Category Archives: Valdosta City Council

Nova Scotia banned fracking; will southeast U.S. ban fracked methane pipelines?



Yesterday
Nova Scotia announced a ban on fracking.
Will local or state governments in the southeast, now threatened
by the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline,
ban such pipelines?
Especially since FERC has now directed Sabal Trail to examine
routes through Americus, Cordele, Ashburn, Tifton, Adel, Valdosta, and even Thomasville,
in addition
to the ones it already proposed through Dougherty, Colquitt, Brooks, and Lowndes Counties?

Sierra Club Canada wrote about public meetings
in its Media Release of 28 August 2014,

Government of Nova Scotia Needs to Ban Fracking,

“Public meetings held by the panel were attended by an
overwhelming majority of well-informed citizens who had deep
concerns about fracking,” according to [Gretchen] Fitzgerald,
“Those concerns should be met with the type of leadership they
deserve: an immediate, legally binding ban.”

And the Nova Scotia government listened.
Bruce Erskine wrote for The Herald Business 3 September 2014,

Nova Scotia to ban fracking,
posting a video in which you can hear
Energy Minister Andrew Younger say: Continue reading →

Water, events, flea market, religious events @ GLPC 2014-08-25



The

Turner Brooks
rezoning next to Pine Tree Road turns out to be in paved-over
wetlands that previously flooded, only slightly uphill from
notoriously-problematical Sugar Creek.
GLPC recommended tabling until Historic Preservation could look
at one of the houses, but these water issues could be
at least as important, and Valdosta City Council could decide
to approve anyway without waiting.

Also in Valdosta an

accessory building,
an
event center and flea market,
and
an

office park.
In Lake Park an

ordinance text change
about religious meetings in commercial districts.
In the county, a

request to remove some existing zoning restrictions
and

the county wants to approve all its recent ULDC changes.

And they only submitted one name for the County Commission

to consider for appointment to GLPC.

Here’s

the agenda
followed by links to the videos as events occurred in the meeting.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission

Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING

AGENDA

Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office

325 West Savannah Avenue


Monday, August 25, 2014* 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing

Continue reading →

Turner Brooks: flooding, runoff, Sugar Creek? @ GLPC 2014-08-25



The

Turner Brooks
rezoning next to Pine Tree Road turns out to be in paved-over
wetlands that previously flooded, only slightly uphill from
notoriously-problematical Sugar Creek.
GLPC recommended tabling until Historic Preservation could look
at one of the houses, but these water issues could be
at least as important, and Valdosta City Council could decide
to approve anyway without waiting.

People were
six deep in the foyer Monday night Continue reading →

SRO against Pine Tree subdivision @ GLPC 2014-08-25



Stuck in the foyer six deep because SRO in the Planning Commission tonight,
mostly for the

Turner Brooks
item, back with another plan after being

withdrawn last month.
Tom Call, representing some of the owners of the property sellers,
said they’d tried to meet with the neighbors, who refused.
He didn’t say whether they tried meeting with them one-on-one.
GLPC could have put a bunch of conditions
on it that would have mostly satisfied the neighbors’ concerns,
leaving the developers and sellers to decide whether it was worth it.
Instead, they tabled.
The Valdosta City Council can still decide if they want to.
However, one of the houses they’d have to demolish is potentially
on the National Historic Register, and if so, they can’t tear it down.


600x170 Panorama, in Standing Room Only, by Gretchen Quarterman, 25 August 2014

Also, they only submitted one name for the County Commission

to consider for appointment to GLPC; attorney Brad Folsom.
They didn’t include several potential women applicants,
several of them attorneys, and yes, also Gretchen.
As an old white man, even I find it impressive how much
this area is run by old white men.

The agenda arrived only as images Gretchen took at the meeting.
Videos to come. Continue reading →

GA-EPD to SRWMD re: VLD WWTP per OSFR



The head of GA EPD went to Florida to explain Valdosta.
Pictured is

Judson Turner, Director, Georgia Environmental Protection Division
telling the
Suwannee River Water Management District

what Valdosta is doing to stop

sewage from flowing down the Suwannee River from
Valdosta’s Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Found
on OSFR. -jsq

PR by Abby Johnson, Office of Communications,
Suwannee River Water Management District,

RWMD gets Valdosta wastewater treatment plant update,

LIVE OAK, FL, August 13, 2014 — The Governing Board of the
Suwannee River Water Management District (District) was given an
overview and update at their August 12 meeting about the wastewater
treatment plant in Valdosta, Ga., which affects the Withlacoochee
and Suwannee rivers.

More than 90 area concerned residents and Continue reading →

Riverview development next to Withlacoochee River? @ GLPC 2014-07-28



A flood plain rezoning next to the Withlacoochee river came back from 2011,
at the

28 July 2014 Planning Commission meeting,
which voted unanimously for, as did the Valdosta City Council later.


7. VA-2014-05 Riverview Development LLC

Video.
This is

parcel 0074 088 on North Valdosta Road behind Music Funeral Home,
next to Langdale Park,
on the other side of the Withlacoochee River from Foxborough.

City Planner Matt Martin said only a tiny part of the property was
in the floodplain of the Withlacoochee River. Continue reading →

Videos: Hahira rezoning and annexation, two Valdosta CUP @ GLPC 2014-04-28



Tabled at applicant’s request:
the Hahira
rezoning
and
annexation;
see also the

Lowndes County Commission letter of objection of 22 April 2014.
The proponents
to establish a recycling center
didn’t show up to answer questions, and due to lack of information
(noise, hours, odors, vermin, expansion, etc.), GLPC unanimously voted to recommend tabling.
GLPC voted to recommend approval with selected conditions for
Langdale Ford’s
minor automotive repair facility.

Remember, Lowndes County answered an open records request for the agenda

47 hours after this Planning Commission meeting started.
Here’s

the actual agenda by other means.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission

Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING

AGENDA

Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office

325 West Savannah Avenue

Monday, April 28, 2014* 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing

Here are videos of what GLPC did. Continue reading →

USACE presentation online at City of Valdosta



Emily Davenport, Valdosta Stormwater Manager, sent a letter 2 June 2014
to attendees of the 6 May 2014 Army Corps of Engineers presentations,
with paper materials attached, and a note that they are also online at

Stormwater Division, Regional Flooding. [Not there anymore, but see updated first bullet item below. 2018-01-28 -jsq]

Valdosta boards and authorities openings



Remember, you don’t even have to live in Valdosta to apply
to serve on one of the many appointed boards or authorities
(you do have to live in Lowndes County).

Details:

CITY OF VALDOSTA

APPOINTMENTS FOR BOARDS, COMMISSIONS,

AUTHORITIES & ADVISORY COMMITTEES

In accordance with the City of Valdosta’s Appointment Policy and to
provide an opportunity for qualified citizens to be made aware of
opportunities to serve on various Boards, Commissions, Authorities,
and Advisory Committees, the City of Valdosta announces the following
openings: Continue reading →

Videos: Against Hahira annexation, for 2 county and 4 Valdosta @ GLPC 2014-05-27



Almost unanimous against the

Hahira
rezoning
and
annexation,
even though the
reduction from 66.1 to 58.09 acres
was to exclude Hagen Bridge Road and obviate the
paving issue.
A

county ULDC amendment request for Special Events and such
and a Valdosta

LDR amendment request.
A

county
rezoning

to agricultural
and
three

Valdosta
use changes:

daycare,


fraternity,
and

commercial office.

Here’s

the agenda, with some notes and links to the videos.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission

Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING

AGENDA

Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office

325 West Savannah Avenue


Tuesday, May 27, 2014* 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing

Continue reading →