Category Archives: Community

What will you do? —John S. Quarterman @ VCC 7 April 2011

I wanted to know what the council and the protesters will do when the biomass plant is canceled. I still want to know: what will you do?

Here’s the video, followed by my points.


What will you do? —John S. Quarterman @ VCC 7 April 2011
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Before I started, the mayor noted that many people needed to go to an event at 7PM (he didn’t name it, but it was the 100 Black Men Annual Dinner.) He offered to proceed with scheduled business and re-open Citizens to be Heard at the end of the meeting. Nobody objected. I had already waited until nobody else seemed to want to speak.

My points: Continue reading →

Earth Day 2011 Tomorrow

When:
Friday, April 22, 2011, 5:00pm to 9:00pm
Where:
Drexel Park, Patterson St. and Brookwood Drive, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia
Who:
Hosted by S.A.V.E., Students Against Violating the Environment
Why:
Come out and enjoy your evening to celebrate the Earth! There will be food, games, live bands, speakers, and fun! Bring your friends and family and enjoy an evening in the park!

We are also collecting canned for to donate to those in need!

The usual LAKE photographers can’t make it, so please take pictures and videos and post them to the Internet. Send links to information@l-a-k-e.org and we’ll post some on the blog, or you can post them directly on the LAKE facebook page.

-jsq

Children —Keisha Ferguson for Angela Manning’s church @ VCC 7 April 2011

Her church is close to the proposed biomass plant site. Many children go to school near there, too. She said she could feel that some of the council wanted to jump up and say something.

Here’s the video:


Children –Keisha Ferguson for Angela Manning’s church @ VCC 7 April 2011
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Local NAACP votes to oppose private prison in Lowndes County

Leigh Touchton commented yesterday about a meeting Tuesday 19 April. She is president of the Valdosta-Lowndes NAACP. -jsq
Valdosta NAACP branch voted last night to oppose the private prison approved by VLCIA. We don’t need more prisons, and they do not improve economic standards in any community in which they have been located. There is a safety burden upon the community, there are human rights abuses, and the focus should be on saving the state money by rehabilitation of non-violent offenders rather than mass incarceration. When America has 5% of the world’s population but incarcerates 25% of the world’s prisoners, this is unacceptable. In North Carolina, private prisons have put local furniture manufacturers out of business because they cannot compete with the prison’s slave labor. These are not sustainable and it’s no mystery why most of the large Christian denominations in America oppose them.

-Leigh Touchton

Here’s Brad Lofton’s explanation of the private prison. Here are statements on private prisons by three Christian denominations. And the state of Israel has outlawed private prisons. More information about CCA and private prisons here.

-jsq

City Manager’s Report and Council Comments @ VCC 7 April 2011

Sometimes you hear what you need to hear at the end of the meeting. Or, maybe you’re not there to hear it.

I think it helps make the point if you need to first listen to the City Manager’s Report before you hear what happened at the end of this video.

City Manager’s Report

Second night of classes [for something] is this coming Monday.

Police Department review April 16-19 including a public hearing April 18th 6PM at the City Hall Annex.

Electronic recycling was very successful.

Composting program “very unique”: they give it away free three days a week; bring your own truck.

Matt Martin promoted from interim planning director to full time.

City’s table is #17 at the event tonight [100 Black Men annual dinner].

Employee appreciation luncheon Thursday April 21 at [?] Park.

Next meeting one council member will serve on committee about comprehensive plan.

Council Comments

Council Yost said: Continue reading →

Conversation for jobs —Cristobal Serran-Pagan @ VCC 7 April 2011

Dr. Serran-Pagan suggests we have a conversation among all types of people and do the math. Let’s put the money where it will produce jobs. Solar, wind, why haven’t we been doing it? Real clean renewable sources of energy. He brings up the water the biomass plant would use.
Water is precious. Air is precious. Oil, coal, is not precious. Biomass is not precious. We have plenty of good clean, renewable sources of energy. Let’s do that…. and get rid of old models, and let’s try to do what is right for community, for our economy, and for public interest.

Here’s the video:


Conversation for jobs —Cristobal Serran-Pagan @ VCC 7 April 2011
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Protesters at Industrial Authority, 19 April 2011

The protesters are revolting these days! Is there nothing an Industrial Authority can do to keep them off its doorstep?

Where are these people protesting? Could it be outside the Industrial Authority?


Protesters @ VLCIA 19 April 2011 Part 1 of 4:
Biomass protesters,
Regular monthly meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority, VLCIA,
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Allan Ricketts Acting Executive Director, 19 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman and John S. Quarterman
for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Why that sign says Continue reading →

7.a) Community Development Block Grant —Mara Register @ VCC 7 April 2011

They don’t know yet how much it will be, since the feds haven’t said, but they have a plan for how to allocate a Community Development Block Grant. Council approved it.

If you want to see the Annual Action Plan they approved, you can, in a 30 day public examination and comment period. The total scheduled grant amount is $647,678 fromm HUD.

There’s an advisory committee: maybe you want to be on it.

Here’s the video:


7.a) Community Development Block Grant –Mara Register @ VCC 7 April 2011
Regular monthly meeting of the Valdosta City Council (VCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Some local governments partner with their citizens for open government

OpenAustin: speakupaustin!
OpenAustin promotes open government & open data in Austin, TX.

OpenAustin is a member-driven organizantion that promotes open government, open data, and civic application development in Austin, TX.

OpenAustin was originally formed by Austin residents interested in the City of Austin’s web strategy and approach. Presently, OpenAustin focuses on ensuring that all local public sector agencies embrace open data and open government principles, provide adequate oversight over public information, and support the civic software development.

Through a series of conversations, common ground was developed between the City and Open Austin to work together in a formal and recurring way. The goal is to develop new capacities for the City of Austin website while reducing or eliminating costs.

A strategic alliance document has been created by Open Austin and the City represents the expectations and the basis for the working relationship. In order to advance this partnership relationship, the City and OpenAustin will partner, innovate and improve.

http://open-austin.org

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=90275885408

Starting with one thing, web strategy, led to general open government. They even have a candidate questionnaire. Which most of the candidates have answered.

-jsq

Sementha Mathews demonstrates use of sledgehammer at KLVB Great American Clean-up

Sometimes destruction is creation. And fun.

This was The Great American Cleanup by KVLD, which is Keep Lowndes/Valdosta Beautiful, one of those twenty appointed boards. They have other events coming up this year.

Valdosta has two KLVB board appointments available this year. Maybe you’d like to apply.

Here’s the video.


Keep Lowndes/Valdosta Beautiful, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 16 April 2011.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq