Category Archives: Lowndes County Commission

Library Architect Submissions (part 3)

Here are the submissions from the final four architects that were considered for the new Five Points Lowndes County Library. This continues the series with Library Architect Selection Documents (part 1) and Library Architect RFP and “Bible” (part 2) which presents documents received by LAKE from SGRL in response to an open records request.

The four architect submissions are linked on this LAKE web page. Here they are separately:

If we missed anything please let us know.

Architects: feel free to put your submissions on your own web pages and send us a link.

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Most Early Voting Ever in Lowndes County, Georgia

Backed up onto the street More people have voted early in Lowndes County than ever before, with cars often backed up onto the street waiting to get into the Board of Elections.

Eames Yates wrote for WCTV Friday, Record Breaking Number of Early Voters in Lowndes County,

More people have now voted early in Lowndes County than any time in history. Sherrie Luther was voter 22,00[0]… People waiting to vote making her ballot the one that broke the previous record set four years ago.

In the 2008 presidential election, there were 45 days of early voting in Lowndes County. In this year’s election there were just 16 days. Nevertheless the record was broken.

Sherrie was rewarded

Continue reading →

Fair bidding practices and community public input —Barbara Stratton

Received today on County trash plan already failing. -jsq

Yet another example of government contracting not following the fair bidding practices or allowing community public input. Even if you attend government meetings no bid information is made public & even if bids are referred to the amounts are always in those elusive "packets before you" that only the members have access to.

In a recent Hahira City Council meeting the city attorney ruled that the city council did not have to put out the garbage service for bids & that it did not even have to have a contract. As of December 31, 2012 the city collection services will not be under contract at all so who knows what the rates may be or if a lower bid would have saved citizens money?

Barbara Stratton I've been involved in government contracting for years & I can tell you that the recent path government bodies have endorsed is leading further & further away from the bidding procedures that were enacted to prevent good old boy politics & kick backs & is opening the door wide for public/private partnerships that never answer to the citizens.

The state attorney general's office which should regulate bidding practices will not interfere with county or municipal issues unless a citizen is willing to pay $500 to a lawyer to present the case to them. They justify this as catering to "home rule" but in actuality they are turning a blind eye because it is within their jurisdiction to rule on non-adherence to proper bidding practices.

If the state believes in "home rule" why is Governor Deal pushing a state charter school board amendment that will take away local rule? The state seems to pick & choose its standards.

-Barbara Stratton

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County trash plan already failing

The recently adopted-by-stealth Lowndes County waste disposal plan is already failing.

Jason Schaefer wrote for the VDT yesterday, Garbage carts vanish,

VDT picture of bag of solid waste Some residents in unincorporated Lowndes County have complained that their garbage cans have been taken up, leaving them without a way to dispose of their trash until Jan. 1.

Allgreen Services, one of the waste management companies ousted out of unincorporated Lowndes County with the Oct. 9 Commissioners decision to award a waste contract bid to Veolia Environmental Service, has begun picking up the waste carts in anticipation of the holiday season.

“We hate to have to remove them, but we have to,” Allgreen General Manager Sam Sullivan said. “We thought about waiting a month, but the problem is if we wait until the end of the year, we would be removing the carts around Christmastime. We didn’t want to be out there then.”

I don't think it could get any easier, said Richard Raines Funny how there was no mention of this possibility in the County Commission meeting that adopted this new solid waste plan. “I don’t think it could get any easier,” said Commissioner Richard Raines. It looks like it’s not getting easier for county residents who want to dispose of their trash.

This is currently on the county’s own front page:

Continue reading →

23,324 Early Voted in Lowndes County Georgia thru 2 Nov 2012

2,151 Friday and 23,324 Total voted early in Lowndes County Georgia thru 2 November 2012. I hear (unconfirmed) that those are both records, and you can see for yourself in the table below that Friday’s count was the highest for any early voting day this election. About half of active voters in the county voted early. That leaves another half to vote Tuesday. And there are more registered voters than typically active voters, so we could break a record for active voters Tuesday!

2,151 Friday and 23,324 Total voted in Lowndes County Georgia thru 2 November 2012

DateDailyTotal
Monday October 15 1,636 1,636
Tuesday October 16 1,225 2,861
Wednesday October 17 956 3,817
Thursday October 18 643 4,460
Friday October 19 1,433 5,893
Monday October 22 1,289 7,724
Tuesday October 23 1,449 9,173
Wednesday October 24 1,363 10,536
Thursday October 25 1,408 11,944
Friday October 26 1,783 13,727
Saturday October 27 1,279 15,003
Monday October 29 1,707 16,713
Tuesday October 30 1,533 18,246
Wednesday October 31 1,386 19,632
Thursday November 1 1,541 21,173
Friday November 2 2,151 23,324
Data courtesy of Lowndes County Board of Elections.

precincts You can still vote 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on that great election day, November 6th, at your precinct. To find out which is your precinct, plus a sample ballot, go to My Voter Page by the Georgia Secretary of State.

Vote! Several recent elections here have been decided by less than 100 votes. Your vote counts!

-jsq

21,173 Voted in Lowndes County Georgia thru 1 Nov 2012

1,541 people voted Thursday, for a total of 21,173 voting in Lowndes County Georgia thru 1 November 2012:

Daily and 21,173 Total voting in Lowndes County Georgia thru 1 November 2012

DateDailyTotal
Monday October 15 1,636 1,636
Tuesday October 16 1,225 2,861
Wednesday October 17 956 3,817
Thursday October 18 643 4,460
Friday October 19 1,433 5,893
Monday October 22 1,289 7,724
Tuesday October 23 1,449 9,173
Wednesday October 24 1,363 10,536
Thursday October 25 1,408 11,944
Friday October 26 1,783 13,727
Saturday October 27 1,279 15,003
Monday October 29 1,707 16,713
Tuesday October 30 1,533 18,246
Wednesday October 31 1,386 19,632
Thursday November 1 1,541 21,173
Data courtesy of Lowndes County Board of Elections.

You can still vote 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday at the Board of Elections, Vote! 2808 N Oak St., Valdosta, or on that great election day, November 6th, at your precinct. Several recent elections here have been decided by less than 100 votes. Your vote counts!

-jsq

Library Architect RFP and “Bible” (part 2)

Here is the Request for Proposals and the “Bible” of related documents that served as background for the architect selection process for the new library at Five Points. These were received on a CD as part of the library architect selection documents in the very organized open records response from the South Georgia Regional Library; see the previous post for related agendas and minutes.

Included in the RFP (which was issued by the County, not by the Library Board), is a list of fourteen numbered submittal instructions that looks like it might have been the basis for the list of 90 items on the Library Scoring Worksheet.

The RFP also includes this interesting section:

RESERVATIONS

Lowndes County Board of Commissioners reserves the following rights:

Rejection of any and all submittals
Negotiate changes in the Scope of Work
Negotiate services to be provided
Negotiate fee proposal
Waive any and all technicalities

That last line basically seems like it could be interpreted to mean they could select whatever appealed to them no matter what the fit (or not) with what was asked for in the RFP.

The “Bible” includes a cover sheet that says:

Continue reading →

19,632 Voted in Lowndes County Georgia thru 31 Oct 2012

19,632 voted in Lowndes County Georgia thru 31 October 2012, including 1,386 Wednesday.

Daily and 19,632 Total voting in Lowndes County Georgia thru 31 October 2012

DateDailyTotal
Monday October 15 1,636 1,636
Tuesday October 16 1,225 2,861
Wednesday October 17 956 3,817
Thursday October 18 643 4,460
Friday October 19 1,433 5,893
Monday October 22 1,289 7,724
Tuesday October 23 1,449 9,173
Wednesday October 24 1,363 10,536
Thursday October 25 1,408 11,944
Friday October 26 1,783 13,727
Saturday October 27 1,279 15,003
Monday October 29 1,707 16,713
Tuesday October 30 1,533 18,246
Tuesday October 31 1,386 19,632
Data courtesy of Lowndes County Board of Elections.

You can still vote 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and Friday at the Board of Elections, Vote! 2808 N Oak St., Valdosta, or on that great election day, November 6th, at your precinct. Several recent elections here have been decided by less than 100 votes. Your vote counts!

-jsq

Gretchen canvassing 2012-10-30

Gretchen Quarterman, running for Lowndes County Chairman, will come to your house to remind you that early voting is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. this week at the Board of Elections, 2808 N Oak St., Valdosta.

Down a street To a house

He already voted for her, so she’s on to the next house. After early voting, Election Day is Tuesday November 6th at your precinct.

Talking to a constituent Here she comes

Here’s a video playlist:

Pictures and videos by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Lowndes County, Georgia, 30 October 2012.

-jsq

18,246 Voted in Lowndes County Georgia by 30 Oct 2012

1,533 Tuesday and 18,246 Total voting in Lowndes County Georgia through 30 October 2012:

Daily and 18,246 Total voting in Lowndes County Georgia by 30 October 2012

DateDailyTotal
Monday October 15 1,636 1,636
Tuesday October 16 1,225 2,861
Wednesday October 17 956 3,817
Thursday October 18 643 4,460
Friday October 19 1,433 5,893
Monday October 22 1,289 7,724
Tuesday October 23 1,449 9,173
Wednesday October 24 1,363 10,536
Thursday October 25 1,408 11,944
Friday October 26 1,783 13,727
Saturday October 27 1,279 15,003
Monday October 29 1,707 16,713
Tuesday October 30 1,533 18,246
Data courtesy of Lowndes County Board of Elections.

You can still vote 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today, tomorrow, and Friday at the Board of Elections, Vote! 2808 N Oak St., Valdosta, or on that great election day, November 6th, at your precinct. Several recent elections here have been decided by less than 100 votes. Your vote counts!

-jsq