentage of the total amount is an incentive to increase the total amount.
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8 e. Dedicate a Portion of Val Tech Road
Video. Commissioner Scottie Orenstein said after talking to Dr. Anderson at Wiregrass Tech, Commissioners preferred the working Mark Wisenbaker then held up: “Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Road to Success”. Which is fine, but when did Commissioners discuss this, if not in an open meeting according to Georgia law? They spent almost five minutes on that. Chairman Bill Slaughter said it might seem more like advertising than dedicating a road. Um, isn’t that what dedicating a road is? Finally, Commissioner Demarcus Marshall moved to make it “Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Highway” and that’s what they did.
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8 f. Motorola System Upgrade Agreement (Evergreen)
Video. 911 Director Danny Weeks said it will be a $10,000 increase, not a $30,000 increase, and will save money after the fifth or sixth year, saving about $320,000 over the ten-year life of the agreement, and they’ll be current.
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8 g. Motorola Subscriber Maintenance Agreement
Video. “You should find that agreement at your desk.” Nevermind the tax-paying public can’t see it.
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8 h. Computer Hardware and Software Bulk Purchase
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9 a. Bid for 10-Wheel Dump Truck for Public Works
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10. Reports – County Manager
Video. Groundbreaking for Naylor Community Center at the recreation park in Naylor at 10AM August 16, 2017. Joyce Evans wants to be the one to stick the shovel in the dirt first.
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11. CWTBH – Gretchen Quarterman – WWALS and Boat Ramps
Video. WWALS has been developing water trails on the local rivers. A WWALS member has donated two trail cameras to be placed at the Naylor boat ramp site because there’s a dumping problem even though there’s not boat ramp. Chad [McLeod] has agreed to help with placement next week, so as not to put them on trees that will be cut down.
Ronnie Thomas’ Boy Scout troup has agreed to adopt the Boat Ramp at GA 133 on the Little River, building a kiosk and picking up trash. She asked the Commissioners to continue to support WWALS and water trails.
Ronnie Thomas could not speak because he could not get there before 5:30, and so could not turn in a CWTBH form before the meeting. Most county commissions I’ve been to in south Georgia and north Florida would have let him speak anyway.
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11. CWTBH – Jim Parker – Public Transit / Renewable Energy
Video. He again poked them about public transportation, and he recommended they pass a resolution for 100% renewable energy.
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12. Commission Comments and Meeting Adjournment
Video. Mark Wisenbaker asked Ronnie Thomas to stick around so he could speak to him.
Commissioner Scott Orenstein said a friend of his near Hahira had had a fire, and was very complimentary about the county fire department. Commissioner Wisenbaker said people at the Meeks fire were also very complimentary. Chairman Bill Slaughter echoed that.
Here’s a LAKE video playlist:
Videos: West Mims Fire, Water Trails, Transportation, Construction Board, 3 tax lighting districts, mosquitoes, no-bid contract
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, August 8, 2017.
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