Category Archives: Water

Resolution for dedicated state fees and bids for equipment @ VCC 2018-01-25

Valdosta has a very light agenda Thursday, with a couple of bids and the same resolution in support of Georgia HR 158 to stop diversion of state fees that has already been passed by Lanier County 2018-01-08, by the City of Adel 2018-01-16, by Atkinson County 2018-01-18, and is on the agenda for Lowndes County 5:30 PM tonight 2018-01-23 and on the agenda for Hahira 6PM next Thursday 2018-02-01.

Valdosta City Council
Photo: Valdosta City Council by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange, 2018-01-11.

If you can attend one of these meetings and thank these elected officials for doing the right thing, I’m sure they would appreciate it.

Valdosta City Council Tim Carroll talked about this resolution Continue reading →

Videos: New Valdosta City Council members, resolution to stop state fee diversions @ VCC 2018-01-11

Sworn in: re-elected Sandra Tooley (District 2) and new members Eric Howard (District 4) and Andy Gibbs (District 6), plus Sandra Tooley again as new Mayor Pro Tem. The vote on Mayor Pro Tem split evenly with the Mayor voting, between Sandra Tooley and Tim Carroll, so they ended up having Judge Tunison draw one of the two names out of a box.

Employee of the month was Continue reading →

New Valdosta City Council members @ VCC 2018-01-11

New members top the agenda for tonight: Eric Howard (District 4) and Andy Gibbs (District 6).

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, January 11, 2018
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

Eric Howard

  1. Opening Ceremonies Continue reading →

Videos: Office rezoning, Georgia Power, Alcohol, and road abandomnent @ LCC 2017-11-14

They added and agenda item for 7.p. Solicitor-General’s VOCA Grant Renewal; yes, really, the agenda was so long that’s sub-item letter P and the meeting was 51 and a half minutes long.

Longest at seven minutes was 6a. REZ-2017-11 Arrow Engineering, in which the County Commissioners ignored the Planning Commission’s recommendation to deny, and the County Planner’s observation the previous morning that the applicants would accept one acre. Instead they approved 2.5 acres with no conditions as Office Institutional (OI) in an area with no other instances of that.

At six minutes, 7.n. Georgia Power- VisionFirst was about putting $25,000 to hire an unnamed consultant for a joint project for unspecified results.

Update 2017-11-22: According to Chairman Bill Slaughter, the consultant is VisionFirst Advisors out of Tallahassee.

Did they mean the sinkhole-infested Mission Creek instead of 7.k. Grant of Easement for Utility Right of Way Moody-Mission Point?

Five minutes included questions from the Chairman and resulted in a split vote and a stern warning on 7.i. Beer, Wine & Liquor License – Liquor Barn, 3990 N. Valdosta Rd.

One of the two road abandonments, 7.a. Abandonment of Lane Road and a Portion of Sheavette Road, got a very rare split vote, with Commissioner Clay Griner voting alone against.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: Board of Health and an office in the woods @ LCC 2017-11-13

Quite a long Work Session yesterday morning, more than half an hour. Surprisingly, the longest was Liquor Barn’s Wine & Liquor License; apparently their state and county licenses don’t match. They vote tonight at 5:30 PM, in their Regular Session.

Below are links to each LAKE video, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda in the previous post, especially about 6a.REZ-2017-11 Arrow Engineering, R-A and E-A to O-I, ~2.5 acres, which is now apparently really for 1 acre. Continue reading →

Board of Health and an office in the woods @ LCC 2017-11-13

Stafford Wright Road is getting its 12″ water main, connecting all the way from Spring Creek subdivision off of Studstill Road to Val Del Road. That’s Nelson Hill on the center left and Foxborough lower left: subdivisions like that are what to expect on Stafford Wright Road soon.

Spring Creek Blvd. E. to Val Del Rd., VALORGIS
Map: VALORGIS. Green is Lowndes County sewer line; blue is water mains.

This appears to be another no-bid contract, this time for Continue reading →

Videos: KLVB appointment, Stafford Wright Road R.I.P., GEFA, pumps, and dollars @ LCC 2017-10-23

They vote today at 5:30 PM. At yeasterday morning’s Work Session, Commissioner Scottie Orenstein, the current Vice Chair, presided in the absence of the Chair. Chairman Bill Slaughter was in Atlanta on his way to D.C. The Vice Chair said what they were not going to cover until the Regular Session, which was unusual: 8.f. GEFA Loan Agreement. Also at the end he mentioned Citizens Wishing to be Heard is in the Tuesday evening meeting.

Below are links to each LAKE video, with a very few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda and the notes I put in that previous post. Continue reading →

KLVB appointment, Stafford Wright Road R.I.P., GEFA, pumps, and dollars @ LCC 2017-10-23

To replace Molly Stoltz on KLVB (she moved), they will appoint either Adam Floyd or Kyle Rudrow, discussing Monday morning and voting Tuesday evening.

Between Valdosta at Cherry Creek Road and the Skipper Bridge Road McDonalds, Google Map

Years ago I tried to explain to people on Stafford Wright Road that if the county ever paved that road, it wouldn’t be for the current residents. Now it’s getting a water main with paving. The county only ever runs water to places it plans to have subdivisions. Enjoy your quiet country road while you can, old-time residents. You’re about to be displaced for an expansion of “Central Lowndes County” west of Skipper Bridge Road and north of Cherry Creek.

Lowndes County has been approved for a GEFA Loan Agreement submitted in December 2016, for upgrades at the Land Application Site (LAS) and lift stations. It’s not clear whether that includes the purchase of Continue reading →

Videos: Naylor Boat Ramp and Appointments to Public Facilities Authority @ LCC 2017-10-10

By far the most time, almost eight minutes, on 6b. Abandonment of Portions of Old Lake Park Road and Hickory Grove Road SE, the Lowndes County Commissioners spent two weeks ago, involving reference to minutes they approved in that meeting but that still aren’t on the county’s website two weeks later, and resulting in a split vote.

More interesting: the county is finally starting construction on the Naylor Boat Ramp.

By their customary silent “acclamation” they appointed people to the Lowndes County Public Facilities Authority.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: Curfew resolution second reading @ VCC 2016-10-05

Last Thursday the Valdosta City Council asked “every police officer, civilian and sworn” to come up front for 2a. Special Presentation of the CALEA Law Enforcement Accreditation Award, which took more than 15 minutes. That item alone was longer than yesterday’s entire Lowndes County Commission meeting.

Like the County Commission, the City Council apparently thinks silence is acclamation, at least for their minutes. They did at least actually vote on going into executive session to discuss real estate.

They did not vote on the Loitering Ordinance amendments because there will be a third reading. There will also be a third VPD Community Forum to discuss Proposed Curfew Ordinance, 8PM, Thursday, October 12, 2017, at Morningside Baptist Church. They have gotten some feedback already. They got more from a citizen who wished to be heard. Sorry I didn’t get her name: the city’s sound is very muddy. She seemed to recommend after-school programs and jobs intead of a curfew. She said we need to support the parents. Roy Taylor Sr. said something similar. John Robinson recommended building the community with jobs and activities. Elsie Napier talked about community grants.

Unlike the county, the city uses Continue reading →