Category Archives: Military

VSU professors write to USAF consultant about Moody Family Housing @ LCC 2013-08-27

Presented to the Lowndes County Commission yesterday by Dr. Noll; video to come. I’ve added a few links and illustrations. -jsq

AFCEC/CZN
2261 Hughes Ave.
Lackland AFB
TX 78236-9853 ATTN: Mr. Allan Richmond

Thursday, August 15, 2013

PUBLIC COMMENT_

RE: Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI), Moody AFB, Georgia

This letter is written in response to the Environmental Assessment (EA) of the proposed Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) northwest of Valdosta, Georgia, on Val Del Road (also referred to as the “Val Del parcel”).

After a careful analysis of the report, we have come to the conclusion that the current EA of the proposed site for military family housing does not address a number of potential issues commonly found in areas of karst topography. Such areas display unique geophysical conditions, including the presence of sinkholes and the potential for future sinkhole formation, as well as geohydrological conditions that need to be studied more carefully and in a larger geographical context than currently given in the EA.

Without a more thorough environmental analysis and planning of the construction phases, the danger exists Continue reading →

Videos: Moody, Moody, acre, water, and SPLOST VII @ LCC 2013-08-13

The big item was a public-private partnership for units to be rented only to military personnel, built on top of the same soil as has a sinkhole next door. They also approved a no-bid contract for a drinking water treatment plant upgrade near the Alapaha River, plus another no-bid contract for Lovell Engineering, for wastewater treatment. And they’re so confident SPLOST VII will be approved by the voters (even though they never held a town hall or public hearing) that staff is going to ask the state to continue collections in January; plus Gretchen pointed out that if citizens knew what was in SPLOST they might be more willing to vote for it. Including maybe even the woman who noted that since garbage trucks are coming down her road it needs to be fixed.

Here’s the agenda, with links to the videos and a few notes, including a few links to related posts.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, AUGUST 12, 2013, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2013, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Access to information about SPLOST –Gretchen Quarterman @ LCC 2013-08-13

If voters knew what they were voting for with SPLOST VII, maybe they’d be more likely to vote for it, noted Gretchen Quarterman at the 13 August 2013 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

Gretchen Quarterman said she was happy about the work the county had done with the cities to figure out SPLOST VII, but:

Last year we didn’t do a good job in the county about getting the county residents to go and vote for SPLOST so now we’re in this gap. Thank you for figuring out how to fill the gap; if we do that, that’s good.

One of the things that I think would really help us Continue reading →

Ground-penetrating radar and karst topography –Michael Noll @ LCC 2013-08-13

Yes, we can look under the ground at the Moody Family Housing site, and it won’t take very long, said a VSU professor at the 13 August 2013 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

Dr. Michael Noll further answered Commisioner Richard Raines’ previous question as to what Dr. Noll was offering regarding REZ-2013-09 Moody Family Housing by saying VSU does have ground-penetrating radar equipment on campus, and a survey would take only a few weeks. Here’s an example of VSU work using that equipment.

Here’s the video:


Ground-penetrating radar and karst topography –Michael Noll
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 13 August 2013.

-jsq

Grassy Pond Sinkhole –April Huntley

When I was going down there from 2010-2011 this area of land was roped off with caution tape (not the temporary kind). I was told when they had problems with their piping and had to drain down the pond to fix it, when they refilled it, they did so too fast and caused a sink hole here. I’m not sure what kind of info can be found on it since it is a military installation. Chris says years back he went down there and the docks were sinking, he was told there was a sinkhole in the pond, I think. A couple more pics of the area I saw to follow. I guess it was remediated.

-April Huntley

Continue reading →

Traffic study? –John Page; Who pays? Richard Raines; Tax exemption –Demarcus Marshall @ LCC 2013-08-13

Traffic and taxes were discussed by Commissioners about REZ-2013-09 Moody Family Housing on Val Del Road, but none of them thought those topics important enough to make them conditions, and they didn’t even discuss use of local contractors or sinkholes like the one in the Phase II site, or the missing geotechnical study mentioned in the USAF Draft Environmental Assessment whose comment period wasn’t even ended when they voted at the 13 August 2013 Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

Traffic study? --John Page As he had at the previous morning’s Work Session, Commissioner John Page wanted to know if that traffic study was going to be required before the development could start. Planning Commissioner Tommy Willis had also asked about that back in July. This time Page didn’t ask about GA 122 or anywhere other than “Val Del and that area”.

Answer from County Engineer Mike Fletcher: Continue reading →

Karst subsidence beneath a house in Lowndes County –Don Thieme @ LCC 2013-08-13

Received yesterday on Florida sinkholes spreading real estate effects in same Aquifer as under Lowndes County. -jsq

Scanning John — Thank you for pressing forward on this important issue for the airmen and their families at Moody AFB as well as for all citizens of Lowndes County. My colleagues and I are also concerned and hope that we can eventually obtain the Phase I geotechnical study. Of course, we have our own research agendas as well as a desire to see our students working on these problems close to their own university campus. In particular, one of my undergraduate students just completed his thesis on karst subsidence beneath a house in Lowndes County. Here is a link to a poster where he presented those finding to our undergraduate research conference: GPR Investigation of Subsidence.

-Don Thieme

Ground-Penetrating Radar Investigation of Subsidence
in Covered Karst near Valdosta

Benjamin Davis, Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences
Faculty Sponsor: Donald M. Thieme

Abstract

Continue reading →

How will Moody personnel go to housing on Val Del Road? –Gretchen Quarterman @ LCC 2013-08-13

Gretchen Quarterman said she was concerned not just about traffic on Val Del Road, but

Once they leave Val Del, how will they get to the base safely?

Also what happened at Nelson Hill, just up Val Del Road, even though she was neither for nor against REZ-2013-09, at the 13 August 2013 Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

Gretchen Quarterman on REZ-2013-09 and Nelson Hill both on Val Del Road She specifically expressed concerns about GA 122, Hambrick Road and Radar Site Road, among others, as she had done at the Planning Commission. The previous morning at the Work Session, Commissioner John Page had asked about McMillan Road and GA 122 and had gotten an answer from County Engineer Mike Fletcher which only addressed Val Del Road.

Gretchen Quarterman also expressed concern about another development out in the county going bad like Nelson Hill did, with many of its 13 conditions not being met.

Here’s the video:

Continue reading →

USAF Environmental Assessment for Moody Housing on Val Del Road (REZ-2013-09) @ LCC 2013-08-13

No geotechnical study was seen from the developer before drawing the sinkhole buffers shown in the the Air Force Draft Environmental Assessment for the proposed Moody Housing on Val Del Road, just rezoned as REZ-2013-09, PDF courtesy of Prof. Michael Noll of VSU. You can see sinkholes and wetlands in its maps:

Most of the site area, including all of the Phase I area subject of REZ-2013-09, is colored for medium wetland habitat quality: Continue reading →

Geotechnical conditions and maybe sinkholes –Michael Noll @ LCC 2013-08-13

A VSU professor said he was in favor of the economic benefits, but geotechnical issues should determine whether the new Moody Housing on Val Del Road (REZ-2013-09) should be built, and those were still unclear, at the 13 August 2013 Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

Dr. Michael Noll of VSU said he was speaking because he had been referred to by previous speakers (Jason Davenport and Tom Kurrie), and he was neither for nor against REZ-2013-09. Dr. Noll’s neither-in-favor-nor-against position seemed to puzzle County Engineer Mike Fletcher. Noll said he and his colleagues had looked at the Environmental Assessment (EA) which has been available at the public library and concluded that they had a number of questions they’d like answered, and he was sure the developers had similar concerns for safety of the project.

Dr. Noll said they’d been trying to get a copy of the geotechnical analysis Continue reading →