Commissioner Joyce Evans was absent at both the morning’s Work Session and the evening’s Regular Session, but they appointed her to two boards anyway.

At the Tuesday evening Regular Session, the Lowndes County Commission approved everything unanimously, including appointing Jeff Sykes to the Airport Authority, and “Miss Evans” to the Aging and Community Services Boards.

County Manager Paige Dukes said the opening on the Community Services Board was because Chairman Bill Slaughter had been appointed to a statewise board, and thus could not continue to serve on a local board.

Collage @ LCC Regular 27 May 2025

Director of Engineering Services Chad McLeod clarified which parts of which roads would be resurfaced if the county gets the GDOT LRA funds.

Finance Director Stephanie Black said it’s a mid-size excavator that Public Works wants, following up from discussion in the Work Session.

County Manager Paige Dukes said Val Del Road work began at North Valdosta Road that day (yesterday) and there’s a county facebook page about it. She indicated a meeting with FEMA and a need to deal with less federal funds and more local preparedness. She also talked about SPLOST IX, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, the civic center, and emergency operations, rattling off a string of dates. Seems like she could provide a written report if she expects people to remember those dates. She did say the bicentennial dates would be updated on the county’s website, although I cannot find them there.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know if there was any update on the animal shelter. Chad McLeod said the RFP was 90% approved.

There were no Citizens Wishing to Be Heard.

Below are LAKE videos of each agenda item, with a few notes by John S. Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist. There are some one-second gaps between videos, because I was using my phone, which does not cycle off and on quickly enough. Plus one towards the beginning of the Minutes item, because I accidentally bumped it off and had to turn it back on.

See also the LAKE videos of the same morning’s Regular Session and the agenda.

The county has until tomorrow to return the board packet after the open records request I sent them Sunday.

Here is the LAKE video playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLshUv86fYkiG68AbFba4SFENrUn7lt563&si=pL0XWu7Iqr3UorN8

• 1. Order 2. Invocation 3. Pledge
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/8JJvIu1RkMg

  Lowndes County Board of Commissioners (LCC) Regular Session 2025-05-27

  Videos by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
  http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/2025/05/videos-airport-aging-community-service-board-appointments-1677028-92-lmig-funds-from-gdot-lcc-regular-2025-05-27.html

• 4. Minutes for Approval
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/f1fGd2WzBjU

  There’s a slight gap towards the beginning of this video, because I accidentally bumped the camera off and had to turn it back on.
  So this video is two pasted together.

• 5.a. Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport Authority
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/vx93bnV9iaY

  Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker nominated Jeff Sykes, and they appointed him, since nobody else was nominated.

• 5.b. Southern Georgia Area Agency On Aging
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/8LdFAX52IsQ

  Commissioner Demarcus Marshall said he thought there was a requirement to be 65 or older.

  County Manager Paige Dukes said she was not aware of such a requirement, but Commissioner Joyce Evans would qualify, for several years now.

  Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker said Commissioner Marshall could ask her; he wouldn’t.

  Commissioner Marshall nominated Commissioner Joyce Evans.
  She was appointed, there being no other nominees.

• 5.c. South Georgia Community Service Board
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/ZPiye7lunUo

  County Manager Paige Dukes said the vacancy is due to Chairman Bill Slaughter being appointed to the Georgia statewide Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, which makes him ineligible to serve on this local board.

  https://www.wtxl.com/valdosta/lowndes-county-leader-appointed-to-georgia-board-of-behavioral-health-and-developmental-disabilities

  https://www.cnhi.com/rss_feed/slaughter-named-to-state-board/

  https://dbhdd.georgia.gov/bill-slaughter

  Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker nominated “Miss Evans”. There being no other nominees, she was appointed.

  Commissioner Wisenbaker wanted to know if there was any other work they could get Miss Evans to do.

  Chairman Bill Slaughter said she does enough.

• 6.a. 2025 Local Road Assistance (LRA) Administration Funds Application
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/6r6kWUUAuj0

  Director of Engineering Services Chad McLeod said the LRA funds channeled through the LMIG interface would be used for resurfacing.
  He read the list of roads (see the agenda).

  The work on Coffee Road is from Morven Road to GA 122.
  On Webb Road it is from GA 122 to Coffee Road.

  Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker wanted to know was that to the Cook County line.
  Answer: no, just to Coffee Road.

  The Commissioners approved this item unanimously.

• 6.b. Updated Debris Removal Contract Pricing With Ashbritt
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/rmYEif1NTTo

  Commissioners had no questions and approved the item unanimously.

• 7.a. Bid For Mini Excavator For Public Works
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/UJVE9b1BAA8

  Finance Director Stephanie Black read the item, noting that it’s a mid-size excavator.

  Commissioner Mike Smith said he appreciated the additional information
  from her and from Public Works, apparently since the morning’s Work Session.

  They approved the item unanimously.

• 8. Reports – County Manager
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/LNwiJ9ON7AU

  County Manager Paige Dukes said Val Del work began that day (yesterday).
  The county’s facebook page on that will be updated.
  Later she said it’s already been updated to note that no businesses are closed, just the road.

  Apparently she means this facebook page, Val Del Road at North Valdosta Road Intersection Improvements.

  https://www.facebook.com/LowndesCoHwy41WideningRoadProjectUpdates

  This Facebook page is designed to provide information and updates on the improvements to the Val Del Road at North Valdosta Road intersection, set to start in May.

  I don’t see anything on there about businesses remaining open.

  Apparently that facebook page was repurposed from one about US 41 North, since there are old posts on it about that road.

  She is meeting later this week with “my city counterparts” to continue planning for SPLOST IX.

  FEMA is hosting a recovering workshop at the staff level today (Wednesday) 9-noon at the EOC. She will update the Commission following.

  June 4 is the next policy meeting with the Metropolitan Planning Organization at the regional commission.

  June 8: plans will be ready for the civic center group. A tarp blew off that roof. Etc.

  June 11: [unintelligble] training for elected officials at the emergency operations center. All except Commissioner Mike Smith have had it before, but “it’s been a while”. She noted that with changes at the federal level with FEMA and increasing threshold “it’s going to be a very different environment.” June 11, 8:30 to 12:30.

  She said they had a handout about bicentennial events, which would also be posted on the county’s website.

  (Searching for “bicentennial” on lowndescounty.com gets “No results found”.)

  Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know if there was any update on the animal shelter.

  Chad McLeod said the RFP was 90% approved.

• 10. Adjournment
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/EXDDFsCMhhs

-jsq

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