Category Archives: Lowndes County Commission

VDT and WCTV on WACE anti-biomass meeting



The first word is the key word in David Rodock’s VDT article today,

Opponents to proposed biomass plant speak out at meeting:

Experts from a variety of fields presented the health risks, pollution
and water issues, and other concerns involved with the construction of a
biomass plant in Valdosta Thursday at the Wiregrass Activists for Clean
Energy (WACE) forum held Thursday evening.



The Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA) has
repeatedly claimed to have a long list of experts on its side;

Brad Lofton wants everyone to see him
read his laundry list of authorities and experts.
“I will proudly share it with everyone,”
he says.
The VDT points out that there are experts who are against the plant.
Experts whom the VLCIA can’t even bring itself to name,
only allude to as

“folks come into the community”.

Even the caption on the VDT picture is telling:

Continue reading →

What is Fiery Roots?

So what is this “Fiery Roots U.S.A. project”
mentioned in the

letter Chairman Paulk said contained “veiled threats”?
LAKE

couldn’t find any threats in the letter,
and we hadn’t heard of its author, Russell Anderson,
so let’s look at

the organization he lists, whose name didn’t ring a bell with us, either.



The
“Fiery Roots U.S.A. project” says:

Collective Progression’s mission is to engage individuals and grassroots
organizations in order to document social and environmental justice
struggles and solutions. We will be providing live and online trainings,
resources, and networking opportunities that empower people to effect
positive change in their communities.

Hm, well, except for the specific focus, that’s pretty much what LAKE does.
More:

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The issue of the proposed biomass incinerator is far from over –Dr. Noll

LAKE has reviewed the allegedly “threatening” letter Chairman Paulk
referred to in his interrogation of Dr. Noll,
and we find nothing alarming about a wakeup call,
so we have

posted it on LAKE’s website.
More on that later. -jsq

Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2011 21:05:59 -0500

From: noll_family

To: apaulk@lowndescounty.com, jevans@lowndescounty.com,
rraines@lowndescounty.com, cpowell@lowndescounty.com
CC: noll_family@bellsouth.net, kay.harris@gaflnews.com,
“John S. Quarterman” <jsq@quarterman.org>

Subject: Re: Tuesday’s Meeting

Dear Chairman Paulk and Commissioners.

I again would like to extend my invitation as President of WACE to the
upcoming event this Thursday

(see attachment).

The issue of the proposed biomass incinerator is far from over and
concerned citizens of Lowndes County and Valdosta will use their
constitutional rights to (respectfully) speak up at future meetings, as
they have done in the past.

Continue reading →

Paulk interrogates Noll



Last night the County Commission Chairman turned a routine event invitation
into front page news in the VDT this morning:

http://valdostadailytimes.com/local/x1162624684/Paulk-No-more-biomass:

Lowndes County Commission Chairman Ashley Paulk called a halt Tuesday
evening to commissioners hearing biomass comments during public portions
of regular board meetings.

LAKE has videos;

here’s a playlist, and here it is embedded:

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Glen Laurel (Old Pine Road) infrastructure at County Commission work session



That’s one thing on the

8:30 AM agenda for this morning.
Work sessions are where most discussion among the commissioners usually occurs.
The actual vote will be in tomorrow’s (11 Jan) 5:30 PM regular session.

Background on the contentious rezoning for the Glen Laurel subdivision

is in the continuing series in this blog.

-jsq

Superdistricts on Lowndes County web pages



Update: the agenda for the 3 Jan 2011 special session
is posted on the county webpages.

Lowndes County staff have an update about

the recent vote
for adding two new superdistricts:

COMMISSION EXPANSION

On Monday, January 3, 2011, the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners
held a special called meeting during which the adoption of a resolution
expressing the county’s desire to move forward with the expansion of
the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners, as previously directed by
the voters of Lowndes County, was unanimously approved.

This is on the county’s front page,
with links to

I suppose this explains why I didn’t hear back about this same information
in response to my open records request: they put it on the county web pages.
That’s fine with me.

What is not included

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Georgia Open Records Act

Sometimes the easiest way to find out something from your local
government is by filing an open records request.
Some local governments provide forms for that online:

The basic request is one sheet of paper on which you spell out
what you want (be specific), your name and address, and where they can send it.

Valdosta’s web page sums up the situation:

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An Expensive Hobby: Gary Minchew’s VLCIA parting speech



What

Gary Minchew said at the end of his last Valdosta-Lowndes County
Industrial Authority (VLCIA) meeting as a board member:

He said he’s brought over 200 jobs a year to the area.
He also said he organized getting the 1 mil of dedicated tax money
for VLCIA.

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Who just voted for the new Districts for Lowndes County?

Citizens, your new Lowndes County Commission:


County Commission Chairman - Ashley Paulk

Ashley Paulk, Chairman
District 1 Commissioner - Joyce Evans

Joyce Evans, District 1
District 2 Commissioner - Richard Raines

Richard Raines, District 2
District 3 Commissioner - Crawford Powell

Crawford Powell, District 3

This is the Commission that as its first act

held a special session to propose adding two new superdistricts.

The pictures for the two new Commissioners,

Richard Raines
and

Crawford Powell,
are from Valdosta Daily Times writeups while they were running,
since the

Commission’s own web pages
do not yet have pictures for them.

-jsq

Which new districts did the County Commission just vote for?



The VDT and the Commission’s district maps don’t agree,
and the Board of Elections doesn’t know.
David Rodock writes in the VDT today that

County revives expanding Lowndes commission:

During a special meeting Monday, county commissioners unanimously
approved a resolution to include two additional voting districts within
Lowndes County.

The two proposed voting districts would allow for greater representation
at County Commission meetings by allowing for an expansion of the current
available voting representatives from three to five, while keeping a
non-voting commission chairman.

Last year, this expansion

failed in the legislature on a technicality.
If the Commission and staff don’t make the same mistake,
it seems likely the legislature will approve these new districts.

But the district map

the VDT published (see above)
is not the same

Continue reading →