Category Archives: Lowndes County Commission

If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything

LAKE does not generally repost anonymous comments, but I’ll make an exception for this one that came in today on Somebody has gotten fired at the animal shelter. -jsq
Alot of times, the local county residents are too afraid of retaliation TO bring forth allegations of cruelty, or corrupted officials. So I’m all for outsiders tossing in their two cents. I don’t live in Lowndes Co – far from it – but I do know how corruption can fester in these rural counties when the residents choose not to speak out.

Kudos to ALL of the Lowndes Co taxpaying residents who speak out – not only for the animal’s rights, but for their own human rights, as well.

Corruption corrupts. Period. And if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.
-An Outsider Looking In

Many other comments have appeared on that and other recent posts, some of which will probably get reposted here, but meanwhile you can go to the blog and see for yourself. In general, saying who you are will greatly increase the chances your comment will get reposted, as will sticking to issues and avoiding personal attacks.

-jsq

Somebody has gotten fired at the animal shelter

Improper use of drugs for euthanizing animals is apparently enough to get someone fired from the animal shelter, at least if there is a parade of witnesses and paperwork, but only after someone files a complaint with GA Dept. of Ag.

On 16 June 2011 Susan Leavens got a letter from Shirley King, with attached PDF, containing:

  • complaint from Susan Leavens (unknown date):
    “Employee working with Lowndes County Animal Services euthanizing animals wihtout certification.”
  • 2011-06-03 PDF notice of violation from Ga. Dept. Ag. to Lowndes Co. Animal Services
  • a long handwritten statement by Pat Smith, also annotated:
    “Copy of report received by [signed] Joe Pritchard 6-3-11”
Continue reading →

hold for safe keeping mother and puppy’s born at the shelter —Susan Leavens

Received 28 June 2011. -jsq
This puppy was born at the shelter, the mother and litter mate was on hold for “SAFE KEEPING” the owner was in jail and the Director (Linda) removed the dew claws by forcyps and spinning them off, the litter mate to this puppy died at a later date.

-Susan Leavens

Crawford Powell is a big man

According to David Rodock in the VDT today about last night’s County Commission regular session:
Only one citizen, Dr. Michael Noll, came forward to speak with commissioners. Noll asked commissioners to speak with Industrial Authority board members about the 22.2 acre tract of land that is being considered for purchase by Wiregrass Power LLC. Noll is concerned the company will use the land to pursue previous plans to construct a biomass facility, a proposal which has seen considerable negative community backlash over the last year.

“I think commissioners made this very clear that the Industrial Authority should have been done with this project,” said Paulk. “I don’t think we’ve changed our mind. I can’t speak for the City of Valdosta, but I think they’re prepared to make some moves and make a statement on their behalf in the immediate future. It’s a project that didn’t work and when things don’t work, move on to things that do. That’s my personal opinion.”

District 3 commissioner Crawford Powell offered his insight on the issue, “The issue the Industrial Authority has is they had a contractual agreement on the sale of the property and so they’re trying to work through that but I don’t think there’s any particular excitement on their behalf to continue down that road.”

According to usually reliable sources, it was Crawford Powell who Continue reading →

Dancing Around the Issue —Dr. Noll

Received this morning on Biomass plant land offer. -jsq
It is unbelievable that despite all the concerns in our community about biomass, the Industrial authority is still considering to sell the land to a company like Wiregrass Power LLC. This is the same company the Industrial Authority once stated it had no faith in anymore. This is the same company that just missed another deadline as stipulated by their contract. And this is the same company that apparently does not have the best interest of our community in mind.
Continue reading →

The horse from the shelter Ruby —Susan Leavens

Received 28 June 2011. -jsq
This was Ruby, she was seized from her owner by me because she had a hole in her back and her body condition was a one (1) on the Henneke scale per the American veterinarian standard rating scale. There was no feed or grass/hay on scene. While in the protective custody of Lowndes County Animal Shelter she got maggots in the wound on her back. Ruby also had
Continue reading →

Videos of LCC work session of 11 July: regular session tonight

Here are videos of the Lowndes County Commission work session of Monday morning. They’re not labeled yet. If the Commission did its own videos, they could do that…. The regular session, at which they will vote, is this evening at 5:30. Agenda after this playlist of the Monday work session:


Work Session, Lowndes County Commission, Lowndes County, Georgia, 11 July 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Here’s the agenda: Continue reading →

Falsified logs at the animal shelter?

Previously I’ve posted briefly about the notarized statement by Susan Leavens of 5 May 2010. Here is more detail, with pictures. The statement alleges animals smothered, strangled, stabbed in the eye, cut, torn, beaten, slapped, thrown. Improper drug use “who signed this thing?”. Racial profiling and discrimination. Unresponsive county officials and threats from them. Oh, yes, and falsified logs of euthanasia.
“And it was time for the abuse, neglect and deceitfulness to stop.”

Susan Leavens stated:

“On 4/28/2010 I came in from checking traps around 1030 am, I was told while euthenizing a cat, the syringe I was draw pentosol out didn’t matter what mattered was the 10cc syringe, so if it was not enough to euthenize the animal then set it aside it would die. But the 10cc one is the one that needed to come out right. I said “WHAT!” Tim Cook explained that to me he went and got Ryan Curtis and he explained the very same thing, he said even if you don’t have a full cc of pentosol, say it’s a cc on the log because the 10 cc syringe mattered not what we were using to euthenize with! It was very apparent that human[e] euthanasia was not important that the numbers were. This was very disturbing to know we were being made to make the animals suffer because the numbers might be off!”
In the statement she names multiple people she says were witnesses to the falsification of euthanization log entries, and even to the complete rewrite of a log and shredding of the previous copy.

Her statement also describes: Continue reading →

Timing confusion —John S. Quarterman

Sent to all four Commissioners and the County Clerk Sunday evening:
Dear Commissioners,

There seems to be confusion as to how long citizens get to be heard. The policy says five minutes. Yet in at least a couple of recent examples, citizens were cut off at less than that,

4 and a half minutes for me on 28 June 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJseMtJvJE8

4 minutes 39 seconds for Jessica Bryan Hughes on 24 May 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZxieSV6Yz8

You can see the times on the YouTube videos.

This timing confusion may be because

Continue reading →

Three rezonings and three board appointments: Lowndes County Commission

Lowndes County Commission work session Monday morning and regular session Tuesday evening. Here’s the agenda:
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 11, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2011, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →