Category Archives: Transportation

CAC on Skipper Bridge, 3 board appointments, lots of alcohol @ LCC 2016-03-07

The long-awaited animal tethering ordinance will be heard Monday morning and voted on Tuesday evening, as part of an Animal Welfare Ordinance. They’re going to reappoint Joyce Evans and Frank Morman to the Landbank Authority. They last reappointed those two 27 March 2012, so apparently they serve four-year terms.

Despite the public not knowing there was an opening on the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Board, they’ve already picked who they’re going to appoint: Chris Yarbrough. What he sent in his application, we don’t know, but his LinkedIn profile says he’s a “Community Supervision Officer III Mental Health Specialist, Georgia Department of Community Supervision, May 1996 – Present (19 years 11 months) Valdosta, Ga.”

Per LAKE open record request, here are the packet items for the Children’s Activity Center (CAC) rezoning on Skipper Bridge Road, REZ-2016-06, as sent to the Continue reading →

Comprehensive Plan Update Workshop @ SGRC 2016-03-07

As promised, there is an updated Work Book online, dated February 29, 2016. Title page As Ariel Godwin also promised, the SGRC website says:

The next workshop will be Monday, March 7, 2016, 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the SGRC office, 327 W. Savannah Ave., Valdosta, GA.

It will be interesting to see if this version of the Work Book for the 2016 Greater Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan Update contains any changes about the issues Greg Odom raised last month (22 February 2016) about road paving, trees, and reducing expense to the county. And LAKE will be at the meeting with the video camera.

-jsq

Videos: Rivers and Pipeline, Rehab homes, LAMP Lease, Rezonings, Alcohol, public defender, paving Stafford Wright Road @ LCC 2016-02-09

Gretchen thanked them for putting most of the response to her open records request on CDs, shortly after they had said at their recent planning session that they wanted to promote interaction with the community. Still nothing from the county attorney about the Sabal Trail documents, and it’s been well over three days. I invited them on behalf of WWALS to a workshop and a movie; there’s more below. See also the contested rezoning 5.d. REZ-2016-05 Union Rd Subdivision, E-A to R-A, ~114 acres for more water issues.

Three citizens spoke explicitly about the pipeline, Jim Parker, Michael Noll, and Dr. Mario Bartoletti, as also noted in Jason Stewart, VDT, 11 February 2016, Sabal protests continue. As I noted in another post,

I go to a lot of county commission meetings in Georgia and Florida. Nowhere but Lowndes County do I see Continue reading →

Videos: Rehab homes, LAMP Lease, Rezonings, Alcohol, public defender, and paving Stafford Wright Road @ LCC 2016-02-08

They vote tonight at 5:30 PM.

At yesterday’s Work Session, there were two unscheduled reports. Mark Stalvey of the county Housing Authority said they’re working together with Habitat for Humanity to form a nonprofit for collecting funds for rehabilitating housing, and they’re asking for $5,000 each from Valdosta and Lowndes County to get the nonprofit up and running, in return for which each would get to appoint some board members; the rest would be elected by the nonprofit board.

Last, Tina Folsom with Lowndes Associated Ministries to People (LAMP) said their executive director left, so they don’t need their space in the Leila Ellis building. They’d like to be let out of their lease and have the funds applied to another county building they’re also renting space in.

See previous post for context and the agenda. Below are links to each LAKE video of the Work Session, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

Rezonings, Alcohol, public defender, and paving Stafford Wright Road @ LCC 2016-02-08

Monday morning 8:30 AM, the Lowndes County Commission will hear about (they vote Tuesday evening) four well and septic rezoning cases, one of them from R-10 to E-A, and another of 114 acres from E-A to R-A. The usual wine, beer, and liquor licenses, a County Purchasing Card and Credit Card Ordinance, a 2016 Public Defender Contract Renewal and Proposal from Lovell Engineering for Stafford Wright Road Paving Project. I remember residents of that road asking years ago for it to be paved; instead the county paved Quarterman Road. Here’s the agenda. See also the LAKE videos of the Planning Commission Work Session and Regular Session.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2016, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Video: Project Max rezoning public hearing @ LCC 2016-01-12

The secretive Project Max container company better not be like when the Industrial Authority bragged about a prospect that would bring in 300 clean jobs and it turned out to be a private prison, which fortunately (after much public opposition) never happened. At last Tuesday’s Lowndes County Commissioner Regular Session, nearby landowner Mike Paine said he is afraid of many things, because it’s a rush job and nobody has told him anything concrete. The Industrial Authority, now called the Development Authority, says we should trust them. It would help if they wouldn’t say things like no emissions but steam, when burning natural gas produces CO2, and if they would admit that methane often leaks, and then it’s a far worse greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

5.a. REZ-2016-01 Project Max, Rocky Ford Rd, E-A to M-2 123 acres

Video. About the public hearing for rezoning from Estate Agricultural (E-A) to heavy-duty manufacturing (M-2) for the hush-hush Project Max, the big-fish container manufacturing plant proposed for Rocky Ford Road, next to the protected watershed of Mud Swamp and near Valdosta Airport, see Continue reading →

Videos: Why Emergency bridge fixes? Appoint Tax Assessors? Rush Project Max? @ LCC 2016-01-12

Citizen Billy Rowland complained about poor road grading, his dogs being shot, and misuse of Knights Ferry Landing on the Withlacoochee River. Maybe the Commission will listen to what he said this time, at last Tuesday’s Lowndes County Commissioner Regular Session. Apparently G. Norman Bennett wants Hall Web Road paved for the mile to his house at the Little River, but Julia Bass, Ralph Niehenke, and Diane Guess spoke up saying they don’t want it paved. Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker tried to ask them questions, but Chairman Bill Slaughter cut him off. Slaugher did have time earlier fo an extra announcement of a joint governmental meeting Tuesday morning. It’s not clear citizens will even get to speak there, much less get questions answered. See separate post.

They passed the resolution to ask the legislature to start the proecess to appoint rather than elect Lowndes County Tax Assessors.

They already did emergency repairs to Clyattville Nankin Road Bridge (problem discovered by a local citizen) and Jumping Gully Road Bridge (found by GDOT), and the Commissione approved payment after the fact. So two more no-bid contracts were let, this time without even a Commission vote before the work was done.

They agreed to the North Lowndes Park Quitclaim and Custodial Agreement by which Valdosta-Lowndes Parks & Rec. Authority (VLPRA) takes charge of some land west of I-75 north of Hahira for a soccer field.

A few citizens spoke about rezoning for the mysterious Project Max, but of course they passed the rezoning anyway, even though apparently none of the Commissioners know who the prospective tenant is.

The Lowndes County Commission agenda contained quite a few other items as the Commission caught up after the holidays. See also the LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session. Below are links to each LAKE video of the Tuesday evening 12 January 2016 Regular Session, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

Videos: Why Emergency bridge fixes? Appoint Tax Assessors? Rush Project Max? @ LCC 2016-01-11

Why did bridge repairs turn up on the agenda for yesterday morning’s Work Session and tonight’s Regular Session only after problems were reported by citizens (Clyattville Nankin Road) or GDOT (Jumping Gully Road)? Also, “>neither GDOT restriping nor county road resurfacing take into account the complete streets initiative for bike lanes or sidewalks, even though two Commissioners asked about that. Hm, three Commissioners could vote to require it.

County Clerk didn’t have the minutes of December’s Work Session ready, so Lowndes County Commissioners will get very little time to review them before voting this evening.

This is the only county in Georgia that does not appoint its Tax Assessors, and the County Commission is considering a resolution to ask the General Assembly to start the process to change that. For hush-hush Project Max, the big-fish container manufacturing plant proposed for Rocky Ford Road, next to the protected watershed of Mud Swamp and near Valdosta Airport, see separate post for what little the public (or the Planning Commission) is allowed to know. Also on the Lowndes County Commission agenda for Monday morning and voting Tuesday evening, are quite a few other items as the Commission catches up after the holidays.

Below are links to each LAKE video of yesterday morning’s Work Session, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

Valdosta election results and oaths @ VCC 2016-01-07

Tonight, election results, a homeland security thermal imaging grant, and bench placement on streets. And a church food bank, already heard by the Planning Commission 30 November 2015.

Here’s the agenda.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, January 7, 2016
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

Continue reading →

Videos: Law, radio, solid waste, busses, and qualifying fees @ LCC 2015-11-10

A month ago, nobody on the County Commission or staff knew how much the extra equipment might cost for the three Sheriff’s pursuit vehicles, but they awarded the bid to Langdale Ford anyway. The automobile dealer on the Commission did have some computations on why the higher bid might be more cost-effective. “We have the bids in the room” said the County Engineer, recommending awarding $1,188,500 to the Scruggs Company for Graded Aggregate Base, Curb-and-Gutter and Asphalt. He also noted “they will come in and place the curb and gutter”. The County Engineer also announced flashing and then regular traffic lights at Tillman Crossing on Old US 41 North.

Two citizens talked about dog problems: three dogs perhaps without shelter and barking dogs and arson.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall is holding a Town Hall December 15th.

Here’s the agenda. See also the LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session. Below are links to each of the videos of the Regular Session, followed by a video playlist. Meanwhile, they already met again this morning and will vote again Tuesday evening. Continue reading →