Category Archives: Safety

Calles again, Val North PD Water Sewer, Habitat CDBG, Sewage Valves, Stone Creek Antenna, Sheriff, Alcohol @ LCC 2017-03-13

The county apparently doesn’t want its Peterson Road Isolation Valves leaking like Valdosta’s famous January 2017 WWTP failure. Two other water cases are on the agenda for this morning’s 8:30 AM Work Session, both rezonings: REZ-2017-02 Calles, Alexandria St, R-10 and CON to R-A and CON, Well and Septic, ~13 acres back again (Planning Commission still doesn’t like it; staff maybe), a new one, REZ-2017-03 Val North Dr, Stewart Circle, PD Amendment and Conditions Removal, Water & Sewer, ~9 acres.

Parcel 0167 098A
Parcel 0167 098A

The “Conflict of interest certification, resolution, and authorization” under FY 2017 CDBG Grant, Valdosta- Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity actually means no conflict of interest, according to the agenda sheet, which also notes “Lowndes County is currently on course to apply for $750,000.00 in CDBG funds from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) for a new public facility for the Valdosta-Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity.” Well, they’re not on course until they stop feuding with the local cities about tax revenue allocation, because they can’t apply for any state or federal grants until that is resolved.

Two safety items: Stone Creek Antenna Space License Agreement and Sheriff's Office Vehicle Lease Agreement.

And no County Commission meeting is complete without alcohol: Beer & Wine License – Rajendrakumar N. Patel of Bhumi Corporation – 6685 Bemiss Rd., Valdosta, GA. I don’t recall they’ve ever denied one of those, so I don’t know why they don’t just make an ordinance that permitting staff can approve them.

Here’s the agenda. Gretchen is there with the LAKE camera. Will the meeting take more than the three minutes last time?

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, March 13, 2017, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, March 14, 2017, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Deputy Butler, Jacobs Ladder road paving, and seven minutes on the agenda @ LCC 2017-02-28

Front camera They started with some words about Deputy Chris Butler and a moment of silence (see VDT Obituary. Then they plowed through agenda. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall did introduce a little levity by asking if the drug testing for the MIDS bus service was just for the drivers. Answer: yes.

On the dozen Sheriff pursuit vehicles bid, Commissioner Marshall also noted that a few years ago (they voted 25 March 2014 there was a similar bid of Cass Burch vs. Langdale Ford for which they had additional testimony. The excuse for picking Cass Burch even though once again not the low bid was that it was that the Burch price was still less than the state contract price, and maintenance would cost less. It’s refreshing to see them actually discussing bids. It’s curious they only ever seem to choose a bid that is not the lowest when it’s from Cass Burch.

The County Manager had no additional report to his no report of the previous morning.

There was one citizen wishing to be heard: Leslie Jacobs of Jacobs Ladder on 5866 Bradford Road North, in Continue reading →

Brief agenda plus Water @ VCC 2016-03-09

No water on the agenda, but there’s a WWALS event for those who want to speak about water issues.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, March 9, 2017
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

Valdosta City Council

  1. Opening Ceremonies Continue reading →

Videos: Three minute Work Session @ LCC 2017-02-27

Why do they bother having Work Sessions at all, if they’re not going to discuss anything? Chairman Bill Slaughter, who at the recent planning session said, “Lowndes County is as transparent as we could possibly be,” was absent. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall, who argued at the planning session for moving the Work Session to a time when citizens are not working, also was not at the Work Session as usual, I hear because he works during the day. I don’t know why Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker was not there. Other than Vice-Chair Joyce Evans, who didn’t read the agenda item numbers, only Commissioners Scottie Orenstein and Clay Griner were there this morning. They asked no questions, as Griner had said at the planning meeting there was no need to, because staff supplied them with everything they needed to know.

To her credit, Joyce Evans asked the only question, whether the Rural Transportation Drug and Alcohol Testing Program was new (It’s not new, answered County Engineer Mike Fletcher.)

The only two citizens there were Gretchen Quarterman and Jody Hall, each of whom had hour-long round-trips to attend this three-minute non-meeting.

The Valdosta Daily Times reporter arrived after the meeting was adjourned. He at least got the packet provided at each meeting to the “Legal Organ”. You, the citizens and taxpayers did not get that courtesy from the county.

You can see for yourself the lack of information in the links below to each of the LAKE videos, followed by a LAKE video playlist. I didn’t bother with notes on the items this time. See also the agenda, which I spent more time posting than they did holding the meeting. Continue reading →

CSX road closure and bridge + dozen sheriff vehicles @ LCC 2017-02-27

Back on the agenda this morning, the Old Quitman Road Bridge replacement over the CSX RR has been discussed since at least 2011 when it was on the T-SPLOST list, and in September 2016 it came up for discussion again, and the Commission approved surveying and engineering. Last month they discussed the plans, drawings, etc., and approved those. See this playlist of LAKE videos of this item in previous meetings.

This morning’s item for voting tomorrow evening is Continue reading →

Georgia Power new acquisition AGL’s Pivotal LNG exporting through Jaxport

Back in May 2015, Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning and Georgia Power CEO Paul Bowers both told me “If we can’t do coal, we have to do pipelines”. I-75 through Atlanta, Macon, Valdosta, I-10 through Lake City A year in the making, Southern Company bought pipeline company AGL Resources. Turns out AGL Resources is also an LNG export company, exporting through Jacksonville by LNG containers on trucks. And the plot thickens with the pending corporate takeover of CSX Railroad by the former CEO of Canadian Pacific, given that CSX depends a lot on carrying coal, which remember is what Southern Company is rapidly getting away from. Could CSX want to carry LNG? Meanwhile, LNG containers are already rolling down I-75 and I-10 to Jaxport, apparently through Atlanta, Macon, Valdosta, and Lake City.

Southern Company PR, 1 July 2016, Southern Company and AGL Resources complete merger, create a leading U.S. energy company, Continue reading →

Videos: CDBG, Seago retracted, road crossing closures, CDBG, GEMA, and public safety radios @ LCC 2017-01-24

It’s great they’re talking early about the CDBG grant for Habitat for Humanity and maybe some others, but they can’t get any state or local grants until the county finishes feuding with all the cities in the county about tax distribution. They spent second most time on the Kinderlou Road CSX RR crossing closure. Seago rezoning was withdrawn by the applicant. For Emergency Manager Ashley Tye’s report on tornado damage, see the videos of the previous morning’s Work Session. See also the agenda.

Below are links to each LAKE video of the 2017-01-24 Regular Session, with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. Continue reading →

Videos: Seago back again, road crossing closures, CDBG, GEMA, and public safety radios @ LCC 2017-01-23

Lowndes County had no fatailities or major injuries from the recent storm, but our neighbors to the west and north were not so lucky, reported Emergency Management Director Ashley Tye. They vote tonight at 5:30 PM on is no longer on the agenda, but not on the Seago rezoning, because the applicant withdrew it. They can talk about CDBG funding, because of “all the circumstances”, namely that the county is feuding with all the cities in the county about tax distribution, and can’t apply for any state or federal grants until that is resolved. They adjourned to executive session to discuss litigation: does that mean they’re going to sue the cities about tax distribution all the way to the Georgia Supreme Court again?

Below are Continue reading →

Seago back again, road crossing closures, CDBG, GEMA, and public safety radios @ LCC 2017-01-23

This morning at 8:30 AM we’ll probably hear a storm report from Emergency Management Director Ashley Tye. And back on the agenda for the third time, REZ-2016-21 Seago, 4678 US Hwy 41 S, still trying to buy a bit of adjoining land to get up to the minimum acreage: see the LAKE videos of the previous regular session, which link to all the previous stuff.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2017, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Pipelines companies don’t detect corrosion or stop explosions

A reminder of why to stop pipeline companies from burying investors’ money in the ground and get on with solar power: the pipeline that exploded in Texas last week was half owned by Spectra Energy, the pipeline company behind Sabal Trail, AIM, Penneast, and numerous other fracked methane invasions and behind thirty years of undetected corrosion resulting in leaks, explosions, property damage, and deaths. The pipeline company didn’t detect it and couldn’t even turn it off quickly. Want to bet that it, like Spectra’s Pennsylvania explosion last spring, was corrosion?

A very Texas report said “no people or cattle were injured” and also notice: “The fire is under control and will burn itself out.” Continue reading →