Part of my teaching load as a professor consists of supervising
student teachers at schools throughout Valdosta State University’s
46-county service area. I have traveled many South Georgia back
roads. What was once a charming rural landscape of unique little
towns has slowly morphed into sameness. Chain-brand retail stores,
fast food, and gas stations are interrupted by strip malls and
storage units. The region’s character has receded in the face of
nationalization and globalization. However, historical features, be
they a restored courthouse or a crumbling tobacco barn, light this
bleakness. They give character, history, and pride to communities.
One such structure is Remerton’s Strickland Mill, now in danger of
complete destruction.
As a member of the Save the Strickland Mill Committee of the
Valdosta Heritage Foundation, we recently toured the mill, with the
approval of the owners and accompanied by Remerton officials. The
original mill is structurally solid. The 1899 structure reflects
Looks like history may repeat itself like last decade,
now that LOST negotiations between the cities and the county have failed.
Except this time apparently the law has changed so they can’t sue each
other directly.
Instead next it goes to
Superior Court “baseball arbitration”.
However, I bet that still involves lawyers at taxpayer expense,
not to mention the Court’s time.
It’s sort of sad because it is a waste, if you will, of taxpayer dollars.
That the elected officials can’t get together and come to some agreement
to say that they all understand how the money has to be divided up
Yeah, it’s sad that more money has to go to lawyers
insted of being spent on services.
I continue to think the local governments could spend their time together
better
trying to increase the size of the pie instead of squabbling over slices of it.
Do big box stores count as development? Are they worth millions in tax incentives and bond investments? Maybe we can find something better for local industry and jobs.
Rumors have been flying for years about a Bass Pro store coming to Valdosta, like this one on a Georgia Outdoor News forum:
01-22-2008, 09:05 PM, bear-229 ive heard the land has been bought. very close to the new toyota lot but it has not made it to the “new locations” on the web site
That’s on James Road, in that huge proposed development that Lowndes County approved around that time.
Both Bass Pro Shops and its archrival, Cabela’s, sell hunting and fishing gear in cathedral-like stores featuring taxidermied wildlife, gigantic fresh-water aquarium exhibits and elaborate outdoor reproductions within the stores. The stores are billed as job generators by both companies when they are fishing for development dollars. But the firms’ economic benefits are minimal and costs to taxpayers are great.
An exhaustive investigation conducted by the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity found that the two competing firms together have received or are promised more than $2.2 billion from American taxpayers over the past 15 years.
The 1899 Strickland Cotton Mill is the reason the little town of Remerton, GA exists. The mill village is unique, being an incorporated town within the city limits of Valdosta, GA. The current owners asked to be granted a permit to immediately demolish the historic mill. But many people came forth and made impassioned pleas that the landmark not be torn down. The Remerton City Council voted to table the request to demolish until its Sept. 4, 2012 work session, in hopes of getting more information before making the final decision.
Remerton Mill discussion Regular Session, Remerton City Council (RCC), Remerton, Lowndes County, Georgia, 11 June 2012. Video by John S. Quarterman Haley Hyatt for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
I wish more citizens would do that: go to meetings, take videos, and post them! Send them here and we'll blog some of them.
Here are videos of the Remerton City Council Work Session of 4 June 2012, including three citizens speaking first against demolition of Strickland Mill. They meet again tonight.
Video playlist of Remerton City Council Work Session Work Session, Remerton City Council (RCC), Remerton, Lowndes County, Georgia, 4 June 2012. Videos by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
The second of two meetings on the Lowndes County Commission According to the calendar for Monday morning, 11 June 2011, is about SPLOST, and also involves all the cities in the county.
SPLOST Meeting/ (6/11/2012)
The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners along with the City of Valdosta, City of Hahira, City of Dasher, City of Lake Park and City of Remerton will be holding a SPLOST meeting on Monday, June 11, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room on the 2nd floor of the Administration Building.
SPLOST is not to be confused with LOST (created by the legislature), nor with ESPLOST for educational purposes, and certainly not with T-SPLOST for transportation.
As of July 1, 1985, Georgia law enabled local jurisdictions to use SPLOST proceeds for capital improvement projects that would otherwise be paid for with General Fund or property tax revenues. SPLOST stands for Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. This is a one-cent sales tax, which the State of Georgia allows counties to collect to fund specific improvement projects. SPLOST must be approved by voters in a general referendum in order to be enacted and last for a maximum of 60 months (five years) or until the total amount of revenue specified in the referendum is reached. The SPLOST projects and the amount of money raised by SPLOST were identified prior to voting on the SPLOST referendum. The proceeds of the tax must be spent for capital (non-operating) items by the county government and participating municipalities within the county.
That page also includes a list of SPLOST projects completed by January 2010.
Remember, Strickland Mill demolition on the agenda for today's Remerton City Council Work Session, 5:30 PM, 1757 Poplar Street Remerton, GA 31601. I'd post an agenda if they had put one on the web. Meanwhile, here's a question.
Remerton is a unique place: A square-mile town surrounded by Valdosta. Remerton is literally a town within a town.
Its history stretches back to a time before Valdosta surrounded Remerton, back when Baytree was a dirt road and what is now the mall and numerous other stores and subdivisions were fields and woods.
Back then Remerton had a unique identity. It was a mill town, a company town to Strickland Mill. The houses that lined Remerton's streets were homes to the mill's employees and their families. Those families shopped at a company store, attended a Remerton church, and their lives revolved around raising families and working at the mill that towered over the small town.
That was then. The mill closed 30-some years ago. Over time, the houses which were once homes became shops. In the 1990s, fire destroyed the church which was replaced by commercial property. Unused land within Remerton's square-mile was developed into residences or businesses until no space was left. Older, long-time residents were replaced by college students. The mill-house shops increasingly became bars, pubs and restaurants. Amidst all of these changes, Remerton became a historic district, meaning that it must maintain the look of once being a mill town though it had become anything but a mill town.
And that is the problem facing Remerton today: What exactly has Remerton become?
The VDT details Remerton's current multiple personalities. Then it asks the question that has come up again today:
What does Remerton want to be?
Strickland Mill is the very symbol of Remerton. Is that what the people of Remerton want, or not?
FYI: The Strickland Mill in Remerton is being threatened with demolition. Remerton City Council will meet to discuss this situation on Monday, June 4th at 5:30pm during their work session, and on Monday, June 11th at 5:30pm to vote on the matter. The public is invited to both of these meetings to express opinions on the possible demolition of the Mill. As you all are aware, this mill complex dates to 1899 and is one of the few surviving textile mills in our region. This is an important community landmark and was very influential to the development of Valdosta, not to mention integral to Remerton's existence.
The five local cities (Valdosta, Hahira, Remerton, Dasher, and Lake Park) presented their case in terms of changed demographics from the 2000 to the 2010 census. Much of the presentation was explained by Hahira City Manager Jonathan Sumner.
Lowndes County wasn’t interested in discussing, and is waiting for arbitration, which will happen in 60 days (presumably from when they started negotiating). The VDT writeup protrays that as a surprise, but it’s what County Chairman Ashley Paulk has been saying since before these negotiations began.
I would have preferred to hear what services the cities do now or could with more tax revenue provide that would benefit the entire county.
Even more, I think the local governments could spend their time together better talking about how to increase the pie, for example through solar energy for municipal revenue
or through county-wide fast Internet broadband access, either of which would help attract knowledge-based jobs, which would provide employment and increased tax revenue.
However, I salute the cities and the county for being transparent about their positions, as you can see in these videos.
Videos of Mayors and County in Hahira LOST Negotiation, Mayors and County in Hahira, Lowndes County Commission (LOST), Hahira, Lowndes County, Georgia, 2 May 2012. Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
student teachers at schools throughout Valdosta State University’s 46-county service area. I have traveled many South Georgia back roads. What was once a charming rural landscape of unique little towns has slowly morphed into sameness. Chain-brand retail stores, fast food, and gas stations are interrupted by strip malls and storage units. The region’s character has receded in the face of nationalization and globalization. However, historical features, be they a restored courthouse or a crumbling tobacco barn, light this bleakness. They give character, history, and pride to communities. One such structure is Remerton’s Strickland Mill, now in danger of complete destruction.
