Tag Archives: Valdosta

Alternative 4: Richland, Preston, Americus, Cordele, Ashburn and I-75 FERC to Sabal Trail

Richland in Stewart County, Preston in Webster County, Americus in Sumter County, Cordele in Crisp County, Ashburn in Turner County, if you thought you were off the Sabal Trail path, think again! You’re in FERC’s eye for a 36-inch fracked methane pipeline just like Tifton, Adel, Hahira, and Valdosta in Tift, Cook, and Lowndes Counties Georgia, and in Florida Jennings in Hamilton County, Lake City in Columbia County, Alachua and Gainesville in Alachua County, Ocala in Marion County, Wildwood in Sumter County, and Ferndale in Lake County, and probably some other cities and counties you can find on the map. And Alternative 4 would cross the Withlacoochee River in Lowndes County just before passing right next to Lowndes High School and an exploding pipeline segment’s throw from Valdosta Mall.

Alternative 4 in FERC’s recent instructions for Sabal Trail to “include analyses” would start even farther north on I-75 than Alternative 1.

Alternative 4 beginning from Alternate 2 near Richland, Georgia and following Highway 280 to near Americus, Georgia; then following a high voltage transmission line (along Sabal Trail’s Hillabee Alternative route); then following Alternate 1 starting near Tifton, Georgia and extending to the proposed endpoint.

Here’s a very rough map of Alternative 4: Continue reading →

Alternative 2: MP 141 -> US 82 -> I-75 -> FL Turnpike FERC to Sabal Trail

Watch out Albany Mall, Deerfield-Windsor School, Kerr Gardens Park and Pond, Miller-Coors Albany Brewery, Pilot Travel Center and of course the Flint River at the US 82 bridge! If Sabal Trail’s mile point (MP) 141 is still on the Lee-Dougherty County line just west of Armena, GA on US 82, then Alternative 2 in FERC’s recent instructions for Sabal Trail to “include analyses” would look very much like Alternative 1, plowing through the north edge of Albany, GA and much of Dougherty County, before heading on through Sylvester, Tifton, Adel, Hahira, Valdosta, Jennings, Lake City, Alachua, Gainesville, Ocala, Wildwood, past The Villages, to Ferndale, FL.

Alternative 2 extending along other pipeline and road rights-of-way from near MP 0 to approximately MP 141 (near Albany, Georgia), and then following Alternate 1 to the proposed endpoint.

Here’s MP 141 in the maps Sabal Trail sent to FERC in November 2013: Continue reading →

Alternative 1: US 82 -> I-75 -> FL Turnpike FERC to Sabal Trail

After Dawson and Albany, new Georgia cities Sylvester, Tifton, Adel, Hahira, Valdosta in Georgia (right past Lowndes High School), and Jennings, Lake City, Alachua, Gainesville, Ocala, Wildwood, and Ferndale in Florida. If you thought this pipeline wouldn’t affect you, think again. Or some later pipeline if we let this one through. See also Alternative 2 (watch out, Albany!), Alternative 3 Camilla, Thomasville, Monticello, Capps and a row of north Florida counties), and Alternative 4 (Richland, Preston, Americus, Cordele, Ashburn and yet again down I-75 as in Alternative 1).

Update 2014-09-15: Added first paragraph and fixed typos.

FERC’s recent instructions direct Sabal Trail to “include analyses” of

Alternative 1 Alternative 1 extending from near MP 0 to MP 460.6 (the proposed endpoint) following the Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC (Sabal Trail) proposed Sabal Trail Project (Project) route until reaching Highway 82 near Dawson, Georgia; then following Highway 82 to Interstate 75 (I-75); then following I-75 to Highway 91 near The Villages, Florida; then following Highway 91 to Highway 27 near Ferndale, Florida; and then following a Florida Gas Transmission (FGT) pipeline to the proposed endpoint.

Here’s a very rough map of that route, and then let’s name some cities and towns thus targetted by the yard-wide fracked methane pipeline: Continue reading →

We have a reader! He’s an old white guy.

And we hear he’s angry because he thinks we called him an “angry white man”. Actually, what I said (also here, here, and here) was:

As an old white man, even I find it impressive how much this area is run by old white men.

Curious that someone would be angry about what we didn’t say. Maybe he just heard what somebody erroneously told him we said. That happens when somebody volunteers for public office. Which is why I applaud anyone who steps up to volunteer.

Besides, it’s not the appointees we’re criticising. It’s Continue reading →

VALOR GIS and Tax Assessors Map don’t agree on Hahira annexation property @ LCC 2014-09-08

Looks like the 5720 S. Hagan Bridge address is in VALOR GIS map for the Hahira extraterritorial request in the board packet, which appears to have been received as an attachment to the request letter from Hahira. It’s easier to see if you go directly to VALOR GIS and zoom in. Which raises the question of why is the address in VALOR GIS different from the address in the Tax Assessors map.

See also this comment today by Barbara Stratton. -jsq

Mr. Allen said 5720 S Hagan Bridge Rd, which is the agenda address I was also given by one of the County Commissioners Tuesday afternoon. 5710 S Hagan Bridge Rd is the address in the Tax Assessors records and also the address that was approved by the Hahira City Council in previous meetings. So where did the 5720 address come from and I also agree that the correct address and owner name should have been published for public record. The 5710 property owned by John Bailey was purchased in February 2014 and almost immediately Continue reading →

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

Continue reading →

Sunday voting in Lowndes County: second county in Georgia to authorize

Despite some confusion in the WALB story, the Lowndes County Board of Elections really is the second in the state to authorize Sunday voting, after a request from the Lowndes County Democratic Committee.

Dave Miller wrote for WALB 10 September 2014, Sunday voting OK’ed for Lowndes,

The Lowndes County Board of Elections announced Wednesday that Lowndes County will be the second county in Georgia to implement Sunday Voting.

Lowndes County Commissioners approved the proposal Tuesday. DeKalb County is the only other county in the state that currently allows Sunday voting.

I was at the Lowndes County Commission meeting Tuesday, and I never heard them mention this. So I called Lowndes County Election Supervisor Deb Cox and Continue reading →

Resignation, subpoenas, criminal charges: DeKalb County Commission corruption

Sometimes it doesn’t just look like they have something to hide: the FBI found some of what the DeKalb County Commmission was hiding, and one criminally-charged Commissioner promises to sing about the others, while 62 vendors and all the other sitting Commissioners are being investigated. No local elected body around here could have such problems, right?

The DeKalb FBI corruption investigation apparently started with news stories in the AJC. Coincidentally, here’s the board packet for tonight’s Lowndes County Commission meeting that it took an open records request for LAKE to get so you can see it.

20 February 2013, Fireworks erupt in court over DeKalb corruption case, by Jodie Fleischer for WSB-TV,

Only Channel 2’s Jodie Fleischer was there as a judge lashed out at prosecutors who want the public to see a secret corruption report.

The special grand jury investigating DeKalb County corruption Continue reading →

Board packet @ LCC 2014-09-08

Here is the board packet for this morning’s Work Session and Tuesday evening’s Regular Session. First time I’ve ever seen one before they vote on it. I thank the county for that, and you can all see what they are considering.

Hoever, it cost me $33.50, because staff included all 385 pages of the ULDC, even though that (unlike the rest of it) is online on the county website.

They also delivered it only on paper, and only in black and white, even though the Planning Department produces all the land use maps electronically and in color. And they didn’t deliver before the Work Session as I asked, even though obviously the board packet was assembled Continue reading →

Videos: GP Investments and Hahira’s Extraterritorial Request @ LCC 2014-09-08

Update 2014-09-09: Board packet via LAKE open records request.

Twelve minutes. When do they actually talk about things? They vote Tuesday at 5:30 PM. “Hahira’s Extraterritorial Request” is for water and sewer for John Bailey. “Rezoning case REZ-2014-15” is also about water and sewer. The other obscure public hearing is to fix something county staff didn’t do correctly back in June.

Yes, it’s the old white guy to replace the young black woman on the Planning Commission, and it’s Commissioner Joyce Evans for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. And yes, it’s the annual renewal of hiring prisoners from Valdosta State Prison.

Here’s the agenda with links to the videos and some notes.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2^nd Floor