Tag Archives: Carter Way

Videos: Dollar General rezoning tabled, Troupville Nature Park land purchased @ LCC 2022-12-13

Update 2023-01-10: Public Notice: Rezoning REZ-2022-20, GA 122 @ Skipper Bridge Road for a Dollar General 2023-01-08.

Update 2022-12-22: Videos: Lowndes County buys land from Helen Tapp for Troupville Nature Park and River Camp 2022-12-13.

The Lowndes County Commission tabled the rezoning for a Dollar General on GA 122 at Skipper Bridge Road until January 24, 2023, because they were a day short on required notice.

A dozen or more people in opposition were visible.

Turns out the county did send the correspondence about that before I asked for it in this meeting, and within the statutory three days for answering a Georgia open records request. All the letters returned were in opposition.

[Collage @ LCC 13 December 2022]
Collage @ LCC 13 December 2022

They made the historic purchase for Troupville Nature Camp and River Park, of Land Between the Rivers at the Little River Confluence with the Withlacoochee River. And Chairman Bill Slaughter called seller Helen Tapp up to say a few words.

Apparently they are also modest, since some of them did not seem to like compliments about that purchase.

They reappointed Franklin Bailey to the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC).

Everything else passed unanimously.

In Citizens Wishing to be Heard, Kelly Saxon asked for assistance for the homeless, John S. Quarterman complimented the Commission on purchasing the Troupville land, and Blake Robinson said there may not be many young people who come to these meetings, but they do appreciate the local government work the Commissioners are doing.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the Continue reading →

Videos: Dollar General rezoning legally must be tabled, Troupville land purchase is for a park @ LCC 2022-12-12

Update 2022-12-18: Correspondence: Proposed Rezoning on GA 122 at Skipper Bridge Road 2022-12-12.

County Manager Paige Dukes said they are legally required to table the rezoning for a Dollar General, because they were a day late on getting notices out, although she twice blamed that on the Valdosta Daily Times.

[Collage @ LCC 12 December 2022]
Collage @ LCC 12 December 2022

County Chairman Bill Slaughter said the applicant had requested tabling, and he recommended the second meeting in January (January 24, 2023). Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know why. The Chairman said, “It works out for two of the parties involved, the county and the developer.” (Nevermind the people.) Commissioner Scottie Orenstein said “I’m not in favor of tabling something only to give the developer more time… If he has true intentions on meeting with the community and having a meeting with them, a town hall, something a little more official, then I’m OK with that. But not to just give them more time.” The Chairman disagreed, “Well, I don’t think time is going to resolve anything in this particular situation.” Plus regarding the applicant, “We’re here to give them the courtesy if they make a request through that application process.”

Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker wanted clarified that the main issue was the date issue. Alleged County Attorney G. Walter Elliott reminded them they have to vote to table (the Chairman cannot just unilaterally table).

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know if the Planning Commission knew about the timing issue. Continue reading →

Packet: Dollar General may be tabled @ LCC 2022-12-12

Update 2022-12-12: Videos: Dollar General rezoning legally must be tabled, Troupville land purchase is for a park @ LCC 2022-12-12.

Update 2022-12-12: Lowndes County to purchase land for Troupville Nature Park and River Camp @ LCC 2022-12-13.

Update 2022-12-10: Fixed my number dyslexia in the dates.

Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter tells me the applicant for the Dollar General at GA 122 & Skipper Bridge Road (REZ-2022-20 Teramore Development) has requested tabling until a later meeting. Bill says he intends to table it until the second January 2023 meeting. So that’s January 25 24, 2023. He asked me to tell people that.

If I were you, I would show up this Tuesday, December 12 13th, anyway, so they see you are watching. Also, the agenda has not yet changed, and the item has not yet been tabled.

[Second meeting in January 2023]
Second meeting in January 2023

In any case, keep them letters, telephone calls, and petition signatures going in. Ask them to hold the public hearing and then just vote to deny it instead of tabling it.

For anyone tuning in late, here’s why: https://wwals.net/?p=60348

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website. The county did not send letters from citizens to Commissioners or staff about the Dollar General rezoning, even though those were specifically part of the request.

See also the agenda.

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Investigative reporting costs money, for open records requests, copying, web hosting, gasoline, and cameras, and with sufficient funds we can pay students to do further research. You can donate to LAKE today!

Agenda: Sprawl on Skipper Bridge Road and Purchase of Land Between the Rivers @ LCC 2022-12-12

Update 2022-12-09: Packet: Dollar General may be tabled @ LCC 2022-12-12.

Most of the budget dollar items on the Lowndes County Commission agenda are recurring, but the Purchase of Between the Rivers, L.L.C. Property for incorporation into the proposed Troupville Nature Park is one-time.

The most contentious item, REZ-2022-20 Teramore Development, LLC, ~3 acres at Hwy 122 & Skipper Bridge (Part of 0067 051), E-A to C-C, Well and Septic, for a Dollar General store in an agricultural and forestry Character Area, has no dollar value attached in the agenda, even though the potential costs to the county are large.

[Dollar General sprawl and Land Between the Rivers park]
Dollar General sprawl and Land Between the Rivers park

Cost What
$356,405.55Storage Area Network Replacement
$181,424.00 2023 ACCG Workers’ Compensation Insurance Renewal
$121,500.00Purchase of Between the Rivers, L.L.C. Property
$36,266.00Approval of Solicitor General’s VAWA Continuation Grant Application for 2023
$22,894.96MyGov Intergovernmental Agreement
$718,490.51Total

Here is the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2022, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2022, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: Attorneys v Carter Way tar baby, Appointment, big subdivision, Hwy 84 lift station @ LCC 2016-05-10

Multiple attorneys (ka-ching!) were needed to negotiate access for the county to fix private Carter Way, which the Lowndes County Commission approved unanimously at its 10 May 2016 Regular Session. This is the same Commission that signed an easement with Sabal Trail because they didn’t want to spend attorney fees to defend a lawsuit. The same Sabal Trail that wants to put its three-foot pipe only three feet deep just downhill from where Carter Way washed out.

County Planner Jason Davenport showed an updated site plan for 6.a. REZ-2016-10 Freedom Heights, 4301 Bemiss Rd, C-H to P-D, but as usual it’s not posted on the county’s website, and you had no way of seeing it before the meeting unless you filed an open records request three days before.

Commissioner Clay Griner remembered flooding, fence, and forgot the third thing a constituent asked him for about 6.b. REZ-2016-11 Creekside West Subdivision, 7551 GA Hwy 122 W. Developer Young Tillman said the changes were because Continue reading →

Videos: Carter Way tar baby, Appointment, big subdivision, Hwy 84 lift station @ LCC 2016-05-09

The County Manager asked for Carter Way to be on the agenda for tonight’s 5:30 PM Regular Session. At yesterday morning’s Work Session the County Attorney reminded us that in a previous episode (March 25th Work Session) we learned that the Loretta B. Moore irrevocable living trust owns half of the access to the damaged part of the road. Since then he’s learned that the trustee is the Loretta Anne Ruth, who lives in Panama City, Florida. He has contacted her, and has a copy of the trust formation document. He says Ms. Ruth has signed an agreement with the county, and he expected Charles Cowart of Cowart and Sons to sign an agreement that same morning.

Below are LAKE videos of yesterday morning’s Work Session, followed by a video playlist. See also the agenda and the LAKE videos of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission meeting at which the two rezoning cases were discussed. The County Commission votes tonight at 5:30PM. Continue reading →

Carter Way Correction by Bill Slaughter @ LCC 2016-04-12

Thanks to Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter, here’s a correction to Fixing private road Carter Way next to proposed Sabal Trail fracked methane path @ LCC 2016-04-12.

From: Bill Slaughter
Subject: Carter Way
Date: Mon, 18 Apr 2016 21:04:14 +0000

John,

I got a call today regarding comments that have been made about Agenda Item 7.h on your blog page, for clarification COWART & Sons was not awarded a contract for this emergency repair the contractor was Rountree Construction!

We requested a temporary easement from property owner Cowart & Sons to allow Rountree Construction to perform the work on a private road Continue reading →

Fixing private road Carter Way next to proposed Sabal Trail fracked methane path @ LCC 2016-04-12

Cowart & Son, Carter Way If heavy rains washed out culverts on Carter Way, why would we not expect them to wash up the proposed Sabal Trail pipeline, aimed barely 500 feet to the west, downstream on Tiger Creek? And why didn’t the county mention that the company to which they just awarded an emergency no-bid contract to fix a private road owns extensive properties on that same private road? Actually, no: see correction.

The Lowndes County Tax Assessors online database shows Cowart & Son own Parcel 0017 024 of 13.09 acres on Carter Way. Yet the item 7.h. Carter Way agenda sheet for yesterday’s 12 April 2016 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission. mentions “Over 10 residences and a telecommunications tower” on Carter Way, but never mentions that the contractor, Cowart & Sons, just awarded that emergency no-bid contract for $67,822 to fix culverts on Carter Way, is also located on Carter Way. Actually, Rountree Construction got the contract; see correction. It’s still an emergency no-bid contract for a private road.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM Continue reading →