Category Archives: Lowndes County Commission

4 Hahira, 2 Valdosta, 1 Remerton @ GLPC 2019-10-28

Three of the four Hahira cases before the Planning Commission tomorrow (Monday) evening are for one parcel, 0048 044 at 6670 Brookridge Drive.

[Parcel 0048 044]
Parcel 0048 044

The applicant, Ben House (presumably for the owner of record, DB Land Development LLC), wants to rezone from R-21 (county) to R-10 (city), get approval for a residential Planned Development, and get it annexed into the City of Hahira. Given that it is right next to an existing development on Tillman Street South, that seems pretty reasonable.

The other Hahira case is for Continue reading →

Videos: River Gauges, Roads, Alcohol, and Fire @ LCC 2019-10-21

Surprise bonds for the Development Authority and Lowndes County Schools, and a turn lane for Wiregrass Tech, plus a new Forestry Ranger about fire, in these LAKE videos of yesterday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session.

The longest item was five minutes about funding the Skipper Bridge Withlacoochee River USGS Gauge in addition to the Folsom Bridge Little River Gauge, by EMA Director Ashley Tye. Valdosta apparently discovered that Skipper Bridge is not in the city limits, so Valdosta will no longer fund that gauge. But the former funding from the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) plus more from Lowndes County will cover it, if the Lowndes County Commissioners vote for it at 5:30 PM Tonight, after their discussion yesterday morning.

Georgia Forestry Ranger Randy Spell talked about the use of a vehicle in the Rural Fire Defense Cooperative Lease Agreement And MOU.

Second longest was the extremely vague Continue reading →

Packet: River Gauges, Roads, Alcohol, and Fire @ LCC 2019-10-21

Lowndes County is adding funding for the Skipper Bridge Road Withlacoochee River gauge to its traditional since 2009 funding of the Folsom Bridge GA 122 Little River gauge. That’s $8,300 and $14,200, respectively, with another $5,900 for the Skipper Bridge Gauge from the Suwannee River Water Management District. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) puts in $900 towards each gauge, or $1800 total. Valdosta still funds the North Valdosta Road US 41 Withlacoochee River Valdosta gauge, and USGS completely funds the US 84 Quitman Withlacoochee River gauge.

[OPTIONS: 1. Approve the FY 2020 Funding Agreement]
OPTIONS: 1. Approve the FY 2020 Funding Agreement
PDF

Details are in the Board Packet now on the LAKE website, received Friday, October 18, 2019, in response to an open records request.

The rest of the Lowndes County Commission agenda for Monday and Tuesday is dominated by roads: a resolution on criteria for taking private roads into the county public road system, and resolutions taking in roads within several subdivisions: Continue reading →

Videos: Do not pave Hightower Road, rezonings on Val Del, Great North Road, US 41 N @ LCC 2019-10-08

Eleven minutes plus three minutes from people asking do not pave Hightower and Cooper Roads near Moody AFB. They said they weren’t even consulted before the county decided to pave. Chairman Bill Slaughter offered to talk with those citizens after the meeting, but not during, when the public could have heard him. Before that, County Manager Joe Pritchard summarized internal discussions about the county road inventory.

More than four minutes for the second NATCO rezoning on Val Del Road was the longest item at this Regular Session.

The Wisenbaker rezoning on Great North Road had a Commissioner recuse himself and took 2.5 minutes. The applicant request to table for Hogan on US 42 N was passed in less than a minute.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by Continue reading →

Videos: Rezonings on Val Del, Great North Road, US 41 N @ LCC 2019-10-07

Eight minutes with no questions from Commissioners is all the Lowndes County Commission took to consider the peoples’ business at yesterday morning’s Work Session. Two minutes each for the rezonings for Natco on Val Del Road and Wisenbaker on Great North Road. One minute for Hogan on US 42 N. The Chairman noted there was a request by the applicant to table that one. A commissioner joked a motion to approve. The Chairman said they might take that action the next day. They vote this evening at 5:30 PM.

The biggest news was after adjournment, when the Valdosta Daily Times editor introduced a new reporter.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also Continue reading →

Packet: Rezonings on Val Del, Great North Road, US 41 N @ LCC 2019-10-07

The second Natco subdivision on Val Del Road sailed through the Planning Commission, and probably will through the Lowndes County Commission. Where is that wetlands study GLPC took for granted somebody conducted?

[Exhibit 1: subdivison plan]
Exhibit 1: subdivison plan

The rezoning of the Wisenbaker property on Great North Road also sailed through GLPC 7:0.

[WRPDO Site Map]
WRPDO Site Map

The third rezoning, for heavy manufacturing on the Hogan Property at US 41 N and Wellman Place, was requested to be tabled by the applicant, and GLPC Continue reading →

Videos: Jury, Paving, and GEFA in Work Session @ LCC 2019-09-23

The Lowndes County Commission spent nine minutes yesterday morning discussing spending $124,454 and borrowing $1,734,000. They vote this evening at 5:30 PM.

The county has now gotten up to not just demanding landowners give road right of way to the county, but also condemning property if they don’t get it donated.

The longest item at less than two minutes was 6.d. Request for Professional Engineering Services Proposals – CDBG. As Gretchen remarks in the notes, apparently this is in support of Arglas, the Japanese glass products manufacturer locating on Rocky Ford Road.

Second longest was 7.b. Bid for a Breathing Air System for the Fire Department, due to a question by a Commissioner.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: Bonds, Val Del Road, GLPC appointments, 1/2 million to Motorola @ LCC 2019-09-10

The longest item at 2:23 was the Val Del Road rezoning case, for which one Commissioner recused himself. The others passed it unanimously.

Second longest was the GLPC appointments. No surprise, Ed Hightower was reappointed, and the second appointment was….

Third longest was the Chairman’s unscheduled recognition of Leadership Lowndes and advertisement for a 9/11 ceremony. If he’s going to do this every time, maybe it could be put on the agenda.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with Continue reading →

Jury, Paving, and GEFA in LCC Packet @ LCC 2019-09-23

Lowndes County staff are proposing to spend $124,454, according to all the “BUDGET IMPACT”s board packet: $48,500 for a Jury Management System, $1,469.00 for Condemning ROW for Howell Lane Paving Project, $3,500.00 (approx.) for Second Modification of GEFA Loan Agreement, and for the Fire Department $29,195.00 for a 1/2 Ton Truck and $41,790.00 for a Breathing Air System.

[Survey plat: Revised County RoW for Howell Lane]
Survey plat: Revised County RoW for Howell Lane

They propose to borrow $1,734,000 from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA).

The Lowndes County Commission discusses Monday morning at 8:30 AM. They vote 5:30 PM Tuesday.

[Project Budget]
GEFA Loan Agreement Project Budget

For the first time ever! Lowndes County has returned the board packet before the Work Session.

LAKE sent an open records request Tuesday, and the county actually supplied the packet Friday, with this note: Continue reading →

Videos: Surprise Bonds, Val Del rezoning, GLPC appointments, 1/2 million to Motorola @ LCC 2019-09-09

Apparently more was shown on the screen yesterday morning that we finally received this morning in the board packet, such as this picture of the Nelson Hill subdivision on Val Del Road.

They also added 7.b. Refunding Revenue Bonds by South Region Joint Development Authority for VSU ASRE, which makes no sense until you can see details in the board packet.

After the agenda items, the Chairman made unscheduled announcements of a Continue reading →