Regular monthly meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority, VLCIA,
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Brad Lofton Executive Director, Allan Ricketts Program Manager,
15 March 2011
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
“…we hope will be under construction in the next 18 months.
It will be about $150 million dollar project;
anywhere from 4 to 600 new jobs.
A lot of communities in Georgia are built around state prisons.
A hundred of those 400 will be post-secondary, nutritionalists,
physicians, nurses, vocational rehab, so we’re proud of that project.
You’ll start to hear a little bit more about that.
There will be about 300 construction jobs over about a 24 month period,
which will have a major impact on the community.”
Brad Lofton, Executive Director,
Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
speaking at the
Lake Park Chamber of Commerce annual dinner,
Lake Park, Lowndes County, Georgia, 28 January 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
As of 21 December 2010,
apparently things were still pretty tentative
when Brad Lofton gave an update to the VLCIA board,
claiming the CCA private prison would bring 600 jobs to Lowndes County, Georgia:
Regular monthly meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority, VLCIA,
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Gary Minchew, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Brad Lofton Executive Director, Allan Ricketts Program Manager,
21 December 2010
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
“I think we can do better than a generator that burns human waste. I
think we can do better than a private prison and those are two things
that we seem to be excited about as a community.”
Next, we’ll see if objections had any effect on the Industrial Authority.
Like Mr. Minchew I’m not good at goodbyes either.
I wanted to say I’ll be brief…
I’m not articulate enough to begin to thank y’all
for the unbelievable privilege I’ve had for the last five years.
…unbelievable board of directors,
the most talented staff I’ve ever worked with.
…
My wife was going to be here but she would have been too emotional.
Thank you all for your trust and confidence in me.
It really has been the best five years of my life.
I just want you to know your leadership….
Wish you the best of luck.
That’s all Mr. Chairman.
Thank you.
Brad Lofton saying goodbye at the
regular monthly meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA)
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Brad Lofton Executive Director, Allan Ricketts Program Manager,
15 March 2011.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
I understand the point about beliefs.
But it’s not all about just the beliefs of just the people on the board.
It’s also about things like
is there enough water, and do we want businesses that soak up
a lot of water, like
Ben Copeland said at the Lake Park Chamber of Commerce.
Beliefs are good, but facts are better.
Thank you.
John S. Quarterman at the
regular monthly meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA)
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Brad Lofton Executive Director, Allan Ricketts Program Manager,
15 March 2011.
Video by David Rodock for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
I was on the board as most of you know when we hired Brad
and I just want to publicly say Brad
I think you’ve done an exceptionally great job for this community.
I’m very proud of the accomplishments you and the authority have done
over the last five years since you’ve been here
and I wish you continued great success wherever you go,
and prosperity.
Former VLCIA board member Crawford Powell at the
regular monthly meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA)
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Brad Lofton Executive Director, Allan Ricketts Program Manager,
15 March 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
I have great admiration for what y’all are doing,
sticking to your guns.
I learned a lot.
One thing I didn’t learn was to keep my mouth shut.
I run into a guy the other day who remembered me from
a college course from the University of Georgia.
The only thing he remembered was me and the professor,
and I always argued with him.
And you pay the price for saying what you believe.
I paid the price in that course.
I think in that course I got the only A I ever made in college.
I mean, really,
anybody in politics that can sit there and take whatever
is dished out and you stick to your beliefs, I have the greatest
admiration in the world for you.
We did not always agree, but I have the greatest admiration for you,
and that’s great.
It’s a lot more fun sitting out here than it is up there.
I didn’t break down this time, so give me a break.
Former board member Gary Minchew at the
regular monthly meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA)
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Brad Lofton Executive Director, Allan Ricketts Program Manager, 15 March 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
It’s interesting that he accurately characterizes what VLCIA does as politics.
Also that he refers to beliefs, but says nothing about evidence or facts
or the community.
Chairman Jerry Jennett asked for Citizens Wishing to be Heard,
and first up was
Leigh Touchton, President of
Valdosta-Lowndes NAACP,
who presented them
a letter from Dr. Robert D. Bullard,
about his findings that 80% of the residents
within one mile of the proposed Wiregrass Power Plant are black
and 75% of biomass facilities in Georgia are sited in minority/poor communities.
She
also said
she
was tired of people who are against biomass being
represented as a fanatical fringe crew,
primarily by Mr. Lofton,
considering she stood before them representing the local NAACP,
the Georgia state conference of the NAACP,
“the largest organization non-profit of voters in the state of Georgia”,
and the national NAACP.
Leigh Touchton, President, Valdosta-Lowndes NAACP
regular monthly meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA)
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Brad Lofton Executive Director, Allan Ricketts Program Manager,
15 March 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Perhaps I missd it because I was a few minutes late,
but this was the only mention of the Wiregrass Power LLC biomass plant
that I heard at this VLCIA board meeting.
The first thing I saw when I drove up to the Industrial Authority building:
protesters outside.
They don’t seem to like some biomass plant.
Protesters, Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy (WACE) at the
regular monthly meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA)
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Brad Lofton Executive Director, Allan Ricketts Program Manager,
15 March 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
“We’re here to protest against biomass.
We wish Brad Lofton well in his new job,
but we want biomass to go as well.”
Karen and Michael Noll, Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy (WACE) at the
regular monthly meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA)
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Brad Lofton Executive Director, Allan Ricketts Program Manager,
15 March 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Last Saturday I heard Hannah Solar had completed the Wiregrass Solar
plant installation in Valdosta.
Today
Col. Ricketts confirmed that.
Congratulations, Industrial Authority, Wiregrass Solar LLC,
and Hannah Solar!
Where there used to be just a bare field, it’s now covered with solar panels.
The current holdup is
waiting for Georgia Power to connect the panels
to the grid.
After that, they just need to schedule a commissioning ceremony.
Col. Ricketts said they’d discuss that “later”.
Regular monthly meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority, VLCIA,
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Brad Lofton Executive Director,
Allan Ricketts Program Manager, 15 March 2011.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Regarding the
private prison that Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) wants
to build in Lowndes County,
at the 15 March 2011 VLCIA board meeting,
Col. Ricketts gave an update,
saying CCA had made a second payment as stipulated in the purchase
and development agreement:
