Guess what’s really inevitable, pipeline companies? Solar and wind power.
Utility scare tactics that no coal means pipelines are so much hot air.
Scare tactics that no pipelines would mean LNG trains are burnt up by solar power.
Stop pipelnes or fracking and stop the other and LNG export along with it.
And we’re winning!
Tom Randall, Bloomberg, 6 April 2016, Wind and Solar Are Crushing Fossil Fuels: Record clean energy investment outpaces gas and coal 2 to 1. Continue reading
They said almost nothing last month about
Project Max, so we don’t know for sure if for example it is really a glass container company.
They meet again tonight. Actually, that one is cancelled; they meet next April 19th.
At the end, Gretchen
spoke about:
Dr. Noll of WACE said he was there to “harrass” Continue reading
Come to the Farm Bureau in two weeks to hear
Tax Assessor staff present their updates and provide your input
for changes to the
rural land revaluation, this time taking into account rivers, aquifer recharge zones, and uniformity.
Maybe the Tax Assessors actually don’t want more flooding in Valdosta;
both the City of Valdosta and GA-EDP have already shown interest in attending
about that point.
At an appeal on my property valuation, the Board of Equalization stopped short of actually ordering the Tax Assessors to redo last year’s rural land revaluation, because staff volunteered Continue reading
While FPL wastes $3 billion on the 20th century Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline,
PRNewswire, 24 February 2016, Southern Company to Acquire PowerSecure International, Inc.: Addition of PowerSecure’s proven expertise positions Southern Company to advance distributed infrastructure development, Continue reading
Is Project Max really a glass container company?
What bids did they get for the
Clearing & Grubbing RFP last Friday?
How is that going to work right next to Mud Swamp after heavy rains?
How’s Nature Nate liking being the only business in the Authority’s Miller Business Park? What about the legislative dinner and the Bird Supper? Gretchen will be there tonight with the LAKE video camera.
Here’s the agenda.
Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority
Tuesday, February 16, 2016 5:30 p.m.
Development Authority Conference Room/103 Roosevelt Drive Continue reading
Some of our elected officials wonder few people ever speak up around here.
It’s simple: they owe their soul to the company store.
If you don’t go along, you don’t get business.
As Tennessee Ernie Ford sang in that old Merle Travis song:
Continue readingYou load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don’t you call me ’cause I can’t go
I owe my soul to the company store
Suing local businesses
helps run up fees to the county attorney, says County Manager Joe Pritchard.
He didn’t mention that continuing to promote sprawl for example through the county’s thoroughfare plan also runs up fees that property taxes will never meet.
Commissioners seemed
very concerned about “stakeholders” whom they said were “the development community, the real estate community” and “the construction and homebuilder industries”.
Maybe somewhere they mentioned the agricultural and forestry industries,
or sales tax payers even if they don’t own real estate; if so I missed it.
At least they’re thinking about the Comprehensive Plan
and the general direction of the county in a public forum.
And the County Planner did talk about quality of life.
Plus it seems business prospects bringing that up got the attention of the County Manager.
They said they have a responsiblity to set the direction of the county.
How about instead of continuing to drive sprawl outwards,
which is a fiscally (and environmentally) irresponsible path,
turn to directing development to be more dense in already-developed areas?
They continue this morning at 8:30 AM, and Gretchen is there again with the LAKE video camera.
Here’s the agenda followed by links to each LAKE video with a few notes. See also two previous pictures.
We are looking forward to the improved communication that was touted in the VDT headline. Jason Stewart, VDT, 4 February 2016, Slaughter wants to strengthen communication, Continue reading
County government and local issues: change orders, sole-source contracts, suing local companies, meetings with little notice, going back on their own resolutions, can’t see what they are voting on, and what are their ordinances?
If you want to help, we have a little list of tasks you can do.
And two County Commission seats and the Chair are up for election this year,
plus county school board, sheriff, and a bunch of other offices.
What: LAKE Meeting
When:
6:15PM Tuesday 9 February 2016
after the
Lowndes County Commission meeting
Where:
Michael’s Deli
1307 N Ashley St.
Valdosta, GA 31601
If you’re on Facebook, please Like the LAKE facebook page. You can sign up for the meeting event there, Or just come as you are.
-jsq
Received Friday 5 January 2016:
Subject: Lowndes Comprehensive Plan Kickoff Jan. 19th
The kick-off public hearing for the joint Lowndes County and Cities of Dasher, Hahira, Lake Park, Remerton, and Valdosta 2016 Comprehensive Plan Update will be held on:
Tuesday, January 19, 2016, 5:30 p.m.
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 W. Savannah Avenue
Valdosta, GeorgiaThe purpose of this public hearing will be Continue reading
Citizen Billy Rowland complained about poor road grading,
his dogs being shot, and misuse of Knights Ferry Landing on the Withlacoochee River.
Maybe the Commission will listen to what he said this time, at last Tuesday’s Lowndes County Commissioner Regular Session.
Apparently G. Norman Bennett wants Hall Web Road paved for the mile to his house at the Little River, but
Julia Bass,
Ralph Niehenke,
and
Diane Guess
spoke up saying they don’t want it paved.
Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker tried to ask them questions,
but Chairman Bill Slaughter cut him off.
Slaugher did have time earlier fo
an extra announcement of a joint governmental meeting Tuesday morning.
It’s not clear citizens will even get to speak there, much less get questions answered.
See
separate post.
They passed the resolution to ask the legislature to start the proecess to appoint rather than elect Lowndes County Tax Assessors.
They already did emergency repairs to Clyattville Nankin Road Bridge (problem discovered by a local citizen) and Jumping Gully Road Bridge (found by GDOT), and the Commissione approved payment after the fact. So two more no-bid contracts were let, this time without even a Commission vote before the work was done.
They agreed to the North Lowndes Park Quitclaim and Custodial Agreement by which Valdosta-Lowndes Parks & Rec. Authority (VLPRA) takes charge of some land west of I-75 north of Hahira for a soccer field.
A few citizens spoke about rezoning for the mysterious Project Max, but of course they passed the rezoning anyway, even though apparently none of the Commissioners know who the prospective tenant is.
The Lowndes County Commission agenda contained quite a few other items as the Commission caught up after the holidays. See also the LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session. Below are links to each LAKE video of the Tuesday evening 12 January 2016 Regular Session, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading