Tag Archives: Valdosta

Appoint Tax Assessors? Rush Project Max? @ LCC 2016-01-11

Appointing Tax Assessors will take an act of the legislature and a local referendum to repeal the 1972 state law that made Lowndes County the only county in Georgia to elect them, but the Lowndes County Commission Monday morning will consider a resolution to ask the General Assembly to start that process. in Lowndes County, subject to approval by voters, so after 1 January 2021 they’d be appointed, not elected. This is the only county in Georgia that does not appoint its Tax Assessors, and after the extremely unusual rural land revaluation last year, it does seem something needs to be changed.

For hush-hush Project Max, the big-fish container manufacturing plant proposed for Rocky Ford Road, next to the protected watershed of Mud Swamp and near Valdosta Airport, see separate post for what little the public (or the Planning Commission) is allowed to know. Also on the Lowndes County Commission agenda for Monday morning and voting Tuesday evening, bridge repairs on Clyattville Nankin Road and Jumping Gully Road, and quite a few other items as the Commission catches up after the holidays.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, January 11, 2016,  8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, January 12, 2016, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

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Valdosta election results and oaths @ VCC 2016-01-07

Tonight, election results, a homeland security thermal imaging grant, and bench placement on streets. And a church food bank, already heard by the Planning Commission 30 November 2015.

Here’s the agenda.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, January 7, 2016
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

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Videos: Heavy Manufacturing politics @ GLPC Special 2016-01-05

Even the Planning Commissioners weren’t told what company “Project Max” is, because the Development Authority is still bidding the location as one of two being considered by the company. See also the agenda the previous update. Planning Commissioners did have quite a few questions about expansion, appropriate zoning, any potential pollution or contamination, etc. Naturally, the Planning Commission recommended approval, so the actual decision will be before the County Commission next Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, here are links to the LAKE videos of the Planning Commission, with a few notes, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading

Update: Heavy Manufacturing site provided by Langdale @ GLPC Special 2016-01-05

We still don’t know what company might locate on Rocky Ford Road, but we’re told it’s clean, Site location needs water to cool its boiler which will be fired by natural gas, that it rejected Bassford Business Park because of air quality (too near Sterling Chemical?), and we have the location of the new site, which turns out to be on land owned by Langdale Capital Assets, Inc.

Speaking for the rezoning from the Development Authority were Executive Director Andrea Schruijer, Industry Coordinator Stan Crance, and Chairman Tom Call. Every Lowndes County Commissioner was present. When asked how an agenda the same day was enough notice, Lowndes County Planner Jason Davenport said the Special Called Meeting was actually announced in the Valdosta Daily Times last week. Also that the rezoning will only take effect if the Development Authority buys the land first. Gretchen asked a few questions about parking: if the business is going to expand, will there be enough? Someone told Gretchen that the company would have solar power.

We shall see. And you will be able to see this meeting by tomorrow in the LAKE videos Gretchen took. Continue reading

Cemetery again, sewer, billboards, dwelling, parking @ ZBOA 2016-01-05

2:30 PM today, the Zoning Board of Appeals agenda has a proposed cemetery and name badges back on it, plus some new cases, including another Valdosta sanitary sewer variance, a billboard variance, and others.

Valdosta-Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals

Carmella Braswell, Lowndes County Zoning Administrator
327 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia
(229) 671-2430

Matt Martin, Valdosta Planning and Zoning Administrator
300 North Lee Street, Valdosta, Georgia
(229) 259-3563

AGENDA
January 5, 2016
2:30 p.m.

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Videos: Cell tower, cemetery, sewer, and radio tower @ ZBOA 2015-12-01

Videos of the December 2015 ZBOA meeting. The cemetery item got tabled and is back on today’s agenda.

Here’s a video playlist:


Videos: Cell tower, cemetery, sewer, and radio tower
Regular Session, Valdosta-Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 1 December 2015.

-jsq

Heavy Manufacturing rezoning on special called Planning Commission agenda @ GLPC Special 2016-01-05

Update 7:30 PM 5 Jan 2016: The land is owned by Langdale, and why not Bassford Business Park.

Henry Manufacturing (the one in Oregon? Decatur, GA?) on the agenda for a Special Called Meeting of the Planning Commission, just announced today, for 5:30 PM today. Apparently the Development Authority thinks it’s landed a big fish and wants a rezoning for it. Which 134 acres on Rocky Ford Road is not clear: there’s no such size tract according to the Tax Assessors’ map.

Map of properties on Rocky Ford Road

All the large tracts are owned either by Langdale Company or a Langdale investment corporation. Or it could be out of the 219.99 acre tract owned by the Paine Clarence M. Family Trust or the 187.76 acre tract owned by Griffin LLC. As usual, we the taxpayers are left guessing. Tonight at 5:30 PM maybe we’ll find out. -jsq Continue reading

NAACP Reactivation Meeting, Valdosta Chapter, 2016-01-06

Received today (PDF). -jsq

Re-Activation Meeting for the
Valdosta Chapter

Re-Activation Meeting We are looking for new members to relaunch this chapter.
Please come and join us!!!!!!

When: January 6, 2016 @ 7pm

Where: Greater St. Peter Methodist Church
500 E Gordon Street
Valdosta, GA 31601

Who: Reactivation Executive Committee

For more information email:
Mrs. Angela Penn at agpenn28@gnail.com,
Pastor Darren Ncal at rcvncal@icloud.coni, or
Dr. Gerald Williams at drgeraldwilliams@yahoo.con

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Colleton Solar Farm: South Carolina’s largest

South Carolina’s largest solar farm generated 5% more power than planned in its first year (2014), and demonstrated that tracking mounts provide more power in the late afternoon at peak air conditioning use time. It took only nine weeks to build, far faster than any pipeline or nuclear project, and you could build enough of these solar farms to produce more energy in less time than it would take just to permit either of those, much less build them. However, Santee Cooper could do better about enabling others to install and connect solar power. Right now, Santee Cooper is making even Duke Energy look good.

Santee Cooper, 24 January 2014, South Carolina’s largest solar farm introduced to the public, Continue reading

First Miller Bus. Park occupant: Nature Nate

An organic food company is the first thing it finally lands, after trying for years to lure traditional “industrial” businesses to Miller Business Park, and after the Industrial Authority renamed itself the Development Authority. Well, go real food! And congratulations Development Authority! For more local agriculture, come to South Georgia Growing Local Saturday 26 February 2016 at Pine Grove Middle School.

VALDOSTA AND LOWNDES COUNTY WELCOMES NATURE NATE’S!: NATURE NATE’S CHOOSES VALDOSTA GA FOR NEW HONEY OPERATIONS FACILITY,

Valdosta, Georgia — December 15, 2015—The Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority (VLCDA) and Nature Nate’s announce the expansion of Nature Nate’s honey processing operations to Valdosta, GA. The project represents a $1.75 million investment, will create 10 jobs immediately and at least 15 jobs after 36 months.

“We welcome Nature Nate’s as our first tenant within Miller Business Park and Continue reading