A brief agenda for the Valdosta City Council, mostly consisting of bids for equipment, mostly for the Police Department, plus some for Utilities, Engineering, Fire, and Public Works.
AGENDA
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REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, January 24, 2019
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL
The county held a ceremony for departing Lowndes County Planner Jason Davenport. I asked the person sitting in his former seat, Engineering/Planning Technician Molly Stevenson, if she was confirmed yet. She would only say it was confirmed that she was sitting there right then.
They also had a 911 CALEA Re-Accreditation Presentation and the Chairman recognized Leadership Lowndes.
Citizens Bob Harlan and Fred E. Blanton Jr complained about road conditions. I thanked Utilities Director Steve Stalvey for sending information about recent Lowndes County sewage spills (two in July), and I thanked him advance for sending the NPDES-permit-required followup testing (not yet received).
On the REZ-2018-16 Stovall rezoning, the applicant revealed the reason for the previous restriction when Continue reading
News about the Naylor Boat Ramp in an Engineering Projects Report! Chad McLeod also reported about the 911 center, the North Lowndes Soccer Complex, the fire warehouse classroom, the animal shelter, and the courthouse renovation project, all still to be completed from SPLOST VII funds, which run out next year. Even with that three-and-a-half-minute special engineering report, the whole meeting took ten minutes Monday morning.
Also not on the agenda, HR has a new employee. Also there will be a new traffic signal.
Should the County Manager and the Finance Director be able to approve Continue reading
The most exciting thing last month was the new fire truck, on display outside, seen here driving off with its lights flashing:
See
LAKE video.
This was the most recent Regular Session, because the Lowndes County Commission meetings for the end of August were cancelled.
County Manager Joe Pritchard again said he wanted higher staff approval limits for items in the budget. There was some question about campaign contributions on the Hahira rezoning and annexation; they didn’t know, but they approved it anyway. The longest discussion was on the Intrado phone system, which will have Lowndes County be the first south of Atlanta with text to 911. A suprising number of and variety of Commissioner questions on the 911 radios. The only question on the three utilities items was whether they were in the budget; they are. As usual, they rubberstamped the three Valdosta State Prison work details, with the only question being whether they were getting enough for the money. A: Yes, because prisoners work cheap.
Below are Continue reading
A pipeline much smaller than Sabal Trail destroyed a business in Homerville, Georgia yesterday.
Photo: GA Insurance and Fire Commissioner, of
Coffee Corner demolished, Homerville, GA.
So small the U.S. agency supposedly responsible for safety doesn’t even show it in its maps. A pipeline is owned by Southern Company, and apparently originates on my property, starting from another pipeline half-owned by Southern Company.
That SONAT pipeline in 2014 was snagged by a dirt road ditch puller, sending a plume of dust 300 feet into the air. If there had been a spark, people I’ve known all my life might not have had homes to go back to.
So why does Sabal Trail claim its 500-mile-long IED is safe? And why is Southern Company wasting our resources and risking our safety by buying into pipelines while ramping down its new investments in solar power?
Brunswick Daily News, 17 August 2018, The Latest: Leaking gas blamed for coffee shop explosion, Continue reading
County Manager Joe Pritchard said he had two new agenda items for tomorrow night, both to do with a proposed annexation by Hahira. County Chairman Bill Slaughter said he atteneded the recent Hahira City Council meeting where that annexation was discussed, which was last Thursday, so I don’t follow why this wasn’t on the Lowndes County Commission agenda Friday with all the other items.
A new voice was heard for Planning on Continue reading
It’s equipment day at the Lowndes County Commission. On the agenda for 8:30 this morning, firefighting Bullard thermal imaging cameras. Motorola public safety radios, Motorola mobile data terminals, and AT&T Intrado Phone System for E911 services, possibly the most expensive item at $244,324.00.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
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PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2018, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2018, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Longest at 2.5 minutes:
appointment to Parks and Rec.
Commissioner Scottie Orenstein was not present at this Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.
Not on the agenda and not on the county’s website, Chairman’s Announcement of Emergency Operations Center Open House.
The applicant spoke for 6.a. Beer, Wine & Liquor License – Jack’s Chophouse, 4479 N. Valdosta Rd. We have a winner for the RFP for Banking Services.
Maybe they all finally got to read the 7 d. Ordinance Adopting Current Board of Health Rules, since this time Continue reading
WTXL, 19 July 2018, Lowndes County holds open house to inform community on severe weather,
LOWNDES COUNTY, Fla. [sic: s.b. Georgia] (WALB)—Lowndes County Emergency services personnel are preparing for an upcoming open house to inform community members of possible severe weather that could strike this season.
Still of Lowndes County EMA Director Ashley Tye from
Atlanta Journal-Constitution video 10 September 2017
When: 6-8PM, Thursday, July 26, 2018
Where: 250 Douglas St, Valdosta, GA 31601-5029
Event: facebook
Continue readingJoin local emergency responders and Meteorologist Kerri Copello, News Manager for WFXL/Fox 31, for a tour of the EOC and an informational session on the 2018 Hurricane Season to include preparedness information.
These videos are for those of you who have jobs, or responsibilities, which prevent you from taking random days or hours off at a time. Commissioner Marshall was absent from the second day of the retreat because he has a job which does not allow him the flexibility of daytime hours off. (The first day of the retreat was on Presidents Day.)
The topics of discussion ranged from the ever popular litter and trash collection, to special tax districts, fire and emergency response, animal control and the animal shelter, and one of my favorites, electronic records. Most presentations were made either by the county manager or clerk but the current Deep South Solid Waste Authority Chairman Kevin Beals was first up to talk trash.
Below are links to each LAKE video of Day 2, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the LAKE videos of Day 1 and Continue reading