Tag Archives: Valdosta City Council

Landfill Solar on Wetherington Lane, Lowndes County, Georgia

These 1.0 megawatts (MW) of solar panels across from the old closed Evergreen Landfill will soon feed the new Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) a short distance up the same Wetherington Road. To get the electricity there, a power line will either have to be bored underground or put on poles overhead; that’s as yet undecided.

Solar panels with reference dogs
Photo: John S. Quarterman for LAKE, 25 July 2017

Another solar field, started a couple of weeks ago, will be on land right to the WWTP, for another 275 KW.

This is according to Continue reading

Videos: Appointments to Hospital Authority and Parks and Rec + well pump @ LCC 2017-07-11

Two Regular Sessions back, they started with a moment of silence for Mike Everett, recently deceased employee of the Public Works department. The obituary in the VDT, 14 July 2014,

Michael Thomas Everett, a senior heavy equipment operator with Lowndes county and long time resident of Berrien County, GA, died unexpectedly on July 9, 2017 at the age of 58 at his home. Mike was born in Miami, Florida on December 29, 1958 to Hermon J. Everett and Mary C. Everett both deceased and is survived by his loving Step-Mother Nora N. Everett. Mike also known as Mr. Mike to many of his close friends and co-workers was an avid race car fan, loved cooking, enjoyed tending to his many gardens. He also loved music and often played guitar with family and friends. He was a magnet for all dogs taking great care of any that showed up on his doorstep. Mike was a very kind and generous man who will be deeply missed by his family, close neighbors, friends, co-workers and all who knew him. There is no service scheduled at this time.

No surprise on the pump or for the Hospital Authority, but news about Ashley Paulk and VLPRA. They approved everything else unanimously, as they usually do.

Below are links to each LAKE video, with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda. There are no LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session, because, they moved it half an hour early and didn’t send a notification. But there is a blog post about one Commissioner’s response to that. The county apparently does video its work sessions, but not that one, and not this Regular Session, either.

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Videos: Lake Park Zoning Amendment, Valdosta personal care CUP @ GLPC 2017-06-26

They meet again tonight at 5:30 PM. Last month was a very rare meeting where nobody showed up to speak for or against either item at the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission, June 26, 2017: one zoning change from Lake Park, and one Valdosta rezoning for a “personal care salon” on Woodrow Wilson Drive.

Below are links to each LAKE video followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda. Continue reading

Videos: Appointments to Hospital Authority and Parks and Rec + well pump @ LCC 2017-07-10

Nope, there are no LAKE videos of yesterday morning’s Work Session, because, remember, they moved the meeting half an hour earlier so when Gretchen showed up it was already over. The county does not video its Work Sessions, so there is no county video, either. Since the Valdosta Daily Times apparently did not run a story (I don’t even know if they had a reporter there), this means you won’t know what the Commissioners discussed nor who else was there Monday morning before they vote this evening at 5:30 PM.

Valdosta City Manager Larry Hanson welcomes new 23d Wing Commander Col. Jennifer Short at the July 10 Change of Command ceremony.
City of Valdosta PR 2017-07-10: Valdosta City Manager Larry Hanson welcomes new 23d Wing Commander Col. Jennifer Short at the July 10 Change of Command ceremony.

Commissioner Scottie Orenstein asked, on facebook, in response to yesterday’s LAKE blog post about the moved meeting: Continue reading

Agenda: Lake Park Zoning Amendment, Valdosta personal care CUP @ GLPC 2017-06-26

Another very light agenda at the Planning Commission, with one zoning change from Lake Park, and one Valdosta rezoning for a “personal care salon” on Woodrow Wilson Drive.

Parcel ID 0114A 006
Parcel ID 0114A 006, 401 Woodrow Wilson Drive, Lowndes County Tax Assessors

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
AGENDA

Monday, June 26, 2017 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue

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Videos: City of Valdosta Retreat at Lenox River Ranch 2017-03-17-18

Thanks to George Boston Rhynes for tracking the Valdosta City Council to the wilds of Lenox River Ranch where they meet every year in Colquitt County. Here are his videos.

The city did publish an agenda on their website.

Here’s a LAKE video playlist of George’s videos:

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Deep South Solid Waste Management Authority after privatized landfill

Local counties and cities sold off one landfill in Lowndes County in the late 1990s, and a second one in 2005 through the Deep South Solid Waste Management Authority. Yet in 2007 the Deep South Municipal Regional Solid Waste Management Authority (WMA), with the same county and city member governments, was still active, discussing a regional recycling station. And it is still active today, including some of the same board members the entire time since 2005, such as Valdosta City Manager Larry Hanson. Hanson was not present last week when Valdosta Mayor John Gayle said Valdosta does not control the landfill, or perhaps he would have mentioned that Valdosta through its longterm seat on the WMA board does have some degree of control over the landfill’s operations.

I notice quite a few of the Valdosta City Council’s own minutes record discussions and votes related to that WMA including this item from their Regular meeting of 4 October 2014, which was called to order by Mayor Gayle:

  1. Boards, Commissions, Authorities, and Advisory Committees
    1. Consideration of an appointment to the Deep South Regional Municipal Solid Waste Management Authority. — Appointed Richard Hardy, Public Works Director (7-0 Vote).

There must be some advantage to the City of Valdosta to have two members (Hanson and Hardy) on the WMA board. Certainly the average citizen or organization does not have that.

Bill Roberts, VDT, 5 December 2005, Authority closes on landfill deal, Continue reading

Videos: Sewage, Coal Ash, Historic Preservation, a dead cat, and turkeys @ VCC 2016-03-09

The Valdosta City Council heard from citizens about coal ash, wastewater, and toxic waste in the landfill. Mayor John Gayle offered to answer later in his office Eric Howard’s question about wastewater in his yard. The Mayor expressed his opinion that he and the council couldn’t do anything about the landfill, and read for yourself what he said about the Florida county resolutions about Valdosta wastewater. George Boston Rhynes told a droll tale about a dead cat and turkeys.

The Historic Preservation appeal was long and contentious, with the Mayor twice breaking a tie because only four City Council members were there: the appeal was approved. A citizen spoke about that afterwards, as did Council Tim Carroll.

Council Robert Yost recommended all the Hospital Authority Board should resign.

They unanimously approved both of the rezoning items; ditto the right of way maintenance bids.

And Firefighter Michael Penland is employee of the month.

Below are links to the LAKE video of each item, with a few notes (some drawn from Valdosta’s own SUMMARY OF ACTIONS), followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda.

Videos: Calles back again for Alexandria Street + another County + 2 Valdosta @ GLPC 2017-02-27

Here are the LAKE videos for the 27 February 2017 Greater Lowndes Planning Commission, with Wilmer Calles on behalf of Rosa Calles again about going “backwards” to agricultural zoning (the neighbors don’t like it). See the agenda. Plus another county rezoning (the county votes on those two tonight). There were also to Valdosta rezonings, but Gretchen had to leave with the LAKE camera before the first one was finished. The county or the city could video these Planning Commission meetings themselves. Continue reading

Brief agenda plus Water @ VCC 2016-03-09

No water on the agenda, but there’s a WWALS event for those who want to speak about water issues.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, March 9, 2017
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

Valdosta City Council

  1. Opening Ceremonies Continue reading