Tag Archives: Gretchen Quarterman

T-SPLOST explained by Corey Hull and Ashley Paulk, tonight, LCDP

6PM tonight, Monday 4 April 2011, at Hildegard’s Cafe, 101 East Central Ave,

the topic at the Lowndes County Democratic Monthly Meeting is T-SPLOST,
according to their Chair Gretchen Quarterman:

Come hear Chairman Ashley Paulk and MPO Director Cory Hull give
us information about T-SPLOST. The special local option tax for
Transportation.

Ashley Paulk is Chairman of the Lowndes County Commission.


Corey Hull is Coordinator for the
Valdosta-Lowndes County Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO).

So you’ll have some idea what to expect, here’s
Corey Hull’s explanation of T-SPLOST to VLCIA in February.



Here’s a very interesting

question by Norman Bennett at that same meeting.

You can come ask questions tonight!

-jsq

Valdostans protest biomass –VSU Spectator



Molly Duet

writes in the VSU newspaper today:

Protestors wearing respirator masks held signs reading “Biomass? No!”
in front of the Valdosta City Hall building on Thursday. Members of
the Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy, the VSU student organization
Students Against Violating the Environment, and other concerned Valdosta
citizens showed up to protest the construction of the Wiregrass Power:
Biomass Electric Generating Plant.

“We already have solar power resources in place that we could be using
and I feel like money should be directed towards that,” Ivey Roubique,
vice-president of the Student Geological Society, said. “It wouldn’t
be good for the community and even though I’m in college here it
still matters.”

The Spectator article quotes from two speakers for whom LAKE
happens to have video, linked below.

Continue reading →

Why? There’s speculation about money — Stewart Emmett (?) @ VCC 24 March 2011



When public officials ignore objections for long enough, eventually
people start speculating as to their motives, in this case about the proposed biomass plant.
Here’s

the video:





Regular meeting of the Valdosta City Council, 24 February 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

The right of students to breathe clean air –Erin Hurley of SAVE @ VCC 24 March 2011

Erin Hurley provided the very model of how to give a speech:



I’m the president of

Students Against Violating the Environment at VSU.
I’m here representing
200+ members of SAVE, that consists of students, faculty, community members.
We are deeply concerned with environmental issues and
we are networking together to make this city a more humane and
sustainable community
for future generations.

As a student, I feel I have the right to be able to breathe clean air
at the college I attend.
With this biomass plant possibly being built here,
the future for generations to come are in jeopardy, and we want to protect our fellow and future students’ health.

Please take into consideration the future health of this university
and its community,
and don’t sell grey water to the proposed biomass plant.

Here’s

the video:




Erin Hurley, President of
SAVE, Students Against Violating the Environment, speaking at

Regular meeting of the Valdosta City Council, 24 March 2011,

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.

Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

She said who she was, who she represented, how many, what they were for, what they wanted, quickly enough that attention didn’t waver, slowly and loudly enough to be heard, and briefly enough to transcribe, with pathos, logic, and politic. Even the mayor looked up at “As a student….”

-jsq

Thanks to George Rhynes for the district number label idea –Tim Carroll @ VCC 24 March 2011



A small example of following up on citizen suggestions,
but who knows? maybe it’s a sign of much more to come.
In the comments by council members at the end of the 24 March 2011
Valdosta City Council session, member Tim Carroll thanked
George Rhynes for his suggestion to put district numbers
on council members’ name plates so citizens could more easily
tell which was their council member.
Caroll raised his plate up so everyone could see

it has a number on it, too, now.
Other Council members also commented on various things.





Regular meeting of the Valdosta City Council, 24 March 2011,

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.

Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.



George suggested the district number labels

on 20 January 2011.

-jsq

Call to action for City Council not to sell water to biomass plant –Karen Noll @ VCC 24 March 2011



Karen Noll of WACE, Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy,
asked the Valdosta City Council not to sell wastewater
to the proposed Wiregrass Power LLC biomass plant.
She presented

“500+ signatures from community members and organizations”

asking for that.
She also said

“…furthermore a response to our request each
member of the council is expected before the next council meeting.”

Here’s

the video.





WACE, Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy, at

Regular meeting of the Valdosta City Council, 24 March 2011,

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.

Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Solar is better than biomass because it doesn’t pollute –Jack Pruden @ VCC 24 March 2011



Jack Pruden’s hand-lettered sign says:

Ban the burn

Go 100% solar

Gretchen asked him about that

and he said:





Regular meeting of the Valdosta City Council, 24 March 2011.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Angela Manning and her extended ovation @ VCC 24 March 2011

It’s Sunday, so let’s see what a local preacher thinks about the
biomass plant.
Mayor Fretti asked if there were any Citizens Wishing to be Heard,
and a preacher said, “yes”.
No, not Rev. Rose.
He last spoke to the Valdosta City Council back on 10 February,
and left in disgust.
Besides, the Council
thinks people are frightened of little old him.



This time, 24 March 2011,
Angela Manning, minister of the 1500-member New Life Ministries
in Valdosta near the proposed site for the Wiregrass Power LLC biomass plant,
read from the Valdosta City Council’s own mission statement and
asked,

How do you adhere to your mission statement?

Here’s

the video:

Continue reading →

Biomass protesters @ VCC 24 March 2011

Black and white, young and old, conservative and liberal,
college professors and unemployed:
dozens of them demonstrated against biomass
outside the Valdosta City Council meeting, 24 March 2011:

As Dr. George said

Continue reading →

What do you need to see to conclude this biomass plant is a bad idea? –Dr. Mark Patrick George @ VCC 24 March 2011



Dr. George gets to the point!
After talking to several Valdosta City Council members, he has
observed that people make up their minds regardless of evidence.
So he wants to know:

What evidence would you need to see to conclude this is a bad idea?



Dr. George also gets at something even deeper that Council might
consider a wakeup call:

The public outcry about this across the political spectrum, from conservative to liberal.

People against the biomass plant are not just black or white
or young or old or conservative or liberal or college professors
or unemployed: they are all of those things.
The intransigence of elected and appointed officials is causing
citizens to stand up and be heard on this and other issues around
the county.
This issue is serving as a catalyst for people to demand
more transparent and responsive government.

Here’s

the video:





Regular meeting of the Valdosta City Council, 24 March 2011,

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.

Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq