Tag Archives: Valdosta

Climate Rally and EPA Hearings next week in Atlanta

High noon rally Tuesday and 9AM to 8PM hearings Monday and Tuesday 29-30 July 2014 at the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center, Main Tower Bridge Conference Area, Conference Room B, 61 Forsyth Street, SW, Atlanta, GA. Plus you can comment online, maybe about mercury from coal Plant Scherer in the Alapaha River and how shifting to “natural” gas just promotes more fracked methane pipelines like that Sabal Trail boondoggle. EPA could take a second step on methane, and we can get on with faster, cheaper, cleaner, and far more environmentally beneficial solar power in the sunny southeast. For details see the Sierra Club or WWALS or SpectraBusters postings.

-jsq

Brad Lofton leaving Myrtle Beach, SC

Looks like Horry County, SC stuck to its initial three-year offer, both for Lofton, and for millage to fund his development authority there. There are things the newly-renamed Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority could do to let sunshine turn Lofton’s local land legacy green.

Jason M. Rodriguez and Amanda Kelley wrote for Myrtle Beach Online yesterday, Brad Lofton leaving Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation,

Membership to the EDC increased earlier this year, but revenue from the membership decreased by nearly $60,000, impacting the organization’s marketing services and more.

Loton has had many projects succeed, and met some challenges during his time in Horry County.

Earlier this month Continue reading →

5PM Tuesday: Central Valdosta Development Authority @ CVDA 2014-07-22

No idea what this is about, piled onto an evening already full of meetings. CVDA published today, picked up by AP and VDT.

There will be a special called meeting of the Central Valdosta Development Authority (CVDA) Board of Directors at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 22. The meeting will be held in the Multi-Purpose Room in the City Hall Annex, located at 300 N. Lee Street.

Please contact the Valdosta Main Street Office at (229) 259-3577 if you have any questions in regard to this information.

What is that board, anyway? According to the City of Valdosta: Continue reading →

Videos: Appt to KLVB & Health, County Extension, Alapaha water treatment, Riverside Road, Bemiss Landing Subdivision @ LCC 2014-07-21

The KLVB applicant withdrew, none of the Health Board applicants showed up, and none of the Commission or Staff knew what the usual terms are on the Health Board, much less that this slot was because somebody resigned with a year left on her term. Even with that confusion, they took only nine minutes to discuss appointments to two boards and five other items, including a no-bid contract. Ever wonder when your Lowndes County Commission actually talks about the county’s business? They vote tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM, probably with no more public discussion.

Here’s the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 21, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 22, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor

Here are links to the videos, followed by a playlist. There are no videos for Invocation, Pledge, or Citizens Wishing to be Heard because those are only in the Regular Session, Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM.

Continue reading →

Primary election tomorrow, 22 July 2014

From County Commissioner to Georgia School Superintendent and U.S. Senate, you can vote in the primary election tomorrow, if you haven’t already voted. If I forgot any runoffs, please let me know.

Lowndes County Commission District 5

Nonpartisan Runoff:

Continue reading →

Precinct budget finger-pointing @ LCC Millage 2014-07-16

It’s still not clear why the Board of Elections couldn’t afford to keep precincts open, instead of closing more of them every year. But after several days of finger pointing this week, it looks like there will be funding to keep all the current precincts open. That’s good news, but if the fix was so easy, why was there ever a problem?

Oldest first, here’s a timeline of highlights.

Back on 10 March 2014, Deb Cox spoke to the Lowndes County Commission about the Board of Elections budget. I just listened to that video again. She did ask for more money for poll workers, and there were comments about how early voting wasn’t revenue-neutral. But I don’t see that she asked for money to keep precincts open, or ever mentioned precincts closing.

27 June 2014 I happened to see Continue reading →

Sparsely attended millage hearing @ LCC Millage 2014-07-16

To raise or not to raise, that is the millage question, and what to spend it on, but not many people showed up to ask.

This 6PM Wednesday 16 July 2014 millage hearing was one of the most lively, juding by his report, from which you can see that VDT political reporter Matthew Woody’s report on both hearings of last Wednesday, and that’s not saying much. In this evening hearing, Dennis Marks spoke for res publica, the rule of the public, for the public good. The other three commenters seemed to be against the millage increase.

One more milllage hearing (8:30AM) and an adoption meeting (9AM), both Wednesday 23 July 2014. Continue reading →

Appointments to KLVB & Health, County Extension, Alapaha water treatment, Riverside Road, Bemiss Landing Subdivision @ LCC 2014-07-21

And an EMPG grant award application. As usual, no clue who the board applicants are. However, Nick Hinson’s term on KLVB is up this year, so I predict he’ll be reappointed.

Here’s who was on the Health Board at the end of 2012. One of their members, Mary Margaret Richardson, is also on the hospital board. Here are videos of the Board of Health 30 May 2013 meeting. The Board of Health meets again 7:30 AM Tuesday 22 July 2014.

Here’s the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 21, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 22, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Videos: Half Nelson Hill and rezoning to Agricultural @ GLPC 2014-06-30

Only two cases, both Lowndes County. Johnny White withdrew his request to rezone to agricultural. GLPC tabled REZ-2014-13 Nelson Hill. And Vice Chair Diondra Nichols is moving to Las Vegas. She’s a county appointee, so expect to see an appointment on an upcoming Lowndes County Commission agenda.

Here’s the agenda. The date on the GLPC agenda for the following Lowndes County Commission Regular Session was wrong; should be 8 July 2014 (see the videos of that LCC meeting). That incorrect date confused GLPC Chair Johnny Ball, as well.

Here are links to the videos of the 30 June 2013 meeting of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC), followed by a playlist. Continue reading →

Videos: Courthouse Preservation Committee Hearing #1 @ Courthouse 2014-06-09

SCAD or VSU? Historical Society or Public Defender? Business incubator or state offices? Outside and inside. These and other ideas were brought up in the first of three Courthouse Preservation Committee meetings, 9 June 2014.

Baha Zeidan and Varian Brown wanted a business incubator. Judge Ellerbee said the way the courthouse got into a mess in the first place was people wanting to use it for many things in addition to courtrooms, and he suggested not going the same route again. Pat Sullivan suggested bringing in SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) and having them design the building before renting it as a local campus. Stanley Cox seconded that. Sullivan even volunteered his oldest downtown Valdosta building, home of ClientTell, for planning meetings. Gretchen Quarterman said to be sure Valdosta Farm Days, Juneteenth, and all the other courthouse lawn events still can happen in conjunction with whatever happens inside, G. Norman Bennett said it would be a natural location for the Historical Society. Glenn Gregory told stories of historic preservation and suggested VSU, state offices, or the Public Defender, plus he noted there’s another courthouse by the same architect, in Abbeville, GA. They even let somebody speak who hadn’t signed up: Valdosta Mayor John Gayle, who cautioned that the longer it sits, the more it deteriorates.

Here are links to each video, followed by a playlist. Continue reading →