Tag Archives: Deep South Sanitation

Videos: Regular Session GEFA, road abandonment, bids, and water @ LCC 2015-05-26

Attorney had to remind Commissioners that a road abandonment such as for Buck Cato Road requires a public hearing. They declared the solid waste equipment surplus to be leased to “prospective franchisees” such as DSS; County Manager said “we have the lease agreement here”, but did not put it on the county’s website for the public to see. County agent arrived just in time to hear the Langdale bid accepted for a truck for the Extension Service. They accepted the Lee Office Supply bid for Emergency Operations Center tables and chairs. And of course they approved the Interconnection of North Lowndes and Kinderlou Water Systems and the GEFA Loan Modification for the Alapaha Water Treatment Plant. They started a minute late. At the end, after the County Manager had no report and no citizens wished to be heard, as usual they adjourned without a vote.

This was all at the afternoon Lowndes County Regular Session. For background and more details, see Continue reading →

Videos: GEFA, road abandonment, bids, and water @ LCC 2015-05-26

The County Manager said it’s “in the hands of the clerk, if you’d like to look at it” for at least two documents, so not only did the agenda on the web lack even the one-sheet agenda item writeups, Commissioners weren’t provided copies of contracts they were being asked to approve. They vote this same evening, and the Planning Commission also meets 5:30 PM Tuesday.

The GEFA Loan Modification turns out to be about Continue reading →

Videos: Justice, Trash, Telephones, Investment, DUI, Liquor @ LCC 2015-04-27

They vote tonight at 5:30 PM on what you can see them discussing yesterday morning in these videos.

They got a Deep South Sanitation, LLC Application for Franchise for trash collection, including use of the county’s collection facility at 345 Gil Harbin Industrial Blvd. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall asked what about recycling; Chairman Bill Slaughter said there would be recycling at the collection centers. Which means yes ADS’ price went up and service reduced since no curbside recycling collection anymore.

County Manager Joe Pritchard asked County Engineer Mike Fletcher to report and to be added to the Regular Session emergency Nankin Road Repair due to a water-eroded box culvert. And it’s a single-source no-bid, this time for Rountree Construction.

Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker had a few remarks about the letter to support plans to “renovate Arbor Trace II Apartments in Lake Park” by Investment Management Company of Valdosta, Inc.

The body armor request from two weeks before got Continue reading →

Justice, Trash, Telephones, Investment, DUI, Liquor @ LCC 2015-04-27

Finally on the agenda for the meeting right now this morning: Deep South Sanitation, LLC Application for Franchise. That’s some improvement in the ongoing county trash situation previous versions of the County Commission caused.

If the Commission can sign a letter to support plans to “renovate Arbor Trace II Apartments in Lake Park” by Investment Management Company of Valdosta, Inc., maybe it can sign a letter of support for expanded public transportation in Lowndes County. Arbor Trace is low income housing. Bus systems typically include many low-income riders.

Even the agenda item PDF doesn’t say, but FY 2016 HEAT Grant for the Sheriff’s Department is about Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic “to combat impaired and aggressive drivers,” with the purpose of reducing traffic fatalities. And the Juvenile Court wants to continue with its 2015 Request for Proposal (RFP) Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant Program.

Also on the agenda is saving money with an AT&T telephone discount and a Wine and Liquor License – VHS Corporation – 2418 Rocky Ford Road liquor license.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, APRIL 27,2015, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2015, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: Hasty waste meeting @ LCC Waste 2015-03-16

See the LAKE video below, the WALB story by Colter Anstaett including interviews with Cary Scarborough of Deep South Sanitation and Steve Edwards of Advanced Disposal Services. The county actually posted the resulting Solid Waste Ordinance on their County Ordinances web page (although I don’t see the updated franchise agreement anywhere), and they even posted the results of that meeting. Neither the county’s results summary nor WALB mentioned Commissioner Marshall’s question about recycling glass nor Chairman Slaughter’s response that glass can be disposed of as ordinary trash, which means they’re not going to recycle it.

Here’s the paper agenda from the meeting and the county’s results summary: Continue reading →

Hasty waste meeting this afternoon @ LCC Waste 2015-03-16

On their calendar, but no agenda, it’s another Special Called Meeting-Solid Waste Management. Will they talk about illegal trash dumping? Why can’t they wait until their regular meetings next week? Equally mysterious is why it took almost two months to get back to this after the two meetings in January.

Here’s their announcement of the meeting this afternoon: Continue reading →

Videos: Solid Waste Special Called Meeting @ LCC Waste 2015-01-26

Videos of the 9:15 AM 26 January 2015 Special Called Meeting on Solid Waste Management by the Lowndes County Commission. There’s another such meeting today 2-4 PM.

Both ADS and Deep South Sanitation spoke Monday morning, which is a welcome change from the county suing the one on behalf of the other. Rather than give ADS the raise it wants, let’s not forget there is a termination clause in that exclusive franchise. Continue reading →

VDT Open Government Symposium: in Macon?

Yay open government symposium! But why in Macon, why not in Valdosta, if it’s organized by the new VDT editor? Sure, Macon is the geographic center of the state, but it’s only about an hour from Atlanta, and one thing most people in Atlanta don’t understand is how big Georgia is, so asking them to drive four hours to Valdosta would be educational for them. And if the VDT is so interested in government transparency, why doesn’t it investigate the county’s lawsuit against local business Deep South Sanitation at the expense of the local taxpayers that benefits nobody but “exclusive franchise” ADS and its investors in New York City? Why is the VDT’s front page story that gave a platform for Spectra’s Andrea Grover no longer online, especially now that the Sabal Trail deadline she announced has been busted? Let’s see the VDT lead the way. Here’s a first test: Gretchen is going to Macon with the LAKE video camera. Will the VDT let her video?

Unsigned article, VDT, 11 October 2014, VDT leading way in open government, Continue reading →

Open meetings needed for county attorney selection?

Could there be any problem with selecting a county attorney without any open process?

CNHI in VDT today, Officials violate Iowa’s open meeting law,

CENTERVILLE, Iowa. — The Appanoose County Board of Supervisors and County Auditor Linda Demry violated the state open meeting law three times in less than three weeks recently when they interviewed candidates for the vacant county attorney’s position, a state agency has determined.

Well, apparently we don’t have that problem here Continue reading →

Unnecessary lawsuit against local business in GA Supreme Court today

Why is the Lowndes County Commission spending our tax dollars to sue a local company for collecting trash, in appeal at the Georgia Supreme Court this morning? Why not just let Deep South Sanitation compete with Advanced Disposal Services? Perhaps we should “stop wasting taxpayer money”, as Gretchen said to the Commission a year ago.

From DSS’s facebook page 5 May 2014, LOWNDES CO & ADVANCED DISPOSAL VS DEEP SOUTH UPDATE:

Dear Friends of Deep South, we have been notified that a date for the “APPEAL” has been set for Monday, May 19, 2014 @ 10am to be held in Atlanta, Ga. before the Supreme Court. The Lowndes County Attorney along with Advanced Disposal’s Attorney’s will have the opportunity to argue their case. Our Attorney, Rob Plumb will speak on behalf of Deep South and for the people. There will not be a ruling on this day. We will post the results of the Court’s ruling on our FB page as soon as we receive word.—As always, we thank all of you for your prayers and support. God Bless America!

And from DSS’s facebook page yesterday: Appeals Court Tomorrow Morning @ 10am.

“Thank you” to every one for your thoughts and prayers. Cary and Trevor just left headed to Atlanta. The appeal will be heard by the Supreme Court and a ruling should come at a later date. Hopefully, this will be the end of the lawsuit filed by the County and Advanced Disposal. We will post any news on our FB page as soon as we get word from our Attorney. Thanks again, your support means the world to us.

As Gretchen said a year ago to the Commissioners who voted for that unnecessary lawsuit,

I wonder which one of you said “This will really attract people to start or relocate business in our county when we sue one of our local business owners.”

If I were considering a business move, I wouldn’t move to a county that eats its own.

I ask that you drop the lawsuit and stop wasting taxpayer money. Thank you.

We don’t have to be a county like that. Let’s change some Commissioners and stop this waste of taxpayer money.

LAKE supports Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes County Commission District 5. Please vote tomorrow, Tuesday May 20th. It’s not a primary: that’s Election Day for this Special Election for District 5. Your vote matters.

-jsq