Tag Archives: Government

Old Pine Road and Madison Highway rezonings @ GLPC 2019-01-28

All the rezonings on the GLPC agenda for tonight are in Lowndes County. The two on Madison Highway appear to be coincidence. REZ-2019-01 Jerry Stoker is apparently for one or both of the two Stoker Development LLC parcels on Old Pine Road. This is part of the general development of what Lowndes County staff refer to as “Central Lowndes County”, as in their preferred development area.

Parcels 0145B 042 and 0145B 043, Old Pine Road
Map: Lowndes County Tax Assessors, Parcels 0145B 042 and 0145B 043, Old Pine Road.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
AGENDA

Monday, January 28, 2019 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue

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Videos: New Officers, Education, Religion, Commerce @ GLPC 2018-11-26

The Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) picked a new Chair and Vice-Chair at their November 2018 meeting. They meet again this evening.

Photo: Gretchen Quarterman, of New GLPC Chair Vicky Rountree 3. CU-2018-13 Scintilla Charter Academy 2171 East Park Avenue,
Photo: Gretchen Quarterman, of New GLPC Chair Vicky Rountree.

Their longest item was 3. CU-2018-13 Scintilla Charter Academy‘s request to expand from an Elementary School to add a Middle School. GLPC recommended approval unanimously, as they did for all other such items.

Below are Continue reading

Videos: Wastewater at Valdosta City Council @ VCC 2019-01-24

A brief agenda was handled quickly by Mayor Pro Tem Sandra Tooley last night at the Valdosta City Council, even with two Citizens to Be Heard and a bunch of Council Comments.


      7. Thanks, Florida speaker --Tim Carroll

The longest item, at almost six minutes, was 4.b-i) Bids for vehicles, because it was eight items rolled into one.

Second longest, at almost four minutes, was Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, who came from Florida to speak in CBTH about Florida effects of Valdosta Sewage. Ms. Tooley stopped her precisely at three minutes, but City Manager Mark Barber took most of a minute thanking her for coming to speak. Council Tim Carroll and Ms. Tooley also thanked the Florida speaker in Council Comments.

Third longest was probably me (jsq) inviting them to paddle and discussing sewage. City Manager Barber before the meeting said he would be sure he would get to Council the information I presented about Valdosta spills over time.

Council Vivian Miller-Cody spoke about a Continue reading

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

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Videos: Mystery Simpson Road paving, taxes, alcohol, emergency, roads, and law @ LCC 2019-01-22

They vote 5:30 PM this evening on what they discussed this morning. Longest at two minutes was 5 g. Abandonment of McLeod Road, followed by 5 i. Speed Zone Ordinance (apparently something was not right at exit 2), and then at just under a minute: 6 a. Paving on Parker Road and Simpson Road. Will Scruggs or Reames get the $2 million-plus contract for paving? (Hint: Reames is the low bidder.)

Oops, sorry: the unscripted 7. Reports – County Manager actually came in second at 1 minute and 44 seconds.

Finally, after 9. Adjournment, there was a reminder of some mystery swearing in at 5PM.

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

Mystery Simpson Road paving, taxes, alcohol, emergency, roads, and law @ LCC 2019-01-22

Due to Monday being Martin Luther King Jr. Day, both the Work Session and the Regular Session will be on Tuesday, January 22, 2019, at 8:30 AM and 5:30 PM. Last time they approved paying for right of way on Simpson Road. This time they’re approving Paving on Parker Road and Simpson Road. Why does Simpson Road get this exception to their decade-long custom of never paying for road right of way? Will Scruggs or Reames get the $2 million-plus contract for paving? (Hint: Reames is the low bidder.)

Qpublic-lowndes,
Simpson Road in Lowndes County Tax Assessor Maps.

Meanwhile, the county apparently borrowed money for paving, and is tinkering the Special Assessment Rate for 2019 from 6.5% to 7.5%.

Hm, the county “currently receives $32,770 annually” Continue reading

Videos: County paying for road right of way @ LCC 2019-01-08

They added two items to the agenda they didn’t even mention in the previous morning’s Work Session: purchase of some real estate on Davidson Road near Moody Air Force Base, and “just compensation” for right of way on Simpson Road.

Wait a minute! For ten years we’ve been told the county no longer buys rights of way: if you want your road paved, you have to donate the right of way. So why this exception? And why sneak it in like this?

Will Kamisha Martin get paid for right of way if the county paves Black Road? Will Rev. Berlinda Hart Love get paid for right of way if the county paves Williams School Road? They were the two citizens who were heard.

Not on the agenda were Continue reading

Videos: Retreat! Appointment to Development Authority, Abandon Reed Road, Ed Hay Lease, Forestry Speaks @ LCC 2019-01-07

Longest Monday morning was Chief Ranger Stephen Spradley’s Georgia Forestry report, a copy of which, scanned by Gretchen, is on the LAKE website.

Second longest was Chairman Bill Slaughter’s comments, in which he listed four upcoming events: Continue reading

Appointment to Development Authority, Abandon Reed Road, End Hay Lease, Forestry Speaks @ LCC 2019-01-07

It’s the end of an era at the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA), excuse me, the Development Authority, now that Roy Copeland declined to be reappointed. To his joint-appointment position, Valdosta appointed Aneesha Johnson, and the Lowndes County Commission may confirm Tuesday.

Aneesha Johnson
DuPont Valdosta Plant Names Johnson New Plant Manager, Valdosta Today, 29 June 2015.

In Monday morning’s Work Session, they will also consider abandoning the end of Reed Road (presumably the part that runs down to the Withlacoochee River), and ending the hay lease (presumably on the county’s Land Application Site). Chief Ranger Stephen Spradley of Georgia Forestry will say a few words. They vote Tuesday at 5:30 PM.

Here’s the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 2018, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2018, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

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