Category Archives: Transportation

ALEC, private prisons, fossil fuels, and charter schools

It’s good to see someone trying a coordinated strategy for something good in multiple states, as Our Children’s Trust is doing for air as a public trust. We already knew going to multiple states at once works, because ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange, gets reactionary results that way.

How does ALEC do it? By

So once again, it’s refreshing to see somebody successfully try multiple states for something worthwhile!

The above ALEC projects are just some I’ve run across while researching local topics. It often seems as if every rock I turn over has the ALEC millipede scurrying around under it. Far more about ALEC is available through ALEC Exposed.

ALEC Exposed has a list of companies that have dumped ALEC recently. Georgia Power’s parent The Southern Company and UPS are still not on that list. You can help. Let them know you want them to dump ALEC!

-jsq

 

T-SPLOST Lost!

Counties: green no, blue yes With all counties reporting, only Bacon, Clinch, Coffee, and Irwin went for T-SPLOST: voters defeated it in Region 11 by 38,514 no votes (58%) to 28,040 Yes (42%) votes.

Update 2017-03-27: And Atkinson, with final tally 38,731 no votes (58%) to 28,217 Yes (42%). Plus it’s back as a regional proposal.

Lowndes County voted 2 to 1 against. That’s the result of hard work by a broad coalition across the political spectrum, including everybody from Gretchen Quarterman to Nolen Cox.

The only regions to vote Yes were 7-Central Savannah River, 8-River Valley, and 9-Heart of Georgia, all 2 of 3 of them state border regions. Even 12-Coastal rejected T-SPLOST 58% to 42%. Atlanta metro Region 3, the real excuse for the whole failed exercise, resoundingly defeated T-SPLOST by a whopping 63% to 37%.

Georgia Sierra Club and Atlanta Tea Party have already drawn up Plan B for metro Atlanta. How about a Plan B for the entire state, with passenger rail from Atlanta to Valdosta and Savannah, bus systems in every metro area, and airport improvements?

-jsq

Videos: Two taxes, Library bid, and two road repairs @ LCC 2012-07-23

Already approving Minutes a minute before announced start time Back to their old tricks! The Lowndes County Commission was already approving minutes a minute before the announced start time of their Work Session this morning. After that, it was another brief session. They vote Tuesday 5:30 PM 24 July 2012.

Here's the agenda. Below are some notes on some items.

  • 5.a. Adoption of Millage
    County Manager Joe Pritchard reiterated that there would be a Public Hearing 5PM 24 July 2012. See other post for more details.
  • 5.b. Acceptance of Proposal for Repair of Cat Creek Road
    County Engineer Mike Fletcher said what the project was for! See previous post for details.
  • 5.c. Cameron Lane widening for industrial park @ LCC 2012-07-23
    The Langdale Industrial Park rezoning REZ-2010-15 of 14 December 2010 was back this morning as a request to turn Cameron Lane into a boulevard entrance. See other post for details.
  • 5.d. SPLOST VII Resolution and Agreement
    They somehow got an agreement between the cities and the county in time to announce a referendum for SPLOST VII. See other post for details.
  • 6. Bid for library architectural services.
    They revealed a tiny bit more detail than was in the VDT this morning.

Here's a video playlist:

Videos: Two taxes, Library bid, and two road repairs
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 July 2012.

-jsq

5.d. SPLOST VII Agreement @ LCC 2012-07-23

County Manager Joe Pritchard announced at this morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session that the county and the cities had reached an agreement and resolution in time to announce a ballot referendum for SPLOST VII. He said the city of Valdosta already acted upon the agreement Thursday, and he expected the other cities would follow suit. He said Commissioners had a breakdown in front of them of projects to be paid for by the Special Projects Local Option Sales Tax. No Commissioners had any questions.

Here’s Part 1 of 2:

5.d. SPLOST VII Agreement Part 1 of 2:
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 July 2012.

County Chairman Ashley Paulk volunteered a laconic explanation of how an agreement was reached:

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5.c. Cameron Lane widening for industrial park on US 84 W @ LCC 2012-07-23

While the Industrial Authority has been busily spiffing up its various Industrial Parks, everyone may have forgotten they have some competition west of town. Back in December 2010 Attorney Jack Langdale convinced the Commission in case REZ-2010-15 to rezone about 542 acres from R-1 to I-S, M-2, M-1, and P-D, which they did with fifteen conditions, which you can see in their minutes from 14 December 2010. As I recall it, one of the most convincing arguments was that the Langdales' own Kinderlou Subdivision is next door, so they wouldn't be doing anything to damage that, thus other neighbors could rest assured. Anyway, the next step was before the Commission at their Work Session this morning, for a vote tomorrow evening at their 5:30 PM Regular Session.

County Engineer Mike Fletcher presented agenda item 5.c., about Cameron Lane.

In December of 2010 the Board of Commissioners approved a rezoning case for the industrial park located off of highway 84, state route 38 west, near Wetherington Lane. The developers are beginning their master plan for the industrial park and will be utilitizng Cameron Lane as an entrance off of State Route 38 into the park. The developers are requesting to demolish Cameron Lane and rebuild a boulevard type entrance to serve the industrial park.

Attached are plats in front of you that show the existing and the proposed layout. The developer will be responsible for the acquisition of the the additional right of way that is required, as well as all engineering and construction costs for Cameron Lane. The new infrastructure will be built to county standards amd then will be brought back before the Commissioners for executive acceptance of infrastructure.

Commisioner Raines wanted to know if the county needed to deed the road over to the developer while all this was being done. Fletcher assured him the contractor would be responsible for everything.

Here's the video:

5.c. Cameron Lane widening for industrial park on US 84 W @ LCC 2012-07-23
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 July 2012.

-jsq

5.b. Emergency repairs on Cat Creek Road @ LCC 2012-07-23

Apparently Cat Creek Road is sinking, and the county has to fix it fast. At least for this latest engineering emergency they didn’t no-bid it: they actually took bids. They vote tomorrow night.

At this morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session, County Engineer Mike Fletcher described the Cat Creek Road project:

There’s an existing triple line of 36 inch storm drain that goes under Cat Creek Road between Radar Site and Vienna Church. These storm pipes are failing under the road, causing the pavement to sag over the pipes. The project will be to remove the existing pipes, headwalls, realign the new cross drains, skewed to be more in line with the natural run of the creek, install new cross drains and concrete headwalls, and then repave that section of Cat Creek Road.

If the repairs do not take place immediately, Cat Creek Roiad is toing to have to be closed. This repair is considred to be an emergency. Quotes were obtained in lieu of bidding the work. We had four people we had requested proposals from. Two proposals were turned in: one from Reames for $59,640 and one from Scruggs for $66,257. The other two bidders were nonresponsive.

Commissioners had no questions. At least for this latest emergency, the county didn’t just award a no-bid contract; it did at least request bids.

Here’s the video:

5.b. Emergency repairs on Cat Creek Road
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 July 2012.

-jsq

It is time to finally put the pieces of a larger energy puzzle together —Michael Noll

Seen today on the WACE facebook page: an online comment the VDT declined to let appear. It was on Natural gas use expanding; station planned for Valdosta by Kay Harris, VDT, 22 July 2012. -jsq

There are some major problems with this article, but let’s first begin with the points one can agree with:

Mr. Putnam is correct when he says that natural gas is a much cleaner source of energy than coal and oil. It is also true that natural gas is a “bridge fuel” which can buy us time to develop new technologies. However, here are the points that are missing (or were glanced over) simply because we are, again, looking for a quick fix to our dependence on foreign oil, while doing little to address issues that really matter:

  1. Neither Mr. Putnam nor the VDT seem to fully understand or recognize the environmental damage fracking does. This new technology is not only responsible for our nation’s current natural gas surplus, but also comes at an enormous price to both people and the environment.
  2. Time and again we are talking about the need to become independent of foreign oil, yet little attention is paid to the need to conserve. Instead we continue to ‘live it up” and consume more energy per capita than any other western nation. If you are addicted to a “drug” (as in an overly consumptive lifestyle) hopping from marijuana to heroin won’t help your general problem.

It is time to finally put the pieces of a larger energy puzzle together because at the end of the day natural gas, too, is a finite source. But how will we ever get there when a) entities like Southern Company (i.e. Georgia Power) refuse to embrace truly clean sources of energy production like solar and wind, when b) people like Mr. Putnam and papers like the VDT only present a one-sided view of an important and complex issue, and when c) we, the consumers, refuse to accept our responsibilities in this whole mess as if we had a God given right to be wasteful?

-Michael Noll

SPLOST VII, Millage, Library, and two road repairs @ LCC 2012-07-23

Two kinds of taxes: Lowndes County Commission Work Session Monday 8:30 AM and Regular Session Tuesday 5:30 PM, with a property tax millage hearing 5PM before the Regular Session. Apparently the cities and the county have come to some agreement about Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) VII. Road repairs are being contemplated for Cat Creek Road and Cameron Lane. And there’s something about an RFP for an architect for the library.

Update: SPLOST, not LOST. -jsq

Here’s the agenda.

-jsq

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 24, 2012, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
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TSPLOST — There are ways to get more road ‘bang’ for buck

MJDOnline editorialized today, The TSPLOST — There are ways to get more road ‘bang’ for buck. Most of it is about Cobb County, but some of it may sound familiar:

THOSE PUSHING the TSPLOST have bungled the job despite their gargantuan $8 million war chest. They have muddled their message (is it congestion relief or a jobs program?) and even managed to fumble the project list. Cobb voters don't know whether they're voting for a rail line or a bus line. And even though the proposal now specifies the latter, the overwhelming suspicion is that if the TSPLOST passes they'll be stuck paying and paying and paying for the former instead.

Better to vote down this TSPLOST and hope and pray that it also fails region-wide, than possibly come back in two years with an improved project list that can get the public's buy-in. As it is, the bulk of the Cobb projects on the current list would likely be on a future local Cobb road SPLOST list if there were no such thing as a regional TSPLOST. Which begs another question: Why should Cobb abdicate control over its road program to the Atlanta Regional Commission or a regional roundtable in the first place? Who knows better than Cobb residents what our transportation needs are?

What do you think? Does GDOT in Atlanta know better than we do what we need around here?

-jsq

I think voting on a Saturday is super extra great and convenient —Gretchen Quarterman

Gretchen reminded us to vote early yesterday. She got on TV to do that.

Greg Gullberg wrote for WCTV yesterday, Voting On Saturday For First Time In Ga. History

For the first time ever, Georgia voters statewide were able to cast their ballots on a Saturday. And for some it was their best chance.

Gretchen on WCTV “I think voting on a Saturday is super extra great and convenient,” said Gretchen Quarterman, Georgia voter. “To vote on Saturday is particularly convenient. You can just fit it in your errands.”

“It gives the opportunity for voters to get out and vote for those who have to work and it’s an inconvenience for them during the week,” said Sarah Stewart, Georgia Voter.

The extra day comes after the Georgia legislature shortened the early voting period for the Primaries. They took it down from 45 days to only 21.

In Lowndes County, plenty of people are taking advantage of early voting.

So what was Gretchen doing there?

Continue reading →