Tag Archives: Gretchen Quarterman

Updated Packet: Lowndes County Commission @ LCC 2019-05-14

Lowndes County did supply the items missing from the May 14 and 15, 2019 board packet, on 11 June 2019, and those items are now on the LAKE website.

[Letter]
Letter

LAKE looks forward to the county putting all these packet documents on the county’s own website, along with the agenda and agenda sheets.

-jsq

Investigative reporting costs money, for open records requests, copying, web hosting, gasoline, and cameras, and with sufficient funds we can pay students to do further research. You can donate to LAKE today!

Videos: Appointments to KLVB, ZBOA, Library board, three rezonings @ LCC 2019-07-08

Yesterday morning’s Work Session took eleven minutes. They vote this evening.

The three rezoning cases took the longest, simply due to time for Planning Technician Molly Stevenson to read them out. Only one Commissioner had one questions on one of them. Longest at 2 and a half minutes was 6c. REZ-2019-11 Stewart, 4151 Stewart Circle R-1 to C-H which is for establishing a new metal working business with rail access. Second at almost two minutes was 6a. REZ-2019-09 Mark Courson, 5761 Long Pond Rd. R-1 to R-10, which was for subdividing into two lots; this one had the quesion. Third at a minute and a half was 6b. REZ-2019-10 Ballard, Madison Hwy E-A to C-C and R-A for a boat repair service and a single residence.

None of the appointment candidates appeared. Surprisingly there were questions on two appointments, to Continue reading →

Appointments to KLVB, ZBOA, Library board, three rezonings @ LCC 2019-07-08

Update 2019-07-09: Videos.

On the Lowndes County Commission agenda for Monday and Tuesday, appointments to three boards, three rezonings, and a mystery agreement.

They have no candidates to replace Malinda Taylor on the Lowndes County Library Board. Paul Alvarado and John McCall want to be reappointed to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals. Gregory Powell apparently does not want to be reappointed, and Victoria O’Steen and Kelisa Brown have applied for Keep Lowndes Valdosta Beautiful (KLVB).

[Area map]
Area map

The rezoning cases are three from the preceding Planning Commission meeting; GLPC unanimously recommended approval of all three.

The mystery Agreement with Cornerstone is, according to the agenda sheet, a $96,000 ($8,000 / month) item:

As a part of Lowndes County’s ongoing support of Moody Air Force Base, the services of Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc. are being recommended. In addition to assistance with matters related to the Department of Defense, Continue reading →

Four county, four Valdosta @ ZBOA 2019-07-02

Busy day tomorrow at ZBOA, with setbacks, exterior buildings, parking, landscaping, buffers, and tree protection, in four county cases and four Valdosta cases.

[Page 1]
Agenda

The July ZBOA agenda is not on Valdosta’s website, but it is on the LAKE website, courtesy of ZBOA member Gretchen Quarterman, along with the rest of the agenda packet. Continue reading →

Valdosta * 2, Remerton, Lowndes County * 3 @ GLPC 2019-06-24

Tonight at the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission, presumably REZ-2019-08 Knudson & Son Outdoor Activities will be skipped, since last month the Lowndes County Commission already decided that case, and ZBOA denied most of the applicants’ requested variances.

[Context map]
Context map

The only other big one (by acreage) tonight is REZ-2019-11 Stewart, 4151 Stewart Circle, 0072 001, ±12 ac., R-1 to C-H.

Here is the agenda.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
AGENDA
Monday, June 24, 2019 * 5:30 P.M.
Public Hearing, Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

Continue reading →

Appointments to Parks and Rec and LCDFCSB, prisoners, DUI, courts, liftstation, budget, and bids @ LCC 2019-06-24

On the Lowndes County Commission agenda for discussion this morning and voting tomorrow evening, Dan Deaver wants to be reappointed to VLPRA, and Keith Jackson has also expressed interest in being appointed.

Dan Deaver
Linkedin profile: Dan Deaver

Lonnie Denton wants to be reappointed to the Lowndes County Division of Family and Children Services Board, and Tonya Davis and Keith Jackson are also interested.

There are two water items, the first of which is not obvious: Continue reading →

Videos: Knudson & Son Outdoor Activities, Sheriff, Intrusion Detection, Bids @ LCC 2019-06-10

The Naylor Boat Ramp should be finished in about two weeks.

Before they vote tonight at 5:30 PM, the Lowndes County Commission met in Regular Session yesterday morning, when tied for most time was the paintball-like game venue that was surprisingly contentious at the Planning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA).

That rezoning tied for amount of time with Continue reading →

Budget Public Hearing @ LCC Budget 2019-06-11

If the Commissioners are so proud of their proposed budget, why do they make it so hard for the taxpayers and voters to see?

All we have on lowndescounty.com is Public Hearing on the Proposed FY 2020 Budget,

Date: June 11, 2019

Time: 5:00 PM

Location: Board of Commissioners
Administration Building

Address: 327 N. Ashley Street
2nd Floor
Valdosta, GA 31601


A slide from a 2011 Lowndes County budget presentation.
Maybe the proportions are the same this year; maybe they’re not; who can say?

See also the announcement of this June meeting in an unannounced May meeting. Back then Commissioners said the $108 million proposed budget includes a new litter collection division which they’re considering using to replace Keep Lowndes-Valdosta Beautiful (KLVB).

Which is more than we know from the agenda of today’s budget meeting, because no agenda is posted.

The proposed budget is not on Continue reading →

Videos: 2 appointments, Tower, GDOT Utilities, various agreements @ LCC Regular 2019-05-28

Animal welfare was the topic of the one Citizen wished to be Heard: Ed Barr, a former VSU faculty member, who said he spoke for a group of people who want a better-designed animal shelter, with better accessibility, as in closer to a residential area, or maybe redesigned like Miss Kitty Feline Sanctuary in Thomasville; he never said quite what features that meant.

The Regular Session was double-booked at the same time as the Planning Commission, so Gretchen went to the Planning Commission. The county’s own video was not available yesterday, but it appeared after I inquired.

They appointed Continue reading →

Videos: Tower, GDOT Utilities, 2 appointments, various agreements @ LCC Work 2019-05-28

The Work Session was at 4PM on Tuesday. The longest item was 7d. Corrections Software Solutions Probation Tracking System.

On the 6 a. TWR-2019-01 US Hwy 84 E. E-A, New 300′ Telecommunications Tower, tabled last time, staff did hear from Moody AFB that the tower was no problem for helicopter pilots, and the FAA has said no hazard. But they didn’t say whether Moody had issued its TERPS report.

Berinda Nwakamma did introduce herself very briefly as an applicant for the 5a. Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD). County Manager Joe Pritchard said “her information is in your agenda,” but it was not among the board packet documents the county sent LAKE in response to an open records request. What we dug up about her is below.

The Chairman had to speak for the one applicant for the 5b. Appointment – Southern Georgia Area Agency on Aging, since Commissioner Joyce Evans declined to say anything.

They had an Executive Session to discuss pending litigation.

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