Tag Archives: John S. Quarterman

Roads, rezoning, sales tax, Sunday alcohol, and Troupville River Camp @ VCC 2019-12-05

Unusual on the Valdosta City Council agenda for Thursday are an award to Valdosta Main Street and a request by WWALS Watershed Coalition for support for its Troupville River Camp project; see also WWALS blog post.

Downtown Valdosta aerial logo
Photo: via Valdosta Today.

Possibly controversial is the item to allow Sunday Alcohol Sales to begin at 11:00 a.m. Business as usual includes a rezoning several road widening and other traffic improvement items.

Here is the agenda.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, December 5, 2019
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

  1. Opening Ceremonies
    1. Call to Order
    2. Invocation
    3. Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag
  2. Awards and Presentations
    1. Special Recognition of the Valdosta Main Street Program as a Georgia Exceptional Main Street (GEMS) by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Office of Downtown Development.
    2. Consideration of a request for a Special Presentation at the December 5, 2019 Regular City Council Meeting.
    3. Consideration of the December, 2019 Employee of the Month Award (Sergeant Heather Willis, Valdosta Police Department).
  3. Minutes Approval
    1. Valdosta City Council – Regular Meeting – Nov 7, 2019 5:30 PM
  4. Public Hearings
    1. Consideration of an Ordinance to rezone 6.70 acres from Planned Mixed Use Development (PMD) to Highway-Commercial (C-H) by Quick Trip Corporation (File No. VA-2019-08). The property is located at 1394 North St. Augustine Road. The Greater Lowndes Planning Commission reviewed this request at their November Regular Meeting and recommended approval (8-0 Vote).
    2. Consideration of an Ordinance for Text Amendments to Chapter 102 – General Provisions, Chapter 106 – Definitions, Chapter 242 – Zoning Procedures, Chapter 302 – Subdivision and Site Development Standards, and Chapter 332 – Infrastructure and Site Improvements of the City of Valdosta Land Development Regulations (File No. VA-2019-09). The Greater Lowndes Planning Commission reviewed this request at their November Regular Meeting and recommended approval (8-0 Vote).
  5. Ordinances and Resolutions
    1. Consideration of an Ordinance to amend the City of Valdosta’s Alcohol Ordinance to allow Sunday Alcohol Sales to begin at 11:00 a.m.
    2. Consideration of a Resolution authorizing the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Revenue to provide sales tax information to the City of Valdosta’s Finance Director.
    3. Consideration of a Resolution authorizing the acceptance of a Contract with the Georgia Department of Transportation for the Eager Road/Jerry Jones Widening Project.
  6. Bids, Contracts, Agreements and Expenditures
    1. Consideration of bids for traffic improvements at the intersection of Park Avenue and Forrest Street.
    2. Consideration of bids for a Front-End Loading Dumpster Garbage Truck for the Public Works Department.
    3. Consideration of a request to approve a Contract for new water meters for the City of Valdosta.
  7. Local Funding and Requests
    1. Consideration of a request to approve street selections for the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) Program.
    2. Consideration of a request from the WWALS Watershed Coalition for a Letter of Support for the Troupville River Camp.
  8. City Manager’s Report
  9. Council Comments
  10. Citizens to be Heard
  11. Adjournment

-jsq

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Videos: Developer opposes his own application @ GLPC 2019-10-28

Well, I’ve never seen this before, in a dozen years of watching this Planning Commission: an applicant opposing his own annexation request.

[Applicant against annexation, HA-2019-06 Ben House, 6670 Brookridge Drive, Hahira]
Applicant against annexation, HA-2019-06 Ben House, 6670 Brookridge Drive, Hahira

I asked the applicant afterwards, and he said Continue reading →

Georgia Beer Company Lease Agreement @ VLCIA 2018-02-07

There was weeping, when Georgia Beer Company got approval to lease to own the former Valdosta waterworks.

[Some crying from the applicants]
Some crying from the applicants

Here are LAKE videos of what happened at the Special Called Meeting of the Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority, February 7, 2018, and a few stills, followed by a LAKE video playlist, and some pictures of the subject property then and after opening.

Two sewer projects, personal care home, street name change @ VCC 2019-06-06

This agenda brought to you by Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), because mighty Valdosta’s new website forgot all its agendas and minutes since last October. No doubt they will get that fixed soon.


Still from LAKE video of CUP-2019-03 at the preceding Planning Commission meeting.

Here’s the agenda. See also the LAKE videos of the preceding Planning Commission meeting about the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to establish a Family Personal Care Home facility in a Residential-Professional (R-P) Zoning District as requested by Chad Bailey (File No. CU-2019-23 at 4019 Forrest Run Circle.

AMENDED AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, June 6, 2019
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

Continue reading →

Videos: Tower, appointments, sewer main, boat ramp, water trails, Paddle Georgia @ LCC 2019-05-14

All three rezonings breezed through, except slightly the longest was the tabling of the proposed 300′ communications tower off of US 84 East. The tower had the most people: those sitting in the back.

Surprisingly, one of the two Authority appointments was not the incumbent. None of the candidates were introduced, and none spoke.

One Citizen spoke, me, on behalf of WWALS, thanking them and inviting them.

Commissioner Clay Griner was not present. The other four voting Commissioners unanimously approved everything, including the one tabling. At least two staff speakers were not introduced, one not named except by last name, and one never named at all.

Below are Continue reading →

Annual Retreat, Valdosta Mayor and Council @ VCCSummit 2019-03-15

Not on Valdosta’s online calendar yet, but we got this email notice from City Council Tim Carroll, indicating Valdosta wastewater is first on his list to discuss. His number 4 about Internet speed and access is also of interest throughout the county and beyond. As are his other items.

All,

I hope each and everyone of you are having a great start to 2019. As we kick the year off, it is time to begin preparing for the cities annual Mayor and Council retreat.

It will be held March 15 & 16 at the Women’s Building.

When: All day, Friday-Saturday, March 15-16, 2019

Where: The Woman’s Building,
1409 N. Patterson St., Valdosta, GA 31602

What: Annual Retreat, Valdosta Mayor and City Council


The Woman’s Bulding

My current list includes: Continue reading →

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

Continue reading →