Tag Archives: 2018

Lighting, mosquito, prison, radios, cameras, phones, 3 pumps, valves @ LCC 2018-08-13

It’s equipment day at the Lowndes County Commission. On the agenda for 8:30 this morning, firefighting Bullard thermal imaging cameras. Motorola public safety radios, Motorola mobile data terminals, and AT&T Intrado Phone System for E911 services, possibly the most expensive item at $244,324.00.

Lowndes County Emergency Operations Center

Prison work details (to do jobs locals could do), mosquito testing (fortunately, Lowndes does not spray for mosquitos). Lift station pumps at Bevel Creek (again, and it feeds the Land Application Site or LAS), and Hart Road/Skipper Bridge, a pump for Gorman Rupp Bypass, and Coleman Road Lift Station Check Valves. And of course an Addition to Basic Decorative Lighting District: Creekside West, Phase 3B, GA Hwy 122, west of Hahira on Franks Creek.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2018, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2018, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: EOC, KLVB, Grinder Pump, Bank, Computers, Health Ordinance, and Alcohol @ LCC 2018-07-24

Longest at 2.5 minutes: appointment to Parks and Rec. Commissioner Scottie Orenstein was not present at this Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

Not on the agenda and not on the county’s website, Chairman’s Announcement of Emergency Operations Center Open House.

The applicant spoke for 6.a. Beer, Wine & Liquor License – Jack’s Chophouse, 4479 N. Valdosta Rd. We have a winner for the RFP for Banking Services.

Maybe they all finally got to read the 7 d. Ordinance Adopting Current Board of Health Rules, since this time Continue reading →

Videos: City to County KLVB, Grinder Pump, Bank, Computers, Health Ordinance, and Alcohol @ LCC 2018-07-23

Eight minutes to do your business: yesterday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall took the day off from his work at the City of Valdosta to be there. Not clear the rest of them took it that seriously. He and at least one other Commissioner did get some questions in. And they did all show up, at least. We’ll see if they’re all there for voting this evening at 5:30 PM.

Some interesting questions on the Continue reading →

City to County KLVB, Grinder Pump, Bank, Computers, Health Ordinance, and Alcohol @ LCC 2018-07-24 2018-07-23

In an interesting version of a revolving door, county appointee Michael H. McDowell’s KLVB term is expiring, so is Valdosta appointee Bubba Highsmith’s, and the county proposes appointing Highsmith. Highsmith is a State Farm Insurance Agent.

Also on the Lowndes County Commission agenda for 8:30AM Monday morning are: banking services (looks like Ameris Bank costs way less than BB&T, and SunTrust even less, but Ameris has the best interest rate), a computer bulk purchase for $54,795.98, yet another pump purchase, allegedly for $0 dollars because this is actually for specifications rather than actual purchase.


Typical Application: Residential Pump System, Triple “D” Pump Company

Finally, the tabled-from-last-meeting Ordinance about Board of Health Rules: will the Commissioners have had time to read the one copy the County Manager allows them?

Plus an alcohol license, Continue reading →

Videos: 2 KLVB appointments, lift station pump, 2 rezonings @ LCC 2018-07-10

Scottie Orenstein and Mark Wisenbaker were absent, so they barely had a quorum with three Commissioners: Joyce Evans, Mark Wisenbaker, and Clay Griner, plus Chairman Bill Slaughter, who does not vote unless there is a tie. Spoiler: they passed everything unanimously, except one item.

They took almost 2.5 minutes (less than the five minutes I predicted) on the KLVB appointments. Remember, Tracy Chapman asked for her name to be withdrawn. See previous post about the Work Session for that and what applicant Regina Kimbrough said. And see the agenda post for more about the applicants.

Slightly longer and longest at 2:49 was 6.b. REZ-2018-14 Coventry Villas, Mulligan Rd, followed by 1:32 for 7.d. Ordinance Adopting Current Board of Health Rules, which did not go as planned, and then 1:49 for the other rezoning, 6.a. REZ-2018-13 Sims, Beaver Lane.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: 2 KLVB appointments, lift station pump, 2 rezonings @ LCC 2018-07-09

They vote this evening on what you can see they discussed yesterday morning, in these LAKE videos of the Lowndes County Commission Work Session. They barely had a quorum. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall is never at Work Sessions because he’s at work, and Commissioner Scottie Orenstein was on some beach.

Tracy Chapman asked for her name to be withdrawn from the KLVB appointment. Regina Kimbrough spoke. See previous post for more about the applicants.

Longest at more than 3 minutes was 6.b. REZ-2018-14 Coventry Villas, Mulligan Rd, a rezoning for a planned development, in which Commissioner Clay Griner actually asked a question.

Third longest (after the KLVB item) was the 7.d. Ordinance Adopting Current Board of Health Rules, because of Continue reading →

Videos: Grants, Budget, Tax, Bonds, Parks, Land, Water, Waste, 911 @ LCC 2018-06-26

The most interesting items were not on the agenda of the Regular Session two weeks ago of the Lowndes County Commission Work Session. The County Engineer had One more thing: Loch Laurel Bridge Work and Closure 7/16 – 7/23, Commissioner Demarcus Marshall reminded everyone the Georgia hands-free driving law was going into effect, and the Chairman announced swearing in of the newly un-privatized Probation Officers the following morning.

The longest scheduled item at almost 3 minutes was New Consoles For 911 Dispatchers, followed by Contract With Parks And Recreation Authority, because both had questions from Commissioners.

The two grant items added the previous morning, for Accountability Court and DUI Court, sailed through, as did the Francis Lake Lift Station Repair and the LAS Storage Pond Improvements.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: Budget, Tax, Bonds, Parks, Land, Water, Waste, 911 @ LCC 2018-06-25

Videos of the Lowndes County Commission Work Session two weeks ago. See agenda post for background. The budget got no comments from Commmissioners.

County Manager Joe Pritchard asked for addition of two grant agenda items, for Accountability Court and DUI Court. Proponents of each spoke, and both items were added to the agenda for the next day’s Regular Session.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes, especially about the Hotel/Motel Tax and the still-mysterious Wisconsin Public Finance Authority Bond Issue, a rare verbal appearance by Joyce Evans on Continue reading →

2 KLVB appointments, lift station pump, 2 rezonings @ LCC 2018-07-09

This morning at 8:30 AM at the Work Session and tomorrow at 5:30PM for voting by the Lowndes County Commission, Vivian Miller-Cody wants to be reappointed to Keep Lowndes/Valdosta Beautiful, while Adam Floyd does not. Three people applied for that second slot: Tracy Chapman, Regina Kimbrough, and Travis Morgan). “Three applications… are included”, apparently in the board packet, but not in what is posted with the agenda, so we don’t know who these people are. I would guess Tracy Chapman is the Assistant District Attorney; that Regina Kimbrough is the second grade teacher at Sallas Mahone Elementary School,

Regina Kimbrough
City of Valdosta PR, 2017 Jr. Fire Marshal School of the Year, “Trey Sherwood of Valdosta Insurance Service, sponsor of the Jr. Fire Marshal program, presented the 2017 Jr. Fire Marshal School of the Year awards to Regina Kimbrough (left) of Sallas Mahone Elementary School and to Danielle Gibbs of Pinevale Elementary School.”

and that Travis Morgan is a manager at Best Buy, but I’m only guessing, while the county could just post the applications, like counties in metropolitan areas eleswhere do.

Jason A. Smith, Valdosta Daily Times, 10 April 2018, Volunteers work recycling event, Continue reading →

Budget, Tax, Bonds, Parks, Land, Water, Waste, 911 @ LCC 2018-06-25

A busy morning’s agenda starts with approving a new annual budget and related hotel and motel taxes. Plus a Contract with Valdosta Continuing Land Bank Authority.

Parks and Rec is negotiating a $3 million loan from Ameris Bank for improvements to Freedom Park and wants the county to guarantee its 1.25 mil tax base.

Utilities wants about $20,000 for impellers and wear rings for the pumps in the Francis Lake Lift Station and about $275,000 to improve the Land Application Site (LAS), where they spray sewer waste onto a field which they then rent out for hay production (the county does not have a wastewater treatment plant). See also WWALS blog post.

The mysterious out-of-state apartment bonds actually get an explanation this time:

The Board of Commissioners is requested to adopt the attached revised Resolution approving the issuance of bonds by a Wisconsin Public Finance Authority. A portion of the proceeds of the bonds will be used for a project located on Old Statenville Road. The project is a 204-unit multi-family affordable housing development known as Brittany Woods & Park Chase Apartments.

1110 and 1150 Old Statenville Road, Map
1150 Old Statenville Road, Parcel 0159D 014,

The reason for this revised Resolution is Continue reading →