Category Archives: Military

Videos: Appointments to KLVB, ZBOA, Library board, three rezonings @ LCC 2019-07-08

Yesterday morning’s Work Session took eleven minutes. They vote this evening.

The three rezoning cases took the longest, simply due to time for Planning Technician Molly Stevenson to read them out. Only one Commissioner had one questions on one of them. Longest at 2 and a half minutes was 6c. REZ-2019-11 Stewart, 4151 Stewart Circle R-1 to C-H which is for establishing a new metal working business with rail access. Second at almost two minutes was 6a. REZ-2019-09 Mark Courson, 5761 Long Pond Rd. R-1 to R-10, which was for subdividing into two lots; this one had the quesion. Third at a minute and a half was 6b. REZ-2019-10 Ballard, Madison Hwy E-A to C-C and R-A for a boat repair service and a single residence.

None of the appointment candidates appeared. Surprisingly there were questions on two appointments, to Continue reading

Appointments to KLVB, ZBOA, Library board, three rezonings @ LCC 2019-07-08

Update 2019-07-09: Videos.

On the Lowndes County Commission agenda for Monday and Tuesday, appointments to three boards, three rezonings, and a mystery agreement.

They have no candidates to replace Malinda Taylor on the Lowndes County Library Board. Paul Alvarado and John McCall want to be reappointed to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals. Gregory Powell apparently does not want to be reappointed, and Victoria O’Steen and Kelisa Brown have applied for Keep Lowndes Valdosta Beautiful (KLVB).

[Area map]
Area map

The rezoning cases are three from the preceding Planning Commission meeting; GLPC unanimously recommended approval of all three.

The mystery Agreement with Cornerstone is, according to the agenda sheet, a $96,000 ($8,000 / month) item:

As a part of Lowndes County’s ongoing support of Moody Air Force Base, the services of Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc. are being recommended. In addition to assistance with matters related to the Department of Defense, Continue reading

Videos: 2 appointments, Tower, GDOT Utilities, various agreements @ LCC Regular 2019-05-28

Animal welfare was the topic of the one Citizen wished to be Heard: Ed Barr, a former VSU faculty member, who said he spoke for a group of people who want a better-designed animal shelter, with better accessibility, as in closer to a residential area, or maybe redesigned like Miss Kitty Feline Sanctuary in Thomasville; he never said quite what features that meant.

The Regular Session was double-booked at the same time as the Planning Commission, so Gretchen went to the Planning Commission. The county’s own video was not available yesterday, but it appeared after I inquired.

They appointed Continue reading

Videos: Tower, GDOT Utilities, 2 appointments, various agreements @ LCC Work 2019-05-28

The Work Session was at 4PM on Tuesday. The longest item was 7d. Corrections Software Solutions Probation Tracking System.

On the 6 a. TWR-2019-01 US Hwy 84 E. E-A, New 300′ Telecommunications Tower, tabled last time, staff did hear from Moody AFB that the tower was no problem for helicopter pilots, and the FAA has said no hazard. But they didn’t say whether Moody had issued its TERPS report.

Berinda Nwakamma did introduce herself very briefly as an applicant for the 5a. Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD). County Manager Joe Pritchard said “her information is in your agenda,” but it was not among the board packet documents the county sent LAKE in response to an open records request. What we dug up about her is below.

The Chairman had to speak for the one applicant for the 5b. Appointment – Southern Georgia Area Agency on Aging, since Commissioner Joyce Evans declined to say anything.

They had an Executive Session to discuss pending litigation.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also Continue reading

Packet: Lowndes County Commission @ LCC 2019-05-28

Received in response to an open records request by LAKE. The county supplied it onto the same USB drive with the documents from the previous County Commission packet. The county charged LAKE $6.65 for that USB stick.

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GDOT to Lowndes County, Actual Cost Preliminary Engineering Agreement, Cover Letter

These documents are on the LAKE website.

LAKE looks forward to the county putting all these packet documents on the county’s own website, along with the agenda and agenda sheets.

Missing from what the county sent: Continue reading

Videos: Outdoor sports more contentious than Tower @ GLPC 2019-05-28

More than 3/4 of an hour on Knudson & Son Outdoor Activities, 28 minutes on one of the Hahira GA overlay variance requests, and 22 minutes on the Valdosta personal care home request (before the Valdosta City Council tonight), plus a bunch of shorter items, added up to a two-hour Planning Commission meeting.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also Continue reading

Tower, Water, Sewer, Personal Care Home, Hahira Gateway Corridor Overlay District @ GLPC 2019-05-28

The tabled tower on US 84E is back. The Lowndes County Commission meets at the same time. Since the Planning Commission usually spends more than five minutes on Call to Order, Pledge, and reading the boilerplate about what GLPC does, and the County Commission brags about having 5 minute meetings, the County Commission could make a decision before the Planning Commission even gets that far in its agenda.

There’s also a Lowndes County request for water and sewer on Bemiss Knights Academy Road.

Valdosta has a request for conditional use for a Personal Care Home.

And two requests for Variances from the Hahira Gateway Corridor Overlay District, which is presumably the coral-colored area around W. Main St. on both sides of I-75.

Hahira overlay map, VALORGIS
VALORGIS.

Here is the agenda.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
AGENDA

Monday, May 28, 2019 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue

Continue reading

Tower, GDOT Utilities, 2 appointments, various agreements @ LCC 2019-05-28

Both the Work Session and the Regular Session are Tuesday, due to Monday being a holiday. That puts the Regular Session at the same time as the Planning Commission.

The proposed 300′ tower is back on the agenda. Its agenda sheet says they’re still waiting for Moody AFB to do a Terminal Instrument Procedures (TERPS) analysis, and for a response from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). So the County Commission could make a decision and adjourn before the Planning Commission even gets that far on its agenda.

Utilities has a Standard Utility Agreement/Preliminary Engineering Agreement with GDOT that “that covers the engineering cost of Water and Sewer Distribution facilities relocations incurred by Lowndes County for improvements of the interchange on CR 274/Lake Park-Bellville Road. The amount of the contract is $49,270.00, of which the DOT will bear 100 percent of the cost.”

Two appointments: somebody unnamed resigned from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) and Berinda Nwakamma wants to be appointed. Naturally, the agenda says nothing about who she is, but linkedin says “Program Director at Georgia Home Visiting Program”, ResearchGate says “Valdosta State University | VSU · department of social work”, and Great Start thanks providers, by Daniel DeMersseman, VDT, 10 June 2017, says “GSGL [Great Start Georgia Lowndes] supervisor.” I’m guessing she’s the one in the front left of the picture, not holding a certificate, because she’s the one organized giving them out.


Daniel DeMersseman | The Valdosta Daily Times Great Start Georgia Lowndes thanks social services providers at its Thank-a-Provider event.

Commissioner Joyce Evans’ term Continue reading

Videos: Two small and one large Lowndes County rezonings @ GLPC 2019-04-29

Most of the time in the relatively short April GLPC meeting was spent on the communications tower request, which see.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each item, with a very few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the GLPC agenda and the agenda for tomorrow’s Lowndes County Commission Meeting.

Solar power in Georgia 2019-03-14

How much solar power is there in Georgia? Quite a bit, and it’s everywhere, according to Georgia Energy Data map by Southface.

Georgia, Solar
Gold disks indicate individual solar installations; green disks separate into many when zoomed.

There are three 1 megawattt (MW) solar farms in Berrien County I didn’t know about, and more elsewhere in the Suwannee River Basin, in almost every county. Continue reading