Category Archives: Planning

“Once again you ignore suggestions” –John S. Quarterman

I just sent this. -jsq
From: “John S. Quarterman”
To: Brad Lofton
Cc: [see below]

Responding to Brad Lofton’s message, actually Dalton, Georgia already has a 365kW solar array installed and in use. That’s larger than the 350 kW array VLCIA has “about to break ground”, and Dalton got theirs without having to take a biomass plant with it.

As for wood-sourced biomass, Rayonier Jesup Mill produces around 78 MW, which is more than the 40MW biomass plant VLCIA is thinking about starting. Jesup also got high air and water pollution and high crime.

Meanwhile, Dublin is already hiring for 350 jobs for the MAGE SOLAR manufacturing plant, while VLCIA’s biomass plant would only bring 25 jobs.

Once again you ignore suggestions for clean energy projects and reiterate the biomass plant and its bag-on-the-side solar plant as the whole of VLCIA’s plan.

Fortunately, I have confidence that such experienced developers as the VLCIA board can do better than that.

Continue reading →

VLCIA Board Meeting tomorrow, 18 Jan 2011

The next VLCIA board meeting is 5:30 PM tomorrow, 18 January 2011 at their offices:
2110 North Patterson Street
Valdosta, GA 31602-2580
(229) 259-9972

Here is your VLCIA Board:

Roy Copeland
Roy Copeland 		Tom Call
Tom Call 		Mary B. Gooding
Mary Gooding 		Norman Bennett
Norman Bennett 		Jerry Jennett
Jerry Jennett,
Chairman

I expect to be there. Will you?

-jsq

PS: Maybe I’ll get an answer to my question.

“it wouldn’t matter” –John Fretti, Mayor of Valdosta

News Talk 105.9 FM posted this: Exclusive Audio: Mayor Fretti on Biomass
“Kay Harris is absolutely wrong, writing emotionally again.”
He’s apparently referring to the VDT editorial I interpreted here.

He goes on to say it wouldn’t matter if the city refused to supply water to the biomass plant. Yet another variant on the popular local favorite: “there’s nothing you can do.”

Technically, no doubt he’s right: they could just sink a well instead. Politically, it would make a world of difference if the plant’s host city said it wouldn’t supply water. Not to mention I suspect the county would have to approve such a well.

At the least, the City of Valdosta could do what Gadsden County, Florida did: Continue reading →

VDT Civics Lesson on How to Stop a Biomass Plant

The VDT explains how to effect change, if anyone is listening. Editorial, 13 Jan 2010, Powerless to stop the power plant:
This week as the rhetoric around the proposed biomass facility has continued heating up, leading up to last night’s forum, one of the main themes has been that “government should do something.”

While the Times does not condone or condemn Chairman Paulk’s actions in the commission meeting Tuesday night, understanding the situation may help shed light on the issue. The county is powerless to do anything to stop this power plant. The only governmental entity with any power over the project is the city, and that’s only in the form of the services being extended and the water being sold to the company, as well as the sewage sludge that’s being burned. They too are powerless at this point to stop it.

The editorial continues with the tired old excuse “they can be sued”. Don’t they have insurance for that? If the whole thing goes as bad as some opponents predict, they could be sued for the kind of financial disaster that faces Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

There is one governmental entity that does have the power. Ah, here it is: Continue reading →

Paulk interrogates Noll

Last night the County Commission Chairman turned a routine event invitation into front page news in the VDT this morning: http://valdostadailytimes.com/local/x1162624684/Paulk-No-more-biomass:
Lowndes County Commission Chairman Ashley Paulk called a halt Tuesday evening to commissioners hearing biomass comments during public portions of regular board meetings.
LAKE has videos; here’s a playlist, and here it is embedded: Continue reading →

Glen Laurel (Old Pine Road) infrastructure at County Commission work session

That’s one thing on the 8:30 AM agenda for this morning. Work sessions are where most discussion among the commissioners usually occurs. The actual vote will be in tomorrow’s (11 Jan) 5:30 PM regular session.

Background on the contentious rezoning for the Glen Laurel subdivision is in the continuing series in this blog.

-jsq

Tom Call: New VLCIA Board Member

The Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA) has a new board member, Tom Call, local realtor and pesticider:
Roy Copeland
Roy Copeland 		Tom Call
Tom Call 		Mary B. Gooding
Mary Gooding 		Norman Bennett
Norman Bennett 		Jerry Jennett
Jerry Jennett,
Chairman
Since VLCIA’s website has no picture for Tom Call, LAKE has used the one from his Plaxo page.

He’s on the board of Homeland Defense Corp., which does “Custom Automated Mosquito and Insect Misting Systems” and says this:

Thomas B. Call graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. After a career in the agricultural chemicals industry, Tom branched out into real estate. Today, he is the owner of Coldwell Banker Premier Real Estate, and owns a number of successful businesses specializing in residential and commercial real estate development. www.Valdostarealtors.com
(Also on that board are Continue reading →

In refusing debate, VLCIA staff are following orders from their board

We’ve seen Brad Lofton write I will not debate you over e-mail and We will not, however, debate you over e-mail meanwhile refusing to put tax-funded presentations and videos up for public view through the VLCIA website, and offering personal meetings instead. Having experienced one of those personal meetings down at VLCIA HQ, and having heard from others who have attended them, I know of no substantive debate that happened at those indoctrination sessions, either. Any attempt at debate or even to get Lofton to produce the scientific evidence he claims he has ends with a proclamation like this one from September:
We’re moving forward with permits in hand.
or this one from December:
We’re moving forward now, and we are looking forward to the ground breaking which will be Spring of 2011.

But let’s not be too hard on VLCIA staff. At the 21 Dec 2010 board meeting, it became clear Continue reading →

VLMPO Planning Meeting

A local planning organization that studies advertises frequent meetings for input and studies facebook usage data to see what people care about? That’s the Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO), which holds frequent and repeated hearings on major projects. Next week it’s having its regular Policy Committee Meeting 1:30PM to 4:30 PM, Tuesday 11 Jan 2010, at the SGRC office at 327 West Savannah Ave., Valdosta. You can see what they’re up to about traffic congestion, busses, trains, bicycles, Moody access, conservation, or other issues, and voice your concerns. Continue reading →

Brad Lofton’s memory fails him again

On 28 Dec 2010 Brad Lofton wrote:
No one but WACE has made any claims about our efforts to substantiate this project.
Who are all these people, then, asking questions at the VLCIA’s 6 Dec 2010 event?

For example, this one, following up about the Environmental Impact Study he requested back at the EPD air quality hearing (see video of that event). He didn’t get an answer then, and at VLCIA’s 6 Dec event he still only got allusions to studies and standards that were not produced.

You can see Brad Lofton in that video, listening. Did he forget so quickly?

What about SAVE’s event at VSU at which Dr. Sammons spoke? What about the well-attended Biomass Town Hall that Pastor Angela Manning organized? And other events.

What about my question at the 6 Dec 2010 VLCIA board meeting? Continue reading →