Tag Archives: Community

Andrea Schruijer’s Opportunity —John S. Quarterman

Here’s my op-ed in the VDT today. -jsq
Welcome Andrea Shuijer Schruijer to a great opportunity as the new Executive Director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA)!

For a year I’ve been asking for a list of jobs attracted by the Authority. We welcome your marketing expertise so we’ll know the Authority’s successes!

We welcome your communications expertise to inform the community affected by the process of bringing new jobs. VLCIA could publish its agendas, minutes, and videos of its meetings, events, and new jobs on its web pages, and facebook, maybe even twitter.

We welcome your stewardship of the Authority’s $3 million/year in taxes. Maybe some

Continue reading →

Budget meeting and Lowndes County Commission meeting tonight

Remember there’s a second budget hearing today, 28 June 2011 at 5PM. The county didn’t publish the proposed budbget, but LAKE did. Maybe you’d like to come ask some questions, like these by Jessica Bryan Hughes.

Then there’s the regular session of the County Commission; agenda appended. They plan to vote tonight to approve the budget they never published.

-jsq

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2011, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Community gardens in buffalo

Brian Meyer wrote in the Buffalo News 15 June 2011, Community gardeners’ wait is over – after 3 years, Council OKs leases
Gardeners are ready to “get dirty” following Tuesday’s Common Council passage of long-awaited leases to turn 34 vacant city-owned lots into neighborhood oases.

Lawmakers approved the leases unanimously and without debate. Some community gardeners have been eagerly awaiting the action for three years.

Mayor Byron W. Brown’s administration delayed submitting the master leases because of numerous concerns. The logjam ended late last week when city planners sent the proposed agreements to the Council for final action.

“We have our insurance signed up, so we’ll Continue reading →

Juneteenth in Valdosta

There are at least two Juneteenth celebrations scheduled in Valdosta this year:

7PM Tuesday June 14, 2011, Mathis Auditorium

Celebration Dinner
Minister James Robinson, Guest Speaker
Greater Morning Star Baptist Church
$10/ $5 (Children 4-10)
Call 253-8313 or 460-4889 for Tickets.

10AM – 6PM Saturday June 18, 2011, Pinevale Learning Center

VSU NAACP says:
From free food to a Gospelfest, there will be various vendors, organizations, and sponsors from all over in attendance.
Jane Osborn’s Community Calendar says: Continue reading →

Juneteenth in Brooks County: 18 June 2011

Juneteenth started in Galveston, Texas, where the news of the Emancipation Proclamation arrived on the 19th of June, 1865. This year in Brooks County, Georgia, Juneteenth will be celebrated on Saturday the 18th of June from 8AM to 3PM at the Brooks County Courthouse.

According to WCTV:

Brooks County Juneteenth Festival. The mission is to restore, explore and preserve African-Indian history in Brooks County Georgia. The purpose is to honor, cherish and acknowledge the sacrifices our ancestors suffered and endured to allow us the blessings we enjoy today. The theme is “Honoring Our Past to Celebrate Our Future”. Anyone interested in being on committee, participating as vendor, performer or display an exhibit should call.
More details from Fannie Jackson in a facebook note dated 11 June 2011: Continue reading →

Downtown Valdosta Farm Days Grows 4 June 2011

Lots of people and vendors last Saturday, buying local food in downtown Valdosta!

Every other Saturday around the historic Lowndes County Courthouse is Downtown Valdosta Farm Days, 9AM to 1PM, May through September. It’s organized by Valdosta Main Street. Amanda Peacock and shy Mara Register explain what’s going on at the beginning of this playlist showing most of the vendors and the general atmosphere of community festival.


Downtown Valdosta Farm Days Grows 4 June 2011 Part 2 of 2:
, Downtown Valdosta Farm Days,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 4 June 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Still pictures in the flickr set.

-jsq

Mr. Fletcher’s misrepresentation of the ingress and egress —Vince Schneider

Continuing the Foxborough McDonald’s story, Vince Schneider sent the appended to Commissioner Richard Raines Thursday. I have added some related material, including pictures of the 12 July 2010 Commission meeting to which he refers. -jsq
From: “Schneider, Vincent H”
Date: Thu, 26 May 2011 12:15:18
To: Schneider, Vincent H,rraines@lowndescounty.com
Subject: Schneider: County Engineer: Foxborough Subdivision Streets

Commissioner Raines,

Sir,

I hope your day is going well. I’m spending half this afternoon with the dentist getting a permanent crown installed and the other half with my wife’s kidney doctor. Life must truck on regardless of the Foxborough McDonalds issue.

Sir, twice I made statements to you in regards to County Engineer, Mr. Mike Fletcher. I now wish to present my position in writing. My first statement was during our first phone conversation on 18 May 2011. During that conversation I rather colorfully stated

Continue reading →

Community Calendar —Jane F. Osborn

Updates are available to the community calendar produced by Jane F. Osborn who organizes the Valdosta Civic Roundtable. She says:
…the calendar is not produced for civic roundtable, it is just a project of mine for the many counties that lost a source of information when 2-1-1 was discontinued.
LAKE will attempt to remember to update new ones in this web page as Miss Jane sends them. We hope you, dear readers, will remind us if we don’t.

States lock up less people, but Georgia increases —Pew

A Pew Center on the States report from 1 April 2010, Prison Count 2010: State Population Declines for the First Time in 38 Years:
For the first time in nearly 40 years, the number of state prisoners in the United States has declined, according to “Prison Count 2010,” a new survey by the Pew Center on the States. As of January 2010, there were 1,404,053* persons under the jurisdiction of state prison authorities, 4,777* fewer than on December 31, 2008.

This marks the first year-to-year drop in the nation’s state prison population since 1972. While the study showed an overall decline, it revealed great variation among jurisdictions. The prison population declined in 26* states, while increasing in 24* states and in the federal system.

*Numbers updated as of April 1, 2010. (Report originally released March 17, 2010.)

Guess which way Georgia went? As you can see in the map, Georgia increased by 1.6% while Texas, already leading in not wasting tax dollars on new prisons, decreased by 0.7%. Continue reading →

Lenny’s Farmers Market, Americus

Keven Gilbert wrote in The Americus Times-Recorder 14 May 2011, Lenny’s Market expanding cornucopia: Offerings include eggs, pastured meats, organic veggies, fruits
Last weekend Lenny’s Market marked opened for the summer season, showcasing fresh local produce and much more well into the fall. On Saturday some early offerings were available by a few local producers, including William and Lydia Overholt and their daughter Eunice. The Overholts own Willso Farm Bakery and Eggs in Montezuma and have been selling at Lenny’s Market for the past three years.

“We like to be here every week, Saturdays mostly,” William said.

The Overholts arrived around 7:30 a.m. with fresh picked Vidalia type onions, beets, romaine lettuce, cabbage and zucchini, ready to sell.

“They’re picked the day before we come down,” William said.

Lydia said that they will have more things as the summer progresses like green peppers and eggplant.

There’s more in the story about other foods available in the market.

They also have entertainment. One of my high school friends says a Led Zepellin cover band brought in some of us old fogies, and they often have more current music.

-jsq

This post owed to Clayton Freeman.