Tag Archives: County Manager

Videos: farewell Jason Davenport, approval limits, CALEA, personal care home @ LCC 2018-09-11

The county held a ceremony for departing Lowndes County Planner Jason Davenport. I asked the person sitting in his former seat, Engineering/Planning Technician Molly Stevenson, if she was confirmed yet. She would only say it was confirmed that she was sitting there right then.

They also had a 911 CALEA Re-Accreditation Presentation and the Chairman recognized Leadership Lowndes.

Citizens Bob Harlan and Fred E. Blanton Jr complained about road conditions. I thanked Utilities Director Steve Stalvey for sending information about recent Lowndes County sewage spills (two in July), and I thanked him advance for sending the NPDES-permit-required followup testing (not yet received).

On the REZ-2018-16 Stovall rezoning, the applicant revealed the reason for the previous restriction when Continue reading →

Videos: Naylor Boat Ramp, approval limits, CALEA, personal care home @ LCC 2018-09-10

News about the Naylor Boat Ramp in an Engineering Projects Report! Chad McLeod also reported about the 911 center, the North Lowndes Soccer Complex, the fire warehouse classroom, the animal shelter, and the courthouse renovation project, all still to be completed from SPLOST VII funds, which run out next year. Even with that three-and-a-half-minute special engineering report, the whole meeting took ten minutes Monday morning.

Also not on the agenda, HR has a new employee. Also there will be a new traffic signal.

Should the County Manager and the Finance Director be able to approve Continue reading →

CALEA, personal care home, and county manager approval limit @ LCC 2018-09-10

Should the County Manager and the Finance Director be able to approve 2.5 times as much in dollar value on budgeted items as they currently can?

Also a rezoning to reconfigure for two parcels and another to permit personal care homes, plus a 911 CALEA Re-Accreditation Presentation are on the agenda for 8:30 AM this morning at the Work Session and tomorrow evening’s voting Regular Session.

2015-03-09 rezoning for Stovall property

The rezoning REZ-2018-16 Stovall, 6002 N. Oak St. Ext. to permit personal care homes is “as a result of a potential buyer’s interest in developing the property into an assisted living facility”. This same Tuesday, the same property is on ZBOA’s agenda for a variance on the buffer condition.

The 2015-03-10 agenda for the earlier rezoning from R-21 to C-G, Well & Other did not say anything specifically about private care facilities, nor did the Continue reading →

Putnam County Manager wants solar to replace coal @ GA PSC 2013-06-18

Putnam County sent a delegation to the Georgia Public Service Commission meeting Tuesday 18 June 2013. You’ve already seen Rep. Rusty Kidd; next up was the Putnam County manager.

County Manager Paul Van Haute said $175,000 in SPLOST money from Putnam County

Paul Van Haute, Putnam County Manager Unfortunately we had budgeted $275,000, so we’re about $100,000 a year short based on our estimates. That is directly attributable to the loss of coal sales from Plant Branch. Also on top of that we’re losing about $950,000 to $980,000 of property tax. That is about one seventh of our property tax receipts. This is a very big impact to the community.

About then he was interrupted by Chairman Chuck Eaton, who asked: Continue reading →

Farewell Chairman Ashley Paulk @ LCC 2012-12-14

At the county’s farewell reception for retiring Chairman Ashley Paulk Friday, Attorney General Sam Olens gave him something to hang on the wall, Paulk said a few words, County Manager Joe Pritchard read a letter from incoming Chairman Bill Slaughter, and Pritchard said a few words and gave Paulk a rocking chair, in which he declined to sit.

At some later date maybe I’ll post a retrospective about my neighbor Ashley Paulk, but for now I think the many posts in this blog will serve, and meanwhile I look forward to seeing what the new Commission will do with new Commissioners Demarcus Marshall (District 4), John Page (District 5), and new Chairman Bill Slaughter.

Here’s a video playlist:

Farewell Chairman Ashley Paulk, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 14 December 2012.

-jsq

I think that addresses the issues —Joe Pritchard

In David Rodock’s VDT story on the animal shelter tour Joe Pritchard made the case for cameras:
“It’s no longer a case of an individual making a claim, as it will be evident by the physical evidence provided by the security cameras,” said Pritchard. “The standard operating procedures such as frequency of inspection of the animals and how often an animal will be reviewed or examined, along with the veterinarian care, have been revised to the general procedures set by guidelines of the Department of Agriculture and the animal control ordinance we adopted several years ago.”

“You take that policy, coupled with the updated standard operating procedures, added to the technical verification and I think that addresses the issues,” said Pritchard. “My purpose is to eliminate any problem or potential problem.”

Sounds to me like he’s saying the issues are resolved. Remember, “resolved” is the word Chairman Paulk used a few hours before.

If anyone is interested in watching the watchers, the animal control ordinance is online.

-jsq

VDT incorporates video into animal shelter tour report

Guess they thought a good time to start in-line YouTube video was when they could show kitties and puppies. Hey, if that gets the VDT doing video, I’m for it!

David Rodock wrote 26 May 2011, Tour of the Lowndes County Animal Shelter

As promised at Tuesday’s Lowndes County Board of Commissioners meeting, the Lowndes County Animal Shelter (LCAS) allowed the public the opportunity Wednesday afternoon to get a behind-the-scenes look at the facility that has recently come under fire.

Employees, both past and present, have accused several shelter employees of inhumane treatment of animals, the mishandling of tranquilizers and illegal operating procedures.

At least two of the speakers at the commission earlier in the day took the tour: Jessica Bryan Hughes and Judy Havercamp.

One of the visitors summed it up: Continue reading →

County Animal Shelter Issues —Joe Pritchard @ LCC Work Session 23 May 2011

In his County Manager’s report at the work session this morning, Joe Pritchard reported on:
Issues that I think you’ve heard about… animal shelter.
Presumably the issues reported by David Rodock in the 15 May 2011 Valdosta Daily Times Animal shelter probed Use of drugs investigated; employees speak out and by Gabrielle Sarann for WCTV on 19 May 2011 Lowndes County Animal Shelter Probed: The Georgia Department of Agriculture is keeping an eye on an area animal shelter and has cited it for several violations
“I’ve seen a lot of the animals come in the shelter and not got vet care and sometimes that comes in the form of euthanasia,” says Susan Leavens, an animal control officer for Lowndes County.

This led several Lowndes County Animal Shelter employees to file a complaint with the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

It launched an investigation citing the facility for not providing humane care.

Joe Pritchard continued in his report:

August of 2010 the Department of Agriculture called me and asked for a meeting about issues of concern. They expressed those issues centered around maintenance of records … what was classified as humane treatment.
Mr. Pritchard referred to “specific castration of a pot-bellied pig”. He didn’t say whether he considered that inhumane treatment; he merely discussed it after referring to things “classified as humane treatment”.

He continued: Continue reading →

Other owls around town —Paige Dukes

Gretchen Quarterman continued interviewing County Clerk Paige Dukes about the owl on the historic Lowndes County Courthouse.

Q: “Are there other owls around town?”

A: “There may be!”

Paige suggests owl spotters. She says the owls cost about $20 each, and this one works for the county without any further expenditure.

Here’s the video: Continue reading →

Origin of owl on Historic Lowndes County Court House —Paige Dukes

That owl on the top of the Lowndes County Courthouse: where did it come from? As the owl watched, Gretchen Quarterman asked County Clerk Paige Dukes.

Q: “So Paige, why is the owl up there?”

A: “The owl is up there to deter any of the pigeons in the area from flying into the courthouse.”

The owl has been on the courthouse since 2007. More details in the video: Continue reading →