Emergency Management Director Ashley Tye gave a preview of the West Mims Fire Special Presentation that will be tonight at 5:30 PM by someone from the Charlton County Commission.

Looks like another no-bid special contract award, this time to Lovell Engineering, without even the excuse of an emergency.

They have signs made for Wiregrass Technical College Highway. Two out of three (not Creekside) Special Tax Lighting Districts may be ready to vote on tonight.

If you have any other plumber to propose for the Valdosta-Lowndes County Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals, get that name to them before tonight; they’ve already got one name.

A month ago there was a question about end of life for radios, and this time there’s a request to buy radios to phase out old ones, and more about maintenance contracts to save money.

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

• 1. Call to Order 4. MInutes for Approval

  Video.

• 6 a. Valdosta-Lowndes County Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals

  Video. The The agenda sheet says:

  Mr. Mike Vickery’s term on the Valdosta-Lowndes County Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals expired on June 30, 2017, leaving a vacant seat. Mr. Tripp Howell has expressed interest in being appointed to the board.

  See also the agenda.

• 7. Public Hearings – Special Tax Lighting Districts

  Video. Creekside probably not ready.

• 8 a. Annual Contract Renewal for Mosquito Identifying and Testing

  Video.

• 8 b. Request to purchase Public Safety Radios

  Video. This time Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker asked about Motorola software.

• 8 c. Acceptance of Infrastructure for Knights Landing Phase II

  Video.

• 8 d.Professional Surveying and Engineering Services (Lovell)

  Video. Accept proposal from Lovell Engineering. It’s not clear if this was bid out or if it was just assigned to the contractor. The agenda sheet says:

  The Lowndes County Engineering Department has requested a proposal from Lovell Engineering for professional surveying and engineering services for improvements to Simpson Road and the portion of Parker Road from Shiloh Road to Simpson Road. The fee schedule is 4% Engineering, 3% Surveying and 2% Environmental of the cost of construction.

  The County Engineer read from that, speaking of himself in the third person. In response to a question about the fee schedule he referred the Commissioners to the percentages above, and remarked: “If the costs go down, their fees go down.” And if the costs go up, their fees go up, so the contractor has incentive to find higher costs.

• 8 e. Dedicate a Portion of Val Tech Road

  Video. County Engineer Mike Fletcher reminded Commissioners that at our last meeting, it was determined that the Commissioners wanted to dedicate a portion of Val Tech Road to be called Wiregrass Technical College Highway. You see intersection of Shiloh Road and Val Tech Road. Then the other sign will be one half mile south of the southern entrance.

  

• 8 f. Motorola System Upgrade Agreement (Evergreen)

  Video. 911 Director Danny Weeks said when he was there a few weeks ago he said he wouldn’t be back soon, but this time he has a proposal to save a lot of money, which turned out to be a ten-year contract with upgrades from Motorola every two years of software and hardware.

• 8 g. Motorola Subscriber Maintenance Agreement

  Video. 911 Director Danny Weeks again said this would save money. County Manager Joe Pritchard said the state of Georgia had been promoting this for fifteen or so years and he believed the legislature would at some point take action, apparently on “keeping maintaned a system that remains current”.

• 8 h. Computer Hardware and Software Bulk Purchase

  Video. IT Director Aaron Kostyu said this bulk buy would save money. He appeared to say they were using a state contract bid process but going with Dell without bids.

• 9 a. Bid for 10-Wheel Dump Truck for Public Works

  Video. Finance Director Stephanie Black said there were three bidders; only two met all the specifications, providing three bids between them. Both bidders have local parts and service available.

  Public Works Director Robin Cumbas in response to a question said they have 100% Peterbilt at the moment, but she didn’t seem to have any objections to Kenworth or the Packard engines bid.

  The agenda sheet says:

  Lowndes County solicited bids for a heavy duty 10-wheel dump truck to replace an International which has been taken out of service with major mechanical issues. A pre-bid meeting was held to answer any questions vendors may have had. The County received bids from three vendors; however, only two vendors met all specifications. Both vendors have local parts and service available. The responsive bids were:

  Vendor:	Location:	Vehicle:	Bid	Amount:
  Transpower Inc.	Albany, GA	Kenworth Paccar MX13 — Ox Body	124,544
  Peterbilt of Albany	Albany, GA	Peterbilt Paccar MX13 — 0x Body	127,045
  Peterbilt of Albany	Albany, GA	Peterbilt Paccar MX13 — Transport Body	129,798

• 10. Reports County Manager – Preview of presentation on West Mims Fire

  Video. County Manager Joe Pritchard called Emergency Management Director Ashley Tye up to talk about the West Mims Fire in the Okefenokee Swamp. Tye said like in 2007 and 2013 local responders put out a call for help. Lowndes County sent a couple of vehicles. All of the local fire departments within Lowndes County, with no exception, sent personnel: Lake Park, Remerton, Hahira, City of Valdosta, Lowndes County Fire Rescue. They couldn’t send a vehicle from every department, so they cooperated with the vehicles they could send, with mixed crews. Kim Carter, county training officer, handled scheduling. They staffed those vehicles for a total of two weeks. After this was over, they want to recognize the people involved. There was never a time when they had to seek volunteers; everybody volunteered. The Charlton County Commission wants to recognize the efforts of not only our firefighters, but how everybody worked together as a team.

  Here is more background on the West Mims Fire.

• 12. Adjournment

  Video.

Here’s a LAKE video playlist:

Videos: Construction Board, 3 tax lighting districtcs, mosquitoes, radios, roads, and truck
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, August 7, 2017.

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