Tag Archives: Economy

Videos: SCADA and Generators for sewer system lift stations @ VCC 2018-12-06

The longest single item in the one January Valdosta City Council meeting was unscheduled: the surprise statewide Georgia Parks and Rec Volunteer Award and Council Andy Gibbs responding with thanks.

The most contentious rezoning was 4.b. CU-2018-13 Scintilla Charter Academy Conditional Use Permit, to add a Middle School to an Elementary School.

The most-discussed general topic on the agenda was water, with Utility Director Darryl Muse speaking about 5.b. Bids for 10 emergency standby generators for Utilities, 5.c. Bids for water treatment chemicals for Utilities, and 6.b. Purchase SCADA system for Lift Stations and Water Treatment Plants, with frequent questions from Council members. They did bring up the recent major spill at the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant.

In Citizens to Be Heard, I told them what Valdosta Utilities hadn’t.

Also in CTBH, John Robinson spoke about how small businesses need to thrive and another speaker said he had been attacked physically by a local business man. Renaming Forrest Street was discussed by Continue reading →

Police and Utilities vehicles and other bids @ VCC 2019-01-24

A brief agenda for the Valdosta City Council, mostly consisting of bids for equipment, mostly for the Police Department, plus some for Utilities, Engineering, Fire, and Public Works.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, January 24, 2019
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

Continue reading →

Videos: Val Del subdivision tabled second time @ LCC 2018-11-13

The same Val Del Road subdivision on today’s agenda for the third time was tabled at the applicant’s request the second time it came up, a month ago.

The longest item was 6 h/i/j Tyler Technology Repository/Processing/E-filing, in which Georgia is catching up to Florida.

Below are links to each LAKE video of the 13 November 2018 Regular Session, with a few comments. See also the agenda, the LAKE videos of the 12 November 2018 Work Session, and the LAKE blog of the county’s own videos of its 9 October 2018 Regular Session.

Videos: Subdivisions, solar, and alcohol @ LCC 2018-11-12

The same Val Del Road subdivision on today’s agenda for the third time was tabled the second time it came up, a month ago. Here it is in the LAKE videos in the Work Session of November 12, 2018, when the applicant hadn’t even responded to the Commissioners’ previous request to consider 1.5 acre lots.

By far the longest thing that day, at half an hour, was 7. Reports – Special Presentation ABM Industries Inc..

Below are links to each LAKE video of the 12 November 2018 Work Session, with a few comments. See also Continue reading →

Generators and communications for sewer system lift stations @ VCC 2018-12-06

Nothing is on the agenda about the recent major spill at the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant for tonight’s Valdosta City Council meeting.

However, there are three other sewage-related Utility Department items: bids for ten emergency standby generators and for water treatment chemicals, and Consideration of a request to purchase a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system for Lift Stations and Water Treatment Plants.

Those are all good steps, so lift stations won’t fail due to lack of power, so Valdosta Utilities can know what’s going on in real time (SCADA), and so they can continue testing.

Maybe you’d like to come compliment Valdosta on that much and ask them what they’re doing to prevent WWTP spills, in Citizens to be Heard.

Also tonight, appointments to KLVB, VLCDA, and Valdosta Tree Commission.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, December 6, 2018
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

Continue reading →

Subdivisions, solar, and alcohol @ LCC 2018-11-12

Back on the agenda for Monday morning is the subdivision that does not match any of the criteria the Lowndes County Commission is supposed to consider, so will they approve REZ-2018-17 The Settlement North, 5999 Val Del Road?

The Planning Commission recommended denying that one, but has since recommended approving this one: REZ-2018-18 Knights Landing, Phase III, 3982 Bemiss Knights Academy Road.

County staff want ABM to help reduce energy costs. How about add some solar panels to the roof of the county palace and over its parking lot, while you’re at it?

On the roof, A Year of Firsts, ABM

As ABM says:

With the cost of solar installations rapidly declining, and the number of government and utility incentives increasing, solar has undergone a radical evolution from a feel good environmental story to a source for businesses to gain a financial advantage over their competitors.

See ABM Energy Vice President Ted O’Shea, Leveraging Solar to Gain a Competitive Financial Advantage: Why go Solar at Your Facility: White Paper.

The rest of the agenda is Continue reading →

Tax Assessors Special Called Meeting, Lowndes County, Georgia 2018-10-25

In the VDT Community Calendar:

Board of Assessors Special Called meeting, 9 a.m. Oct. 25, 1st floor, Lowndes County Governmental Building, 302 N. Patterson St.

302 N Patterson, Street View

There’s no agenda, and nothing about this on Continue reading →

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 →