Tag Archives: drainage

Videos: Howell Road Halfway House approved in split vote @ LCC Regular 2023-04-11

Two weeks ago the Lowndes County Commission appointed Brenda Mims to the Board of Health, Victoria Copeland and Marion Ramsey to ZBOA, and Jane Peeples to the Library Board, all unanimously.

Everything else (except one item) also passed unanimously, including 8.b. Amend 2015 Solid Waste Ordinance raising waste collection fees and reducing collection center hours, as requested by the haulers.

[Collage @ LCC Regular 2023-04-11]
Collage @ LCC Regular 2023-04-11

It became even more obvious why they tabled it a month before: All the Lowndes County Commissioners apparently already knew how they were going to vote on the Howell Road halfway house rezoning before they held the Public Hearing.

The vote was the same as Continue reading →

Videos: Recognitions, Extension Office, Raise waste collection rates, Howell Road halfway house rezoning, appointments to 3 boards @ LCC Work 2023-04-10

Update 2023-04-24: Videos: Howell Road Halfway House approved in split vote @ LCC Regular 2023-04-11.

Yesterday the Lowndes County Commissioners had no discussion about what Chairman Bill Slaughter referred to as “One public hearing item that just will not go away.” That’s 7.a. REZ-2022-10 Campus Transitional Care, 2193 Howell Road, E-A to P-D. The Commissioners vote at the Regular Session this evening at 5:30 PM. They can make it go away for at least a year by denying the rezoning.

[Collage @ LCC 10 April 2023]
Collage @ LCC 10 April 2023

On 8.b. Amend 2015 Solid Waste Ordinance, Gretchen remarked: “In my mind, it seems super inconvenient to shorten the hours of the collection sites on Monday and Friday. If someone works 8-5, then getting their recycling there by 6 is not possible.

“Oh, but this isn’t for the health, safety and well being of the citizens, Continue reading →

Packet: Raise waste collection rates, appointments to 3 boards, crop sprayer for wastewater sprayfield @ LCC 2023-04-10

It’s back: the Howell Road halfway house rezoning, after being tabled last time, waiting for a full Commission. The Lowndes County Commission will vote on it tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM.

All the same opposition letters and petition signatures are included in the board packet. Staff still recommends approval, although the Planning Commission recommended denial by 7:3.

[Collage, LCC Packet 2023-04-10]
Collage, LCC Packet 2023-04-10

The Letter of Intent from Redeemed Living includes this: “Redeemed Residents are required to maintain full time employment, attend weekly recovery meetings, and become an active member at a Church of their choosing.” Is that establishment of religion? Continue reading →

Packet: Raise waste collection rates, appointments to 3 boards, crop sprayer for wastewater hayfield @ LCC 2023-04-10

It’s back: the Howell Road halfway house rezoning, after being tabled last time, waiting for a full Commission. The Lowndes County Commission will vote on it tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM.

All the same opposition letters and petition signatures are included in the board packet. Staff still recommends approval, although the Planning Commission recommended denial by 7:3.

[Collage, LCC Packet 2023-04-10]
Collage, LCC Packet 2023-04-10

The Letter of Intent from Redeemed Living includes this: “Redeemed Residents are required to maintain full time employment, attend weekly recovery meetings, and become an active member at a Church of their choosing.” Is that establishment of religion? Continue reading →

Videos: Leadership Lowndes, Rezonings, Lift Station, Pictometry, SDS, Suwannee Riverkeeper, Bethany Drive @ LCC 2022-10-11

Update 2024-01-24: Why the traffic light: The Towns at 4443 (Bemiss Road @ Studstill Road) letter of intent and Conceptual Plan @ GLPC 2022-09-26.

Lowndes County Commissioners were still not happy with the City of Valdosta about the Service Delivery Agreement, with Chairman Bill Slaughter reciting a litany of recent extraterritorial water and sewage decisions and a change in funding for county roads for the upcoming “physical” year, at their Regular Session of October 11, 2022. Commissioners Clay Griner and Scottie Orenstein complained about the agreement, with some threats to go back to the 2008 agreement if signatures were not gotten from the Valdosta immediately. It passed 4:1, with Griner voting against.

They spent 25 minutes on 5.a. REZ-2022-16 4443 Bemiss, ~14.1 acres, from C-G \u0026 R-A to P-D \u0026 C-G, finally agreeing for the applicant to add a fence between it and the nearby church.

County Manager Paige Dukes in her report said the county was only doing their river cleanup because it is required by the county’s stormwater permit, so it’s a checkbox they are checking. Also, she was asking Public Works to have the county’s litter crew stand down beforehand, so volunteers would have something to pick up at the boat ramps.

Two citizens spoke, Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman proposing a grant application about water quality, and Matthew and Debra Williams of Bethany Drive back again after a year about a county drainage easement draining onto their property.

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 LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session, the agenda and board packet, and the LAKE videos of the preceding Planning Commission meeting. Continue reading →

Videos: Trash collection, drainage, reports, candidate @ LCC 2022-03-22

A rare split vote on a bid, in 7.a. ENG 2021-02: Repairing 3 Box Culverts.

ADS wants to raise its trash colleciton rates but can’t do that without an ordinance change, which was not on the table this time.

Ashley Tye gave a weather report as part of the County Manager Reports.

A candidate for Superior Court Judge spoke in Citizens Wishing to Be Heard, which is an interesting change of policy; previously the Commission didn’t allow candidates for office to speak in CWTBH.

[Trash, Drainage, Reports, CWTBH]
Trash, Drainage, Reports, CWTBH

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

Packet: 0.277 acres for a county detention pond @ LCC 2022-03-21

Update 2022-03-22: Videos: Trash collection, drainage, reports, candidate @ LCC 2022-03-22.

The replacement for the built-on detention pond on Little Viking Road turns out to be 0.277 acres horse-shoed around it. That’s what was quit-claimed to Lowndes County Tuesday.

[Waste collection and water retention]
Waste collection and water retention

[EASEMENT]
EASEMENT

This is at the request of Rubber Tire, LLC, Franklin Bailey, Member/Manager.

[Signed, sealed,* and delivered]
Signed, sealed,* and delivered

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website. See also the Continue reading →

Videos: Delinquency, water, roads, and subdivisions @ LCC 2022-03-21

Update 2022-03-22: Packet: 0.277 acres for a county detention pond @ LCC 2022-03-21.

Update 2022-03-23: Three LAKE videos inadvertently omitted are added back to this blog post and the LAKE playlist: 6.d. Advanced Disposal Services Residential Solid Waste Franchise Renewal (9,500 customers), 6.e. Deep South Sanitation, LLC, Residential Solid Waste Franchise Renewal (6,200 customers), and 6.f. Little Viking Road Drainage Easement and Quit Claim Deed.

Yesterday morning they read out the items with almost no discussion, at the Lowndes County Commission Work Session, which lasted 13 minutes. They vote this evening at 5:30 PM.

The only item to get more than one question was 6.c. FY2022 Delinquency Prevention Grant.

The audio feed in the room is still not working, thus the second or so of no sound at the start. For the thousands of dollars they have spent on the system, it would be nice if the sound in the room worked.

[Lighting, TIA, Juvenile delinquency, box culverts]
Lighting, TIA, Juvenile delinquency, box culverts

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda.

Road paving TIA agreements, ADS ands DSS waste renewawals, 3 water items, street lighting @ LCC 2022-03-21

Update 2022-03-22: Videos: Delinquency, water, roads, and subdivisions @ LCC 2022-03-21.

More road building TIA projects to promote more sprawl, a redot to let a developer off the hook for not doing drainage as required, a subdivision special tax lighting district, several water projects in already-developed areas, a grant to prevent juvenile delinquency, and the annual renewal of permits for both waste collection companies, all on the agenda for this morning’s Lowndes County Work Session, for voting Tuesday evening.

Funny how they never count the later cost of box culverts and water main extensions when they approve rezonings for subdivisions, but here some of those are later.

Cost What
$448,621.14Exit 22 Water Main Extension
$296,726.73ENG 2021-02: Repairing 3 Box Culverts
$0.00 Deep South Sanitation, LLC, Residential Solid Waste Franchise Renewal, March 31, 2023
$0.00Advanced Disposal Services Residential Solid Waste Franchise Renewal
$-41,500.00 FY2022 Delinquency Prevention Grant
$703,847.87Total

That former detention pond site is actually parcel 0144 205A now, and it’s at 4115 Little Viking Road. They also don’t tell we the taxpayers and voters where the new detention area is.

HISTORY, FACTS AND ISSUES: Map 0144 Parcel 205 owned by Rubber Tire, LLC was originally designed for the entire lot to be one of the detention areas for Roswell Place Subdivision and has been the detention area since the subdivision was built. Rubber Tire, LLC had the detention area redesigned, approved, and constructed so the lot could become a buildable lot. Lowndes County will need to Quit Claim the existing detention area back to Rubber Tire, LLC and accept a drainage easement for the new detention area from Rubber Tire, LLC.

The agenda is below. The board packet will follow when LAKE gets it. My fault this time: I didn’t send the open records request. Although it is still mysterious why Lowndes County doesn’t put the board packet on its own website like many counties larger and smaller have been doing for years in Georgia and Florida. The rudimentary expanded agenda with one-sheet agenda items is on the LAKE website.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MARCH 21, 2022, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: Maybe revisit lowering millage rate @ LCC 2020-08-10

There was pushback on lowering the millage rate at the Lowndes County Commission Work Session yesterday morning. They will decide this evening at 5:30 PM at the Regular Session.

The Commissioners, like some of the public, also wanted to know when there will be a new County Clerk. Answer, from the former County Clerk, Paige Dukes, who is now the County Manager: not yet; maybe next meeting (two weeks from now).

The $0.9 million low bid from Reames for road paving and a box culvert got no discussion from Commissioners.

The Scruggs Company was offered a special exception to the Comprehensive Plan; one that actually makes sense.

Yes, the Copeland property backs up to PCA.

The Verizon tower got no questions from Commissioners.

Below are links to each LAKE video with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda and board packet, and the millage rate hearing at 5PM today (Tuesday).