Tag Archives: Hurricane Helene

ULDC text amendments remove pines and pecans from protected trees @ LCC 2024-11-12

Update 2024-11-12: Videos: GLPC appointments, ULDC Amendments, 2 rezonings, Street Lighting, Beer and Wine, UPS, infrastructure acceptance, Regional Transit, Georgia Power, VSU, LMIG, Fire @ LCC Work 2024-11-12.

Thanks to Jason Davenport for sending a current draft of the ULDC text amendments for this evening’s Public Hearing at the Lowndes County Commission at 5:30 PM.

They are on the LAKE website in Word and PDF formats.

I’m not sure how the public is supposed to comment intelligently on these changes with about two hours to look at them, if they happen to look when I post this. The county has not posted any drafts of these text amendments.

Pines and pecans no longer protected: ULDC Text Amendments @ LCC 2024-11-12

The big change is:

5. Replace 4.07.07 (D) with:
4.07.07(D) All pine and pecan trees, even those over 24 inches dbh, are not considered protected trees.

Everyone understands that trees falling in Hurricane Helene (and Debby and Idalia) were a big problem.

But this seems like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Continue reading →

Georgia post-Hurricane Helene Forestry Meeting Series 2024-12-10

For those of us with many trees blown down, this meeting should be very useful and informative.

Public Notice

POST HURRICANE HELENE FORESTRY MEETING SERIES

Participants: GA Forestry Commission (GFC), UGA Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources and UGA Cooperative Extension Service

DAY DATE LOCATION ADDRESS
Monday December 9 Tift County Extension Office 1468 Carpenter Rd S., Tifton, GA
Tuesday December 10 4-H Center, Lake Park 6100 4-H Club Rd. Lake Park, GA
Wednesday December 11 UGA Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center 8163 SR-147, Lyons, GA
Thursday December 12 Augusta Library 823 Telfair St., Augusta, GA

AGENDA

9:00-9:20 Registration
9:20-9:30 Welcome by County Extension Agent and GFC Forester
9:30-10:00 Hurricane Helene—Timber damage assessment — Troy Clymer and Ryan Phillips (GFC)
10:00-10:30 Forest markets and longevity — Lessons learned from Hurricane Michael — Devon Dartnell (GFC)
10:30-11:00 Assessing storm damaged stands — Dr. David Dickens or Dr. David Clabo (UGA Warnell School)
11:00-11:15 Break
11:15-11:45 Lean and uprooted pines recovery — Drs. David Dickens or David Clabo (UGA Warnell School)
11:45-12:15 Insect and diseases post hurricanes — frequent visits to pine stands — Dr. Elizabeth McCarty (UGA Warnell School)
12:15-12:45 Emergency Forestry Restoration Program (EFRP) and other programs after a declared natural disaster — Melissa Mullis (Farm Service Agency) or Ryan Phillips (GFC)
12:45-1:15 Lunch
1:15-1:45 Timber taxation and casualty losses— Dr. Yanshu Li (UGA Warnell School)
1:45-2:15 Reforestation options — Dr. David Dickens or Dr. David Clabo (UGA Warnell School)
2:15-2:45 Invasive species — ID and control options — Dr. David Clabo (UGA Warnell School) or Mark McClure (GFC)
2:45-3:30 Seedling availability updates — Arborgen, GFC, Meeks Nursery, and PRT/IFCO
3:30 Adjourn

Registration is required. Each location will only accommodate 90-100 attendees.
Dec 9 & 10 meetings – call 229-386-3298 or email salina@uga.edu
Dec 11 & 12 meetings – call 912-478-8986 or email dmiracle@uga.edu

Society of American Foresters continuing forestry education credits will be offered by meeting.
Georgia Master Timber Harvester continuing education credits will be offered by meeting.

DAY	DATE	LOCATION	ADDRESS
Monday	December 9	Tift County Extension Office	1468 Carpenter Rd S., Tifton, GA
Tuesday	December 10	4-H Center, Lake Park	6100 4-H Club Rd. Lake Park, GA
Wednesday	December 11	UGA Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center	8163 SR-147, Lyons, GA
Thursday	December 12	Augusta Library	823 Telfair St., Augusta, GA

-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!
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/donate

Videos: DRC Emergency Services, VSU South Campus Purchase, missing HOA, and Navigability @ LCC Regular 2024-10-23

As Gretchen noted, “There was no work session for this meeting. Shockingly there was discussion.”

The Commissioners and even the County Attorney and County Manager were quite chatty in the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, Tuesday, October 22, 2024, about hurricane debris, and especially about their upcoming $2 million purchase. They also heard from two citizens.

Collage @ LCC 23 October 2024

They revealed in 5.a. Agreement with DRC Emergency Services, LLC that the hurricane debris removal would probably last six months.

In 5.b. Purchase of VSU South Campus Property they revealed that the likely future occupant is is the Board of Elections. They discussed this one item for ten minutes! Unheard of. Good, though.

In 6. Reports – County Manager Paige Dukes estimated about $1.5 million in property damage to Lowndes County assets. Not counting VLPRA, Hospital, and other authorities with their own budgets.

Two citizens spoke: 7. CWTBH: Jesse Bingham of 2563 Naples Lane recounted a tale of multiple developers building wildly different buildings around his house, and still no HOA.

7. CWTBH: John S. Quarterman, speaking for WWALS Watershed Coalition as Suwannee Riverkeeper, talked about the Georgia House Study Committee on Navigability and recommended Commissioners contact statehouse members. See separate post.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Packet: DRC Emergency Services and VSU South Campus Purchase @ LCC 2024-10-22

Update 2024-10-23: Videos: DRC Emergency Services, VSU South Campus Purchase, missing HOA, and Navigability @ LCC Regular 2024-10-23.

The board packet adds the agreements to the agenda for this evening’s Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, 5:30 PM, Tuesday, October 22, 2024.

One agreement details the $3,500 a month for renting for hurricane debris removal the failed subdivision the county bought for $568,971 in February 2022, on GA 122 between Walker’s Crossing and Banks Lake.

The other agreement specifies what the county is buying from VSU for $2,156,000. It says they’re renting part of it back to VSU at least through December, with options for following months through June 2025, for $1 (one dollar) a month.

Collage, Packet, LCC 2024-10-24

The packet does not include a map of the VSU property being purchased, but presumably it’s the same as the lots in that block owned by BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA in this map by the Lowndes County Tax Assessors. At least those properties match the addresses listed in the agreement: 901 N Patterson Street, 903 N Patterson Street, 109-111 E. Force Street, 906-908 Slater Street, and 112 East Gordon. Continue reading →

Agenda: DRC Emergency Services and VSU South Campus Purchase @ LCC 2024-10-21

Update 2024-10-22: Packet: DRC Emergency Services and VSU South Campus Purchase @ LCC 2024-10-22.

The agenda is so light the Lowndes County Commission cancelled the Work Session, and are going straight to voting in the Regular Session, 5:30 PM, Tuesday, October 22, 2024.

They’re finally going to get some income for the failed subdivision they bought between Walker’s Crossing and Banks Lake, and they’re buying the old Georgia Power building from VSU for $2,156,000.

Hurricane debris removal rental, VSU South Campus purchase, No Work Session, Regular Session @ LLC 2024-10-22

The “VSU South Campus Property” is the old Georgia Power building at 901 N Patterson Street and apparently most of the rest of the block.

The location of the hurricane debris removal sounded familiar.

DRC Engineering Services, LLC is a hurricane debris removal contractor of the Georgia Department of Transportation. It has asked to use approximately five acres of County owned property located at 7404 Ga. Highway 122 East for hurricane debris management purposes. It has agreed to pay the County $3500 per month for use of the property. The proposed agreement is attached.

Ah, yes, the property the county bought for $568,971 in February 2022 because Continue reading →

Packet: ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn LTD rezoning, adoption of millage rates, USGS stream gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection @ LCC 2024-10-14

Update 2024-10-21: Agenda: DRC Emergency Services and VSU South Campus Purchase @ LCC 2024-10-21.

The TXT-2024-03 ULDC Text Amendments are quite long and detailed. The county still has not published them for the tax-paying and voting public to see. You can see them now, because LAKE got them with an open records request, and now they are on the LAKE website.

Packet: ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn rezoning, millage rates, river gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection: Grove Pointe, Nelson Hill @ LCC 2024-10-14

It’s good the Lowndes County Commissioners decided Tuesday to table those amendments (and the rezoning) until the Planning Commission can review them.

Cost	What
$3,369,213.71	Sprayfield Expansion Phase
$78,392.6.00	Grove Pointe Nelson Hill Watermain Interconnection
$3,025.00	Joint Funding Agreement with USGS for Stream Gauge Maintenance
$3,450,631.31	Total

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

Videos: ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn LTD rezoning, adoption of millage rates, USGS stream gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection @ LCC Regular 2024-10-15

Update 2024-10-17: Packet: ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn LTD rezoning, adoption of millage rates, USGS stream gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection @ LCC 2024-10-14.

As Chairman Bill Slaughter said they would in the preceding Millage Public Hearing, they adopted the roll back millage rate of 7.356 rather than the advertized rate of 7.804. Last year (2023) the rate was 8.778.

The Fire District Millage Rate is continuing at 2.5 mil. The commission plans to continue this rate for 5 years from the start date. This is probably year 3, so apparently 2 more years.

Collage @ LCC 15 October 2024

They actually did table the 5.a. TXT-2024-03 ULDC Text Amendments and the rezoning 5.b. REZ-2024-15 Loch Laurel – Carroll Ulmer so the Planning Commission could hear them at the October 28 meeting and then voted on at the November 12 Lowndes County Commission Regular Meeting.

There was quite a bit of discussion between Commissioners and Lowndes County Manager Paige Dukes and Utilities Director Steve Stalvey about the Sprayfield Expansion. Continue reading →

Videos: Forestry, Weather, ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn LTD rezoning, adoption of millage rates, USGS stream gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection @ LCC Work 2024-10-14

Update 2024-10-17: Videos: Millage Public Hearing @ LCC 2024-10-15.

Only in the Work Session this morning, and if you weren’t there, only in these LAKE videos:

8.a. Reports – Georgia Forestry Presentation (Work Session) by Chief Ranger Kenneth M. Wells
8.b. Reports – EMA Director Ashley Tye on Hurricane Helene

Collage @ LCC Regular 14 October 2024

In regular items, County Planner JD Dillard recommended tabling the ULDC Text Amendments until stakeholders have more time to comment. He referred to the copy Commissioners had in their packet. We the taxpayers and voters do not have a copy.

He also recommended tabling 5.b. REZ-2024-15 Loch Laurel – Carroll Ulmer until the Planning Commission can review it. Which indicates that GLPC did not meet last month, even though there was no announcement that it had been cancelled.

Finance Director Stephanie Black said there would be a Millage Public Hearing at 5PM tomorrow, Tuesday, October 15, before the 5:30 PM Regular Session.

There was discussion in 7.a. Sprayfield Expansion Phase I. Continue reading →

Agenda: ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn LTD rezoning, adoption of millage rates, USGS stream gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection @ LCC 2024-10-14

Update 2024-10-14: Videos: Forestry, Weather, ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn LTD rezoning, adoption of millage rates, USGS stream gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection @ LCC Work 2024-10-14.

The long-quorum-and-hurricane–delayed REZ-2024-15 Loch Winn LTD rezoning will probably be decided Tuesday evening by the Lowndes County Commission. Before that, it will be heard at the Work Session Monday morning 8:30 AM, along with suprise ULDC text amendments, two millage rates, river gauges, sprayfield, and watermain interconnection between two northside subdivisions.

The adoption of the regular and Fire District millage rates will presumbably get presentations much like the last Millage Public Hearing on September 19.

We get a one-paragraph summary of TXT-2024-03 ULDC Text Amendments, but not the actual text.

We would have seen the text in the GLPC packet, but back in June the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission abdicated oversight of ULDC text amendments. And in June, the Lowndes County Commission rubberstamped that abdication.

The agenda item says, “9/2024 VDT Advertisements Published (Public Notice)” but I can’t find that in GeorgiaPublicNotice.com.

What is it the county planners and Commissioners do not want the public to see?

ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn rezoning, millage rates, river gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection: Grove Pointe, Nelson Hill @ LCC 2024-10-14

Here’s a refresher for where this would be, between Old US 41 North and Val Del Road: Grove Pointe Nelson Hill Watermain Interconnection. Continue reading →

Lowndes County Commission Meetings Cancelled 2024-10-08

the county calendar entry for tonight’s Lowndes County Commission Regular Session says it is cancelled.

No reason was given, but likely it has to do with Hurricane Helene cleanup.

Cancelled: Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 2024-10-08

The calendar entry for yesterday morning’s Work Session does not say cancelled.

But no agenda was posted, so we can probably assume that one was also cancelled.