Category Archives: Valdosta City Council

7.a) Community Development Block Grant —Mara Register @ VCC 7 April 2011

They don’t know yet how much it will be, since the feds haven’t said, but they have a plan for how to allocate a Community Development Block Grant. Council approved it.

If you want to see the Annual Action Plan they approved, you can, in a 30 day public examination and comment period. The total scheduled grant amount is $647,678 fromm HUD.

There’s an advisory committee: maybe you want to be on it.

Here’s the video:


7.a) Community Development Block Grant –Mara Register @ VCC 7 April 2011
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Thanks for clean up after recent storm —Dan Davis @ VCC 7 April 2011

Dan Davis thanks Valdosta City staff for timely clean up after recent storm. This plus there were two scheduled items related to storm and flood damage. Maybe we need better planning to reduce sprawl and the resulting flooding.

Here’s the video:


Thanks for clean up after recent storm —Dan Davis @ VCC 7 April 2011
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

6.c) Browns Canal streambank restoration @ VCC 7 April 2011

As near as I’ve been able to tell, this project deals with erosion caused by flooding. This thing has been bid and rebid. Sounds like they’ve finally accepted a bid involving at grant to pay for much of it.

Here’s the video:


6.c) Browns Canal streambank restoration @ VCC 7 April 2011
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Barry Hyatt @ VCC 7 April 2011

He was a metallurgical engineer (he spelled that for them) in Pittsburgh. People there were glad of the jobs, but the air is bad now. He said that air quality is important, and biomass is a detriment to the community. He reminds the council that they were elected to become involved.

Here’s the video:


Barry Hyatt @ VCC 7 April 2011
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

6.b) Madison Highway Utility Extension Project @ VCC 7 April 2011

This kind of municipal government action enables subdivision building. From the agenda:
6. Bids, Contracts, Agreements and Expenditures

… Consideration of bids for the completion of the Madison Highway Utility Extension Project.

They approved staff’s recommendation for the low bid.

Here’s the video:


6.b) Madison Highway Utility Extension Project @ VCC 7 April 2011
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Energy efficiency in Valdosta: survey

The city of Valdosta wants your input on energy efficiency.

According to a press release from Sementha Mathews on 14 April 2011:

Valdosta Develops Strategy for Continued Energy Conservation

The final activity that is underway is the completion of an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy (EECS) to help Valdosta effectively manage its use of energy resources. As part of this effort, the community’s help is being requested to develop the best strategy possible for the city. The EECS will take the form of a report to the city, helping us decide what we want to achieve and then providing a strategy for getting us there. In particular, the EECS provides guidance for future decisions to make sure our choices reflect a smart and sustainable energy policy. This includes potential projects and activities that the city can undertake to improve our use of energy resources.

YOU CAN HELP!

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Frank Barnas @ VCC 7 April 2011

George Boston Rhynes said:
Every time Frank Barnas asks one of you representatives while you all are on that radio broadcast, he gets answers. So many people who come before the city council who have answers don’t get answers.
While George Rhynes was talking Frank Barnas seemed quite amused by all that.

Here’s the video:


Frank Barnas @ VCC 7 April 2011
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

You know, when Roy Taylor and George Rhynes, about as far apart on the political spectrum as two people can get, think there’s something wrong with your council, maybe it’s worth thinking about.

-jsq

PS: George Rhynes was not one of the people Scott Orenstein was saying don’t stay for the whole meeting; George was the videographer Scott referred to. George stayed even after the meeting was over, and talked to Council Deidra White on the way out of the building.

6.a) Four F-650 Trucks for Public Works, some from SPLOST @ VCC 7 April 2011

Do you ever wonder what your regular SPLOST 1% sales tax goes for? Some of it goes to buy vehicles for Valdosta Public Works.

Here’s the video:


6.a) Four F-650 Trucks for Public Works, some from SPLOST @ VCC 7 April 2011
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

When politicians vote for the interests of rich Atlanta investors —Leigh Touchton

Leigh Touchton posted this yesterday as a comment on Dr. Mark George’s remarks to Valdosta City Council and Sonny Vickers’ response. -jsq
It’s really unfortunate when City Councilmen like Vickers and Wright don’t care that:
  1. The black infant mortality rate in Valdosta is twice as high for black babies as for white babies
  2. The asthma rate nationally for African-Americans is 3 times higher than for white Americans
  3. The death to asthma rate nationally for African-Americans is 5 times higher than for white Americans.
  4. 75% of the biomass incinerators in Georgia have been proposed for black communities, and the rest for poor white communities.
When politicians vote for the interests of rich Atlanta investors
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George Boston Rhynes says Brooks County does it better @ VCC 7 April 2011

George Boston Rhynes said he had recently been to a Brooks County Commission meeting and there was a lot of actual dialog. He said here in Lowndes County is the only place he’s seen the kind of refusal to answer questions he’d just observed earlier in this same Valdosta City Council meeting.

Here’s Part 1 of 2:


George Boston Rhynes says Brooks County does it better @ VCC 7 April 2011 Part 1 of 2:
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Here’s Part 2 of 2: Continue reading