Tag Archives: Francis Lake

Private Roads, Alcohol, and Water: Lowndes County Commission Packet @ LCC 2019-08-26

Received Wednesday, after the Lowndes County Commission voted on it Tuesday evening, the board packet is on the LAKE website. Apparently the County Clerk’s office is going to wait the full three days after an open records request to press the button to forward the packet. So we’ll be sure to send requests more than three days before the Regular Session.

The drainage easement agreement with Lake Park did not have a map. The abandonment of part of Ivandale Circle did:

[Survey Plat, Hammock Hill Heights]
Survey Plat, Hammock Hill Heights

There was also a map with the copiously documented Beer, Wine, and Liquor license: Continue reading →

Videos: Private Roads, Alcohol, and Water @ LCC 2019-08-26

“You’ll see on the attached drawing….” and “You will see in your packet….”, but you the taxpayers and voters cannot see, because the county has not put the packet on its website and has not yet returned it in response to an open records request by LAKE.

Did you know a rollback of 0.126 mills was scheduled for a 5PM meeting today, with adoption at the 5:30PM meeting?

Surprise eighteen minutes yesterday morning on procedures for taking private roads into the county road system.

Private Roads

Three Lowndes County Commission items are about water: Continue reading →

Alcohol, Roads, and Water @ LCC 2019-08-26

Three Lowndes County Commission items are about water: Transfer of Drainage Easement Agreement between Lowndes County and the City of Lake Park, and two Lift Station Pumps, Francis Lake for $49,103.25 to buy a new pump and Peterson Road for $29,689.20 for repairs for lightning damage, both to Xylem. There is no mention of bids.

Francis Lake or Frances Lake keeps coming up at the County Commission and the Planning Commission.

Francis Lake

County Manager Joe Pritchard has a mystery item, Continue reading →

Videos and packet: Millage, SPLOST VIII, Wastewater, roads, bridges, mosquitos, Construction Board @ LCC 2019-08-12

County Manager Joe Pritchard said Finance Director Stephanie Black has received a millage report from the Tax Commissioner. He and she will prepare something from it for the Lowndes County Commissioners for a later meeting.

The board packet is on the LAKE website, in response to a LAKE open records request.

Below are Continue reading →

$1.5 mllion on wastewater, SPLOST VIII, roads, bridges, mosquitos, Construction Board @ LCC 2019-08-12

The resolution to reimpose the SPLOST tax as SPLOST VIII, was not included with the agenda for the tax-paying public to see. LAKE has filed an open records request for the entire board packet. Perhaps the county will supply it before they vote tomorrow.

[Land Application Site]
Land Application Site

Four bids were received for LAS and Pump Station Improvements with the high bid at $3.3 million, and the low at $2.5 million, but apparently the county negotiated the low bidder, Doyle Hancock & Sons, down to $1,520,858.00. This is “for improvements to the LAS [Land Application Site, aka wastewater spray field], Bevel Creek, Francis Lake, and Coleman Road lift stations.” The LAS is between Grassy Pond and Pike Pond, a few thousand feet from the GA-FL line, in the Withlacoochee River watershed. Continue reading →

Videos: Grants, Budget, Tax, Bonds, Parks, Land, Water, Waste, 911 @ LCC 2018-06-26

The most interesting items were not on the agenda of the Regular Session two weeks ago of the Lowndes County Commission Work Session. The County Engineer had One more thing: Loch Laurel Bridge Work and Closure 7/16 – 7/23, Commissioner Demarcus Marshall reminded everyone the Georgia hands-free driving law was going into effect, and the Chairman announced swearing in of the newly un-privatized Probation Officers the following morning.

The longest scheduled item at almost 3 minutes was New Consoles For 911 Dispatchers, followed by Contract With Parks And Recreation Authority, because both had questions from Commissioners.

The two grant items added the previous morning, for Accountability Court and DUI Court, sailed through, as did the Francis Lake Lift Station Repair and the LAS Storage Pond Improvements.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: Budget, Tax, Bonds, Parks, Land, Water, Waste, 911 @ LCC 2018-06-25

Videos of the Lowndes County Commission Work Session two weeks ago. See agenda post for background. The budget got no comments from Commmissioners.

County Manager Joe Pritchard asked for addition of two grant agenda items, for Accountability Court and DUI Court. Proponents of each spoke, and both items were added to the agenda for the next day’s Regular Session.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes, especially about the Hotel/Motel Tax and the still-mysterious Wisconsin Public Finance Authority Bond Issue, a rare verbal appearance by Joyce Evans on Continue reading →

Budget, Tax, Bonds, Parks, Land, Water, Waste, 911 @ LCC 2018-06-25

A busy morning’s agenda starts with approving a new annual budget and related hotel and motel taxes. Plus a Contract with Valdosta Continuing Land Bank Authority.

Parks and Rec is negotiating a $3 million loan from Ameris Bank for improvements to Freedom Park and wants the county to guarantee its 1.25 mil tax base.

Utilities wants about $20,000 for impellers and wear rings for the pumps in the Francis Lake Lift Station and about $275,000 to improve the Land Application Site (LAS), where they spray sewer waste onto a field which they then rent out for hay production (the county does not have a wastewater treatment plant). See also WWALS blog post.

The mysterious out-of-state apartment bonds actually get an explanation this time:

The Board of Commissioners is requested to adopt the attached revised Resolution approving the issuance of bonds by a Wisconsin Public Finance Authority. A portion of the proceeds of the bonds will be used for a project located on Old Statenville Road. The project is a 204-unit multi-family affordable housing development known as Brittany Woods & Park Chase Apartments.

1110 and 1150 Old Statenville Road, Map
1150 Old Statenville Road, Parcel 0159D 014,

The reason for this revised Resolution is Continue reading →

Videos: developer property rights and effects on neighbors, Leninco, Roger Budd, Lake Park @ LCC 2014-08-12

There was at least some reason for the Commission’s approval of the Family Dollar and other use rezoning for Roger Budd Jr. and Leninco out of the Francis Lake golf course in Lake Park: because it would include a condition of a berm that would continue with the property regardless of who owned it. The applicant’s attorney had made it clear that applicant considered the berm too expensive and it, along with other conditions, might make the project unfeasible. Perhaps the Commission should apply the same technique to stop the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline. This was in the 23 August 2014 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission; thanks to Toma Hawk for the video.

6.b. REZ-2014-14 Roger Budd Jr, Lakes Blvd (SR 376), R-10 to C-G, Water/Sewer, ~4.2 acres

[Work Session Start 1 minute 48 seconds.] County Planner Jason Davenport said this was a repeat of a request from 2009 “that Continue reading →

Francis Lake opposition and 3:2 vote for anyway @ LCC 2014-08-12

Update 2014-08-25: There was some rationale for why the Commission voted to approve. See Videos: developer property rights and effects on neighbors, Leninco, Roger Budd, Lake Park @ LCC 2014-08-12.

With little notice local citizens didn’t have time to organize opposition to a rezoning for three companies domiciled outside Lowndes County on behalf of a developer who doesn’t even own the property next to them. Yet again no agenda was posted for the Planning Commission last month so few people showed up. More spoke at the Lowndes County Commission this month. But with so little time, only 38 people signed a petition, and there were no citizen-organized meetings, unlike for the Brookhaven rezoning back in March and April. Unlike the Lake Park City Council, which held a special public hearing, the Lowndes County Commission plowed ahead on its usual schedule and voted on a bare majority to approve anyway for a developer on which they are on a first-name basis, while local neighbors went un-named and unheeded. Does this seem right to you?

Toma Hawk videoed and edited together the Work Session of 11 August 2014 and the Regular Session of 12 August 2014 to emphasize this item from the agenda: Continue reading →