Category Archives: Transportation

Two rezonings, contractors for personal property assessments and water tank cleaning @ LCC 2021-03-08

In addition to the big ticket items of $1.5 million
approved this week by the Lowndes County Commission,
one rezoning will probably actually cost the county nothing,
and the other will most likely eat up more tax dollars down the road.

The inexpensive one is
REZ-2021-02 on Loch Laurel Road,
where Nancy Hobby is returning some land to Estate Agriculture (EA) zoning.
The pricey one is
REZ-2021-01 Knights Landing Subdivision, Phase 5,
where most likely the county will end up paying for road maintenance
or fixing utilities or something else down the road,
plus fire trucks and school buses.

[Two rezonings and $252,000 for contractor, personal property assessment]

Two rezonings and $252,000 for contractor, personal property assessment

Cost What
$1,322,274.00 Tank Maintenance Contract
$252,000.00 Deen’s LLC Contract
$1,574,274.00 Total

The agenda packet item says that the
Deen’s LLC Contract
for personal property appraisal costs $84,000,
but that is per year, and the contract is for three years,
so the real price is $252,000. Continue reading →

Retreat at Jekyll Island Club @ LCC 2021-02-25

Lowndes County Commissioners and staff are
meeting tomorrow where those pesky taxpayers won’t be
“distraction to strategically address community needs and set goals
for the next year.”

Tripadvisor says: “A Historic Treasure not just for “Millionaires” of Jekyll Island Club Resort”, with rooms from $207 to $220 per night.

[Cherokee Cottage]

Cherokee Cottage

I do congratulate the newish Lowndes County Public Information Officer for
putting out a press release,
and for promising a daily
“synopsis of discussions” to be posted on the county’s website.

How about a daily video, such as LAKE has posted for several years?
Or livestream the meetings via facebook live, YouTube, or Zoom?

Meghan Barwick, Lowndes County Press Release, February 18, 2021,

Lowndes County Board of Commissioners Host Annual Planning Meeting,

Lowndes County, Georgia- The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners
will hold their annual planning meeting on Jekyll Island February
25-26, 2021 at the Jekyll Island Hotel, Cherokee Cottage, 371
Riverview Dr., Jekyll Island, Georgia. The planning meeting will
begin on Thursday, February 25 at 8:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. and resume
Friday, February 26 at 8:30 a.m. wrapping up at 12:00 noon.

The purpose of the annual planning meeting is Continue reading →

Roads, Water, and Taxes @ LCC 2021-02-22

Four million dollars in tax money discussed this morning,
to be voted on at 5:30 PM tomorrow (Tuesday) by the Lowndes County Commission.

[Table: Four Million Dollars]

Table: Four Million Dollars

Yet their video cameras seem to be broken and I haven’t seen anything
about paying to fix them or buy new ones.
Meanwhile, Valdosta City Council started online through an iphone,
and numerous other counties in Georgia and Florida have made their meetings
accessible online.

Cost What
$1,974,139.00 Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) Loan Application for the Lake Park Bellville Road Widening Project
$1,875,000.00
Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) Loan Application for Lift Station & Manhole Rehab Project
$219,000.00 Approve Purchase of West Savannah Avenue and Briggs Street Properties
$168,880.00 Purchase of Wetland and Stream Credits for Old US 41 North Widening Project
$59,500.00 Contract with Condrey and Associates, Inc.
$34,024.64 Request for the Purchase of Motorola Radios for Public Works
$19,167.00
Approval of the Solicitor General’s VAWA Competitive Grant Award
$10,195.00 Approval of Hightower Road and Cooper Road Right of Way Purchases
$6,000.00 GMASS Rural Land Maintenance Contract
$339.00 Just Compensation – Right of Way Parcel 10 Hightower Road and Cooper Road, TSPLOST Project
$4,366,244.64 Total

We don’t know where are the lift stations or manholes to be
financed through a GEFA loan for $1,875,000,
but I’d say that’s a good use of funds.
Not so sure about the

$1,974,139 for relocating utilities for widening
Lake Park Bellville Road,
because I’m not clear on why that road needs widening.
I do wonder why sewer and drinking water improvements have to be funded through loans
while road building gets tax funds.

Here is
the agenda.
The board packet is
on the LAKE website,
received Friday in response to a LAKE Open Records request.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Alcohol, Public Defender, ULDC, Whitewater Road Lift Station Pump @ LCC 2021-02-08

Why does the county need

a consultant to help revise its Unified Land Development Code (ULDC), to the tune of $39,370.00?
On the agenda for discussion Monday morning 8:30 AM and voting Tuesday 5:30 PM
by the Lowndes County Commission, February 8 and 9, 2021.

The Utilities Department wants

a pump for its Whitewater Road Lift Station
before it fails, which is a good thing: preventive maintenance.

Public Works wants to

buy a lift instead of renting one.
Probably this will reduce overall expenditures for “building maintenance, maintaining banners in the parking lots and for Christmas decorating.”

Cost What
$39,370.00
ULDC Revision – Agreement with Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC)
$39,261.63
Bid for a Lift for the Public Works Department
$39,158.7.00
Whitewater Road Lift Station Pump
$117,790.33 Total

The annual
2021 Public Defender Contracts
are up for renewal.
While this is a good thing, it’s curious that it’s listed as having no effect on the budget, despite costing money.

And there are two alcohol licenses to vote on.
Curious that those show no effect on the budget.
Is there no fee for an alcohol license?

The entire board packet is

on the LAKE website, received Friday in response to a LAKE open records request.
Here is
the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2021, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2021, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

  1. Call to Order

  2. Invocation

  3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag

  4. Minutes for Approval

    1. Work Session – January 25, 2021 & Regular Session – January 26, 2021
  5. Public Hearing

    1. Beer, Wine, and Liquor License – Lucila Parker of Restaurante Mexicano San Judas Tadeo, Inc., DBA Restaurante Mexicano San Judas Tadeo, Inc. – 4333 Bemiss Rd. Suite 12, Valdosta, GA

      Documents:Beer, Wine, and Liquor License – Lucila Parker of Restaurante Mexicano San Judas Tadeo, Inc., DBA Restaurante Mexicano San Judas Tadeo, Inc.pdf

  6. For Consideration

    1. Wine License – Manishaben Patel of Sai Krupa 2018 LLC, DBA JP Foods #2 – 3663 New Statenville Hwy., Valdosta, GA

      Documents:Wine License – Manishaben Patel of Sai Krupa 2018 LLC, DBA JP Foods 2.pdf

    2. 2021 Public Defender Contracts

      Documents:2021 Public Defender Contracts.pdf

    3. ULDC Revision – Agreement with Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC)

      Documents:ULDC Revision – Agreement with Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC).pdf

    4. Whitewater Road Lift Station Pump

      Documents:Whitewater Road Lift Station Pump.pdf

  7. Bid

    1. Bid for a Lift for the Public Works Department

      Documents:Bid for a Lift for the Public Works Department.pdf

  8. Reports – County Manager

  9. Citizens Wishing to be Heard-Please State Your Name and Address

  10. Adjournment

-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!

Packet: Clyattstone Road rezoning yet again, Decorative lighting, Transportation, Alcohol, Taxes, Law, Cybersecurity, Pandemic @ LCC 2021-01-25

After discussion Monday morning, on Tuesday evening the Lowndes County Commission will approve spending $2 million tax dollars, mostly in $1.6 million on

Lake Park Bellville Road, including relocating water and sewer lines.
There’s another $90,000 on
Hightower Road and Cooper Road NE, Right of Way Purchases.

Cost What
$1,655,975.00 Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Contract Item Agreement/Memorandum of Understanding Lake Park Bellville Road
$280,193.75 FY 2020 Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Application
$90,670.31 Approval of Hightower Road and Cooper Road NE, Right of Way Purchases
$29,400.00 Cybersecurity Maturity Tier 1
$12,500.00 Agreement with SGRC to Develop 2021 Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan Update
$20,000.00 FY 2020 Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Grant (to be fully reimbursed)
$2,068,739.06 Total

REZ-2020-20 Ballyntyne 6712 Clyattstone Road
is back yet again, this time probably to be improved.
The agenda sheet says no cost for that rezoning,
but remember last time we added up more than $3 million the county
has already spent on Clyattstone Road and water and sewer infrastructure.

The least expensive item with dollars listed is
FY 2020 Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Grant, because it will be fully reimbursed.

Also inexpensive and probably cost-effective is
Agreement with SGRC to Develop 2021 Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan Update.

[Subdivisions in northwest Lowndes County, GA]

Subdivisions in northwest Lowndes County, GA

Listed at no cost to the county is
Addition to Basic Decorative Street Lighting District – Creekside West, Ph. 6 & 7 and Val Del Villas,
which includes maps of subdivisions in northwest Lowndes County,
allowing you to see the extent of sprawl so far in that direction.

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


http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-01-25–lcc-packet/

We look forward to board packets being on the county’s own website along with

the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2021, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

COVID-19, Ballyntyne Subdivision, County expenses for Hightower Road, Sewer, Moody AFB, Fire Pumper @ LCC 2021-01-11

The agenda sheet for rezoning
REZ-2020-20 Ballyntyne (back again from last month)
claims no budget impact,
but that ignores the many thousands of county tax dollars already spent on

Clyattstone Road, as well as followup maintenance of roads,
sewer, and water,
not to mention School Board expenses for sending buses, as well as Fire Department and Sheriff Department expenses whenever called.

[WRPDO Site Map]

WRPDO Site Map

This is what I’ve found the Lowndes County Commission has already spent on Clyattstone Road, and I may have missed some.

Cost What When
$1,681,770.84 Grading, Drainage, Base, and Paving of Clyattstone Road and Simpson Lane. 2020-09-21
$1,417,333.98 Clyattstone Water Main Extension 2020-09-21
$43,245.50 The stated ROW cost in the agenda 2020-02-24

$23,590.50 Approval of Clyattstone Rd.-Simpson Ln. ROW and Easement Purchases (Parcels 26 and 34) 2020-07-14
$20,000.00
For wetland credits acquisition		 2020-04-28.

$11,535.00 and the other stated ROW cost in the agenda

$2,916.00 Up to that amount for an acre of drainage for Simpson Lane 2020-04-16.

$1,085.00 Approve Purchasing ROW and Drainage Easement for Clyattstone Rd.-Simpson Ln. TSPLOST Paving Project 2020-05-27
$3,201,476.82 County tax dollars so far spent on Clyattstone Road

So that’s more than $3 million tax dollars the county has already spent subsidizing subdivision developers on Clyattstone Road, before getting into maintenance and later School Board and Fire and Sheriff Department expenses.
Remember that when somebody says public transportation has to be subsidized.

Here are the expenses acknowledged in agenda sheets for this coming week’s Commission meetings:

Cost What
$351,115.00 Bid for a Pumper for the Fire Department
$315,557.58 Approval of Railroad Agreement for Hightower Road Project
$96,556.75 Low Pressure Sewer Force Main Upgrade on Old Bemiss and Bemiss Knights Academy Road
$28,000.75 Approval of Hightower Road and Cooper Road NE, Right of Way Purchases
$2,500.00 Moody Water Treatment Plant Emergency Repair
$793,730.08 Total

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

http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2021-01-11–lcc-packet

Here is

the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

FFA, Appointments, Liquor, Rezonings, Roads, Forestry, DUI, Holidays, Insurance, Calendar, Trucks @ LCC 2020-12-07

Update 2020-12-15: Board packet is on the LAKE website.

A million and a half dollars, mostly for insurance, on the agenda for the final
Lowndes County Commission session of 2020, and that’s not counting
the many-years-long ramifications of rezoning for new subdivisions
and acquiring right of way for a new road.

[Rezonings: REZ-2020-17 3833 Inner Perimeter Road; REZ-2020-19 3435 Bemiss Knights Academy; REZ-2020-20 6712 Clyattstone Road]

Rezonings: REZ-2020-17 3833 Inner Perimeter Road; REZ-2020-19 3435 Bemiss Knights Academy; REZ-2020-20 6712 Clyattstone Road

Cost What
$1,240,297.00 2021 Stop Loss Insurance Coverage Renewal Through Symetra Life Ins. Company
$174,759.00 2021 ACCG Workers’ Compensation Insurance Renewal
$60,862.00 Bid for 2 – Three Quarter Ton Trucks for the Engineering Department
$27,367.00 Bid for a Sport Utility Vehicle for the 911 Center
$920.50
Georgia Forestry Commission Services [LAS prescribed burns] Agreement
$381.00 Office of the Governor Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Accountability Court Lowndes County DUI Court- State Court
$1,504,586.50 Total

Lowndes County Development Authority
Terms are up for Brooks Akins, Gary Cannon, and Jerome Tucker. Cannon and Tucker want reappointment, and the Commission almost always reappoints.

Resolution Rejection Quitclaim Deed; Affidavit Regarding Title- Branch Point.
The County has laid out the right-of-way for a county road known as Fender Road between Williams School…
Trading a parcel to William Q. Touchton, Jr. for another parcel for the road.

REZ-2020-20 Ballyntyne 6712 Clyattstone Road (0071 008) R-1 to R-10, Water & Sewer, ~40.3 acres .
For 105+ house lots. In 2006, for a more complicated plan on the same site, GLPC recommended denial 7:0, County Commission denied 2:0. What did GLPC vote this time?
And how about factoring in all the costs of paving Clyattstone Road over many previous Commission meetings? Continue reading →

2 Appointments, 3 rezonings, MIDS Bus, WM buying ADS, Debris Removal @ LCC 2020-11-09

Waste Management has bought Advanced Disposal Services.

Lowndes County, Georgia, is

buying up three Lee Street lots north of the County Palace,
adding to the county’s holdings between Ashley and Lee Streets south of Webster Street in Valdosta.
They will discuss 8:30 AM Monday and vote 5:30 PM Tuesday.

[3 Lots Map and Agenda Item]

3 Lots Map and Agenda Item

Clint Joyner wants his new roads in Knights Landing Subdivision off of Knights Academy Road to be called Countess Court, Bishop Court, Duke Court, and Duchess Court.

Commissioner Joyce Evans and Michael Smith want to be reappointed to the
Valdosta Lowndes County Conference Center and Tourism Authority.
J.D. Rice wants to be appointed to a vacant seat on the
Lowndes County Public Facilities Authority.

Here is
the agenda.
The entire board packet is
on the LAKE website, as a result of a LAKE Open Records request.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2020, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2020, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Public Facilities Authority, Water tank, dump trucks, VOCA, VAWA, road abandonment @ LCC 2020-10-26

This morning the Lowndes County Commission will discuss
abandoning a driveway, er road, a couple of grants for legal purposes,
relining a drinking water tank for a fancy subdivision, dump trucks for Public Works,
and
reappointing Michael Walker, Crawford Powell, and Scott Purvis to the
Public Facilities Authority,
plus a vacant seat.
They will vote Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM.

What does PFA do?

Created via Resolution 05-1130, the general purpose of the authority
is declared to be that of providing through the acquisition,
construction, installation, renovation, expansion, modification or
rehabilitation, any buildings, structure, facilities, improvements,
furnishings, fixtures, machinery, equipment and services for the
citizens in the county. Members are appointed to three year terms
and meet as needed. For more information, contact the Office of the
County Clerk, 229-671-2400, or email the County Clerk.

[Map: Road to be Abandoned]

Map: Road to be Abandoned

Cost What
$464,196.00 Bid for Four 10-Wheel Dump Trucks for the Public Works Department
$148,000.00 Stone Creek Elevated Tank Coating
$17,326.00
Solicitor-General’s Office 2021 VAWA Competitive Application
$6,000.00
Solicitor-General’s VOCA Continuation Grant
$635,522.00 Total

How the
Abandonment of Artherman Lane
can be considered not to affect the budget is mysterious,
since Public Works will no longer need to spend to maintain that driveway.

On the
Solicitor-General's VOCA Continuation Grant,
VOCA is the
Victims of Crime Act.
The $6,000 cost is health insurance premiums for the two Victim Advocates ($3,000 each).

On the
Solicitor-General's Office 2021 VAWA Competitive Application,
VAWA is the

Violence Against Women Act.
The $17,326 is for Cash Match, about $2,000 lower than last time.
Lowndes County funnels grant money for five counties,
by delegating the District Attorney (DA) to receive and distribute the funds.

Here is
the agenda.
The board packet is

on the LAKE website
due to a LAKE open records request. Continue reading →

Videos: budget and wood pellet plant at Adel City Council 2020-09-21

The wood pellet plant annexation had one vote against,
and two against the rezoning.


[Reporters, Council, Opposition, Agenda]

Reporters, Council, Opposition, Agenda

The budget, millage, and alcohol license passed unanimously.

There was little discussion and no public input.
There was a Public Hearing
two weeks before.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item,
with a very few notes, and a few more pictures. Continue reading →