Category Archives: Transportation

Packet: Missing ULDC Text Amendment, new well, force main, and elevator with For Consideration and Bids from previous cancelled session @ LCC 2024-02-26

Update 2024-02-27: Videos: ULDC Text Amendment, new well, force main, and elevator with For Consideration and Bids from previous cancelled session @ LCC Work 2024-02-26.

In the board packet Lowndes County sent this morning in response to yesterday’s LAKE open records request, there is more information on the 6.e. Spring Creek Well Pilot Study and 7.d. Golden Oaks Subdivision Force Main, including bid sheets and a contract. There was nothing additional on the third new agenda item, 7.a. Bid to Upgrade the Main Elevator at the Human Resource Building.

The ULDC Text Amendment (TXT-2024-01) Update Presentation was not included in the board packet. I have filed an open records request to get it.

Packet: new well, force main, and elevator @ LCC 2024-02-26

Since no map was included of the Golden Oaks Subdivision, I have added one from VALORGIS. Continue reading →

Agenda: ULDC Text Amendment, new well, force main, and elevator plus For Consideration and Bids from previous cancelled session @ LCC 2024-02-26

Update 2024-02-27: Packet: Missing ULDC Text Amendment, new well, force main, and elevator with For Consideration and Bids from previous cancelled session @ LCC 2024-02-26.

Another stealth ULDC presentation heads this morning’s Work Session at the Lowndes County Commission. You will be able to see it in the LAKE videos Gretchen is taking. You won’t see it in Lowndes County’s own videos, because they no longer post video of their Work Sessions.

Old and new items @ LCC 2024-12-26

Other new items are:

Bid to Upgrade the Main Elevator at the Human Resource Building
Golden Oaks Subdivision Force Main
Spring Creek Well Pilot Study

Everything else is carried forward from the cancelled previous Regular Session.

But none of the rezonings were carried forward, possibly because they had to advertise the Public Hearings again. I guess they’ll handle those next month along with the new ones on tonight’s Planning Commission agenda.

Here is the agenda.

I neglected to request the board packet after the previous meeting was cancelled due to lack of quorum due to Commissioner illness. However, I have included on the LAKE website the board packet items from the previous meeting’s packet.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2024, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2024, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Why the traffic light: The Towns at 4443 (Bemiss Road @ Studstill Road) letter of intent and Conceptual Plan @ GLPC 2022-09-26

Here is why the traffic light at Studstill Road on Bemiss Road:

Major road improvement plans are proposed for construction at the intersection of Bemiss Road and Studstill Road, which directly impact the subject property. The road improvements to Bemiss Road include the addition of a signal light at the intersection as well as sidewalks which are tied into the development of the subject property.

The Towns at 4443 (Bemiss Road @ Studstill Road): letter of intent and Conceptual Plan @ GLPC 2022-09-26

That is in the board packet for the September 26, 2022, meeting of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC). It’s on the second page of the letter of intent by Advanced Engineering Services, LLC, on behalf of Stoker Utilities, for rezoning REZ-2022-16, for a subdivision with frontage on Bemiss Road at Studstill Road, as well as frontage on Mulligan Road. The site plan also includes a Pizza Hut.

As you can see in the LAKE videos, GLPC unanimously recommended approval.

At the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session of October 11, 2022, after 25 minutes of discussion (very long for them), the Commissioners required a fence between the subject property and the adjoining church, and unanimously approved the rezoning, as shown in the LAKE videos. Also, a speaker in favor of the subdivision said the traffic light is being paid for by the developer (so not by the county).

So the traffic light installation is part of the implementation of this rezoning.

-jsq

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!

Continue reading →

Studstill Road Traffic Light 2024-01-23

Update 2024-01-24: Why the traffic light: The Towns at 4443 (Bemiss Road @ Studstill Road) letter of intent and Conceptual Plan @ GLPC 2022-09-26.

Noticed this morning at the corner of Studstill Road and Bemiss Road.

Traffic light installation, 9:52 AM, Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Presumably this is related to some kind of work that is going on just to the west of Bemiss Road, on the right in this picture.

I don’t know whether it is a subdivision, or what.

The truck says CORBETT.

This location is in unincorporate Lowndes County.

-jsq

Videos: 3 Tax Assessors appointed, Francis Lake Warehouse $397,980, LMIG Match $133,769.41, VOCA Grant down but match up @ LCC Regular 2024-01-08

Update 2024-01-20: Packet: Appoint another Tax Assessor, Special Assessment Rate, VOCA, federal consultant @ LCC 2024-01-22.

Two weeks ago the Lowndes County Commission appointed three new Tax Assessors: Gene Felts and Thomas Reed to 3-year terms and Sandra D.S.Jones to the 4-year term. Gene Felts resigned two days later, after being sworn in but before his first Tax Assessors Meeting. They still have 12 – 3 = 9 applicants to choose from. Maybe somebody should tell them they have to take substantial hours of training after being appointed.

We the taxpayers and voters still haven’t seen the applications, which were not in that board packet. At least the appointees did show up at the meeting.

Gretchen took these LAKE videos with her iPhone. The LAKE camera is old and tired and refused to function. If anyone wants to donate so we can get a new video camera, that would be wonderful.

The added agenda item, 6.f. 412-416 North Lee Street Purchase, was apparently the result of the Executive Session in the same morning’s Work Session.

The Commissioners unanimously approved everything else with little discussion.

There was a weather report by EMA Director Ashley Tye.

Collage @ LCC Regular 8 January 2024

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

Videos: 12 applicants for 3 Tax Assessors, Francis Lake Warehouse $397,980, LMIG Match $133,769.41, VOCA Grant down but match up @ LCC Work 2024-01-08

Update 2024-01-20: Videos: 3 Tax Assessors appointed, Francis Lake Warehouse $397,980, LMIG Match $133,769.41, VOCA Grant down but match up @ LCC Regular 2024-01-08.

Even the County Commissioners did not get to see the applications of those who applied to be Tax Assessors; not unless they trouped upstairs and asked the County Clerk.

County Manager Paige Dukes read off the dozen names of applicants and added, “Ms. Lovern has their appointment sheets in her office.” Commissioner and Vice Chair Demarcus Marshall said he wanted to see their appplications; he noted Amy Carter is a former state legislator. Chairman Bill Slaughter said “Certainly if you would like to look at those applications, you’ve got those that you can go through.” He did offer to ask Ms. Lovern to call the applicants and ask them to show up at the Regular Session.

Why the secrecy is mysterious. So far as I know, they’re the same application forms everybody fills out to apply for any board or authority. They contain the same kind of information people put on LinkedIn or even facebook, and they are usually included in the board packet, but not this time.

The County Manager said two of the Tax Assessors posts will be 3-year terms, and the third will be a 4-year term, to keep terms staggered.

Collage @ LCC 8 January 2024

The new Vice Chair of the Lowndes County Commission is Demarcus Marshall. Chairman Bill Slaughter thanked Mark Wisenbaker for doing that for the past year, presiding at meetings when the Chair was absent.

Demarcus Marshall wanted to know Continue reading →

Packet: 12 applicants for 3 Tax Assessors, Francis Lake Warehouse $397,980, LMIG Match $133,769.41, VOCA Grant down but match up @ LCC 2024-01-08

Update 2024-01-20: LAKE videos of the Work Session 2024-01-08.

The board packet for last week’s Lowndes County Commission meetings does not include any further information about the dozen applicants to be Tax Assessors beyond their names that were in the agenda.

This is odd, since for every other board or authority, application sheets are usually included in the board packet.

We do learn what roads the county plans to resurface with the LMIG grant. Also confirmation in writing that $123,523.13 is the amount of the required 10% LMIG match.

Collage @ LCC Packet 2024-01-08

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website.

Agenda: 12 applicants for 3 Tax Assessors, Francis Lake Warehouse $397,980, LMIG Match $133,769.41, VOCA Grant down but match up @ LCC 2024-01-08

Update 2024-01-14: Packet: 12 applicants for 3 Tax Assessors, Francis Lake Warehouse $397,980, LMIG Match $133,769.41, VOCA Grant down but match up @ LCC 2024-01-08.

The Lowndes County Commission will hold both meetings Monday: the Work Session at 8:30 AM, and the voting Regular Session at 5:30 PM.

Collage @ LCC 2024-01-08

They will choose from a dozen applicants to fill three Tax Assessors positions:

In December 2023, the Board of Commissioners expanded the Board of Tax Assessors from three to five members. In addition, the initial three-year term of James Puckett ended December 31, 2023. Accordingly, the Board of Commissioners needs to make three appointments to the Board of Tax Assessors:

one to succeed James Puckett to complete a three-year term ending December 31, 2026
one to fill a new position to complete an initial three-year term ending December 31, 2026
one to fill a new position to complete an initial four-year term ending December 31, 2027

David Westberry, Samuel Clemons, Mike Tanner, Lucinda Guess, Mary Ellen Weeks, Elizabeth Highsmith, Sandra Jones, Richard Holcombe, Mary Green, Gene Felts, Amy Carter, and Thomas Reed have all expressed a desire to be appointed to the Board of Tax Assessors.

OPTIONS: 1. Make appointments and approve completion and execution of attached Orders as applicable
2. Board’s pleasure

It is hard to tell who many of these people are, for example there are several Amy Carters hereabouts. The county did not include the applications with the agenda.

We also don’t know what the “attached Orders” are, since they were not included with the agenda.

The BUDGET IMPACT is given as N/A for 2024 Georgia Department of Transportation Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) Application . But the agenda sheet says, “Lowndes County has been allocated $1,337,694.10 for FY 2024. As a part of this grant program, Lowndes County will be responsible for a minimum 10% match in local funding.”

Seems to me 10% of $1,337,694.10 is $133,769.41. Continue reading →

Videos: ULDC contractor extension, hospital revenue certificate reissuance, LAS generator, Juvenile Justice grant, Val Del Estates infrastructure @ LCC Regular 2023-10-24

EMA Director Ashley Tye reported that all the disaster recovery centers were closing after Hurricane Idalia, with Cook County still open for a bit. This was six weeks ago, at a Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

Collage @ LCC 24 October 2023

That took six minutes of the seventeen-minute meeting. County Manager Paige Dukes took another three minutes for her report.

The Commissioners breezed through the other agenda items and unanimously approved them all.

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

Videos: ULDC contractor extension, hospital revenue certificate reissuance, LAS generator, Juvenile Justice grant, Val Del Estates infrastructure @ LCC Work 2023-10-23

Update 2023-12-07: Videos: ULDC contractor extension, hospital revenue certificate reissuance, LAS generator, Juvenile Justice grant, Val Del Estates infrastructure @ LCC Regular 2023-10-24.

The Lowndes County Commission took six minutes to breeze through this Work Session agenda.

Collage @ LCC 23 October 2023

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist. Well, she made no notes this time, because no Commissioners asked any questions, and the whole thing only took six minutes. The only slightly new information is that J.D. Dillard said the ULDC Updates were still within budget even with the requested extension.

See also the agenda and board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request. Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange