The Glen Laurel Subdivision rezoning case that the Lowndes County
Board of Commissioners decided on Tuesday June 8 (REZ-2010-06)
raises all sorts of issues.
Let’s start by hearing Coy Brightwell (he lives just across Old Pine Road from
the proposed subdivision) summarize some points against
the rezoning, saying going all the way from RA to PD is too far,
and that the neighbors are asking for a compromise:
There’s a theme here: “we’re not against development”. We’ll come back to that.
-jsq
In April 2009, the City of Valdosta was awarded a Georgia Historic Preservation Fund grant by the Historic Preservation Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, to produce a Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-enabled web site to be used by family members, historians, genealogists, and anyone interested in learning about the generations of Valdostans laid to rest at the city-owned Sunset Hill Cemetery.You can search for people by name, and it will show you birth date, death date, lot number, and pan to the correct location on a map. Quite a difference from when aunt Jane and I used to have to try to guess when the caretaker would be in to look up who was buried where, or just stomp around until we found the marker.
What’s Sunset Hill, you may wonder? About Sunset Hill Cemetery: Continue reading
On May 12, the Valdosta Daily Times (VDT) published
Expansion No Go:
No additional commissioners this year.
About that, John S. Quarterman sent this letter to the editor (LTE) yesterday:
I see by the VDT that the current County Commission’s plan to expand the commission by adding two super districts failed in the legislature on a technicality. This pause provides useful time to see if there might be a different strategy. It’s already 2010, and census data for redistricting should be available in spring of next year. That will take a lot of the guesswork out of redistricting.The VDT responded:While the voters said last year they were for commission expansion, it is not clear that people actually favor super districts, since no other option was on the ballot. Each current district has more people than the total population of several nearby counties. This makes commissioner elections needlessly expensive and less representative of the variety within Lowndes County. It’s never been clear to me how adding two larger districts solves that most basic problem, when there are other options available.
Lowndes County could use more commissioners, and the current Commission made a good try at that. Soon it will be the turn of a new Commission to try again.
John S. Quarterman is running for County Commission, District 2.
The editor has reviewed your letter. She did not approve your letter because as a candidate for office, we cannot run a letter to the editor from you as it is considered campaigning and we would have to give equal opportunities to the other candidates as well.Indeed he is, see www.JSQ4LCC.com. And as readers of On the LAKE Front are aware, he is also one of the founders of LAKE.
We understand the VDT has space constraints because it is primarily on paper. However, LAKE is online, and LAKE welcomes statements on this subject from any and all candidates. Send them in, and LAKE will post them, just like this one. Online, please: no paper, no fax. So lengths will be comparable, please keep it to 250 words, like a VDT LTE. Send a picture of yourself if you want to.
With fountains and bridges: Continue reading
Quantifying something we can all feel:
ScienceDaily (May 1, 2010) — How much “green exercise” produces the greatest improvement in mood and sense of personal well-being? A new study in the American Chemical Society’s semi-monthly journal Environmental Science & Technology has a surprising answer.The answer is likely to please people in a society with much to do but little time to do it: Just five minutes of exercise in a park, working in a backyard garden, on a nature trail, or other green space will benefit mental health.
All natural environments were beneficial including parks in urban settings. Green areas with water added something extra. A blue and green environment seems even better for health, Pretty noted.Here’s a link to a news blurb in the journal:
Pretty says that his goal with this study is not to provide just another recommendation for individuals but to provide data that can be used in policy discussions. Those data “could translate into what the landscape guidelines are for schools or for public housing,” says Nancy Wells, associate professor of community ecology at Cornell University.Here is a link to the actual article.
Gretchen found this in the public notices in the VDT:
5/5/2010The TIP is on the SGRC website.
gpn14The Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has developed the Draft Fiscal Year 2011-2014 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for the Valdosta Urbanized Area which includes all of Lowndes County and portions of Berrien and Lanier Counties.
This TIP is available for public review and comment from April 20, 2010 through June 3, 2010 at the Southern Georgia Regional Commission, 327 W. Savannah Ave.; the South Georgia Regional Library located at 300 Woodrow Wilson Dr.; the Valdosta City Hall located at 216 E. Central Ave.; the Lowndes County Administrative Offices located at 325 W. Savannah Ave.; or on the internet at www.sgrc.us/transportation; www.valdostacity.com; or www.lowndescounty.com.
A Public Open House will be held on Monday, May 17, 2010 from 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Southern Georgia Regional Commission located at 327 W Savannah Ave., Valdosta, GA, for interested parties to view the document and ask questions of staff.
Comments are being accepted by email at chull@sgrc.us by fax at 229-333-5312, or by mailing them to VLMPO, 327 W Savannah Ave., Valdosta, GA 31601.
For more information, please call Corey Hull, MPO Coordinator at 229-333-5277.
23558663
04/25;05/16/10
Note this TIP is different from the longer-term 2035 Transportation Plan. The TIP is apparently for projects expected to be implemented in the next few years.
-jsq
John S. Quarterman
Where’s all this change coming from and going to?
The dark green is labeled “Evergreen Forest” and decreased from 31.81% in 1991 to 26.47% in 2005. Meanwhile, the light pink labeled “Low Intensity Urban” went from 5.37% to 8.57%. Other changes include the red “High Intensity Urban” slice going from 1.15% to 1.98%. But the biggest change is piney woods being paved over for urban sprawl.
Could this have some effect on flooding?
-jsq
John S. Quarterman
On April 28 Deneige Broom wrote, Proposed Plant Raises Air Quality Questions:
A Biomass plant could bring business and money to the area. But some want to be assured their health won’t suffer in the name of progress.Some good quotes in there:
Dr. Brad Bergstrom attended the hearing wants concrete answers.Continue reading“There’s not going to be anything in the permit that will say, you can only burn this much sewage sludge,” said Bergstrom. “The company plans to only burn a small percentage but once they get their permit, that could change.”
Doyle Rice writes in USA Today about
U.S. losing trees faster than other heavily forested nations:
Out of seven of the most heavily forested nations on Earth, the United States experienced a greater percentage of forest loss from 2000 to 2005 than did any of the other countries, a study said Monday.But what part of the U.S.?
The one part of the contiguous USA that experienced the most forest loss was the Southeast, a large chunk of which lost more than 10% of its forest cover from 2000 to 2005, the year for which the most recent data were available.Compared to what? Continue reading
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Environmental Protection Division (EPD) Air Protection Branch issued a
Press Release on April 12, 2010 announcing a meeting:
EPD will hold a question and-answer (Q&A) session and a public hearing on Tuesday, April 27, from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in the multipurpose room in the Valdosta City Hall Annex. The city hall annex is located at 300 N. Lee Street.The subject is “on Proposed Biomass-Fired Power Plant Application Submitted by WireGrass Power, LLC”
You can also submit questions and comments in writing: Continue reading