Category Archives: Transportation

Videos: quick agenda and then pipeline @ LCC 2014-02-25

The County Manager’s report was about FERC’s Scoping Meetings starting next week; two citizens spoke about the pipeline. The Chairman refused to let another one speak because she hadn’t turned in a form, and then he spent 20 minutes after the meeting telling her what the county wasn’t going to do.

We sort of found out where is the unopened right of way off of US 41 South. The special tax lighting districts item went quickly this time. We found out how much the county’s sewer lift station at a subdivision with a private golf club will cost to replace. This is the subdivision for which the Nelson Hill Wells were drilled as possible replacements.

Here’s the agenda, with links to the videos and a few notes. See also videos from the previous morning’s Work Session.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Videos, Retreat, first day @ LCC 2014-02-27

They talked in detail about the Naylor boat ramp and park. The discussed animal shelter renovations for 2015 and 2016. And of course their paving list. Surprisingly, they actually considered whether ownership along the road right of way should be taken into account in deciding whether to pave or not. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall said he had been surprised to learn that many county citizens did not want their roads paved.

Here’s the agenda and some still pictures. Here are the raw videos so you can see for yourself.


Videos, Retreat, first day
Annual Retreat, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 27 February 2014.

They’re back at it this morning, and Gretchen is there videoing.

-jsq

1,000 feet is not enough –Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson @ GCC 2014-02-20

The President of Our Santa Fe River said even much more distance than the pipeline company was proposing wouldn’t be far enough away from her river, and the Chairman said specific answers were lacking from the pipeline company, at the Gilchrist County Commission meeting 20 February 2014.

Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, President of Our Santa Fe River, said:

I don’t think a thousand feet on either side is going to deal with the impacts on the Santa Fe River.

She asked for the Commission’s support.

Chairman D. Ray Harrison Jr (District 2) thanked her and added: Continue reading →

Walker Road abandoned next to US 41 S @ LCC 2014-02-25

We maybe learned which road was abandoned in the 25 February 2014 Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

5.a. Abandonment of Unopened Right of Way off of US 41 South

Public Hearing a. Abandonment of Unopened ROW

Video. This time County Engineer Mike Fletcher said when the county previously decided to abandon, April 24, 2012, and he said where, sort of, “known as Walker Avenue”. The county’s online tax assessor map has no such road, but it does have a Walker Road between Valencia Street and Tillman Road Continue reading →

SPLOST and website @ LCC 2014-02-27

Retreating again this week, but not very far this time: next door to the Commission chamber, tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday. In addition to SPLOST (now that they’ve got it, they have to determine how to spend it), what’s this about website on the agenda?

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
2014 Commission Retreat Agenda
Lowndes County Judicial Complex, Administrative Wing
2nd Floor, Overflow Room next to the Commission Chambers
327 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, GA 31601
Continue reading →

Videos: lift station, weather, jobs @ LCC 2014-02-24

A special called voting meeting about Industrial Authority bonds. followed the Work Session. In the Work Session, the last item was the presentation by Industrial Authority Executive Director Andrea Schruijer, preceded by a severe weather report For Nine minutes they discussed a deficit for special tax lighting districts throughout the county: apparently they didn’t take into account that power rates or lighting times might vary. Lowndes County’s sewer lift station at a subdivision with a private golf club apparently needs replacement. This is the subdivision for which the Nelson Hill Wells were drilled as possible replacements. The abandonment of some unspecified unopened right of way off of US 41 South is apparently resolved now after two years.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Golf club lift station on agenda @ LCC 2014-02-24

Lowndes County’s sewer lift station at a subdivision with a private golf club apparently needs replacement. This is the subdivision for which the Nelson Hill Wells were drilled as possible replacements. And an abandonment of some unspecified unopened right of way off of US 41 South. Plus a presentation by Industrial Authority Executive Director Andrea Schruijer.

Here’s the agenda:

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Weather report by Ashley Tye, Emergency Management Director @ LCC 2014-01-28

Lowndes County’s Emergency Management Director reported yesterday on projected icy roads today.

Here’s the video:


Weather report by Ashley Tye, Emergency Management Director
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 28 January 2014.

All the local schools are closed, public and private, K-12 and college, so the best thing to to is to stay home.

Commissioner John Page said a constituent had just asked him if Lowndes County owned any snow plows. Answer: no, but the county can get access to them if needed.

County Clerk Paige Dukes enumerated ways she had tried to get the word out, including this information on the county’s front web page, which will probably disappear without trace in a day or so, so I’ve copied it below. Continue reading →

Flood mapping and modeling @ VCC 2014-01-09

The Valdosta City Council votes Thursday on a contract for flood mapping related to the series of secretive Army Corps of Engineers meetings, plus bids for water and sewer and smoke testing sewers. They’re also swearing in winners of the recent election and electing a mayor pro-tem (probably the same one), along with a change to the Entertainment Ordinance and public hearings to close an alley and abandon part of a street, and the usual City Manager’s Report, Council Comments, and Citizens to be Heard.

No detail in the city’s agenda about the flood mapping, but at the Lowndes County Commission Work Session 11 November 2013 Emergency Services Director Ashley Tye said the current agreement wouldn’t obligate any payment, merely to reserve the right to contract at a later date if that seemed to be in the county’s best interests, and at the Regular Session 12 November 2013 the county approved getting LIDAR data from NOAA Coastal Services Center. Neither the county nor the city has published this agreement.

Here’s the agenda: Continue reading →

Secret meeting of Lowndes County Commission and state reps @ LCC 2013-12-20

Dexter Sharper (District 177) The VDT report doesn’t say when or where, and doesn’t say whether Dexter Sharper (District 177) wasn’t invited or chose not to attend.

There’s nothing about this meeting in the online agendas or calendar, even though that calendar lists Pictures with Santa at the Historical Courthouse (12/19/2013).

There is this undated public notice with no agenda:

Paige Dukes, Lowndes County Clerk The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners will meet with members of Lowndes County’s Legislative Delegation on Friday, December 20, 2013, at 4:00 p.m. in the Commissioner’s Conference Room located on the 3rd floor of the Judicial-Administrative Complex, 327 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia.

K. Paige Dukes, County Clerk

pdukes@lowndescounty.com 229-671-2400

Tim Golden (District 8) Matthew Woody wrote for the VDT 22 December 2013, Commissioners host local delegation, oddly omitting the when and where and much of the why from the traditional who, what, when, where, and why of journalism.

Amy Carter (District 175) The Lowndes County Commission hosted Continue reading →