Tag Archives: Safety

Lighting, mosquito, prison, radios, cameras, phones, 3 pumps, valves @ LCC 2018-08-13

It’s equipment day at the Lowndes County Commission. On the agenda for 8:30 this morning, firefighting Bullard thermal imaging cameras. Motorola public safety radios, Motorola mobile data terminals, and AT&T Intrado Phone System for E911 services, possibly the most expensive item at $244,324.00.

Lowndes County Emergency Operations Center

Prison work details (to do jobs locals could do), mosquito testing (fortunately, Lowndes does not spray for mosquitos). Lift station pumps at Bevel Creek (again, and it feeds the Land Application Site or LAS), and Hart Road/Skipper Bridge, a pump for Gorman Rupp Bypass, and Coleman Road Lift Station Check Valves. And of course an Addition to Basic Decorative Lighting District: Creekside West, Phase 3B, GA Hwy 122, west of Hahira on Franks Creek.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2018, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2018, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: EOC, KLVB, Grinder Pump, Bank, Computers, Health Ordinance, and Alcohol @ LCC 2018-07-24

Longest at 2.5 minutes: appointment to Parks and Rec. Commissioner Scottie Orenstein was not present at this Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

Not on the agenda and not on the county’s website, Chairman’s Announcement of Emergency Operations Center Open House.

The applicant spoke for 6.a. Beer, Wine & Liquor License – Jack’s Chophouse, 4479 N. Valdosta Rd. We have a winner for the RFP for Banking Services.

Maybe they all finally got to read the 7 d. Ordinance Adopting Current Board of Health Rules, since this time Continue reading →

Lowndes EMA Hurricane Season Open House 2018-07-26

WTXL, 19 July 2018, Lowndes County holds open house to inform community on severe weather,

LOWNDES COUNTY, Fla. [sic: s.b. Georgia] (WALB)—Lowndes County Emergency services personnel are preparing for an upcoming open house to inform community members of possible severe weather that could strike this season.

Ashley Tye, Lowndes County EMA Director, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Still of Lowndes County EMA Director Ashley Tye from Atlanta Journal-Constitution video 10 September 2017

When: 6-8PM, Thursday, July 26, 2018

Where: 250 Douglas St, Valdosta, GA 31601-5029

Event: facebook

Join local emergency responders and Meteorologist Kerri Copello, News Manager for WFXL/Fox 31, for a tour of the EOC and an informational session on the 2018 Hurricane Season to include preparedness information.

Continue reading →

Videos: Day 2, Planning, Lowndes County Commission @ LCC 2018-02-20

These videos are for those of you who have jobs, or responsibilities, which prevent you from taking random days or hours off at a time. Commissioner Marshall was absent from the second day of the retreat because he has a job which does not allow him the flexibility of daytime hours off. (The first day of the retreat was on Presidents Day.)

The topics of discussion ranged from the ever popular litter and trash collection, to special tax districts, fire and emergency response, animal control and the animal shelter, and one of my favorites, electronic records. Most presentations were made either by the county manager or clerk but the current Deep South Solid Waste Authority Chairman Kevin Beals was first up to talk trash.

Below are links to each LAKE video of Day 2, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the LAKE videos of Day 1 and Continue reading →

Update: Chemical smell, schools, and industry on Clay Road

Maybe ask the company that adopted Clay Road? Response yesterday from the EMA Lowndes facebook page:

Hi, as a point of clarification emergency personnel responded to reports of an odor; however, after thorough investigation no evidence of a chemical leak or release could be identified or confirmed. As a precaution, the Board of Education property was accessed by responders. No evidence of contamination was present. A follow up visit to the area later this morning reports the odor was no longer present.

Thank you, EMA Lowndes, for responding, and on a weekend, too.

However, people couldn’t get home that night.

ADM Adopt-A-Street, From Howell Road
Adopt-A-Street ADM, Clay Road north from Howell Road google street view.

I still think it would be good to check with nearby industry. Maybe start with Continue reading →

Chemical leak next to Lowndes County Schools Transportation Department

Update 2017-11-05: Word from EMA Lowndes, and how about ask the company that adopted Clay Road?

Already heard about last night on facebook, a chemical leak on Clay Rosd at Howell Road is next to the Lowndes County Schools Transportation Department. Were all those school buses affected?

Google Street View, SE Corner Clay and Howell Roads
Photo: Google street view.

Valdosta Daily Times, 3 November 2017, Chemical leak reported off Clay Road,

VALDOSTA — Lowndes County officials said late Friday a possible chemical leak located in the vicinity of Clay Road resulted in temporary road closures.

Sheriff Ashley Paulk said Continue reading →

Videos: Hurricane Irma, Register rezoning, Utility Authority @ LCC 2017-09-26

23 minutes last night to approve 3:2 with many conditions rezoning the 6c. REZ-2017-09 Robert A. Register Estate, with no shouting afterwards like there was at at the previous evening’s Planning Commission meeting, yet a lot of grumbling at the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, especially since they seem to have forgotten the greenspace condition.

Biggest crowd in a long time, REZ-2017-09 Robert A. Register Estate

I would like to commend the Commission for the amount and depth of discussion in this meeting, especially in the unscheduled 10. Commission Comments and Recognitions and Meeting Adjournment, which was mostly about Clay Griner’s idea of having a county-wide utility authority including all the cities in the county. Update 2017-10-20: moved the rest of this utility authority commentary down to the video item below.

Also not on the agenda was Chairman Slaughter comments on community response to Hurricane Irma (which were mostly about county staff; well-deserved especially for Ashley Tye) and Georgia Power Representative recognizes county hurricane response.

While it’s great that Georgia Power came to compliment the county, does that electric utility rep. reside in or pay property taxes in Lowndes County, and why was he not required to state his name and address? Ditto the software salesman for Continue reading →

Videos: HEAT on Lake Park @ LCC 2017-09-25

Yesterday morning, most lengthhy at 6 minutes was 6c. REZ-2017-09 Robert A. Register Estate, followed at 2 minutes by 7 a. Amended Motorized Cart Ordinance.

Below are links to each LAKE video of the Work Session of 25 September 2017. See also the previous notes with the agenda. For the three rezoning cases, see also the LAKE videos of the Planning Commission meetings of 28 August 2017 and 25 September 2017.

HEAT on the agenda @ LCC 2017-09-25

This morning, 8:30 AM, all of the items from the previous cancelled meeting are back on the agenda, for voting Tuesday 5:30 PM. Plus four more:

  1. For Consideration:
    1. Addendum to the Withlacoochee Flood Inundation Mapping Project
    2. USGS Funding Agreement for Hwy 122 Stream Gauge
    3. Public Safety Information Technology Purchase
    4. High Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (HEAT), Document:

      HISTORY, FACTS, AND ISSUES: The certified Lowndes County fatality rate: 2006-14, 2007-14, 2008~19, 2009-16, 2010-18, 2011-15, 2012-11, 2013-7, 2014-14, 2015-19, 2016-20. Any traffic fatality in Lowndes County is too many. For numerous years, the county has been plagued with an unacceptable fatality rate. Consistently for ten years between 2006 and 2016 we suffered with as much as nineteen people dying annually in crashes. In April 2012 the Sheriff created the SPEED team which joined forces with the Valdosta Police HEAT team. Together both agencies diligently fought to reduce the fatality rate. In 2013, Lowndes County recorded an unprecedented lowest rate of the decade with seven fatalities.

      radar gun
      Photo: Valdosta Daily Times

      Soon after, the police department lost their HEAT team which contributed to a Continue reading →

Videos: West Mims Fire, Water Trails, Transportation, Construction Board, 3 tax lighting districts, mosquitoes, no-bid contract @ LCC 2017-08-08

“There’s nobody that can tackle something like that alone,” said Emergency Management Director Ashley Tye in a West Mims Fire Special Presentation with firefighters from all over Lowndes County and its cities, including a resolution from the Charlton County Commission.

Citizen Gretchen Quarterman spoke about WWALS and trash and cameras at the Naylor Boat Ramp site, and about Boy Scouts at the GA 133 Boat Ramp. Citizen Jim Parker poked them about public transportation and renewable energy.

They’re settling on “Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Road to Success”, but when did Commissioners decide on that between the previous morning’s open meeting and this one? But wait: Continue reading →