Tag Archives: Valdosta Tree Commission

Videos: SCADA and Generators for sewer system lift stations @ VCC 2018-12-06

The longest single item in the one January Valdosta City Council meeting was unscheduled: the surprise statewide Georgia Parks and Rec Volunteer Award and Council Andy Gibbs responding with thanks.

The most contentious rezoning was 4.b. CU-2018-13 Scintilla Charter Academy Conditional Use Permit, to add a Middle School to an Elementary School.

The most-discussed general topic on the agenda was water, with Utility Director Darryl Muse speaking about 5.b. Bids for 10 emergency standby generators for Utilities, 5.c. Bids for water treatment chemicals for Utilities, and 6.b. Purchase SCADA system for Lift Stations and Water Treatment Plants, with frequent questions from Council members. They did bring up the recent major spill at the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant.

In Citizens to Be Heard, I told them what Valdosta Utilities hadn’t.

Also in CTBH, John Robinson spoke about how small businesses need to thrive and another speaker said he had been attacked physically by a local business man. Renaming Forrest Street was discussed by Continue reading →

Generators and communications for sewer system lift stations @ VCC 2018-12-06

Nothing is on the agenda about the recent major spill at the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant for tonight’s Valdosta City Council meeting.

However, there are three other sewage-related Utility Department items: bids for ten emergency standby generators and for water treatment chemicals, and Consideration of a request to purchase a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system for Lift Stations and Water Treatment Plants.

Those are all good steps, so lift stations won’t fail due to lack of power, so Valdosta Utilities can know what’s going on in real time (SCADA), and so they can continue testing.

Maybe you’d like to come compliment Valdosta on that much and ask them what they’re doing to prevent WWTP spills, in Citizens to be Heard.

Also tonight, appointments to KLVB, VLCDA, and Valdosta Tree Commission.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, December 6, 2018
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

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Water issues in rezoning near VSU, appointments to Hospital and Tree Authorities @ VCC 2014-09-11

WWALS adds some water issues about that Turner Brooks rezoning, and there are appointments to the Hospital and Authorities at tonight’s Valdosta City Council meeting.

Here’s the agenda.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, September 11, 2014
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL
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Reconsider Chaste trees: try native bottlebrush buckeye

Karan Rawlins I spoke to Karan Rawlins of the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health (bugwood.org) at the SoGa Growing Local & Sustainable Conference in Tattnall County 26 January 2013 (coming to Lowndes County next year).

A Homeowner s Guide to Preventing the Introduction and Spread of Invasive Plants in Georgia At the mention of Chaste Tree, she picked up a copy of A Homeowner’s Guide to Preventing the Introduction and Spread of Invasive Plants in Georgia, and turned to page 6, which says:

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Tree Commission offers Chaste trees wholesale

Tree Commission offers Chaste trees wholesale The Valdosta Tree Commission is offering Chaste trees “to citizens at wholesale prices with the hopes of planting 100 trees in the city limits”, but this may actually be a bad idea, since this species is exotic, does not support local insects and birds, and in Texas has become invasive.

The Tree Commission’s writeup says this tree:

“has no serious pest problems and attract butterflies to the garden.”

Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, by Douglas Tallamy That first phrase is a red flag after reading Dr. Douglas Tallamy’s book, Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants. Local insects mostly cannot eat exotic plants, and local birds eat local insects, so planting exotic trees may look good, but is not helpful to native insects and birds. Yes, Chaste trees may attract some butterflies, but how many, compared to native trees? And “no serious pest problems” means not many native insects munching on the leaves or stems of the tree.

So what to plant instead? See next post.

The City of Valdosta posted PR 3 January 2013, VTC Offers Chaste Trees at Wholesale Prices to Encourage Tree Planting,

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