Author Archives: admin

Mayor Fretti at Wiregrass Solar LLC groundbreaking

Valdosta Mayor John Fretti remarked at the Wiregrass Solar groundbreaking 21 Feb 2011:
“…solar is an important component of our electricity needs and our power energy needs, and that it will continue to be. We need to take into consideration all renewable energy resources such as solar, and wind, and bio, and bring those together to eventually make them more efficient and effective to supply our grid with energy sources.”
He also talked about eventual lower rates to the customers. And he bragged about how big it is:
“I think currently the largest array… in Georgia”
Um, no, Dalton, Georgia already has a 365kW solar array installed and in use, although that information never seems to get through the VLCIA filter.


Wiregrass Solar LLC groundbreaking, 21 Feb 2011,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Still, it’s a start, and I congratulate VLCIA on doing it.

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There are other ways than a college degree

Editor of the Pelican Post remarks Harvard Study Calls for New Education Priorities:
A new Harvard School of Education study, “Pathways to Prosperity,” recommends that educators place a stronger focus on vocational education and apprenticeships, rather than aim to send every high school student to college.

“We are the only developed nation that depends so exclusively on its higher education system as the sole institutional vehicle to help young people transition from secondary school to careers,” says Robert Schwartz, academic dean of the college and co-author of the study.

This produces many problems: lots of people don’t get a college degree who would like to (can’t afford to go; can’t pass), lots of people who do still can’t get a job, and let’s not get into the Profzi scheme for Ph.Ds. Here’s a partial solution:
“We need to do a better job exposing our students to different career pathways so that they understand what options are available to them after graduation.”
Wait! Somebody local talked about this recently: Ben Copeland at the Lake Park Chamber of Commerce.

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Lowndes County Commission meets tonight

County Commission Chairman - Ashley Paulk District 1 Commissioner - Joyce Evans District 2 Commissioner - Richard Raines District 3 Commissioner - Crawford Powell
Lowndes County Commission meets tonight, 5:30 PM, at 327 N. Ashley Street, Valdosta, GA 31601. Here’s the agenda: appointement to SRJDA (what’s that? come and see!), Hump Road abandonment, landfill permit modification, $800,000 DHS grant application, purchase of wetland credits for old Clyattville Road, Gateway Grants, and other items. Some of them may affect you.

Meetings start on time, and remember if you want to speak you have to sign up before the meeting, so come early.

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VLCIA Speeches at Wiregrass Solar LLC groundbreaking

I’m in favor of solar plants, and it was good to see the participants helping out at the groundbreaking for the Wiregrass Solar LLC plant at the Valdosta Mud Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant yesterday. But wait! What’s that behind them? Seems like even solar supporters aren’t all in favor of the proposed neighboring biomass plant.

In this post are videos of the speeches by VLCIA personnel; speeches by other dignitaries will follow. Brad Lofton, Executive Director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA), said they’ll have a commissioning reception in a few months (currently scheduled for Wednesday 16th April 2011) to which they’ll invite “the entire City Council and the County Commission.” Interestingly, there was nobody from the County Commission at this groundbreaking ceremony. They’ve said they’re in favor of biomass; are they not in favor of solar? Lofton says they’ll also invite

“…the governor of Georgia who has about half a million dollars invested in this project.”


Wiregrass Solar LLC groundbreaking, 21 Feb 2011,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Lofton also said:

“We’ll go around and if anybody has any comments, I’d like you to make them.”
Hm, they never seemed to get around to me.

Brad Lofton explained that the property for the solar plant is owned by the City of Valdosta and leased to VLCIA and then subleased Continue reading →

“Hooray for solar! No biomass!”

The VDT nailed it:
Executives and city officials broke ground together at the site to the mixed cheers from the crowd of protesters: “Hooray for solar! No biomass!”
More perceptive text by David Rodock and pictues by Paul Levy online and in the paper paper.

Videos of the protesters here. Videos of the groundbreaking ceremony (with protesters) to come.

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Protesters, police, and press at Wiregrass Solar LLC groundbreaking

All these protesters were in favor of the groundbreaking today for the Wiregrass Solar LLC plant, but they wanted to object to the related biomass plant proposed for next door. Here you can see Valdosta police saying they’re going have to issue a summons to some protesters because they didn’t have a permit, Valdosta Mayor Fretti saying the permit process is simple, and Dr. Michael Noll president of Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy (WACE) explaining that they only heard of the event recently, and besides he’d be happy to pick up a shovel and help with the groundbreaking for the solar plant:


Wiregrass Solar LLC groundbreaking, 21 Feb 2011,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Enter the police chief. Continue reading →

Citizens and Sheriff Prine recognized @LCC, 8 Feb 2011

The Lowndes County Commission seems to have suddenly gone from lecturing citizens about how it’s a waste of tax money for people to speak too often to inviting all sorts of citizen groups to show up and speak or be recognized. I call that a good thing. We’ll see if this era of good feelings lasts. In addition to the many students speaking about Tranqulity Trail, at the same meeting the Chairman recognized a Boy Scout troop (at least I think that’s what that one was) and Boy Scout Troop 418 (I’m pretty sure about that one). Also the Chidren’s Advocacy Center (more about that one later). And Sheriff Prine thanked the Commission for their support in searching Ocean Pond for seventeen days.


Regular meeting of the Lowndes County Commission, 8 February 2011,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

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Tranquility Trail –James Wright and students @LCC, 8 Feb 2011

Valdosta City Council member James Wright and students speak to the County Commission about Tranquility Trail. The students have a number of good points, such as “It’s not about me but our community” and “Don’t Litter, Make Our Trail Glitter”, and trees have educational and recreational benefits, and “We need our community to come in with us… how our community can get involved.” James Wright wraps up with “Development of our community and our citizens.” There’s more. Here’s the whole thing:


Regular meeting of the Lowndes County Commission, 8 February 2011,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

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How much has VLCIA paid for Sterling Energy travel?

VLCIA says it paid for hotel rooms in December for Bob McCann and Gil Waldman of Sterling Energy. Why? How much more has VLCIA spent on travel for Sterling? And how can this public-private keep Sterling documents related to the biomass plant confidential?

According to the VDT, “Biomass plant said good for Valdosta and Georgia,” by Johnna Pinholster, 4 Nov 2010, “Gilbert Waldman is vice president and general manager of Sterling Energy Assets” and “Sterling Energy brought in Robert McCann, Jr. from Golder Associates Inc.” It’s curious that VLCIA paid for a room for the general manager of Sterling Energy, which I thought VLCIA said was the principle investor in the project. Seems like more we, we, we to me. This is yet more evidence that VLCIA and Sterling Energy do indeed have a public-private partnership. In which case, why can Sterling and VLCIA claim Sterling’s wood fuel sourcing study is proprietary?

The VDT also said:

On Tuesday, Waldman, an environmental consultant, members of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority board, and Brad Lofton, executive director of the authority, sat down to discuss the plant, how it works and how clean it will be.
Did VLCIA also pay for rooms for Waldman and McCann for that Tuesday 2 Nov 2010 meeting? How much money has VLCIA spent bringing them down here?

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VLCIA Payments for 6 Dec 2010 biomass “Forum”

VLCIA spent more than $17,000 on speakers and catering for their 6 Dec 2010 “Forum”, according to VLCIA’s response to an open records request. Yet local speakers against the biomass plant who would have charged nothing were not invited to be on the panel. VLCIA insists on referring to it as an “information exchange”, even though their hand-picked moderator said “we’re not going to get into debate.”

Here is a summary of the expenses: Continue reading →