Tag Archives: Work Session

No agenda for Planning Commission Work Session @ GLPC 2016-05-23

On Lowndes County’s website there’s no agenda for tonight’s Planning Commission Work Session, even though the City of Valdosta’s calendar lists that Work Session for 5:30 PM Monday May 23rd 2016 at South Health District Administrative Office (former Lowndes County Administration Building), 325 W Savannah Ave, Valdosta, GA 31601. Presumably the Hahira rezonings and annexation will be discussed. And will County Manager Joe Pritchard say this morning at 8:30 AM at the Lowndes County Work Session that he has received an annexation letter from Hahira?

Neither of these Monday meetings are public hearings: the public can attend, but can not speak. See previous post for when the public hearings are.

-jsq

Abandon Beaver Lane, Aging Development Appointments, Kinderlou Lift Station Pump @ LCC 2016-05-23

This morning’s 8:30 AM $45,600.00 for new grounds for four radio towers: was it in the budget, or is this another emergency no-bid item? Ditto the $10,379.00 for the Kinderlou Lift Station Pump? Each item names only one company quoting.

After abandoning Beaver Lane, will the county vote to fix it as a private road, like they did with Carter Way? And from whom did the county receive the abandonment request? Will the County Manager’s Report include the Hahira W. Main St. annexation?

Also on the Lowndes County Commission agenda for discussion Monday morning and vote Tuesday evening, appointing “Ms. Andrea Schuijer and a Commissioner” to the Continue reading →

Videos: Attorneys v Carter Way tar baby, Appointment, big subdivision, Hwy 84 lift station @ LCC 2016-05-10

Multiple attorneys (ka-ching!) were needed to negotiate access for the county to fix private Carter Way, which the Lowndes County Commission approved unanimously at its 10 May 2016 Regular Session. This is the same Commission that signed an easement with Sabal Trail because they didn’t want to spend attorney fees to defend a lawsuit. The same Sabal Trail that wants to put its three-foot pipe only three feet deep just downhill from where Carter Way washed out.

County Planner Jason Davenport showed an updated site plan for 6.a. REZ-2016-10 Freedom Heights, 4301 Bemiss Rd, C-H to P-D, but as usual it’s not posted on the county’s website, and you had no way of seeing it before the meeting unless you filed an open records request three days before.

Commissioner Clay Griner remembered flooding, fence, and forgot the third thing a constituent asked him for about 6.b. REZ-2016-11 Creekside West Subdivision, 7551 GA Hwy 122 W. Developer Young Tillman said the changes were because Continue reading →

Videos: Carter Way tar baby, Appointment, big subdivision, Hwy 84 lift station @ LCC 2016-05-09

The County Manager asked for Carter Way to be on the agenda for tonight’s 5:30 PM Regular Session. At yesterday morning’s Work Session the County Attorney reminded us that in a previous episode (March 25th Work Session) we learned that the Loretta B. Moore irrevocable living trust owns half of the access to the damaged part of the road. Since then he’s learned that the trustee is the Loretta Anne Ruth, who lives in Panama City, Florida. He has contacted her, and has a copy of the trust formation document. He says Ms. Ruth has signed an agreement with the county, and he expected Charles Cowart of Cowart and Sons to sign an agreement that same morning.

Below are LAKE videos of yesterday morning’s Work Session, followed by a video playlist. See also the agenda and the LAKE videos of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission meeting at which the two rezoning cases were discussed. The County Commission votes tonight at 5:30PM. Continue reading →

Videos: Hambrick Road paving and traffic and Bevel Creek bridge @ LCC 2016-04-26

Thanks to County Engineer Mike Fletcher for doing almost what Gretchen asked at the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 26 April 2016.

They rattled through the agenda with almost no questions, unanimously approving everything, including the $89,005 in emergency no-bid repairs. You’d have little idea why they were doing anything if you weren’t at the previous morning’s Work Session or you didn’t view the LAKE videos of the Work Session, in which we discovered for example it’s not Beatty Creek Bridge, rather Bevel Creek Bridge. Nonetheless, the County Engineer still said the creek name wrong.

Here are links to each of the LAKE videos of the Regular Session of April 26th 2016, with a few notes, followed by a video playlist. See also the LAKE videos of the Work Session of April 25th 2016, and the agenda.

They meet again this morning at 8:30 AM. Continue reading →

Appointment, big subdivision w of Hahira, Hwy 84 lift station pump @ LCC 2016-05-09

This morning, coyly considering appointing “an elected official” (I’d bet Joyce Evans) to the South Georgia Community Service Board and reappointing Mr. Shamb Purohit, at the Lowndes County Commission, 9 May 2016. A 7-acre subdivision REZ-2016-10 Freedom Heights, 4301 Bemiss Rd and a 173-acre subdivision west of Hahira on Franks creek, and a pump fo the Hwy. 84 Lift Station, all also on the agenda to be voted on tomorrow evening. Continue reading →

Videos: Emergency no-bid repairs, a bridge where, and unnecessary resurfacing @ LCC 2016-04-25

The FY 2017 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant was a popular topic yesterday morning, and some Commissioners showed a little bit of scepticism about that $89,005 in emergency no-bid repairs on the agenda for yesterday morning and for voting 5:30PM this evening.

Also $634,800 for a bridge we can’t tell where, and some unknown fraction of $1,663,888.78 to resurface a road that shouldn’t be used as a highway in the first place. Who’s in charge of budget planning for the county?

At the end, there was more from the County Manager about private road Carter Way: they discovered another property owner (“at least one”) after they agreed to spend $67,822 to fix a private road.

Here are links to each of the LAKE videos, with a few notes, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

Emergency no-bid repairs, a bridge where, and unnecessary resurfacing @ LCC 2016-04-25

$89,005 in emergency no-bid repairs on the agenda for Monday morning and voting Tuesday evening. Also $634,800 for a bridge we can’t tell where, and some unknown fraction of $1,663,888.78 to resurface a road that shouldn’t be used as a highway in the first place. Who’s in charge of budget planning for the county?

Why is replacing the fiber optic data cable that connects the South Lowndes Data Center and the E911 Center an emergency repair for $61,020, when apparently the problem has been going on for years? Meanwhile, it’s good that it’s not an emergency that the 911 Center Core Network Equipment needs replacing for $38,621. Planning ahead is good. Is one of these items in the budget and the other not?

Another emergency not marked as such in the agenda is Continue reading →

Videos: Sabal Trail and no-bid private Carter Way, no-bid Old US 41 N, Animals, VLMPO, Bemiss Road * 2, sewer, safety, and incarceration @ LCC 2016-04-12

In these LAKE videos you can see the Commissioners and staff didn’t mention the contractor for the emergency no-bid $67,822 to fix the Carter Way Culverts owns property on Carter Way. They never said how much the no-bid Old US 41N paving project would cost. Citizen Judy Havercamp thanked the Commission for the recent animal ordinance. She clapped, but did not get shouted down by the deputy; I guess his instructions only apply to people not complimenting the Commission. Citizen John S. Quarterman, president of WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc., asked for wastewater spills to be posted on the county’s website and sent out by their alert system, and with a written letter updated the Commission on many recent pipeline developments and asked them to rescind their recent Sabal Trail easement or to help in other ways to stop that boondoggle.

Videos: No-bid Old US 41 N, private Carter Way, VLMPO, Bemiss Road * 2, sewer, safety, and incarceration @ LCC 2016-04-11

The Old US 41N paving project is no-bid. If they bid, they would actually know which was the most cost-effective….

In his Report, County Manager Joe Pritchard asked them to add to the agenda an item about fixing a private road off US 84, Carter Way. Most of the Commissioners previously seemed to be unfamiliar with this issue, although we had seen Chairman Bill Slaughter and Commissioner Joyce Evans listen to what seemed to be a request for this same road at the Lowndes County Democratic Party Meet the Candidates meeting the previous Monday.

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange