Category Archives: Health Care

This morning at the Lowndes County Commission Work Session, two appointments to the Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County with six candidates, two small rezonings, a reimbursed grant for Juvenile Justice Court, renewal of the mosquito contract, and abandonment of some of Boring Pond Road.

Rezonings

Here are the candidates for Continue reading →

Videos: Two controversial rezonings, Medical Council, Courts, Prisoners, Utilties @ LCC Regular 2022-06-16

Update 2022-09-12: REZ-2022-10 The Campus redo because previous decision was illegal: Packet: redo 2 rezonings, 3 extraterritorial water & sewer, $438,537 RR crossing, $2,542,586 Griner Park @ LCC 2022-09-12.

One rezoning was tabled until August 9th, then another was contentiously approved, after which a deputy escorted one opponent out of the room, at the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, June 16, 2022.

Debra Tann Presentation, three rezonings

The third rezoning was approved with conditions, followed by another NIMBY walkout. That one had petitions both for and against, now on the LAKE website.

The fourth rezoning was Continue reading →

Videos: Request to table, another rezoning withdrawn @ LCC 2020-06-16

Update 2022-06-28: LAKE videos, Two controversial rezonings, Medical Council, Courts, Prisoners, Utilties @ LCC Regular 2022-06-16.

The applicant’s request to table 7.a. REZ-2022-09 Flannigan, James Rd. until August was met with scepticism by Commissioner Scottie Orenstein, who said it sounded like panic after the Planning Commission had unanimously recommended denial. But he said it would be OK since the stated purpose of tabling was for the applicant to talk to the opponents, who are numerous.

Rezonings, Courts, Paving, Water

There is also a petition and letters against 7.b. REZ-2022-10 The Campus Transitional Care Facility, 2193 Howell Rd., and the neighboring property owner opposes, as two Commissioners clarified.

County Planner JD Dillard said there were petitions pro and con the Dairy Queen rezoning, 7.c. REZ-2022-11 Makesh, LLC, 900 Lakes Blvd. We have not seen them, but we have sent in an open records request for them. Update 2022-06-28: for those two peitions, see, Two controversial rezonings, Medical Council, Courts, Prisoners, Utilties @ LCC Regular 2022-06-16.

The fourth rezoning, 7.d. REZ-2022-12 Pittman, Phelps, Leonard, Moss Oak Trail, was withdrawn by the applicant.

The Commissioners vote this evening at 5:30 PM in the Regular Session. Before that, Continue reading →

Packet: Petitions and letters against rezonings @ LCC 2022-06-16

Update 2022-06-16: Videos: Request to table, another rezoning withdrawn @ LCC 2022-06-16.

Many letters and petition signatures against two rezonings REZ-2022-09 Flannigan, James Rd. and REZ-2022-10 The Campus Transitional Care Facility, 2193 Howell Rd.

I hear there’s actually a petition for the Dairy Queen of REZ-2022-11 Makesh, LLC, 900 Lakes Blvd. However, that petition is not in the packet as sent by Lowndes County in response to a LAKE open records request.

The Commissioners vote this evening at 5:30 PM in the Regular Session. Before that, at 5:00 PM, is a Budget Public Hearing.

Rezonings, Courts, and Water

The packet is on the LAKE website. See also the agenda. And for the rezonings, the preceding Greater Lowndes Planning Commission meeting.

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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!

4 rezonings, 2 xourts, 1 appointment, and a big ARPA-funded water project @ LCC 2022-06-16

Update 2022-06-16: Packet: Petitions and letters against rezonings @ LCC 2022-06-16.

For some reason, the Lowndes County Commission is holding both its Work and Regular Sessions on this Thursday, June 16, 2022. I hear they are in DC lobbying the federal government on Monday and Tuesday.

They are also holding a 5 PM Budget Public Hearing before the 5:30 PM Regular Session.

Rezonings

Here is the agenda. For the rezonings, see also the preceding Greater Lowndes Planning Commission meeting.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2022, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2022, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Videos: 4 long Lowndes County cases + 2 long Valdosta cases @ GLPC 2022-05-23

Update 2022-06-14: Agenda, 4 rezonings, 2 xourts, 1 appointment, and a big ARPA-funded water project @ LCC 2022-06-16

An overflow crowd, some in the lobby, came for the four Lowndes County cases at the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission, May 23, 2022. Two of the Valdosta cases were also contentious. The whole meeting took more than three hours, so long there was griping about people getting hungry. The door alarm went off at 8 o’clock, but they plowed ahead with three remaining cases. When they adjourned at 8:52 PM, nobody was left in the audience but Gretchen Quarterman with the LAKE video camera.

Flannigan, Campus, Makesh, Pittman

One county and one city case were on James Road. The county case got a unanimous recommendation to deny, moved by famously pro-development Franklin Bailey. The Commissioners really did not seem to like “speculative commercial use on the subject property.” Continue reading →

5 Valdosta rezonings, 1 Hahira ordinance amendment, 4 Lowndes County rezonings with without packets @ GLPC 2022-05-23

Update 2022-06-03: 4 long Lowndes County cases + 2 long Valdosta cases @ GLPC 2022-05-23, including the board packet materials for the county cases and the minutes for the previous meeting.

Everything from a pair of personal care homes to a fraternity to a church to the Salvation Army wants rezoning or variances at this evening’s Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) meeting.

The board packet materials for the Hahira and Valdosta items are on the LAKE website, thanks to City Planner Matt Martin.

Maps

LAKE has no materials for the Lowndes County items, and no copy of the draft minutes from the previous meeting, because Lowndes County has not yet sent them in response to a LAKE open records request.

Here is the agenda:

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~
Monday, May 16, 2022 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, May 23, 2022 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia
Continue reading →

Videos: Mayor announces first trash trap, committees for ARPA funds @ VCC 2022-05-19

Update 2022-06-23: Videos: Process for non-profit applications for ARPA funds 2022-05-27.

Update 2022-06-21: Valdosta Watergoat installed in Sugar Creek 2022-06-21.

Council Sonny Vickers was welcomed back warmly after abscence due to illness (I welcomed him before the meeting). Later, he thanked staff and council for their assistance.

Collage

Mayor Scott James added two council members each as observers to each of the ARPA fund disbursment committees, for non-profits and for for-profit businesses.

After Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman asked for action about trash, Council Andy Gibbs and Mayor James vied for who would get to announce what the city had already done. Mayor James in Council Comments announced the city had ordered Continue reading →

Audit, Crime Lab Hydrogen Generator, 2 ARPA Grant Selection Committees @ VCC 2022-05-19

Update 2022-05-20: Videos: Mayor announces first trash trap, committees for ARPA funds @ VCC 2022-05-19.

In a very light agenda for tomorrow evening’s meeting, the Valdosta City Council nonetheless will contemplate $1,978,502.40 in spending. They will also hear an audit report.

Amount	What
$33,502.40	Consideration of a request to purchase a Hydrogen Generator for the Valdosta-Lowndes Regional Crime Laboratory.
$945,000.00	Consideration of appointments for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Non-Profit Grant Selection Committee.
$1,000,000.00	Consideration of appointments for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Small Business Grant Selection Committee.
$1,978,502.40	Total

The Hydrogen Generator for the Crime Lab will come out of $36,000 from the General Fund. “This is the equipment that is used for drug identification and blood alcohol testing.”

The two Grant Selection Committees will dispense funds from the $16,254,692 allocated to Valdosta by the federal government in an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant, of which $8,127,346 has been received to date. The City Council previously allocated $945,000 for nonprofits and $1,000,000 for small businesses. These Committees will decide which organizations get the funds. You probably recognize many of the names on the committee candidate lists.

Selection Committees

Here is the agenda. The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, May 19, 2022
CITY HALL, COUNCIL CHAMBERS
Continue reading →

Videos: Camelot Crossing subdivision tabled for two weeks @ LCC 2022-04-12

The Camelot Crossing subdivision, with no currently-planned outlet on Val Del Road, was tabled for two weeks at the request of the opponents, who filled the room. The county also still has an issue with a chokepoint through which both exits route, as mentioned by Commissioner Clay Griner, who made the motion to table, seconded by Demarcus Marshall. Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker said there was an outlet onto Old US 41 North, and he voted against tabling.

Presentation and rezonings

Commissioner Scott Orenstein mentioned that the YMCA still plans to build “an aquatic center” on its nearby property.

The other two subdivision rezonings were approved unanimously, as were all the other voting items.

Below are links to Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange