Category Archives: Sports

Lowndes County and Valdosta history: origins of the old boys

If we want good clean industry for jobs for local people, we need good clean local government, too.
Why do our local government bodies

hide when they discuss public goods like waste disposal,
try to

avoid stating public positions on issues,
and

fail to publish minutes of elected bodies?

A little reading in local histories of the area or talking to people


who were involved even a generation or two back indicates that Lowndes
County has always been a cliquish sort of place, mostly run by old boys,
for reasons that made some sense in the early days (lack of resources,
mainly), but doesn’t so much anymore in these days of I-75 and I-10,
airport, railroads that still go everywhere, Moody AFB, VSU as a regional university, technical and community colleges,
two hospitals and medical industry, TitleTown, Grand Bay WMA, Wild Adventures,
and south Georgia sunshine we can export to Atlanta and points north.

Here are a few books about the old days, all available in local libraries
and possibly in local bookstores:

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The group overwhelmingly supported the building of… —Matt Portwood

Second of two reports on last night’s VLPRA steering committee received today. -jsq

The message of

Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority


Executive Director George Page was clear at tonight’s Master
Planning Steering Committee workshop when he told the group “I’m not a
fan of the status quo.” If you’ve followed the work of Mr. Page and
the staff of the VLPRA,

especially their work on securing the upcoming
baseball tournament
which is projected to have an economic impact of about
$250,000, then you know that this is no exaggeration.

The meeting tonight was the first of a series of meetings that are
geared toward getting public involvement in the upcoming Parks and
Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan. The VLPRA has contracted with


the Nashville-based architectural and land planning group

Lose and Associates,
to conduct the comprehensive plan. Lose is pronounced
more like the geologic term defining windborne silt (loess), and less
like how we identify the team that scores fewer goals in a soccer match
(lose). The meeting tonight, which was led by two Lose planners, was
focused on evaluating current VLPRA programs and facilities and
offering suggestions for future improvements.

This evening’s group of about 15 participants consisted of

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Sports teams won’t change (Tom Gooding) my sports team changed (Ronnie Mathis) @ CUEE 27 Sep 2011

CUEE and the Chamber hardly need opponents for school consolidation.
All they need is for people to listen to what they say to contradict each other.
Here’s a good example.



First,

Tom Gooding said sports teams won’t change (until there’s a
newly elected Lowndes County school board, which of course can do
whatever it wants to; read the fine print as he speaks).



Then Ronnie Mathis said he’d been through “unification” elsewhere,

and his sports team changed from Vikings to Bobcats.
Oops!

Maybe this is why CUEE won’t post videos of its own meetings.
But LAKE has, so you can watch this for yourself.

Here’s

Part 1 of 2:

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Working on Eagle Scout badges @ LCC 13 September 2011



Commissioner Raines wished to recognize some Boy Scouts
who are working on Eagle Scout badges.

Here’s

the video:




Working on Eagle Scout badges @ LCC 13 September 2011

Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 13 September 2011.

Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

First thing they’ll do, is sell that stadium —? @ VBOE 29 August 2011



This is the clearest statement of the football argument I’ve heard.
This is the same speaker who already mentioned

quality of education, property taxes, and property values,
so this is just one argument among many.
The speaker is associated with FVCS, and if I went to VHS,
I’d know his name right away; I’m an LHS graduate.

The first thing they’ll do is sell that stadium.
They’d be crazy not to do….
They’re not going to pay upkeep on two stadiums.
Look at Tallahassee, Macon: all the schools play at one stadium….

…

Don’t let those people run the show.
Don’t let them take the power away from us.

…

If one day it makes good economic sense for y’all to
make the decision to sell that property to Valdosta State
and build another stadium and we can come out ahead,
I think that’s a great idea.

Like my granddaddy said, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

By “those people” I don’t think he means the Lowndes County Board
of Education; I think he was referring to CUEE.

Here’s

the video:

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“Solar power at one time was a theory, and now it’s in practice” —Sen. Tim Golden



State Sen. Tim Golden used Yogi Berra to illustrate that solar power
is no longer just a theory: it’s now implemented in practice.

Yogi said, and I quote:

In theory, there’s no difference between theory and practice,
but in practice, there is.

…

I thought about that quote because solar power at one time was a theory,
and now it’s in practice.

A very good point.

(This is also where

Sonny Murphy got the idea to quote Yogi Berra.)

Sen. Golden mentioned that he and Sonny Murphy grew up with Gov. Nathan Deal.

He said he met Pete Marte of Hannah Solar at the governor’s office
the previous day, at the signing of HB 346, which includes solar tax credits.


That’s the bill that

Wes Hudson said
“extends the renewable energy tax credit to the year ending Dec. 31,
2014, and for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014 it newly expands the total
statewide credit amount from $2.5 million to $5 million in each of the
years 2012-2014.”

Sen. Golden once again said we’d gone from theory to practice.

He lauded Jimmy Carter for putting solar panels on the White House

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“Hooray for solar! No biomass!”



The VDT

nailed it:

Executives and city officials broke ground together at the site to the mixed cheers from the crowd of protesters: “Hooray for solar! No biomass!”

More perceptive text by David Rodock and pictues by Paul Levy online
and in the paper paper.

Videos

of the protesters here.
Videos of the groundbreaking ceremony (with protesters) to come.

-jsq

Wildcat Museum is a good start



Valdosta has a local museum that may generate some local business,
sort of like the
Homerville Genealogical Library that opened today.
Christian Malone writes in the VDT today,

Valdosta Wildcat museum renamed in Waller’s honor:

The David S. Waller Sr. Valdosta Wildcat Museum is filled with things
related to Valdosta High football. Many of Valdosta’s state and
national championship trophies reside in the museum. So do many photos
of past Wildcat teams and players. There are Valdosta jerseys, jackets,
shirts and helmets there. The plaques of the members of Valdosta High’s
Sports Hall of Fame are also housed in the museum.

Now since I went to Lowndes High School, I must note that the Wildcats
have lost to the Vikings pretty much every time they’ve played in
the last decade or so.
And a county-wide or south-Georgia football or sports hall of fame
would be a much bigger draw.
But in a sports-mad community any sports museum is a good idea.

-jsq

Celebrate citizen participation –John S. Quarterman

A message to the only elected
body in Lowndes County that represents the entire county.
I’ve added a few links, and otherwise what you see is
the suggestions I sent to the Commissioners and the County Clerk
Thursday after

offering them Tuesday. -jsq



From: John S. Quarterman

Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 1:40 PM

To: Commissioner@lowndescounty.com

Cc: Paige Dukes

Subject: Policies and Procedures for Citizens Wishing to be Heard

Dear Commissioners,

At your most recent meeting I mentioned I had a few suggestions
about your new Policies and Procedures for Citizens Wishing
To Be Heard, and at least one of you has indicated he would
like to see them, so here they are.

“2. A maximum of 10 persons shall be allowed to speak at any meeting.”

I think that number is too low. On the one hand,

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Phyllis Stallworth: “I am gravely concerned and disappointed”

I received this on 7 Oct for posting.

-jsq

Valdosta is an innovative city with expanding opportunities for
our growing community. Valdosta has recently celebrated 150 years of
progress. As a citizen, I have spent most of my adult life experiencing
this progress. I’ve seen economic developments through recruitment,
retention and expansions that benefit our city, with tremendous support
from our communities. I’ve seen job opportunities that improve the
livelihood of our citizens, through the recruitment of national companies
who have established their businesses in our great city.

Our school systems are innovative, and they serve as models for
other school systems in our state, with great parental involvement and
encouragement toward improvements. Our University and College systems are
some of the best in the state, with phenomenal enrollment and retention
of traditional and non-traditional students in our city and abroad.

Our religious establishments are growing from leaps and bounds with more
and more people becoming citizens of our great city, who are leaving
larger unsafe, polluted, and unproductive cities, for a safer, less
polluted and productive small town lifestyle, such as our wonderful
city provides.

The development of small businesses, through our downtown projects, have
been a great success story for our city. The innovative improvements
make our city one of the most visited in our state. We pride ourselves
as a Titletown community, through continuous progress over 150 years.

When I contemplate our shared 150 years of progress, I find it disturbing
that our Industrial Authority would make such a bad decision as to bring
a Biomass incinerator into our community. As an advocate for the welfare
of children, women, and families I am gravely concerned and disappointed
that such a project has been endorsed by leaders who were elected to
carry out the wishes of the community for the betterment of all citizens.

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