Tag Archives: Kinderlou

Videos: James Road rezoning and three water projects @ LCC 2023-03-14

The contentious James Road rezoning passed by 3:2, on March 14, 2023. After speakers for and against, and questions from Lowndes County Commissioners, Commissioner Clay Griner made the motion, and Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker seconded. They and Commissioner Scottie Orenstein voted in favor. Commissioners Joyce Evans and Demarcus Marshall voted against.

[Collage @ LCC 14 March 2023]
Collage @ LCC 14 March 2023

Everything else passed unanimously, including the $1.2 million for three water projects, two for subdivisions with golf clubs, and the most expensive one to run a watermain up Val Del Road, enticing more subdivisions up that way.

Cost What
$980,051.00Val-Del Water Main Extension
$225,910.30Francis Lake Sewer Rehab
$26,585.50Kinderlou Offsite Well Emergency Repair
$1,232,546.80Total

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

See also Continue reading

Packet: James Road rezoning and three water projects @ LCC 2023-03-13

Update 2023-04-04: Videos: James Road rezoning and three water projects @ LCC 2023-03-14.

The board packet for the March 13 and 14, 2023, sessions of the Lowndes County Commission is on the LAKE website, received in response to a LAKE open records request.

[Collage, Board Packet, LCC 2023-03-13]
Collage, Board Packet, LCC 2023-03-13

It is still mysterious why the county does not put its board packets on its own website. Under Agenda Center for each County Commission agenda there is even a pulldown slot for “Packet”. That currently has only the agenda and the one-page agenda sheets. There is no reason it could not instead have the PDF of the entire board packet.

See also the LAKE videos of the Regular Session, the LAKE videos of the Work Session, the agenda, the minutes, and the preceding Planning Commission meeting.

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Videos: Contentious James Road rezoning @ LCC Work 2023-03-13

This wasn’t even the Public Hearing, which is tomorrow evening. The Lowndes County Commissioners themselves were trying to make sense of the James Road rezoning. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know how many floors the current zoning allows, and whether Smith Road would be improved. Two floors and the county has no plans to modify Smith Road at this time.

[Collage @ LCC 13 March 2023]
Collage @ LCC 13 March 2023

Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker wanted to know when James Road got widened. The County Planner said, “prior to 2008, for sure.” The County Manager said, “about fifteen years ago.” Actually, that widening started on February 16, 2009, which is 14 years ago. The County Manager later did produce the date of 2009; apparently the County Attorney looked that up.

The widening happened because of the proposed-in-2007 but-never-built Continue reading

James Road rezoning, Kinderlou well emergency repair, Francis Lake sewer rehab, Val Del water main extension to McMillan Road @ LCC 2023-03-13

It will be a busy Work Session this morning at the Lowndes County Commission, with a rezoning, an emergency well repair, a sewer main rehab, and yet another water main extension northwards along Val Del Road, pushing sprawl with it.

As usual, they pretend the rezoning will cost the county nothing, yet the vast majority of the more than a million dollars for the water items is for the water main extension, which will result in more rezonings and more subdivisions. This has been the county’s practice on Val Del Road since they pushed water and sewer north for Nelson Hill subdivision. As goes Val Del, so goes the county, if the County Commission continues to have its way.

Cost What
$980,051.00Val-Del Water Main Extension
$225,910.30Francis Lake Sewer Rehab
$26,585.50Kinderlou Offsite Well Emergency Repair
$1,232,546.80Total

I do not have the board packet, because I forgot to send in a GORA request. Why the county does not put its board packets on its own website is mysterious. Under Agenda Center for each County Commission agenda there is even a pulldown slot for “Packet”. That currently has only the agenda and the one-page agenda sheets. There is no reason it could not instead have the PDF of the entire board packet.

[Agenda, James Road rezoning]
Agenda, James Road rezoning

However, the county got around to sending the GLPC materials for the rezoning the day after the GLPC meeting, well after the statutory three day limit for the Georgia Open Records Act (GORA). So those rezoning materials are on the LAKE website.

Here is the agenda. Continue reading

Videos: Rezoning, Roads, Communications, Water leak @ LCC Regular 2022-08-09

The Lowndes County Commission took seventeen minutes to do the people’s business at its Regular Session, Tuesday, August 9, 2022.


[Collage]

The Flannigan rezoning was withdrawn by the applicant. Perhaps they thought that without a more complete plan, the rezoning would be denied and then they couldn’t come back for a year. By withdrawing, they do not have to wait to come with a new, more complete proposal.

The Boring Pond Lane abandonment actually had a speaker for, who Continue reading

Videos: Abandoned Voting @ LCC 2016-05-24

Record low attendance, not record but very short session time, even with a full agenda; at least you can see last month’s last Lowndes County Commission Regular Session in these LAKE videos. They meet again 8:30 AM this morning.

See also the LAKE videos of the May 23rd Work Session. In the May 24th Regular Session, there were still no questions yesterday from Commissioners about that $55,979.00 in two no-bid items.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall did ask Continue reading

Videos: Abandon Beaver Lane, Aging Development Appointments, Kinderlou Lift Station Pump @ LCC 2016-05-23

Will they take longer to vote this evening at 5:30 PM than the 8 1/2 minutes for yesterday morning’s Work Session with a full agenda?

No questions yesterday from Commissioners about that $55,979.00 in two no-bid items, although the County Manager did say “quotes” about the . lift station pump. The County Manager’s Report did say he’d received an annexation request from Hahira for the W. Main St. property and he indicated no grounds for the county to protest.

The only question from a Commissioner was about which one of them might be picked to serve with “Ms. Andrea Schuijer” on the South Regional Joint Development Authority. Answer: maybe Clay Griner. Nobody asked why the county’s web page on that Joint Authority says Andrea Schruijer is already on it. Is this a reappointment? And which slots are vacant? Also, what does this Joint Authority do?

For the Southern Georgia Area Agency on Aging, yes it’s Commissioner Joyce Evans for reappointment.

County Engineer Mike Fletcher said the Beaver Lane closing previously came up in 2002 and was denied, but now some of the opponents from then are for it. Tonight is not the public hearing: merely a determination on scheduling a public hearing. Continue reading

Abandon Beaver Lane, Aging Development Appointments, Kinderlou Lift Station Pump @ LCC 2016-05-23

This morning’s 8:30 AM $45,600.00 for new grounds for four radio towers: was it in the budget, or is this another emergency no-bid item? Ditto the $10,379.00 for the Kinderlou Lift Station Pump? Each item names only one company quoting.

After abandoning Beaver Lane, will the county vote to fix it as a private road, 4689 Mt. Zion Road, parcel 0061 01 like they did with Carter Way? And from whom did the county receive the abandonment request? Will the County Manager’s Report include the Hahira W. Main St. annexation?

Also on the Lowndes County Commission agenda for discussion Monday morning and vote Tuesday evening, appointing “Ms. Andrea Schuijer and a Commissioner” to the Continue reading