Tag Archives: public health

Videos: Animals, Library Board, Lighting, Mosquitoes, Prisoners, Stormwater @ LCC Regular 2024-08-27

Citizen Burton Fletcher spoke for five minutes about Animal Control Funding, out of the fourteen minutes of the Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission of August 27, 2024. That leaves 9 minutes, minus 2 minutes for the County Manager Report and a minute for the Call to Order, Invocation, and Pledge, means 7 minutes of actual business. They approved everything unanimously.

[Collage @ LCC 27 August 2024]
Collage @ LCC 27 August 2024

They reappointed Bill Booth and appointed Debra Ruth to the Lowndes County Library Board.

Nobody spoke for or against the 6.a. Basic Decorative Street Lighting Districts.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman (actually none this time), followed by a LAKE video playlist.

County Manager Paige Dukes in her Reports said staff were attending the statewide Homebuilders Association meeting. Homebuilders are “stakeholders” after all.

In Citizens Wishing to Be Heard, Burton Fletcher noted $1.5 million for the Animal Shelter didn’t actually help much, and he wondered what has happened in the year or two since groundbreaking.

See also Continue reading

Videos: Library Board, Lighting, Mosquitoes, Prisoners, Stormwater @ LCC Work 2024-08-26

Update 2024-09-08: Videos: Animals, Library Board, Lighting, Mosquitoes, Prisoners, Stormwater @ LCC Regular 2024-08-27.

Four minutes is all yesterday morning’s meeting took, the Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

Vice Chair Demarcus Marshall chaired the meeting in the absence of Chairman Slaughter.

[Collage @ LCC 26 August 2024]
Collage @ LCC 26 August 2024

The only questions were about 7.b. Annual Contract Renewal with the State of GA Department of Corrections. Public Works Director Robin Cumbus explained that the county only pays when the work details are used and that no qualified inmates have been available for some time, however having the contract in place makes it possible to use the inmates, should any become qualified.

The County Manager’s Report may or may not have been requested. In any case, she didn’t report. She usually saves that for the Regular Session.

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: Library Board, Lighting, Mosquitoes, Prisoners, Stormwater @ LCC 2024-08-26

Should be a quick meeting. Monday morning, to vote on Tuesday evening, the Lowndes County Commission will review applicants to the Library Board, approve an annual mosquito identifaction contract and an annual agreement with the state for prisoner work details, as well as two Special Decorative Street Lighting Districts, for The Landings, Ph. 3 and Quarterman Estates, Ph. 4 Sec. 2.

[Collage, Packet @ LCC 2024-08-26]
Collage, Packet @ LCC 2024-08-26

Here is the agenda.

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

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2024, 8:30 P.M.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2024, 5:30 P.M.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading

Boil Water Advisory, south Lowndes County, Georgia 2024-08-22

Posted on: August 22, 2024

Boil Water Advisory

[Boil Water Advisory, South Lowndes County, Broken water main @ LCC 2024-08-22]
Boil Water Advisory, South Lowndes County, Broken water main @ LCC 2024-08-22

On behalf of Lowndes County Utilities, a contractor was performing maintenance work on a 12-inch water main in the Whitewater Rd area and inadvertently caused a significant break in the line. This break has caused service disruption to a large portion of South Lowndes County. Crews are actively working to isolate and repair the broken water main. There is currently no estimate of how long the repairs will take.

As a result of the break, Lowndes County Utilities is issuing a boil water advisory for the affected areas. If you have not experienced a water outage, the boil water advisory does not apply to you! The advisory is being issued out of an abundance of caution — there is the potential a health hazard may exist due to microbial contamination in these areas without positive pressure. In order to protect the public from a potential health hazard, customers that have experienced water outages and/or low water pressures are advised to use only boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking, cooking, or preparing food. To properly boil tap water for use, customers should:

  • Heat water until bubbles come quickly from the bottom of the container;
  • Continue heating the water for one minute once it begins to boil;
  • Remove the water from the heat source and allow it to cool before use.

During a Boil Water Advisory, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that boiled tap water or bottled water be used for the following: Continue reading

Videos: Special Called Meeting about Opioids Settlement 2024-08-12

It’s still not clear why it was urgent to have a Special Called Meeting about Opioids Settlements when a Regular Session was scheduled for the next day of the Lowndes County Commission.

Here are LAKE videos of each agenda item, with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

[Collage @ LCC 12 August 2024]
Collage @ LCC Special Called Meeting 12 August 2024 Continue reading

Special Called Meeting about Opioids Settlement @ LCC 2024-08-12

Update 2024-08-15: Videos: Special Called Meeting about Opioids Settlement 2024-08-12.

According to the calendar on lowndescounty.com there’s a Special Called Meeting at 9AM Monday, August 12, 2024.

[Special Called Meeting, 9AM Monday 2024-08-12, No agenda, but about Opioids Settlements, Lowndes County Commission]
Special Called Meeting, 9AM Monday 2024-08-12, No agenda, but about Opioids Settlements, Lowndes County Commission

There’s no agenda on that website.

Apparently if you signed up to get notices of meetings, the email you get says this meeting is about the Opioids Settlement.

What could be so urgent that the Commissioners can’t wait until the Regular Session the next day is not clear.

Maybe there’s a deadline? Not clear why staff could not predict such a deadline and schedule earlier.

There’s nothing in the main page on the Georgia Attorney General’s website about any 2024 deadlines: National Opioids Settlements – Information for Georgia Cities and Counties.

Maybe the county will tell us Monday at 9AM what’s going on and why it’s so urgent.

-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: Quarterman Road rezoning unanimously denied; Mt. Zion Church Road rezoning unanimously approved @ LCC Regular 2023-09-12

Update 2023-09-16: by WWALS, Videos: Quarterman Road rezoning unanimously denied @ LCC 2023-09-12.

After five local residents spoke against and nobody for, the Lowndes County Commission unanimously denied the inappropriate 2.5-acre rezoning REZ-2023-04 on Quarterman Road.

[Collage @ LCC 12 September 2023]
Collage @ LCC 12 September 2023

Then after Roy Copeland spoke for the R-21 rezoning REZ-2023-10 on Mt. Zion Church Road and nobody spoke against, the Commissioners unanimously approved that one.

They unanimously approved almost everything else, including appointing Dr. Anthony Johnson to the Lowndes County Board of Health. The Family Medicine Dr. Johnson; not the eye doctor, although we only know that because LAKE filed an open records request for the board packet and published the results.

The exception was 7.b. Hamilton Green Acceptance of Water – Sewer Infrastructure. Continue reading

Videos: Seven minutes on REZ-2023-04 Quarterman Road @ LCC Work

Update 2023-09-12 The application for the Quarterman Road rezoning, and more petition signatures against it @ LCC 2023-09-12.

The proposed 2.5-acre rezoning on Quarterman Road is inappropriate, as the Planning Commission indicated by their 7:1 vote to recommend denial. The Lowndes County Commission spent almost seven minute on this item.

Tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM, they should deny this rezoning.

Meanwhile, county staff still can not find any record of the 1980s rezoning for the nearby half-acre-lot subdivision.

[Collage @ LCC 11 September 2023]
Collage @ LCC 11 September 2023

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: Board of Health appointment, two rezonings, 4 water, mosquitoes @ LCC 2023-09-11

Update 2023-09-11: Videos: Seven minutes on REZ-2023-04 Quarterman Road @ LCC Work 2023-09-11.

In a busy agenda, the Lowndes County Commission will discuss Monday morning at 8:30 AM and vote on Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM appointing Dr. Anthony Johnson to the Board of Health, four water and sewer items, mosquitoes, and two rezonings.

[Collage, LCC Packet 2023-09-11]
Collage, LCC Packet 2023-09-11

In their preceding meeting, the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) by a 7:1 vote recommended denial for REZ-2023-04 Chase, 6119 Quarterman Rd, ~18 acres, E-A to R-A, Well & Septic, and GLPC unanimously recommended approval for REZ-2023-10 Copeland, 3728 Mt. Zion Church Rd., ~4ac, E-A to R-21.

Cost What
$287,786.39LAS Expansion Clearing & Grubbing
$105,000.00Meter Backflow Device Purchase
$68,889.40Bevel Creek Lift Station Pump
$55,194.30Annual Contract Renewal with VSU for Mosquito Identification and Testing
$516,870.09Total

Of the half a million dollars in expenditures the Commission they will probably approve Tuesday, more than half is for expansion of the Land Application Site (LAS). Two of the others are also water or sewer projects. They do not list a cost for the other water and sewer project: Hamilton Green Acceptance of Water & Sewer Infrastructure.

Here is the agenda.

The board packet materials, received by LAKE in response to a LAKE open records request, are on the LAKE website. Several requested items are missing. We will ask again.

For the preceding GLPC meeting, see also Continue reading

Video: Windstream Proposed rural Fiber Internet @ LCC Rural Internet 2022-11-07

It’s good Lowndes County is finally doing something about Internet access.

[Windstream presenter, map, Lowndes County officials]
Windstream presenter, map, Lowndes County officials

It took a pandemic to impress upon the county that fast Internet access for everyone really is necessary, and Windstream volunteering, plus state funding, but something is apparently finally happening. Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter thanked state Senator Russ Goodman for helping.

Slaughter also made it clear that Windstream would be making all the decisions about deployment. Slaughter emphasized that the county would be working closely with windstream, but apparently the county’s role is mostly telling people about it.

Slaughter said information about this program would be available on the county’s website, but I can’t find anything on lowndescounty.com.

Here’s a LAKE video playlist:

Continue reading