Tag Archives: Valdosta

Georgia Broadband Deployment Initiative 2019-04-26

Good about the Georgia Broadband Deployment Inititative (GBDI): wired and wireless, and they are actively doing something, including mapping.

Map Phase 1

See also interactive Phase 1 map.

Dubious: stakeholders are only “private telecom
and cable providers, local government, and electricity cooperatives”.

Where are universities, technical colleges, doctors and hospitals, local businesses, nonprofits, and the people?
Supposedly “Community partnership will be a central component”,
but where is the community in GBDI’s plans?
Where are the other stakeholders?
Where are the public hearings?

Maybe that’s farther along in their timeline: Continue reading →

Tower, Water, Sewer, Personal Care Home, Hahira Gateway Corridor Overlay District @ GLPC 2019-05-28

The

tabled tower on US 84E is back.
The

Lowndes County Commission meets at the same time.
Since the Planning Commission usually spends more than five minutes
on

Call to Order, Pledge, and reading the boilerplate about
what GLPC does,
and the County Commission brags about having 5 minute meetings,
the County Commission could make a decision before the Planning Commission
even gets that far in its agenda.

There’s also a
Lowndes County
request for water and sewer on
Bemiss Knights Academy Road.

Valdosta has a
request for conditional use for a
Personal Care Home.

And two requests for Variances from the
Hahira Gateway Corridor Overlay District, which is presumably the coral-colored area around W. Main St. on both sides of I-75.

VALORGIS.

Here is

the agenda.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission

Lowndes County

City of Valdosta

City of Dasher

City of Hahira

City of Lake Park

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING

AGENDA

Monday, May 28, 2019 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing

Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office

325 West Savannah Avenue

Continue reading →

Tower, GDOT Utilities, 2 appointments, various agreements @ LCC 2019-05-28

Both the Work Session and the Regular Session are Tuesday,
due to Monday being a holiday.
That puts the Regular Session at the same time as the
Planning Commission.

The

proposed 300′ tower is back on
the agenda.
Its agenda sheet says they’re still waiting for Moody AFB to do a

Terminal Instrument Procedures (TERPS) analysis,
and for a response from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
So the County Commission could make a decision and adjourn
before the
Planning Commission
even gets that far on its agenda.

Utilities has a
Standard Utility Agreement/Preliminary Engineering Agreement with GDOT that
“that covers the engineering cost of Water and Sewer Distribution
facilities relocations incurred by Lowndes County for improvements of the
interchange on CR 274/Lake Park-Bellville Road. The amount of the contract
is $49,270.00, of which the DOT will bear 100 percent of the cost.”

Two appointments:
somebody unnamed resigned from the
Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) and

Berinda Nwakamma wants to be appointed.
Naturally, the agenda says nothing about who she is,
but
linkedin says “Program Director at Georgia Home Visiting Program”,
ResearchGate
says “Valdosta State University | VSU · department of social work”,
and
Great Start thanks providers,
by Daniel DeMersseman, VDT, 10 June 2017,
says “GSGL [Great Start Georgia Lowndes] supervisor.”
I’m guessing she’s the one in the front left of the picture, not holding a certificate, because she’s the one organized giving them out.

Daniel DeMersseman | The Valdosta Daily Times
Great Start Georgia Lowndes thanks social services providers at its Thank-a-Provider event.

Commissioner Joyce Evans’ term Continue reading →

Videos: Tower, appointments, sewer main, boat ramp, water trails, Paddle Georgia @ LCC 2019-05-14

All three rezonings breezed through, except slightly the longest was the

tabling of the proposed 300′ communications tower off of US 84 East.
The tower had the most people: those sitting in the back.

Surprisingly,

one
of the

two
Authority appointments was not the incumbent.
None of the candidates were introduced, and none spoke.

One Citizen spoke, me, on behalf of WWALS,

thanking them and inviting them.

Commissioner Clay Griner was not present.
The other four voting Commissioners unanimously approved everything,
including the one tabling.
At least two staff speakers were not introduced, one not named except by last name,
and one never named at all.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: Tower and online packets @ LCC 2019-05-13

As expected, the longest item was about the

300′ communications tower proposed south of US 84 E.
Second was

bids for rotary mowers (really).
And

a Commissioner wanted to know what’s a blade.

Afterwards, at 9AM, was a special appearance by

Tax Commissioner Rodney Cain and his staff, which at 16 3/4 minutes, took almost as long as the entire Work Session.

In between, Commissioners answered my question: Continue reading →

Videos: Two small and one large Lowndes County rezonings @ GLPC 2019-04-29

Most of the time in the relatively short April GLPC meeting was spent on

the communications tower request, which see.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each item,
with a very few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist.
See also the

GLPC agenda
and the
agenda for tomorrow’s
Lowndes County Commission Meeting.

Call to Order, Invocation, Pledge
Continue reading →

Sewer main replacement, 2 Authority appointments, roads and rezonings @ LCC 2019-05-13

Appointments to two more Authorities with no prior public notice
nor requests for applicants: the

Hospital Authority and the
Airport Authority.

About the Hospital Authority:

HISTORY, FACTS AND ISSUES: The term of Dr. Mary Richardson on the
Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County will expire on
June 1, 2019. Ms. Shirley Garland, Mrs. Elsie Napier, and Dr. Mary
Margaret Richardson’s names have all been submitted for appointment.

For the
Airport Authority, Anthony Payton’s term is up and he wants to be reappointed.

Lowndes County Commissioners will be hearing about a bunch of purchases and bids.
Two of them are water items:
Georgia Department of Transportation – TIA Project Agreement – Hightower Road/Cooper Road NE Paving and Drainage Improvements
and
Professional Services for Coleman Road Lift Station Force Main Replacement.
Look at this about that lift station:

HISTORY, FACTS AND ISSUES: Lowndes County received a Proposal from
Lovell Engineering for the engineering and construction plan
preparation for Coleman Road lift station force main replacement.
Coleman Road force main has experienced repeated failures and is in
need of replacement. Coleman Road force main is the beginning of the
main trunk line that transports waste water from the north Lowndes
region to the LAS. Costs will be 9% of construction.

Lowndes County is replacing a sewer main because it has failed before.
Wait, is this the same main from back in October,
when Commissioners approved $99,935 to fix “The 16” force main between Coleman Road lift station and James Road”?

Map: VALORGIS.

There are two transportation items:
that
TIA paving and drainage project,
and
Professional Engineering and Surveying Services for TIA Projects.

The two rezonings and the communications tower
from the recent
Planning Commission meeting are on
the agenda.

No, we haven’t posted the LAKE videos of that Planning Commission meeting yet.
Yes, we will do so soon.
Meanwhile, Lowndes County has its own video equipment and editing software
and could video Planning Commission meetings, and budget meetings,
for that matter.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MAY 13, 2019, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 14, 2019, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

One city setback case @ ZBOA 2019-05-07

In perhaps the least exciting
ZBOA agenda ever,
today there is one case, about yard setbacks.
The packet is
on the LAKE website,
courtesy of ZBOA member Gretchen Quarterman.

SURVEY

Valdosta – Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals

Valdosta Planning and Zoning Office

300 North Lee Street, Valdosta, Georgia

(229) 259-3563

Lowndes County Zoning Office

327 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia

(229) 671-2430

AGENDA

May 7, 2019

2:30 p.m.

Continue reading →

Lowndes County Budget Meetings 2019-05-07-09 @ LCC 2017-05-07

Lowndes County is holding its Budget Meetings this week.
Typically Commissioners and staff hear from all departments,
agencies, and Authorities that get tax funds collected by the county.

When:
8:30 AM – 4:15 PM

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

8:30 AM – 2:15 PM

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

8:30 AM – 2:45 PM

Thursday, May 9, 2019

Where:
Commission Chambers,

327 N. Ashley Street 2nd Floor,

Valdosta, GA 31601

All three Lowndes County calendar posts
note:

Meetings could potentially run longer than the scheduled times.

I would guess one topic that will come up will be the remaining
projects in

SPLOST VII.

As usual, Continue reading →

Public forum by Valdosta Daily Times 2019-05-06

This is new: the newspaper is holding a public forum.

When:
5:30 PM, Monday, May 6, 2019

Where:
Holiday Inn and Conference Center, 1805 W. Hill Ave., Valdosta, GA

Event:
facebook: well, the VDT didn’t schedule a facebook event.

Terry Richards, VDT, 2 May 2019,

VDT holding open public forum,

VALDOSTA — The Valdosta Daily Times wants to meet and mingle
with the public Monday.

Coffee, Tea and the VDT — an open public forum — is
scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 6, at the Holiday Inn and
Conference Center, 1805 W. Hill Ave.

The town hall-type meeting is open to Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange