Tag Archives: sewer

Videos: Redo rezonings and a citizen paving request @ LCC 2022-09-13

Two weeks agao the Lowndes County Commission at its Regular Session recognized Fire Chief Lloyd Green for finishing second in his age class in a recent road race.

Then they unanimously approved the previously-rejected O’Neal James Road rezoning, after applicant’s attorney Bill Langdale pointed out the code infractions would have to get fixed regardless of the rezoning decision.


[Rezonings and Citizens To Be Heard, Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 2022-09-13]
Rezonings and Citizens To Be Heard, Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 2022-09-13

On the previously-decided Campus Howell Road rezoning, they voted twice to invalidate their previous vote. because first they forgot to hold the public hearing. Twice because the Chairman first forgot to hold the Public Hearing. In the Hearing, several citizens spoke against the rezoning. The actual rezoning decision will be taken somewhere between six and nine months later, after the other Public Hearing held just after this Public Hearing.

In the other Public Hearing, they took no vote, since the vote will be sometime between March and May 2023. The rezoning may also go before the Planning Commission again before then. One citizen spoke against, asking why bother going through the Planning Commission again considering that the County Commission rejected the previous GLPC recommendation. County Chairman Bill Slaughter said GLPC will be asked if that is required for due process. Joshua Knight and Brent Moore spoke for.

All the extraterritorial water and sewer extensions passed, but both the Valdosta ones by split votes.

Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker voted against the Griner Park work, saying it is not a top priority and later they might get more than one bid. It passed anyway.

Everything else passed unanimously.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also Continue reading →

Videos: 6 Remerton, 4 Valdosta, 1 Hahira, 1 Lowndes County cases @ GLPC 2022-08-29

The most contentious case at the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission on August 29, 2022, was, at 28 minutes, Lowndes County REZ-2022-15 Gary O’Neal, 2547 US 84 West, 0089-094 and 095, 3.24 Acres, Current Zoning: R-21 (Medium Density Residential) Proposed Zoning: C-H (Highway Commercial). This was the only split vote. For that past case and for the Lowndes County Commission decision this time, see Packet: redo 2 rezonings, 3 extraterritorial water & sewer, $438,537 RR crossing, $2,542,586 Griner Park @ LCC 2022-09-12.

Second at 21 minutes was Continue reading →

Videos: GA Forestry, $3 million, redoing 2 rezonings, 3 extraterritorial water and sewer @ LCC 2022-09-12

Update 2022-09-26: Videos: Redo rezonings and a citizen paving request @ LCC 2022-09-13.

Update 2022-09-21: Videos: 6 Remerton, 4 Valdosta, 1 Hahira, 1 Lowndes County cases @ GLPC 2022-08-29.

Other than the seven-minute not-on-the-agenda Georgia Forestry presentation by Lowndes County Chief Ranger Mike Williford, the highest-dollar item got the most discussion: Griner Park, at the corner of Webster and Ashley Street.

There was no discussion of the items about redoing their botched rezoning decision.

They did kvetch about each of the extraterritorial jurisdiction items for water and sewer, alleging it was all somebody else’s fault. But why did the county not catch these earlier?

That was at the Work Session yesterday morning. The Lowndes County Commission voted this evening at their Regular Session.


[Videos and a picture]
Videos and a picture

Some Commissioners seemed unclear on why they were spending so much on Griner Park. Here’s Gretchen’s take: Continue reading →

Packet: redo 2 rezonings, 3 extraterritorial water & sewer, $438,537 RR crossing, $2,542,586 Griner Park @ LCC 2022-09-12

Update 2022-09-21: Videos: 6 Remerton, 4 Valdosta, 1 Hahira, 1 Lowndes County cases @ GLPC 2022-08-29.

Update 2022-09-13: Videos: GA Forestry, $3 million, redoing 2 rezonings, 3 extraterritorial water and sewer @ LCC 2022-09-12.

Update 2022-09-13: County rehab center vote invalid –Valdosta Daily Times 2022-09-12.

Update 2022-09-13: Videos: slides @ LCC Millage 2022-08-23.

Lowndes County will approve spending almost $3 million this week, on a downtown Valdosta park and a railroad crossing, but you wouldn’t know that from the agenda.

[Maps]
Maps

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

Maybe Lowndes County could put board packets on its own website, like other counties large and small in Georgia and Florida have been doing for many years.

Cost What
$2,542,586.00 Griner Lot Improvements
$438,537.00 Briggston Road Paving Project Agreement with Valdosta Railway, L.P.
$2,981,123.00Total

The county will also redo two rezoning decisions for which the the Chairman previously decided split votes.

Plus three extraterritorial jurisdiction water and sewer requests, one from Hahira for a sprayfield, and two for commercial properties by Valdosta.

And the county is accepting infrastructure for a subdivision, while as usual pretending that won’t cost the taxpayers anything.

Here is the agenda. See also: Continue reading →

Agenda: 6 Remerton, 4 Valdosta, 1 Hahira, 1 Lowndes County cases @ GLPC 2022-08-29

Update 2022-09-21: Videos: 6 Remerton, 4 Valdosta, 1 Hahira, 1 Lowndes County cases @ GLPC 2022-08-29.

I wonder if the developer at Wainwright Drive in Valdosta knows about the repeated sewer leaks on One Mile Branch? And will Valdosta ever fix those before something else is built near there, putting more load on the sewer system?

[Both pages of the agenda]
Both pages of the agenda

Almost all of the four Remerton cases are variances, because Remerton does its own variances without going through Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA).

Hahira has a partly commercial rezoning northeast of I-75 Exit 29.

Lowndes County has one rezoning from residential to highway commercial.

Board packet and LAKE videos will follow.

Here is the agenda:

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~

Monday, August 22, 2022 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, August 29, 2022 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

Continue reading →

Three Citizens, budget, DUI, water, sewer, paving, cyber security, tractor @ LCC 2022-06-28

Forty minutes was a long meeting for the Lowndes County Commission, at its Regular Session two weeks ago, Tuesday, June 28, 2022.

[Three citizens make a long meeting]
Three citizens make a long meeting

Three Citizens Wishing To Be Heard spoke for about 13.5 minutes. 4. Animal Control Officers Recognition took six minutes. So the scheduled items took about twenty minutes, which is usual.

Chairman Bill Slaughter was absent, so the meeting was presided over by Vice-Chair Scottie Orenstein. They approved everything unanimously.

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: Construction Board Appointment, Budget, DUI Court, Water, Sewer, Paving, Cyber Security @ LCC 2022-06-27

The packet for the June 26 and 27, 2022, Lowndes County Commission meetings is on the LAKE website.

[Hotel/Motel Taxes]
Hotel/Motel Taxes

Follow this link:
Packet: Construction Board Appointment, Budget, DUI Court, Water, Sewer, Paving, Cyber Security @ LCC 2022-06-27

-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!

Videos: DUI Court, Cyber Security, Road Paving, Water and Sewer, and Budget @ LCC 2022-06-27

Update 2022-06-28: Three Citizens, budget, DUI, water, sewer, paving, cyber security, tractor @ LCC 2022-06-28.

Yesterday morning at their 11-minute Work Session the Lowndes County Commission and staff ran through everything as fast as the items could be read off.

Vice-Chair Scottie Orenstein presided in the absence of Chairman Bill Slaughter.

[Items]
Items

They vote tonight at 5:30 PM.

Below are Continue reading →

Construction board appointment, Budget, DUI Court, water and sewer, TIA, and cyber security @ LCC 2022-06-27

Update 2022-06-28: Videos: DUI Court, Cyber Security, Road Paving, Water and Sewer, and Budget @ LCC 2022-06-27.

No rezonings this week, but a board appointment, budget adoption, money shuffling for the DUI Court, and two water and sewer infrastructure adoptions that, as usual, Lowndes County pretends will not cost the taxpayers money. Plus a mower for Public Works and some cyber security stuff. All at the Monday morning Work Session and the Tuesday 5:30 PM Regular Session.

[Both pages of the agenda]
Both pages of the agenda

Here is the agenda. A LAKE open records request has gone in for the board packet.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2022, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2022, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

RIP Sonny Vickers + two sewer lines fixed @ VCC 2022-06-23

Update 2022-06-27: Trash boom good; more needed –Suwannee Riverkeeper @ VCC 2022-06-23.

Flags are to fly half-mast Sunday across the entire state of Georgia at the state Capitol and in Lowndes County for the late Sonny Vickers, whose absence loomed large over the Valdosta City Council meeting. The funeral will be 3 PM Sunday. There will be a special election for his Council seat, as required by the city charter.

[Sonny Vickers and other matters]
Sonny Vickers and other matters

Mayor and Council also increased the number of vehicles for their on-call transit service, and approved two sewer line fixes.

One Citizen to Be Heard proposed renaming Cherry Street to Sonny Vickers Lane. Two others asked the city to do more about trash.

Also, that was the last Council meeting for Utilities Director David Frost, whose last day was today (Friday).

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda. The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website. Some of the materials are out of order (I don’t know why), so if you don’t find something at first, keep looking.

Here’s a LAKE video playlist:

RIP Sonny Vickers + two sewer lines fixed @ VCC 2022-06-23
Valdosta City Council Regular Session, June 23, 2022, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

-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!