Category Archives: Planning

SPLOST VII campaign kicks off

Update 2012-09-27 8:50AM: Added video, stills, and notes about the County Palace and Internet access.
The seventh Special Local Option Sales Tax, SPLOST, will be on the November ballot. Not to be confused with the just-defeated bogus regional transportation T-SPLOST, or last year’s successful educational ESPLOST, or the currently renegotiating property-tax-relief LOST, SPLOST Campaign SPLOST VII will follow up on SPLOST VI in supporting local infrastructure projects.

Greg Gullberg reported for WCTV today, Campaign Kicks Off For Valdosta Tax (no video appears to be available): The text story link has vanished, but video has appeared.

There is a campaign in Lowndes County to rally for the tax called SPLOST, or the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. It could bring in as much as $35 million, but that is only if voters say it’s worth the extra pennies.

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Georgia Power inches towards more solar, trailing New Jersey

If you’re quick, you may be able to sell solar from your roof to Georgia Power. If the PSC approves a pending request. If you get in before that new quota gets filled. And if you’re a Georgia Power customer. The rest of us? Not until the 1973 Georgia Electric Territorial Act is changed. Until then, Georgia will continue to lag way behind New Jersey in solar power.

210 MW is more than 50 MW but way less than 3,000 MW

Walter C. Jones wrote for the Augusta Chronicle today, Georgia Power plans to triple solar power use,

Georgia Power filed Wednesday seeking permission from state regulators to more than triple the amount of solar power it uses to generate electricity for its 2.4 million customers by swapping it for what was already planned from other renewable sources.

What “other renewable sources”?

The Georgia Power plan won’t affect rates because it is based on paying the solar providers what it would have paid the biomass provider, 13 cents per kilowatt hour, which is already figured into customer’s rates.

OK, that’s good, because it means biomass is well and truly dead in Georgia. But it also means Georgia Power isn’t very serious about solar, if all it’s doing is fiddling with accounting for the small amount of power biomass might have produced and not going for the real numbers solar can produce. OK, how many solar megawatts?

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Video Playlist @ LCC 2012-09-24

A parade of speakers not on the agenda extended yesterday morning’s Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission. They spoke about the conference center, about South Georgia Partnership for Homelessness, and about health and life insurance. Commissioners heard from staff about repairs to a sewage lift station and laptops for the Sheriff’s office. They vote on all these things at their Regular Session tonight at 5:30 PM.

Here’s the agenda, annotated below with links to the videos and a few notes, and followed by a video playlist.

  1. Call to Order
  2. Invocation
  3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
  4. Minutes for Approval
    1. Work Session — September 10, 2012
    2. Regular Session — September 11, 2012
    The Chairman announced guests not on the agenda.
  5. For Consideration
    1. Bevel Creek Lift Station Repair
      MR Systems’ quote for SCADA control panel was $13,775, plus another control panel $25,194, for a total of $38,969. Utilities Director Mike Allen said making an addition (presumably of the $25,194 control panel) would save four weeks of downtime.
    2. Dell Lease Agreement for Sheriff’s Office Laptops
    3. Contract with Corporate Health Partners
      County Manager Joe Pritchard said they had achieved $260,000 in savings towards projected $300,000 savings in health care expenses. He introduced Chris Park(?) with Park(?) Group and Jack Curtis with Corporate Health Partners. Pritchard said the county Wanted to add a wellness program to improve employee quality of life and wellbeing. Chris Park(?) spoke first. He introduced Jack Curtis, who spoke about a wellness program proposal.
    4. Agreement with Basic Life
      Chris Park(?) spoke again, saying what he was proposing would save $10,000 or 23% over the current plan while preserving all the current benefits.
  6. Reports-County Manager
    Joe Pritchard had no report, so they adjourned.
  7. Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address
    That’s only for the Regular Session.

Video Playlist
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Videos by Brandon Livingston for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 24 September 2012.

-jsq

Video Playlist @ LCC 2012-09-11

After briefly discussing or at least hearing items at the previous morning's Work Session, the Lowndes County Commission voted on them at its Regular Session of Tuesday 11 September 2012.

Here's the agenda, and the copy below has links to the corresponding videos or previous blog posts. Here's a video playlist.

  1. Call to Order
  2. Invocation
  3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
  4. Minutes for Approval
    1. Work Session — August 13, 2012
    2. Regular Session — August 14, 2012
  5. Resolutions
    1. Adopt Resolution Appointing an Open Records Officer
    2. Resolution Regarding Review & Approval of Minutes of Executive Sessions
    3. Adopt Resolution accepting infrastructure for Glen Laurel Subdivision Phase II
    4. Adopt Resolution accepting infrastructure for Crestwood Subdivision Phase IV
  6. Appointment — Keep Lowndes/Valdosta Beautiful
  7. Public Hearings
    1. REZ-2012-12 Parker Place, 4842 Parker Place Rd., 0070 015; 3.4 ac., 3 lots, E-A to R-1, well/septic
    2. REZ-2012-14 Harris, 6926 Jones Dr., 0139 023, 6.8 ac., 1 lot, E-A to R-A, well/septic
    3. TXT-2012-01 — Primary Intent: Appendix A Land Disturbance & Clean Version of ULDC
    4. Public Hearing Renaming Sandy Creek Drive (CR #1118)
    5. Beer License — Lin's Hibachi — 1078 Lakes Blvd.
  8. For Consideration
    1. Letter of Understanding — Bond Refunding
    2. USGS Funding Agreement for HWY 122 Stream Gauge
    3. Section 5311 Rural Transportation Program Operating Contracts
    4. Declaration of Surplus Vehicles
    5. Brown Bag Ordinance
  9. Bid – Rescue Pumper for Lowndes County Fire Rescue
  10. Reports-County Manager
  11. Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address

-jsq

Rezoning denied: REZ-2012-12 Parker Place, 4842 Parker Place Rd. @ LCC 2012-09-11

After no changes since the previous morning's Work Session, the Lowndes County Commission at its 11 September 2011 Regular Session did the right thing and denied a rezoning that would have put many houses in a wet area next to many people who did not want it. One speaker against the rezoning said some of the adjoining land had been in his wife's family since her Indian ancestors.

Here's a video playlist:

Rezoning denied: REZ-2012-12 Parker Place, 4842 Parker Place Rd.
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 11 September 2012.

-jsq

Sewers, laptops, and insurance @ LCC 2012-09-24

Repairs to a sewage lift station, laptops for the Sheriff’s office, and health and life insurance. I’ll bet this morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session will be brief.

What’s this about a Bevel Creek Lift Station Repair? That sewer line station seems to have last been mentioned in a Commission meeting 11 February 2003:

Mr. Clark stated that the Bevel Creek Lift Station rehab came in under budget enough to cover the additional $26,000.00 from the Exit 22 project.

The Commissioners (of whom only Joyce Evans is still or again on the Commission) proceeded to approve one of their famous transportation change orders.

But what is Bevel Creek? According to Watershed Assessment: The Watersheds Associated with Lowndes County, Georgia, May 2001,

Bevel Creek discharges into the Withlacoochee River in north-central Florida.

Since Bevel Creek doesn’t join the Withlacoochee River in Georgia, it’s considered as a separate watershed basin for Lowndes County.

Here’s the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2012, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
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Southern Company: let’s do the renewable energy study for Georgia

Mark Z. Jacobson's study shows offshore wind is plentiful from Virginia to Maine Let's do the study for Georgia! Southern Company brags about its private R&D:

Research & Development (since the 1960s)

  • Awarded more than $1.3 billion to conduct more than $3.8 billion of research and development.
  • Qualified for $412 million of investment tax credits for a 21st century coal plant being built in Mississippi.

OK, SO, let's see you do the study to show what we can really do with conservation, efficiency, wind, sun, and less natural gas than we have now. Sure, in the Georgia Bight we do have to contend with hurricanes. But a "great, big company" like SO should be able to focus its vaunted private R&D on that problem and solve it.

Maybe SO doesn't want to do that because the result might show there is no need for any coal plants, nor new natural gas plants, nor any nuclear plants, which would mean Georgia Power would have to give up its nuclear-funding rate-hike stealth tax and SO would have to give up its $8.3 billion loan guarantee. Hey, we might even need to change the 1973 Georgia Electric Territorial Act, and that might damage Georgia Power's guaranteed profit! Nevermind that Georgia Power and SO might make more profit if they got out in front on solar and wind power and a smart grid.

If SO won't do it, how about we elect some Public Service Commissioners and legislators who will? For jobs, energy independence, and profit, oh, and clean air and plenty of water!

-jsq

Video playlist @ VLCIA 2012-08-21

Here are videos of the 21 August 2012 Regular meeting. of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA). Here's the agenda.

See also Steeda Manufacturing moving into medical parts and new markets.

Regular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Tom Call, Roy Copeland, Chairman, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett, Andrea Schruijer, Executive Director, J. Stephen Gupton, Attorney, Tom Davis, CPA, Allan Ricketts, Project ManagerS. Meghan Duke, Public Relations & Marketing Manager, Lu Williams, Operations Manager,
Videos by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 21 August 2012.

-jsq

All U.S. east coast electricity could come from offshore wind 3 seasons out of 4

Why build nukes when wind can provide 3/4 of our power? While Southern Company claims to be “a company that is engaged in offering solutions, not just rhetoric”, yet does nothing about wind off the Georgia coast, researchers in far California have demonstrated we can get 3/4 of all needed east coast electricity from offshore wind.

Bjorn Carey wrote for Stanford Report 14 September 2012, Offshore wind energy could power entire U.S. East Coast, Stanford scientists say

A new analysis by Stanford researchers reveals that there is enough offshore wind along the U.S. East Coast to meet the electricity demands of at least one-third of the country.

The scientists paid special attention to the Maine-to-Virginia corridor; the historical lack of strong hurricanes in the region makes it a favorable site for offshore wind turbines. They found that turbines placed there could satisfy the peak-time power needs of these states for three seasons of the year (summer is the exception).

“We knew there was a lot of wind out there, but this is the first actual quantification of the total resource and the time of day that the resource peaks,” said Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford who directed the research. “This provides practical information to wind farm developers about the best areas to place turbines.”

Mark Z. Jacobson already worked out a framework for powering the entire world from wind, water, and sun alone. The late John Blackburn, Ph.D., showed us how to power North Carolina with sun, wind, and hydro, plus less natural gas than NC uses now. Now Jacobson is working out the details of implementation.

-jsq

PS: Owed to Seth Gunning.

Yes VDT, but —Save Strickland Mill

On facebook, Save Strickland Mill just posted a critique of certain parts of the VDT’s writeup on the Remerton City Council’s Strickland Mill vote. -jsq

Valdosta Daily Times, September 12, 2012
Mill to come down: Buildings to be razed, historic tower to remain
by Quinten Plummer

VALDOSTA — The iconic smoke stack will still tower over the City of Remerton, according to local officials, but the majority of the historic Remerton Mill complex will be demolished and converted into a park after the City Council gave the mill’s owners the go-ahead for demolition during Monday evening’s regular session.

This is not a factual statement: the city council’s motion is as follows: Councilman Bill Wetherington made the following motion which was unanimously voted in by the council members present that night (note that councilman Sam Flemming was not in attendance)

“I move to approve the certificate of appropriateness 2012-04 for 1853 W. Gordon to be issued and effective as of October 25th 2012 for a period of one year from that date with the condition that the cotton mill smokestack remains intact and shall continue to remain intact in accordance with title 18 of the code of City of Remerton.”

The mill’s ownership group simply wants relief from its obligations to the property, and Remerton Mayor Cornelius Holsendolph said the restoration of the mill is just too large of a project for a city of Remerton’s size.

That is the reason why

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