Tag Archives: Val Del Estates

Videos: Tourism Authority appointments, rezonings, water repairs, hurricane damage @ LCC Regular 2024-12-10

At their December 10, 2024, Regular Session, the Lowndes County Commission reappointed Rick Williams to the 5.a. Valdosta Lowndes County Conference Center and Tourism Authority, and appointed Amanda Peacock to replace Michael Smith (who was recently elected to join the Lowndes County Commission in 2025)

[Collage @ LCC 10 December 2024]
Collage @ LCC 10 December 2024

There was quite a bit of opposition to 6.a. REZ-2024-18 LSO Invest, 3910 Old US 41 N, ~0.93ac, R-21 to C-C. Previously, GLPC recommended Denial 7:1. Lowndes County Commissioner Scottie Orenstein recused himself. The other County Commissioners unanimously approved this rezoning. Disgruntled citizens filed out, with grumbling and finger pointing at a certain Commissioner.

The applicant withdrew 6.c. REZ-2024-20 Wilson Estate, 5917 Thunder Bowl Rd., ~1.7ac, E-A to R-1.

The Lowndes County Commissioners unanimously approved everything else.

Not on the agenda: Continue reading

Packet: Tourism Authority appointments, rezonings, water repairs, hurricane damage @ LCC 2024-12-09

Update 2025-01-14: Videos: Tourism Authority appointments, rezonings, water repairs, hurricane damage @ LCC Regular 2024-12-10.

The board packet for the Lowndes County Commission meetings of December 9 and 10, 2024, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website.

[Collage, Packet @ LCC 2024-12-09]
Collage, Packet @ LCC 2024-12-09

See also the agenda and the LAKE videos of the December 9 Work Session.

Plus the packet and LAKE videos of the preceding Planning Commission Meeting.

-jsq

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Videos: Tourism Authority appointments, rezonings, water repairs, hurricane damage @ LCC Work 2024-12-09

Update 2024-12-23: Packet: Tourism Authority appointments, rezonings, water repairs, hurricane damage @ LCC 2024-12-09.

Almost an hour might be a record for the Lowndes County Commission Work Session yesterday morning.

Part of that was three Special Recognitions and a twelve-minute Special Report – Ashley Tye and FEMA Deputy Director, none of them on the agenda.

[Collage @ LCC 9 December 2024]
Collage @ LCC 9 December 2024

The longest actual agenda item was 6.a. REZ-2024-18 LSO Invest, 3910 Old US 41 N, ~0.93ac, R-21 to C-C at three and a half minutes. Remember the Planning Commission voted 7-1 to recommend denial, and I hear the underlying applicant is a County Commissioner.

Then the $3,068,176.54 TSPLOST project, 8.a. PI# 0016279 TIA-07 Coleman Road NW Paving and Drainage Improvements Bids, at three minutes.

All others took less than two minutes each.

They vote tonight at 5:30 PM.

Below are LAKE videos of each agenda item (or Special Recognition), with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the agenda. Continue reading

Agenda: Tourism Authority appointments, rezonings, water repairs, hurricane damage @ LCC 2024-12-09

The Lowndes County Commission be busy Monday morning at their Work Session and Tuesday evening at their voting Regular Session.

[Collage @ LCC 2024-12-09]
Collage @ LCC 2024-12-09

It will be interesting to see what they do with REZ-2024-18 LSO Invest, 3910 Old US 41 N, since the Planning Commission voted 7-1 to recommend denial, and I hear the underlying applicant is a County Commissioner.

They will vote on two members for the Valdosta Lowndes County Conference Center and Tourism Authority, one reappointment, and one to replace Michael Smith, who was elected to the Lowndes County Commission.

They will also be voting on close to $5 million, most of it in one paving project, of Coleman Road NW, that one using TSPLOST funds.

The other big ticket items are hurricane damage repair, new motor graders, and several kinds of insurance. Continue reading

Videos: ULDC contractor extension, hospital revenue certificate reissuance, LAS generator, Juvenile Justice grant, Val Del Estates infrastructure @ LCC Regular 2023-10-24

EMA Director Ashley Tye reported that all the disaster recovery centers were closing after Hurricane Idalia, with Cook County still open for a bit. This was six weeks ago, at a Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

[Collage @ LCC 24 October 2023]
Collage @ LCC 24 October 2023

That took six minutes of the seventeen-minute meeting. County Manager Paige Dukes took another three minutes for her report.

The Commissioners breezed through the other agenda items and unanimously approved them all.

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

And now the videos: Continue reading

Videos: ULDC contractor extension, hospital revenue certificate reissuance, LAS generator, Juvenile Justice grant, Val Del Estates infrastructure @ LCC Work 2023-10-23

Update 2023-12-07: Videos: ULDC contractor extension, hospital revenue certificate reissuance, LAS generator, Juvenile Justice grant, Val Del Estates infrastructure @ LCC Regular 2023-10-24.

The Lowndes County Commission took six minutes to breeze through this Work Session agenda.

[Collage @ LCC 23 October 2023]
Collage @ LCC 23 October 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. Well, she made no notes this time, because no Commissioners asked any questions, and the whole thing only took six minutes. The only slightly new information is that J.D. Dillard said the ULDC Updates were still within budget even with the requested extension.

See also the agenda and board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request. Continue reading

ULDC contractor extension, hospital revenue certificate reissuance, LAS generator, Juvenile Justice grant, Val Del Estates infrastructure @ LCC Packet 2023-10-23

Update 2023-12-07: Videos: ULDC contractor extension, hospital revenue certificate reissuance, LAS generator, Juvenile Justice grant, Val Del Estates infrastructure @ LCC Work 2023-10-23.

The ULDC updates are taking so long they’re extending their contractor agreement, in the Lowndes County Commission meeting Monday 8:30 AM and voting Tuesday 5:30 PM.

[Collage @ LCC Packet 2023-10-23]
Collage @ LCC Packet 2023-10-23

The Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County, Georgia, wants its revenue certificates reissued in the name of South Georgia Medical Center, Inc. They already had a public hearing that you didn’t hear about.

Lowndes Utilities got a deal on a generator for the Land Application Site (LAS).

And yet another acceptance of subdivision infrastructure claiming no budget impact, this time for 22 house lots in Val Del Estates Phase 4.

Cost What
$48,068.00Land Application System (LAS) Generator
$15,000.00Extension of Agreement for ULDC Updates with Goodwyn Mills Cawood
$-50,000.00Acceptance of FY2024 Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Grant
$13,068.00Total

It’s a one-page agenda with no rezonings, so it probably won’t take long.

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, OCTOBER 23, 2023, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2023, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

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Videos: Subdivision way out of bounds approved, and million-dollar water main, but Wells Road stays open 2021-10-12

The good news: Wells Road and Folsom Bridge Landing remain open, after the Commissioners unanimously denied the road closure. Thanks to Commissioner Clay Griner for making the motion, saying that the request met none of the criteria.

The bad news: by a 3:2 vote they approved the subdivision way too far north on Val Del Road, far outside the subdivision character area, despite the Planning Commission, county staff, and three speakers against in the Public Hearing. Griner also made that motion. The audience was not happy, especially at Commissioner Scottie Orenstein for voting for that motion.

[Subdivision too far north on Val Del approved, audience reaction, Wells Road stays open, un-needed $million water main approved]
Subdivision too far north on Val Del approved, audience reaction, Wells Road stays open, un-needed $million water main approved

The Commissioners also approved without comment the $1 million unnecessary water main as part of the $5 million utilities package.

They approved everything else unanimously.

Below are LAKE videos of each agenda item with some notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda and board packet and the LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session.

Continue reading

Videos: Subdivisions, Wells Road abandonment, Water Main, Library @ LCC 2021-10-11

Update 2021-10-12 Videos: Subdivision way out of bounds approved, and million-dollar water main, but Wells Road stays open.

A road abandonment apparently had not taken into account people who live farther north up Wells Road, this morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session. Nor that closing that road would close one of only two public access points to the Little River in Lowndes County. Nor that the Mary Turner Lynching monument is on that road.

[Beaver Run, GW Farms, Villages subdivisions, Wells Road abandonment]
Beaver Run, GW Farms, Villages subdivisions, Wells Road abandonment

Of the $5 million for utilities, $1 million is for a water main to promote more subdivisions northwest in the county. To their credit, two Commissioners asked about that.

They breezed through seven rezonings, three of them for subdivisions, one so far out of place their own staff recommend against it, with no comments nor questions.

There was a question about some improvements to the historic Carnegie Library Museum.

They vote tomorrow, Tuesday, evening at 5:30 PM.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item with some notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda and board packet.

Sewer Improvements, Water for subdivision sprawl, Library @ LCC 2021-10-11

Update 2021-10-11: Videos: Subdivisions, Wells Road abandonment, Water Main, Library @ LCC 2021-10-11.

Five and a half million dollars on the agenda for the Lowndes County Commission Monday morning, for voting Tuesday evening. Most of it is for sewer system improvements, but $1 million is to run another water main in the north side of the county to promote more subdivisions, such as the three on the same agenda.

[Seven rezonings and a road abandonment]
Seven rezonings and a road abandonment

For one of the rezonings on Val Del Road staff cite “Current growth trends in the area.” Well, here’s who is setting those growth trends: the Lowndes County Commission and staff, plus the Chamber and Development Authority.

At least staff and the Planning Commission recommend denying the worst of the lot, REZ-2021-16 G W Farms, 5999 Val Del Road, R-A to R-1, Well & Septic, ~98.95 acres, which is so far north up Val Del Road it’s almost at GA 122. The Commission previously denied a rezoning at that same location. They should do so again.

They also propose to abandon Abandonment of a portion of Salem Church Road (CR #68) and Wells Road (CR # 68 & CR #69), starting at GA 122. That is a problem, because Wells Road at GA 122 is the turnoff to get to Folsom Bridge Landing, one of only two public access points to the Little River in Lowndes County. Continue reading