Tag Archives: Valdosta

More sinkholes in Florida.

Just a few cracks a couple of years ago turned into a 90 foot wide and 60 foot deep sinkhole Thursday. At least six houses affected in north Florida, above the same Floridan Aquifer that produces sinkholes here in south Georgia. Here in Lowndes County Michael McCormick has more than a few cracks: he has a sinkhole in his garage. Will Lowndes County do something before we wake up to news of man’s house fell into a sinkhole overnight?

ABC News Blogs 14 November 2013, Florida Sinkhole Swallows Home

Six other homes have been evacuated as a precaution and Duke Energy has shut down power to the area.

A growing sinkhole in Florida has swallowed Continue reading →

Coroner responds to County Commission about budget @ LCC 2013-11-14

Like the Sheriff, the Coroner reports that something’s rotten in the Lowndes County Commission and staff’s version of his budget.

Dean Poling write for the VDT today, Coroner responds to county budget issues,

Lowndes County Coroner Bill Watson explained Friday that comments calling him one of the county budget’s “worst offenders” did not explain why his office’s expenses change from year to year.

“I have no control over the number of people that dies each year,” Watson told The Times, “and I have to fund the transportation for autopsies. Any time there is an autopsy, it costs my office about $750.”

These costs include Continue reading →

Sheriff responds to County Commission about budget @ LCC 2013-11-14

LTE in the VDT today. -jsq

Sheriff’s Response to “budget woes”
The Sheriff’s Office has received a lot of criticism in the last several months. It appears to be the fashionable thing these days and an easy target. Sheriff Prine did not receive an invitation to the Chairman’s personal property for a review of the county’s budget and criticism of the Sheriff’s budget in particular. There are some facts that have not been reported by the Valdosta Daily Times, which may or may not have been provided.

First it should be noted that the Sheriff’s Office general fund budget was reduced from last year’s budget by $171,306. This was before another $130,492 was taken away in August as a result of shift in traffic citation processing responsibilities to the Clerk’s Office.

A closer look at some of the specific line items targeted for criticism will show Continue reading →

Videos: Budget, SPLOST, and 2014 Planning @ LCC 2013-11-14

They detailed spending by the Sheriff and the Coroner, yet never seemed to say how much the Commission itself has spent sueing a local business. And what was that executive session about? Doesn’t Georgia Open Meetings Law say they have to say what it’s for?

Here’s the agenda. See also County discusses budget woes: Sheriff’s department, coroner are ‘worst offenders’, by Matthew Woody, VDT, 15 November 2013.

Here’s a video playlist for the entire Lowndes County Commission Retreat Work Session.

Videos: Budget, SPLOST, and 2014 Planning
Retreat Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 14 November 2013.

-jsq

Valdosta force main GEFA loan awarded

Valdosta city PR today, City Receives $36.7 million GEFA Loan to Move Forward with Force Main Project,

The City of Valdosta was awarded a $36.7 million Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) loan by the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), on Nov. 14, 2013.

The city will use the low-interest loan to finance the construction of two major pump stations, two minor pump stations, a 6-mile 32-inch and 40-inch force main, a headworks structure with grit removal and bar screens, and a 6-million gallon equalization basin. Wastewater will be gravity fed to the existing site of the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) for final treatment and discharged utilizing the existing plant outfall, until the relocation of the plant is completed in November 2015.

This project will Continue reading →

We desperately need your help –Carol Singletary @ VCC 2013-11-07

A local mom said she was one of many landowners being bullied by a pipeline company and asked for help from local leaders, at the 7 November 2013 Valdosta City Council Regular Session.

Here’s Part 1 of 2:

Carol Singletary’s impassioned and reasoned plea got a response from Mayor John Gayle, even if it was only Continue reading →

Check our work, esp. about the pipeline –Gretchen Quarterman @ LCC 2013-11-12

Fan of local government Gretchen suggested it “check our work” before whipsawing citizens in for items that didn’t happen or failing to schedule a public hearing even after the Chairman asked for it, plus failing do deliver what was promised in open records requests, at the 12 November 2013 Lowndes County Commission Regular Session. Today she’s checking their work at their secretive Retreat Work Session.

At the Regular Session she noted that the Sabal Trail item that was misscheduled for the previous morning caused several citizens to take off work to come in for something that didn’t happen. (You can find out more about that pipeline Saturday morning at 10AM at the SpectraBusters Informational Meeting.

She mentioned the Green Lane item that the Chairman had asked Continue reading →

Annual Retreat Work Session @ LCC 2013-11-14

It’s 9AM: do you know where your County Commission is? They’re at Chairman Bill Slaughter’s house, having what finally got billed as an “Annual Retreat Work Session”. Why so secretive, Commissioners?

Crawford Powell (District 3), Joyce Evans (District 1), Richard Raines (District 2), Stephanie Black (Finance Director), Joe Pritchard (County Manager), Bill Slaughter (Chairman), Paige Dukes (County Clerk), John Page (District 5), Demarcus Marshall (District 4)

At the start time of 8:30 AM, nobody was observing except Jody Hall (GLPC) and Gretchen Quarterman (LAKE). The VDT reporter arrived at 8:59 AM. Here’s the agenda, with picture taken by Gretchen of copy posted on door. The online copy is not in the usual agenda page, rather it’s hanging off a special entry in the calendar.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Annual Retreat Work Session
November 14, 2013
6926 Simpson Road, Hahira, Georgia

Continue reading →

A complete lack of concern with our request –S.A.V.E. to VSU President McKinney

S.A.V.E. never gives up, and the VSU Foundation provided fuel for the fight. -jsq

November 13, 2013

Dr. William J. McKinney
President
Valdosta State University
Dear President McKinney,
Thank you very much for agreeing to be a part of our ceremony for the new solar canopy this Friday. We are excited for it, and we are glad that you will be able to come. We definitely appreciate your support, and we hope to have a nice turnout!

As happy as we are about VSU’s continuing efforts to “go green,” I am writing to you in regard to S.A.V.E.’s ongoing fossil fuel divestment campaign and the recent response we received from the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the VSU Foundation. If you have not yet read the letter, I have attached a copy for your convenience.

We were clearly disappointed to hear that our request had been denied, but what troubled us the most was the condescending tone used by Mr. Edwards in the last part of his letter. To end his letter on University (not Foundation) letterhead with sarcasm and cavalier dismissal of our concerns is unacceptable, especially as we have acted in a respectful manner throughout this process. Within his response, Mr. Edwards downplays the importance of practicing social responsibility and belittles the validity of past divestment campaigns that have been used to counteract injustices such as South Africa’s Apartheid regime, which represented an inhumane and repressive system that needed to be challenged.

We also find Continue reading →

No Sabal Trail, Dollar General, 3 special tax lighting districts, and mosquitos @ LCC 2013-11-11

“We apologize for any inconvenience.” No Sabal Trail pipeline presentation this time; yes it really is December 9th like the front page of the VDT said. So the online agenda was incorrect, and it’s still incorrect about Green Lane which is still listed as “For consideration” when it should be listed as a Public Hearing. And another item was listed so obscurely on the agenda that a Commissioner had to ask “exactly where is this?” A report turned into an agenda item for the Alapaha Water Treatment Plant, and an item for “Consideration of Back Pay for 911 Employees” has appeared on the amended agenda with no public discussion. How are citizens to know what their elected officials are going to vote on tonight at 5:30 PM if the agenda changes all the time yet is still incorrect?

Plus they could take up Nottinghill even though the Planning Commission recommended tabling, there’s yet another Dollar General proposed (see Planning Commission video, three decorative special tax lighting districts, mosquito control, pump replacement, the annual MIDS bus service contract, a beer license, the return of Green Lane (why isn’t that one a pubic hearing as promised last time?) something about NOAA, and an agreement with the Lowndes County Board of Elections: will they stop changing the precincts every year?

Here’s the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
AMENDED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2013, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2013, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2^nd Floor