Category Archives: Solar

GT’s Wrecker Service rezoning denied @ LCC Regular 2023-10-10

Why do people apply for rezonings and then not show up to speak for them? But first, unscheduled items.

[Collage @ LCC 10 October 2023]
Collage @ LCC 10 October 2023

Chairman Bill Slaughter asked for an update on boat ramp improvements, and County Engineering Services Director Chad McLeod said he would provide that in a future meeting. That would be great, because there is much room for improvement at Clyattville-Nankin Boat Ramp on the Withlacoochee River and Folsom Bridge Landing on the Little River.

The other unscheduled item was the usual Chairman recognition of Leadership Lowndes and Youth Leadership. Why they don’t just put that on the agenda is mysterious.

Nobody spoke for, and one spoke against 6.b. REZ-2023-12 GT’S Wrecker Service Old Clyattville Rd,~3.2ac, C-H to M-2, with no rebuttal. Commisioners discussed it at some length (more than 11 minutes total). They seemed especially concerned that county staff would be stuck with inspecting to enforce the numerous conditions. Commissioners unanimously voted to deny.

This is similar to last month, when nobody spoke for the Quarterman Road rezoning, several spoke against people and a petition from many more people were against it, and it was unanimously denied, while someone spoke very briefly for the other rezoning in that meeting and it was unanimously approved. Maybe in both denied cases, last month and this month, the applicant saw the handwriting on the wall?

The applicant did speak for the other rezoning this time, 6.a. REZ-2023-11 2426 Joanna Drive, C-C(c) to R-1, 4.0ac, Well – Septic, nobody spoke against, nobody wanted to rebut, and Commissioners unanimously approved it.

They also unanimously approved everything else, including the numerous agreements with ABM, while never explaining who ABM is nor when they made the original agreement.

Second longest item was County Manager Paige Duke’s Report, in which she revealed that they only do their annual river cleanup because it is required by their NPDES Stormwater permit. She said since the county litter crew has been on the job for two years, there is not much to pick up at the boat ramps. She asked the state if they could “move to a different type of awareness event”. The state did not think that was a good idea, so they will continue with “our river cleanup”. “We will do that with our employees and any citizens that would like to participate.”

No mention of the City of Valdosta, which is supposedly co-sponsoring that event.

No mention of WWALS, which was not contacted in planning that event. WWALS already had scheduled since August a Langdale Park Withlacoochee River Cleanup 2023-10-20.

Unlike the previous morning’s Work Session, when three Commissioners were absent, they all showed up for this Regular Session. And it was Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker’s 72nd birthday.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also Continue reading

Colquitt EMC, Conference Center, 2 rezonings, 2 water, HVAC, Solar, Controls @ LCC Packet 2023-10-09

Update 2023-10-15: GT’s Wrecker Service rezoning denied @ LCC Regular 2023-10-10.

The HVAC agreement includes 38 pages of covered buildings and rooms within them, ranging from several sites in Hahira to the wastewater treatment plant near the GA-FL line.

The materials received from Lowndes County in response to an open records request are on the LAKE website. Lowndes County says they sent the packet Saturday. It did not appear in LAKE’s email then, so apparently there was some sort of transmission error. In any case it is here now.

It will be easier for everyone when Lowndes County starts putting its board packets on its own websites, like many counties larger and smaller in Georgia and Florida have been doing for years.

See also:

[Collage @ LCC Packet 2023-10-09]
Collage @ LCC Packet 2023-10-09

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Investigative reporting costs money, for open records requests, copying, web hosting, gasoline, and cameras, and with sufficient funds we can pay students to do further research. You can donate to LAKE today!
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/donate

Videos: Colquitt EMC, Conference Center, 2 rezonings, 2 water, HVAC, Solar, Controls @ LCC Work 2023-10-09

Update 2023-10-10: Colquitt EMC, Conference Center, 2 rezonings, 2 water, HVAC, Solar, Controls @ LCC Packet 2023-10-09.

The two special presentations only took about six minutes total, and most other items took half a minute each, so the entire Lowndes County Commission Work Session only took fourteen minutes yesterday.

Lowndes County Fire Chief Billy Young opened the check from Colquitt EMC after the meeting: it was for $35,000.

Only Commissioners Joyce Evans and Mark Wisenbaker and Chairman Bill Slaughter attended. Commissioners Scottie Orenstein, Demarcus Marshall, and Clay Griner were absent.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also

[Collage @ LCC 9 October 2023]
Collage @ LCC 9 October 2023

Continue reading

Colquitt EMC, Conference Center, 2 rezonings, 2 water, HVAC, Solar, Controls @ LCC Agenda 2023-10-09

Update 2023-10-10: Videos: Colquitt EMC, Conference Center, 2 rezonings, 2 water, HVAC, Solar, Controls @ LCC Work 2023-10-09.

Despite four working days to do it, more than the three days allowed by the Georgia Open Records Act (GORA), Lowndes County has not returned the board packet for this week’s Lowndes County Commission meetings.

However, most of the materials for the two rezonings will probably be similar to what the county put in the preceding Planning Commission packet.

They also plan to spend a third of a million dollars, most of it on heating and air conditioning maintenance. The agenda sheet says, “Attached in your packet is an equipment list for each building to be maintained.”

But we the taxpayers don’t get to see that list, because the county does not publish its own board packets and, despite the state open records law, has not returned it so LAKE can publish it.

Cost What
$255,029.00HVAC Maintenance Agreement
$24,825.00Joint Funding Agreement with USGS for Stream Gauge Maintenance
$23,370.00Water Treatment Agreement
$0.00Solar Panel Maintenance Agreement
$0.00Quarterly Controls Inspection Agreement
$303,224.00Total

[Collage @ LCC Agenda 2023-10-09]
Collage @ LCC Agenda 2023-10-09

Here is the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2023, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2023, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading

Videos: ULDC amendments, Voting machine security, Library Board, Boat and RV Storage, Alapaha Plantation Water, Purchase houses by Griner Park, Insurance, LMIG @ LCC Regular 2023-07-11

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall asked for clarifications on chickens being excluded from conservation in 6.a. TXT-2023-01 ULDC Text Amendments, County Manager Bill Slaughter said there were two kinds of conservation: land use and taxes, and the exclusion only applied to one of them; not clear which one.

[Collage @ LCC 11 July 2023]
Collage @ LCC 11 July 2023

Gretchen Quarterman spoke against the amendments being voted on without more time for the general public to review and comment, as she did at the preceding Planning Commission meeting. She pointed out she still could not find the amendments on the county’s website, there had been only one county announcement of these changes, and no listing of the changes. Nobody spoke for. The Chairman asked for rebuttal, but there was none.

Commissioners had no discussion, and voted unanimously to approve the ULDC text amendments.

They unanimously approved everything else, except Continue reading

Videos: Complicated Library Board, ULDC amendments, Boat and RV Storage, Alapaha Plantation Water, Purchase houses by Griner Park, Insurance, LMIG @ LCC Work 2023-07-10

Update 2023-10-16: Videos: ULDC amendments, Voting machine security, Library Board, Boat and RV Storage, Alapaha Plantation Water, Purchase houses by Griner Park, Insurance, LMIG @ LCC Regular 2023-07-11.

This time the ULDC text amendments are on the agenda as a Public Hearing.

[Collage @ LCC 10 July 2023]
Collage @ LCC 10 July 2023

However, Lowndes County still has not put the proposed amendments on its website. You can see them in the board packet on the LAKE website (they are different from the draft that was in the Planning Commission packet).

But that’s only because LAKE sent an open records request for that packet and posted it. Why should the general public have to do that, when the county already showed draft amendments to the Homebuilders Association more than a month ago? We know this because the the County Manager said so in the June 12th County Commission meeting: “In addition to the Planning Commission, the amendments have also been shared with the Homebuilders Association, as our largest group of stakeholders, we’d like for them to be able to give us some feedback.” Continue reading

Packet: Complicated Library Board, ULDC amendments, Boat and RV Storage, Alapaha Plantation Water, Purchases houses by Griner Park, Insurance, LMIG @ LCC 2023-07-10

Update 2023-07-11: Videos: Complicated Library Board, ULDC amendments, Boat and RV Storage, Alapaha Plantation Water, Purchase houses by Griner Park, Insurance, LMIG @ LCC Work 2023-07-10.

Four terms expire on the South Georgia Regional Library Board (SGRLB) and all four people want to be reappointed. Plus another term will be vacant and two people want to be appointed to that: Catherine Ammons and Sarah Fitzgerald.

The Lowndes County Commission will hear these items this morning at 8:30 AM, and will vote on them at 5:30 PM tomorrow evening.

The text amendments to the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) are on the agenda, even though the Planning Commission recommended tabling it for 30 days for the public to review. The version in this board packet is different from the version shown to the Planning Commission. Even county staff are asking for more time for the solar amendment.

[Collage, LCC Packet 2023-07-10]
Collage, LCC Packet 2023-07-10

The County Commissioners will vote on more than two and a half million dollars, mostly in road paving and insurance.

Plus they’re buying the houses next to where they want to make Griner Park near the county palace, and only a few blocks from where the City of Valdosta has already made Unity Park with an amphitheater.

And yet more of your tax dollars go to fix the private water system at Alapaha Plantation.

On the bright side, the land formerly rezoned for a biomass plant is now requested to be rezoned for boat and RV storage. Continue reading

Rainbow over Perry Solar, Houston County, Georgia 2022-05-04, 2020-12-01

Rainbow over solar power.

[Rainbow Perry Solar]
Rainbow Perry Solar

That’s Perry Solar or Houston Solar, south of Perry, GA, in Houston County: a county that puts its board packets online, unlike Lowndes County.

I took these pictures May 4, 2022, at 32.3739740, -83.7685020, which is around I-75 mile 130, about half way from Perry, GA, to GA 26 at Exit 127. Continue reading

Videos: Water on private roads, ditches, transparency, Tourism Authority appointment, 3 rezonings, wetlands, solar, UPS, Lake Alapaha water treatment, body cameras @ LCC Regular 2021-08-10

Update 2022-08-25: Alapaha Plantation nanofiltration water system failed after a year @ LCC Regular 2022-07-26.

Lowndes County apparently forgot to turn on the audio feed to the media corral in the back of the room during their August 10, 2021, Regular Session. Gretchen noticed during the 811 Day Proclamation and switched to the camera’s microphone, which was better than no audio. They did turn the audio feed back on during the approval of the Minutes.

The Lowndes County Commission has not videoed their own meetings for about a year now, despite authorizing $110,147.78 for Commission Chambers Audio and Visual Upgrade back in April with a report in July of expected total delivery in August. Meanwhile, the City of Valdosta livestreamed all their meetings during the pandemic with an iPhone.

The longest item by far at twelve minutes was 7.b. REZ-2021-12 US 84/I-75 Industrial Park – PD amendment for solar. After Attorney Jack Langdale spoke for, Gretchen Quarterman also spoke for.

REZ-2021-12 PD amendment for solar @ Lowndes County Commission 2021-09-10

Second was 10. Reports – County Manager, which includes some discussion about rural broadband funding.

Plus five Citizens Wishing to Be Heard, two about impassible private dirt roads, two others about drainage problems, and Brad Folsom: citizens request for more transparency.

It didn’t take a crystal ball to predict (as I did) that Wild Adventures Jon Vigue would be appointed to the Valdosta Lowndes Tourism Authority, since the last two appointees were also Wild Adventures GM.

Commissioners approved the 8.b. Alapaha Plantation Water Treatment Pilot Study, but there are murmurings that they are not going to do any subdivision water systems more like that.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the LAKE videos of the preceding Monday morning Work Session, the agenda and the preceding Planning Commission meeting. The board packet, received after a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website:
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-08-09–lcc-packet

Videos: Tourism Authority appointment, 3 rezonings, wetlands, solar, UPS, Lake Alapaha water treatment, body cameras @ LCC Work 2021-08-09

The longest item at fourteen and a half minutes was yet more public money to be spent on water for the private Lake Alapaha subdivision next to the Alapaha River, in the Lowndes County Commission Work Session yesterday, Monday morning, August 9, 2021. They vote 5:30 PM this evening, Tuesday evening, August 10. See also The never-ending Lake Alapaha Water Treatment Plant saga @ LCC 2021-08-10.

Lowndes County Commissioner Demarcus Marshall questioning more money for Lake Alapaha Water Treatment

The three rezonings also got 4, 5, and 7 minutes.

It’s an even safer bet they will appoint Wild Adventures General Manager Jonathan Vigue to the Tourism Authority.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda and the preceding Planning Commission meeting. The board packet, received after a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website:
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-08-09–lcc-packet