Tag Archives: Withlacoochee River

Videos: Sold out to Sabal Trail @ LCC 2016-01-26

Thank you Commissioner Demarcus Marshall for voting no. Calling it “a good business decision”, the CEO of Waller Heating and Air lauded the others for voting to sell county land for a pittance to a company from Houston, Texas, nevermind their resolution of a year ago. We thought we elected them to represent the people of Lowndes County, and we thought they did back in December 2014 when they unanimously voted “the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners opposes the construction of the Sabal Trail pipeline in any portion of Lowndes County.” But at least one of them (“Wisenbaker) didn’t even remember that the county voted to oppose Sabal Trail. Apparently most of them concur with what the County Engineer said about landowners who have not taken Sabal Trail’s money, “I don’t know who they are.”

Update 2016-01-28: WCTV report, plus Gret chen’s question: “Is less than 50 cents per person in Lowndes County enough to risk drinking water for all?”

Landowners who did take the money mostly did not have Continue reading →

The hazardous waste Lowndes County Clyattville landfill is not just another Sabal Trail easement @ LCC 2016-01-26

There is no reason our only county-wide elected government should rush to take a pittance from a company from Houston, Texas for an easement through the closed landfill toxic waste site that would risk our drinking water and enable more easement takings from local landowners. On the front page of today’s VDT the County Clerk contradicted what Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter has written repeatedly to FERC, that he and the Commission represent “Citizens of Lowndes County”. She also didn’t mention the GA-EPD permit for any work within that landfill that the Chairman previously demanded from Sabal Trail, nor the multiple state other and federal permits Sabal Trail does not have. Although it’s still not on the published agenda, the Commissioners have an opportunity tonight to vote to support their own unanimous resolution of December 2014 against Sabal Trail.

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The County Clerk tried to roll back the clock to Continue reading →

Videos: Board appointments + Sabal Trail easement! @ LCC 2016-01-25

The main Work Session took six minutes this morning, followed by an executive session, which turned out to be about easements for the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline, which they’re adding to the agenda to vote on tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM.

See also the agenda. Below are links to each video, followed by a video playlist.

Continue reading →

Videos: Why Emergency bridge fixes? Appoint Tax Assessors? Rush Project Max? @ LCC 2016-01-12

Citizen Billy Rowland complained about poor road grading, his dogs being shot, and misuse of Knights Ferry Landing on the Withlacoochee River. Maybe the Commission will listen to what he said this time, at last Tuesday’s Lowndes County Commissioner Regular Session. Apparently G. Norman Bennett wants Hall Web Road paved for the mile to his house at the Little River, but Julia Bass, Ralph Niehenke, and Diane Guess spoke up saying they don’t want it paved. Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker tried to ask them questions, but Chairman Bill Slaughter cut him off. Slaugher did have time earlier fo an extra announcement of a joint governmental meeting Tuesday morning. It’s not clear citizens will even get to speak there, much less get questions answered. See separate post.

They passed the resolution to ask the legislature to start the proecess to appoint rather than elect Lowndes County Tax Assessors.

They already did emergency repairs to Clyattville Nankin Road Bridge (problem discovered by a local citizen) and Jumping Gully Road Bridge (found by GDOT), and the Commissione approved payment after the fact. So two more no-bid contracts were let, this time without even a Commission vote before the work was done.

They agreed to the North Lowndes Park Quitclaim and Custodial Agreement by which Valdosta-Lowndes Parks & Rec. Authority (VLPRA) takes charge of some land west of I-75 north of Hahira for a soccer field.

A few citizens spoke about rezoning for the mysterious Project Max, but of course they passed the rezoning anyway, even though apparently none of the Commissioners know who the prospective tenant is.

The Lowndes County Commission agenda contained quite a few other items as the Commission caught up after the holidays. See also the LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session. Below are links to each LAKE video of the Tuesday evening 12 January 2016 Regular Session, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

Videos: Surprise boat landing, MAZ, WWTP, tax lighting, civic center, court, insurance, hazardous waste @ LCC 2015-12-08

County Manager Joe Pritchard asked the Lowndes County Commission to spend the funds the citizens of Lowndes County approved on the SPLOST VII referendum for the Naylor Boat Ramp:

Motion by Commissioner Demarcus Marshall We are proposing for the purchase of 4.35 acres of property on the Alapaha River designated for the purpose of a boat ramp. You have the documentation there before you, the warranty deed. And as you are aware, this also reserves for an easement by the current owner, a proposed easement, and the appraisal is for $24,000, as is the purchase price, and that is the consideration for the proposed easement.

Commissioner Scottie Orenstein asked: Continue reading →

Videos: MAZ, WWTP, tax lighting, civic center, court, insurance, hazardous waste @ LCC 2015-12-07

Here are videos from Monday morning’s Work Session. They already met again to vote this evening. See also the previous Planning Commission agenda with the packet materials obtained by LAKE for the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) condition changes, the Moody Activities Zones (MAZ) changes to the ULDC, and the Orchard at Tillman Crossing and the LAKE videos of that meeting.

Here’s the Lowndes County Commission agenda, which also includes many other items, such as the obscurely named Execution of the Resolution for Hazardous Waste Trust Fund, which is about the closed landfill at Clyattville.

Here’s a video playlist:


Videos: MAZ, WWTP, tax lighting, civic center, court, insurance, hazardous waste
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 December 2015.

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MAZ, WWTP, tax lighting, civic center, court, insurance, hazardous waste @ LCC 2015-12-07

This morning at 8:30 AM, then for voting Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM, the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) condition changes, the Moody Activities Zones (MAZ) changes to the ULDC, and the Orchard at Tillman Crossing from the previous Planning Commission agenda are on this morning’s very long Lowndes County Commission agenda, along with many other items. Among them, the obscurely named Execution of the Resolution for Hazardous Waste Trust Fund is about the closed landfill at Clyattville.

See also the LAKE videos of the 30 November 2015 GLPC meeting, and this morning’s agenda is below.

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LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, December 7, 2015, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, December 8, 2015, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Withlacoochee River Wastewater Treatment Plant packet materials @ GLPC 2015-11-30

The mysterious missing materials from Monday’s Planning Commission meeting are on the LAKE website now, thanks to Lowndes County Planner Jason Davenport, by electronic mail today, 3 December 2015.

He explained that this requested zoning, REZ-2015-20, was a followon to rezoning REZ-2010-15 from 2010 for the new Withlacoochee River Wastewater Treatment Plant, plus since then Valdosta had bought another adjoining parcel. The materials explain the current concerns about buffers, setbacks, roads, other uses, noise, lights, etc.; see the text pages. The County Planner said the packet for next week’s County Commission meetings will also include an agenda item cover sheet.

For all the other packet items from Monday’s GLPC meeting, see the previous post. See also the related variance VAR-2015-16 that was before the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA) Tuesday.

Here’s the beginning of the overview from the GLPC materials:

The main reason for this request is the current conditional requirement of a bermed buffer along the norther boundary of the subject property. Right now if the previously approved conditions (Attached toward the end of the packet), approved site plan (Attached . . ,), and ULDC are combined it looks like what is currently required to be constructed is Continue reading →

Videos: MAZ, Tillman Crossing, Withlacoochee River WWTP, 7 * Valdosta @ GLPC 2015-11-30

Still invisible: the change to Valdosta’s Withlacoochee River Wastewater Treatment Plant. Documents related to all the other items are inked into the agenda in a previous post.

Moody AFB speaking about proposed Lowndes County MAZ ULDC text amendments
Moody AFB speaking about proposed Lowndes County MAZ ULDC text amendments

Continue reading →

MAZ, Tillman Crossing, Withlacoochee River WWTP, 7 * Valdosta @ GLPC 2015-11-30

An invisible change to Valdosta’s Withlacoochee River Wastewater Treatment Plant. Already a subdivision rezoning after the old US 41 N widening. And still going in its third year, the Moody Activities Zones (MAZ) Text Amendments, with updates last week, including the Chamber’s latest position, all on top of the previous updates. Those are just the Lowndes County cases on the agenda tonight for the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC).

The six Valdosta cases include a funeral home, a radio station, a church accessory, a community commercial rezoning, an amendment to a Planned Development, and City of Valdosta sign regulations changes.

All that plus Continue reading →