Tag Archives: Work Session

Videos: 8.5 minutes, Appointment to BHDD, USGS GA 122 Little River gage, 3 lift station pumps @ LCC 2016-09-26

They vote Tuesday night at 5:30 PM. In these LAKE videos of Monday morning’s 8.5 minute Work Session, you can see they are buying three new lift station pumps, and for each: “This pump has not been bid due to it being a sole source item in accordance with the County’s standards and specifications.” One commissioner did ask about that. Where can we see these no-bid standards and specifications? In other water news, they are likely to approve the annual renewal of the USGS Little River GA 122 stream gauge, which they started paying for after the 2009 floods.

In transportation, Continue reading →

Appointment to BHDD, USGS GA 122 Little River gage, 3 lift station pumps @ LCC 2016-09-26

They actually named an appointee in the agenda! Dr. Wilhelmenia Howell for Georgia Department Of Behavioral Health And Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD).

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2016, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: HEAT on Sheriff finances @ LCC 2016-09-13

Half the meeting (11 1/2 minutes) Tuesday was Commissioners grilling Sheriff Chief Deputy Joe Crow about the cost of High Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (Heat): how less funding is provided the more successful the program is, and federal funding may go away, leaving the county to foot the bill. Chairman asked for monthly statistical updates. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall moved to approve continuation of the grant, plus a statement in favor of the grant including a disclaimer that the county would “work to preserve” as much of the grant as possible if state funding goes away.

They approved finally fixing the railroad bridge over Old Quitman Highway. and similar but less complicated (no railroad) for the Jumping Gulley Road bridge. Nobody mentioned that the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline proposes to cross Jumping Gulley Road half a mile west of that bridge, and then to open cut through Jumping Gulley Creek just south of the state line.

Snake Nation Road is getting an emergency $168,928 box culvert repair, which isn’t fast enough for former Commissioner Richard Lee, who Continue reading →

Videos: Finally, Wright Road RR Bridge @ LCC 2016-09-12

They vote 5:30 PM this evening on finally fixing the railroad bridge over Old Quitman Highway. As you can see in the videos below of yesterday morning’s Work Session, County Engineer Mike Fletcher said it’s taken long negotiations with CSC and GDOT, ending up with realigning the road to go across the railroad at 90 degrees.

Way back in 2011 this Old Quitman Road bridge was on the T-SPLOST list. Old Quitman Road itself was announced on a striping and citing list 2013-10-08 and on an LMIG resurfacing list 2014-03-24 and 2014-03-25. It was said to be the only road for which the speed limit is being changed 2015-03-23 and 2015-03-24. And they fixed a culvert on private Carter Way before they got to this RR bridge on Old Quitman Road. But now they’re doing it, and they didn’t need T-SPLOST for that after all.

See also Continue reading →

Two subdivisions, 3 road abandonments, 2 bridges, MIDS @ LCC 2016-09-12

This morning at 8:30 AM at the Lowndes County Commission, the two subdivisions from the previous Planning Commission meeting, REZ-2016-16 Livingston Properties, Bemiss Knights Academy Rd and Merriman Ct.

What’s with all the road abandonments these past many months? REZ-2016-17 Grove Pointe Ph 6, Dasher Grove Rd, a public hearing on Abandonment of Strong Road, probably scheduling of one for Abandonment of Unopened Right of Way off of Pikes Pond Road, and finishing up with a Quit Claim Deed for Abandoned Right of Way on Old Miller Concrete Property.

Surveying and engineering for two bridge replacements, on Old Quitman Road and Jumping Gully Road. And the annual renewal of Section 5311 Rural Transportation Program Capital Contract, which is the MIDS on-call bus service, in case you can’t tell from the obscure agenda item.

Plus lots more on the agenda. Will they speed through it all in their usual 15 minutes? They vote tomorrow (Tuesday) evening at 5:30 PM.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2016, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2016, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: 2 minutes 39 seconds, plus new county agent @ LCC 2016-08-22

That’s 2:39 for all business in Monday’s Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission, except for a report at the end about a new county agent. The whole thing took less than 5 and a half minutes, according to their own clock. Valdosta City Council Sandra Tooley showed up at 5:35, just before they adjourned, and wondered what happened. You ever get the feeling they discuss business somewhere other than in public m eetings?

Tonight there’s a third millage hearing at 5PM, followed by their voting Regular Session at 5:30 PM. See previous post for some background on the millage and the agenda.

Below are links to each of the LAKE videos of the August 22nd 2016 Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission. They vote tonight. Continue reading →

Videos: Jerry Wallace reitrement, ZBOA, Verizon, abandonment, landfill @ LCC 2016-08-09

The engineering department utlity player, Jerry Wallace, is retiring. Jerry Wallace

They approved everything they discussed at the previous morning’s Work Session. See also the LAKE video of the Zika and mosquito control report from that Work Session.

Below are links to the LAKE videos plus a few notes for the Regular Session, August 9th 2016, of the Lowndes County Commission. They vote again tonight.

Here’s a video playlist:


Videos: Jerry Wallace reitrement, ZBOA, Verizon, abandonment, landfill
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, August 9, 2016.

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Millage, grants, computers, and land bank @ LCC 2016-08-22

This morning the county will discuss raising the millage rate, and they will vote on it Tuesday evening, with a third millage hearing half an hour before the voting session.

Michael Praats, Valdosta Daily Times

As County Manager Joe Pritchard reminded them July 25th, it’s time for the annual millage rate setting. As usual, their agenda doesn’t say what they’re setting it to. There’s a number in Continue reading →

Videos: Mosquitoes! ZBOA Reappointment, Verizon tower, Strong abandonment, closed landfill @ LCC 2016-08-08

Most controversial and not on the agenda: Zika and mosquito control in the County Manager’s report. They vote tonight at 5:30 PM.

The county wants to operate and maintain water treatment, wastewater, and three swimming pools at Moody AFB. Are they changing the speed limit on your road? And the county is re-evaluating its job descriptions.

Also on the agenda: Continue reading →

ZBOA Reappointment, Verizon tower, Strong abandonment, closed landfill @ LCC 2016-08-08

Are they changing the speed limit on your road? The county wants to operate and maintain water treatment, wastewater, Option 1 Summary Maintain WWTP and three swimming pools at Moody AFB. And the county is re-evaluating its job descriptions.

Also on the agenda for this morning at 8:30 AM (they vote Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM): reappointing Mac McCall to ZBOA, the Verizon tower from the previous Planning Commission meeting, Abandonment of Strong Road (CR 250), and Execution of the Resolution for the Hazardous Waste Trust Fund for the closed landfill: yes the same one they signed an easement for the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline to go through. Continue reading →