Category Archives: Education

Thanks for concern about drinking water from the Floridan Aquifer –Don Thieme about Valdosta draft resolution against Sabal Trail pipeline @ VCC 2014-12-09

Water matters, too, said a comment yesterday on We all live in Lowndes County: Valdosta Draft Resolution Against Sabal Trail Pipeline @ VCC 2014-12-09. The Valdosta City Council votes tonight at 5:30 PM on this resolution. And don’t forget to get your comments or motions to intervene to FERC before the deadline of 24 December 2014. -jsq

Many thanks to Tim Carroll for adding the part about this important environmental issue which affects everyone in the city of Valdosta and Lowndes County as well. This is not just about the property rights of a few concerned citizens although those are important as well and demand protection from elected politicians.

–Don Thieme

Probation, Sabal Trail, budget, calendar, appointments, Thomas County Commission @ TCC 2014-12-09

The Sabal Trail pipeline and probation payments were major issues at the Thomas County Commission 9AM Tuesday 9 December 2014. Sheriff R. Carlton Powell noted that private probation company Sentinel, which he said serves Lowndes County, was involved in several lawsuits.

Here’s the agenda, and below are links to the videos, followed by a video playlist.

Continue reading →

We all live in Lowndes County: Valdosta Draft Resolution Against Sabal Trail Pipeline @ VCC 2014-12-09

Last night, while the Lowndes County Commission unanimously approved their resolution against the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline, the Valdosta City Council discussed a supporting resolution at its Work Session. Council Tim Carroll said Valdosta had added a clause about the Floridan Aquifer. Council Robert Yost said he didn’t think such a resolution was something the City of Valdosta should be doing, and he would not vote Thursday. No other Council members expressed any reservations. Council Sonny Vickers said he thought it was worth doing to show unity. Mayor John Gayle remarked, “We all live in Lowndes County.” Continue reading →

World AIDS Day at VSU

VSU’s page on this luncheon speaker event says: “Behind the Masks: Telling the Truth and Creating Healing”

HIV disease continues to be an issue where shame and hiding lead to individuals remaining unaware of their status and not taking advantage of life-saving treatment. Creating a climate in communities and in health care where consumers feel valued and accepted is the opportunity to health and healing.

Jim Sacco, M.S.W. is Continue reading →

Opposes Sabal Trail pipeline in any portion of Lowndes County –Lowndes County Commission

Escalating from the Chairman’s letter of 11 April 2014, perhaps after listening to requests from citizens, the Lowndes County Commission passed a resolution wanting no part of Sabal Trail in the county or in the state of Georgia.

Update 2014-11-25: Well, according to Joe Adgie in the Valdosta Daily Times today, “Even though the missive has already been mailed [to FERC], the resolution will not be formally voted on until the county commission’s next meeting in December [9th].”

Filed with FERC in docket CP15-17 on 21 November 2014 as Accession Number: 20141121-5242, but that was a Friday and FERC doesn’t work on weekends, so it actually appeared Monday 24 November 2014.

RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Spectra Energy of Houston, Texas has proposed to build a $3.7 Billion, 460mile natural gas line known as Sabal Trail, and;
WHEREAS, The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners has concerns regarding personal property rights Continue reading →

Valdosta’s Penn Station to be torn down –Alfred Willis @ VCC 2014-10-23

Received as a response to Outside corporation trumps Valdosta citizens about historical Nichols house? –Jim Parker @ VCC 2014-10-23. -jsq

The City Council’s deliberations on the 23rd had nothing to do with any construction project, but rather focused on the sale of a parcel — as Councilman Carroll’s message of the 25th accurately conveys. The Council’s vote was historic because it signified openly the supremacy of certain private property interests (specifically, those entailed in selling as a form of enjoyment) over civic cultural interests, at least within the municipality of Valdosta. In doing so it gave Valdosta’s citizens a peek behind a curtain that had remained drawn over historic preservation here since 1980. The construction of buildings, the demolition of buildings, the remodeling or moving of buildings, the maintenance and preservation of buildings, their sale and their purchase, their adaptive reuse — all of those processes are historical processes that turn on the resolution of conflicts among interests. Thus they all reveal structures of power and the machinations of powerful individuals and groups. How could they not?
The construction of the Nichols house in the early 1950s showed with a degree of clarity that probably no other Valdosta building of that time did, the identity, values, attitudes, and mode of operation of Valdosta’s leadership. Its demolition will Continue reading →

Videos: Church, brokerage, signage, substation, agriculture @ GLPC 2014-10-27

Last seen at ZBOA 2013-03-05 about a sign, Macedonia First Baptist Church now wants to expand in a residential neighborhood. One applicant wants to rezone from R-10 to Estate Agriculture. All that and more two weeks ago at the Planning Commission.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC)
Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING

AGENDA

Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue
Monday, October 27, 2014* 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing

Continue reading →

Videos: Bailey Gung Scintilla Land @ GLPC 2014-09-29

Here’s the agenda, and below are the videos as events transpired, of the 29 September 2014 Regular Session of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC). Continue reading →

Outside corporation trumps Valdosta citizens about historical Nichols house? –Jim Parker @ VCC 2014-10-23

Received 27 October 2014 about Whose rights come first? –Tim Carroll. -jsq

So because the owner of the property, which appeared to be a national property owning corporation for the fraternity’s local chapters, couldn’t, or more likely, didn’t want to see the cultural and architectural significance of the Nichols’ House, and merely wanted to unload the property as quick as possible, their property rights trump all other citizens of Valdosta in regards to our historical/cultural history and what we may wish to preserve? Do private entities, which may not even live here, have carte blanche to run roughshod and do whatever they please in our city irregardless of the interests of the citizens that do?

If you think I have a “lack of true understanding Continue reading →

Whose rights come first? –Tim Carroll @ VCC 2014-10-23

Received 25 October 2014 on Too bad about the Nichols House –Jim Parker @ VCC 2014-10-23. -jsq

I realize many may think none on council heard what Dr. Willis had to say, but that was not the case. What I think was missed by many in the audience was the fact that the owner of this property was not the applicant of this request, but was adamantly opposed to it. Not only did they have an offer on the table to sell, but it was pending the outcome of the vote regarding historic designation. To take away the rights of a property owner at the request of another is a very tricky thing. Whose rights come first? This was a tough decision in and unto itself. To suggest that only the monetary value of the property for taxation purposes drove the decision demonstrates a lack of true understanding of the all the pertinent facts of this case.

-Tim Carroll

I think the applicant’s frat alumnus attorney speaking for 15 minutes against probably tipped off most people about that first point. -jsq

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange