Category Archives: Valdosta City Council

I’m a bicyclist —Jim Jones @ VCC 10 November 2011

Jim Jones told Thursday’s Valdosta City Council meeting he was a certified bicycle technician. He mentioned all sort of reasons for bicycling:
Bicycles are going to be a big part of our future. Gas prices, and a lot of folks getting their licenses suspended, having to walk…. And if you don’t have a bicycle, that’s the only choice you have.
He mentioned Valdosta was lagging behind Portland.

Here’s the video:


I’m a bicyclist —Jim Jones @ VCC 10 November 2011
bicycle, path, health care, health, sidewalk, grant,
Regular Session, Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 10 November 2011.
Videos by George Boston Rhynes for K.V.C.I., the bostongbr on YouTube.

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How about some bike racks? —Matt Portwood @ VCC 10 November 2011

Matt Portwood told Thursday’s Valdosta City Council meeting that since his last address to the Council was so well received this time he brought friends (such as Heather Evans, who had just spoken) and an ally in the front row ( Roy Taylor, who spoke first) This time he asked for bike racks. If City Hall had one outside, their bicycles wouldn’t have been locked to the front step railing.

Here’s the video:


—Matt Portwood @ VCC 10 November 2011
bicycle, path, health care, health, sidewalk, grant,
Regular Session, Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 10 November 2011.
Videos by George Boston Rhynes for K.V.C.I., the bostongbr on YouTube.

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Community’s need for public transportation, bike lanes, and walking —Heather Evans @ LCC 10 November 2011

Heather Evans provided a petition with more than 200 signatures, and told Thursday’s Valdosta City Council meeting she got requests frequently while working in community service for something to be done about non-automobile transportation. She presented a variety of evidence.
Ideally, I’d like to see bike lanes all over town. But if I had to pick one to start with, St. Augustine would be my choice. I choose this road because it also needs to have a completed sidewalk segment. I can’t tell you how many people including myself have been endangered while using this portion of road.

George Rhynes took this video and remarked:

WOW! Valdosta-Lowndes County is now being seen as a real metro city and citizens are asking questions to their elected officials. WOW! The old control, suppress, and abate is apparently unacceptable in 2011 as we get ready for the 2012 Presidential election.

Here’s the video: Continue reading →

Bikes, Students and Public Meetings —George Rhynes @ VCC 10 November 2011

When he spoke in Thursday’s Valdosta City Council meeting, George Rhynes mentioned he had videoed the bicycles he found out front.

Here’s the video:


Bikes, Students and Public Meetings —George Rhynes @ VCC 10 November 2011
bicycle, path, health care, health, sidewalk, grant,
Regular Session, Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 10 November 2011.
Videos by George Boston Rhynes for K.V.C.I., the bostongbr on YouTube.

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Truth really needs no defense! —George Rhynes @ VCC 10 November 2011

George Rhynes stood up at Thursday’s Valdosta City Council meeting to respond to Ken Klanicki’s concern about Sam Allen’s speech on the City Hall steps the previous day.
I want the record to show and I hope the Valdosta Daily Tims will print it, that former Superintendent Sam Allen, all he did was to act as a professional, which he is.
George also commended the bicyclers and said he had videoed the bicycles he found out front.

Here’s the video:


Truth really needs no defense! —George Rhynes @ VCC 10 November 2011
bicycle, path, health care, health, sidewalk, grant,
Regular Session, Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 10 November 2011.
Videos by George Boston Rhynes for K.V.C.I., the bostongbr on YouTube.

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We have just had a very divisive issue —Ken Klanicki @ VCC 10 November 2011

Ken Klanicki expressed concerns about Sam Allen’s speech the previous day on the steps of City Hall. He had only read about it in the VDT, which of course has space limits. You can see and hear Sam Allen’s speech for yourself, thanks to George Rhynes. Ken Klanicki also wanted to know who approved the use of City Hall for that speech. Ken probably didn’t know from the VDT that Mayor Sonny Vickers was standing beside Sam Allen at the time, but you can see that for yourself.

Here’s the video of Ken Klanicki:


We have just had a very divisive issue —Ken Klanicki @ VCC 10 November 2011
bicycle, path, health care, health, sidewalk, grant,
Regular Session, Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 10 November 2011.
Videos by George Boston Rhynes for K.V.C.I., the bostongbr on YouTube.

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Health and safety through bicycles —Roy Taylor @ VCC 10 Nov 2011

Roy Taylor spoke first in Citizens to Be Heard at Thursday’s Valdosta City Council meeting:
We need bicycle paths in this community, very very badly. I travel to Europe… and they have bicycle paths all over, and it helps our children as they are growing up. It helps us as adults…. It helps all of us…. It is good for our children, our community.

I want you to think about the health care cost that those bicycles can save. In the health care we have to pay, the hospitalization, the medical costs, if we keep our bodies in good shape.

You have a grant in here now of about $75,000 to $100,000 … school money. I can think of no finer way for those children than to walk the sidewalk and to ride a bicycle.

That’s right: Roy Taylor spoke in favor of a grant, and for bicycles. Bicyclers listened from the back before some of them spoke: Continue reading →

Four board appointments @ Valdosta City Council 10 November 2011

A rezoning, three ordinances, two bids, and four appointments to boards. Here’s the agenda. -jsq
AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, November 10, 2011
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL
Continue reading →

School Consolidation Lost by a Landslide with 14 of 16 precincts reporting

Not this time. Not Now. How about not ever after a 4 to 1 loss? 79.07% No Consolidation with 14 out of 16 precincts. All that is outstanding is provisional ballots and military, which are usually a handful. The percentage of no votes kept going up. Also more people voted on the school consolidation referendum than there were validated signatures on CUEE’s petition.

It looked like a landslide, and it was:

In other news, the mayoral vote almost voted that of four years ago. John W. Gayle will be the new Mayor of Valdosta with 57.3%.

Ben H. Norton retains his Valdosta City Council Seat with 76.56%.

Sunday sales of alcohol in Valdosta won with 52.3%. A similar alcohol referendum won in Lake Park with 65.99%.

It looks like Ben Futch will be the new Mayor of Lake Park with 54.85%.

Sandy Sherrill, Russell H. Lane, Paul Mulkey, and Roanald Carter will apparently be on the Lake Park City Council.

In Dasher, Edwin R. Smith will be City Council P3 and Donald J. Bryan will be P2.

In Hahira, Ralph Clendenin retains his City Council seat.

The school referendum details: Continue reading →

The missing Lowndes County public hearing for Comprehensive Plan Updates

Four local governments followed the rules, one appears to have left citizens out of the process.

According to their letters of transmission to the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Valdosta, Hahira, Remerton, and Lake Park all held public hearings on the Short Term Work Programs and Report of Accomplishment documents.

Here is video of the Valdosta Public Hearing.

The Lowndes County resolution does not say that a public hearing was held. That’s because no public hearing was held, as you can see in the video below.

A public hearing was listed in the agenda of the 11 October 2011 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

7. Public Hearing
a. REZ-2011-13, Fred’s Dept. Store, 4401 Bemiss Rd., 145c-90a, 2.0 ac., water/sewer, C-H(c) & C- G(c) to C-G
b. Greater Lowndes 2030 Comprehensive Plan Updates – Lowndes County Report of Accomplishments (ROA) and Short Term Work Program (STWP)

However, citizens were not invited to speak for or against the document. In fact, the document was not provided to the citizens for comment and an open records request for the document has not been satisfied by the county. Here is video of items 7a and 7b.

The County’s Resolution to Transmit says in part: Continue reading →