Category Archives: Animals

Videos: New Library Board, Wisenbaker Rd rezoning, communications tower in Langdale Park, Pre-Disaster Logistics, Juvenile Justice, Lift Station Bypass @ LCC Regular 2026-07-14

Update 2026-07-25:
Packet: Comprehensive Plan Update, Appointments to VLPRA and Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening @ LCC 2026-07-27. Plus, “There will be an information sharing session to address data center ordinance
considerations following the adjournment of the regular meeting.”

They voted separately on each of the nine posts on the reconstituted Library Board,
and appointed someone to each.
They ended up with one applicant left over somehow.
This was the Lowndes County Commission in their Regular Session of Tuesday, July 14, 2026,
where they also unanimously approved everything else.

Including the one actual rezoning, 6a. REZ-2026-14 Ray Colding, 6808 Wisenbaker Rd., Lake Park, ~8.5ac, M-1 & R-A to M-2, County Water and Septic.


https://youtu.be/u67fzIz5f_A?si=H-5SvDlHxdsPEny3

And of course they unanimously approved this in Langdale Park,
6.b. TWR-2026-02 Bermuda Run, New 159′ Telecommunications Tower near North Valdosta Road and Hyta Mederer Drive.


https://youtu.be/Yn_jbG5uM0g?si=TPgg7XvhVyEKR3EK

I did speak against it, and I pointed out they still weren’t in conformance with the ULDC,
at least because the existing tower locations are not in VALORGIS.
But they approved it anyway.


[Collage @ LCC Regular 2026-07-14]

Collage @ LCC Regular 2026-07-14

County Manager Paige Dukes in her Reports called on Fire Chief Billy Young, who called on someone else
to explain grants they had recently applied for, and they got some.


https://studio.youtube.com/video/7UYGpYf1-Zc/edit

She also had EMA Director Ashley Tye about changes of policy at GEMA that affect hurricane disaster recovery centers.
FEMA will no longer provide that service.
The county would have to do that: building, setup, staffing, equipment.


https://youtu.be/893tG8BrjYw?si=KLJoce54y8Cjh2mR

Datacenters

The County Manager kicked off the now-traditional datacenter discussion at the end of her Report.
She said the county staff were still working on a datacenter ordinance,
and were taking advantage of work other locations had done in environmental, legal, and other studies.
She noted there was still no application for a datacenter.
I hope the county doesn’t wait around until there is one,
after which any ordinance or moratorium they passed would not apply to that application.


https://youtu.be/pUmHRF7yfNE?si=GWOn-Iy9wUjTjHK2

Five Citizens were Heard about datacenters: Continue reading →

Videos: Coleman Road NW Paving and Drainage and Animal Shelter Build Go-Ahead @ LCC Regular 2026-05-26

The Lowndes County Commission took 23 minutes for its Regular Session, Tuesday evening, May 26, 2026.

Eleven minutes of that was Citizens Wishing to Be Heard.
A minute and a half was Order, Invocation, Pledge, and Leadership Lowndes.
And six and a half minutes for the County Manager Report.

So four minutes for the voting items, which all passed unanimously.

The two Citizens Wishing to Be Heard both spoke against datacenters:
Jimmy LeFiles about chemical safety
and

George Fisher about aquifer recharge.

The County Manager reported among other things that the governor has lifted the state burn ban, which affects non-residential areas of Lowndes County.
The county’s own burn ban, which affects residential areas, is still on,
but may be lifted next week.


[Collage @ LCC 26 May 2025]

Collage @ LCC 26 May 2025

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item,
with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading →

Videos: Coleman Road NW Paving and Drainage and Animal Shelter Build Go-Ahead @ LCC Work 2026-05-26

Update 2026-05-27:
Videos: Coleman Road NW Paving and Drainage and Animal Shelter Build Go-Ahead @ LCC Regular 2025-05-26.

The Work Session took five minutes Tuesday morning, for the
Lowndes County Commission, May 26, 2026.

There was some discussion about contingencies on the Animal Shelter build.

And they went into an executive session to discuss real estate.


[Collage @ LCC Work Session 26 May 2025]

Collage @ LCC Work Session 26 May 2025

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item,
with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading →

Packet: Coleman Road NW Paving and Drainage and Animal Shelter Build Go-Ahead @ LCC 2026-05-26

Update 2026-05-27:
Videos: Coleman Road NW Paving and Drainage and Animal Shelter Build Go-Ahead @ LCC Work 2025-05-26.

Both Work and Regular Sessions of the Lowndes County Commission
will be on Tuesday, May 26, 2026,
due to the Memorial Day holiday on Monday.

It’s a light agenda, with only two items involving money:
one for paving Coleman Road, and the other for building the Animal Shelter.


[Collage @ LCC Packet 2026-05-26]

Collage @ LCC Packet 2026-05-26

Here is the

agenda.

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is
on the LAKE website.
Images of each page are below.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2026, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2026, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: 3 rezonings, 4 road items, 1 beer and wine, VLCIA bonds, servers, debris hauler @ LCC Regular 2026-05-12

Gretchen noted about these LAKE videos of the May 12, 2026, Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission, “Still having camera problems. No audio on two of the bits and agenda items 6e and 6f and the start of 7a did not get recorded at all.”

Yes, we know the county videos its own Regular Sessions:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PRqnqJwM8k

LAKE continues to video those meetings anyway, for a number of reasons
I don’t have time to go into here.

Also, the county does not post videos of its Work Sessions, nor of the
Planning Commission, nor of any of the other numerous Boards and Authorities, not to mention School Board meetings.
LAKE does post videos of those Work Sessions and Planning Commission meetings.
You can help.
Volunteer to video some meetings.
Or donate to LAKE to buy a better video camera.

Once again, Lowndes County plans to widen Old US 41 North the rest of the way up to the Hahira City Limits:

6.c. TIA – Local Delivery Application for Old US 41 North Widening Phase 4

Other than

the Clyattville case was withdrawn by applicant,
the Commissioners approved all the agenda items unanimously.


[Collage @ LCC 12 May 2026]

Collage @ LCC 12 May 2026

Two citizens spoke about datacenters:
Michael Noll and
George Fisher.
See also what IT Director Aaron Kostyu

said in the Works Session
about massive hikes in memory and server prices because the AI industry is sucking up all the inventory even before it is manufactured.

Two citizens spoke about animals:
Amie Burnam and
Tara Parker.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item for the May 12, 2026,
Lowndes County Commission Regular Session,
wWork ith a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman,
followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the

LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session
and the
agenda and the board packet,
received in response to a LAKE open records request.

For the rezonings (except Clyattville), see the
LAKE videos of the preceding Planning Commission meeting.

Here is the LAKE video playlist:


https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLshUv86fYkiFwlE_EHC-C06NPB_VIXiPc&si=tVArGKPA4yehJA9h

-jsq

Investigative reporting costs money, for open records requests, copying, web hosting, gasoline, and cameras, and with sufficient funds we can pay students to do further research. You can donate to LAKE today!


http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/donate

Videos: Datacenters, Sinkholes, Animals, Emergencies, Disasters, Judges, Drugs, and Wells @ LCC Regular 2026-04-28

There was some discussion among Lowndes County Commissioners,
but their Regular Session on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, as they
approved all the voting items unanimously.

In her Reports,
County Manager Paige Dukes called on both Utilities Director Steve Stalvy and Fire Chief Billy Young about the current drought and fire situations.

Six Citizens Wished to Be Heard.


George Fisher spoke about his water research, which includes he’s discovered
the line of sinkholes running across the county.


Pam Kelly Jarvis and

Amanda Hall
spoke about animal issues.

Jimmy LeFiles,

Michael Noll,
and

Susan Wehling
spoke about datacenters.


[Collage @ LCC 28 April 2026]

Collage @ LCC 28 April 2026

After the meeting adjourned, County Chairman Bill Slaughter came down to talk to several people about datacenters.
County Manager Paige Dukes joined in.
The Chairman said it was their procedure not to answer Citizens Wishing to Be Heard during the meeting, but he made himself available afterwards.

I mentioned that the Continue reading →

Videos: 7 CWTBH, one appointment, two subdivisions, huge and small @ LCC 2026-04-14

At the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session of April 14, 2026,
seven citizens spoke in Citizens Wishing to Be Heard (CWTBH):


[Collage @ LCC 13 April 2026]

Collage @ LCC 13 April 2026

CWTBH took about 18 minutes.

4. Purple Up For Military Children Proclamation took 9.5 minutes.
The usual preliminaries took 1.5 minutes.
So that’s 29 minutes.
The whole meeting took 46 minutes.

So that’s 17 minutes the Commissioners took to unanimously approve all the voting items.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: 2 presentations, 4 CWTBH, Appointment Board of Health, correct Tax Assessor, Qualifying Fees, grants, road widening and paving, Lakes Blvd Water Meter Relocation @ LCC Regular 2026-01-12

They tabled (again)

9.l. Abandonment of Grice Road,
this time to no definite date,
at the Monday evening Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.


Dr. Lucy Greene is handing over her work as Moody Support.
At 23 minutes, that was by far the longest item.

Four citizens spoke at the end.


[Collage @ LCC Regular Session, 12 January 2026]

Collage @ LCC Regular Session, 12 January 2026

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item,
with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman,
followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading →

Packet: 3 rezonings, dogs and cats ordinance, 7 water items, etc. @ VCC 2025-12-11

Update 2025-12-27: According to a usually reliable witness, facebook live had technical difficulties for the December meeting,
and wasn’t noticed until just before the meeting started, so there is no video of that meeting.
I’m told the dogs and cats ordinance did not pass, but may come back in a later meeting.
Everything else did pass, or so I’m told.
It appears the City Council needs to get some help for the City Clerk:
“2.a) The Minutes from the September, October, and November City Council Meetings are forthcoming.”

Valdosta Mayor and Council had a very busy meeting on Thursday, December 11, 2025.

First, some questions for Valdosta Mayor, Council, and City Manager:

  1. Why does Valdosta not publish its board packets on its own website?
    Since anyone can get them through an open records request, they are not secret.
    The board packets could go on the city’s own Agenda & Minutes web page:

    –

    https://www.valdostacity.com/city-council/agendas-minutes

  2. Speaking of which, where are the minutes since August?
    They’re not on that web page.
  3. Why did Valdosta not do publicity about the
    seven (7) drinking water or wastewater improvement items on this December agenda?
  4. Where is Valdosta’s video of this December meeting?
    If the facebook live video is the official video of the meeting,
    why is it not linked into the Agendas & Minutes web page?

Valdosta complains people think they’re doing nothing about fixing their wastewater problems.

Maybe that has something to do with the city
actively hiding the details in unpublished board packets,
as well as doing publicity about such projects.


[Collage of VCC Packet 2025-12-11]

Collage of VCC Packet 2025-12-11

On this agenda was an ordinance copying Lowndes County in prohibiting
sale of dogs and cats by retail establishments,
a resolution about Valdosta City School System Refunding Bonds,
and another resolution about the Georgia Historic Tax Credit Program.
Plus various equipment for Engineering, Public Works, and Police.

The agenda also
included the three rezonings or conditional use permits heard last month
by the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC).


http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/?p=25373

The seven wastewater improvement items are: Continue reading →

Videos: Rezonings, Dogs, Roads, and Subdivisions @ LCC Work Session 2025-10-14

At this morning’s Work Session,
the Lowndes County Commissioners spent the most time on the

Telecommunications Tower on Rocky Ford Road (5:38)
and on

6.a. Lowndes County Responsible Dog Ownership Ordinance.

They vote this evening at 5:30 PM (same day due to Monday being a holiday).
Anyone can speak in the two rezoning Public Hearings,


[Collage @ LCC 14 October 2025]

Collage @ LCC 14 October 2025

Commissioner Mike Smith was absent this morning.
Commissioner Joyce Evans is still absent due to illness.

They

ended with an Executive Session about a potential real estate purchase
and attorney-client privilege about potential litigation.

County Manager Paige Dukes mentioned in her
Reports
that the James Road water main project came out $800,000 under budget.
Those funds can be used for other projects in the vicinity.
She recommended a change order to work on a water main on Old Clyattville Road.
Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker said to proceed.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item,
with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman.

See also Continue reading →