Category Archives: Transportation

What happened at Nelson Hill on Val Del Road? @ LCC 2013-08-12

Staff promises evaporated, many of 13 conditions voted by elected Commissioners
didn’t get implemented: what happened at
Nelson Hill, the subdivision

County Planner Jason Davenport referred to
as the neighborhood on Val Del Road for
REZ-2013-09 Moody Housing?
Well, it has a reputation, as

someone nearby said in
opposing another development:

And we’re certainly not interested in what they built out on Val Del Road.

What happened at Nelson Hill?



As

Gretchen Quarterman mentioned to the Planning Commission,
there were supposed to be condominiums and a gated community there, but:

if you go out to Nelson Hill now you don’t find anything resembling a gated condominium community; you find ticky-tacky houses where they cut down the swamp.

So what was supposed to be there?
In the
Minutes for the Work Session of 12 February 2007 condominiums are mentioned: Continue reading →

Videos: a pipeline! 2 appointments, 3 hearings, 9 considerations, and 2 bids @ LCC 2013-06-25



Got a pipeline aimed at your house?
The county takes no responsibility.
And videos are good for juvenile court, but still not for the Commission.
Lots more; see below.

Here’s

the agenda, with links to the videos and a few notes.
See also

the videos of the previous morning’s Work Session.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Video Arraignment for Juvenile and Magistrate Court @ LCC 2013-06-25



Hm, if video saves the county all this money,
how about video of the County Commission’s own meetings to
save the public money keeping track of what the Commission is up to?

7.h. Video Arraignment for Juvenile and Magistrate Court

IT Director Aaron Kostyu said
at

the 25 June Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission:

As discussed

yesterday morning,
this is the video arraignment solution for the magistrate juvenile court.
This solution will save tens of thousands of dollars a year for staffing
and transportation that will not be required.
It will save us quite a bit of money, and time as well.
This solution will allow for the video presentation, signature,
and certification of warrants and the carrying out of video arraignments
and first appearances as well for Magistrates and Juvenile.
And this will benefit the Magistrate Court, Juvenile Court,
and all the local law enforcement agencies.
As noted yesterday, the city of Valdosta is awaiting your approval,
and they will purchase a portion of this to go in their facilities
as well that will allow them to speak in the video warrants portion.

Commissioners had no questions.
County Manager Joe Pritchard recommended Continue reading →

County bus system reapproved @ LCC 2013-06-25



Didn’t know the county had a bus system?

It does; you can call

316-2153 and they’ll pick you up for a flat fee.
The county’s contract with the state Department of Transportation
and with the contractor

MIDS, Inc. was reapproved
at

the 25 June Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

7.b. Section 5311 Rural Transportation Operating Contracts

The contract is with GADOT, and
the contractor is MIDS, Inc.
Per Commissioner Joyce Evans’ request of the previous morning,
County Engineer Joe Pritchard said there had been
12,322 trips with six buses over the past 5 months.

The County Engineer referred to

some discussion of the previous morning,
The Engineer said the federal government put in the first $220,000,
and while the county had to pick up any shortfalls,
there have been no shortfalls over the past twelve years.
This is different from County Manager Joe Pritchard’s
answer of the previous morning that it “has been budgeted”.
At least staff managed to come up with budget detail
after being asked in public by Commissioners.
No questions.
Unanimous approval.

Here’s

Part 1 of 2:

Continue reading →

Corbett or George Road renamed to Caney Branch Road @ LCC 2013-06-25


The road previously known as Corbett or George,
part of which may or may not have been closed at some previous data,
was renamed
to Caney Branch Road after a creek that flows into the Alapahoochee River,
at

the 25 June Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

6.1. Public Hearing Renaming George Road (CR #105)


George Road

This time County Engineer Mike Fletcher said the residents

Part to be renamed
wanted to rename George Road to be Caney Branch Road after
Caney Branch, “a small creek that runs through this area, localized”.
because

EMS, 911, and postal services have an issue with locating
the correct houses because there are two George Roads in Lowndes County.

He referred to the
previous morning,
when Commissioner Crawford Powell wanted to know Continue reading →

Videos: 2 appointments, 3 public hearings, 9 considerations, and 2 bids @ LCC 2013-06-24



Audio feed was still not available so what you hear, is what I hear at the back of the room… -gretchen

Here’s

the agenda, with links to the videos and a few notes by Gretchen.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

To rename George Road, first find it @ LCC 2013-06-24

Commissioners had trouble figuring out which road the County Engineer


wanted to rename, and which roads had already been closed, at

this morning’s Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.


Commissioner Crawford Powell questioning County Engineer Mike Fletcher


View Larger Map

6.a. Renaming George Road (CR #105)

There are two George Roads in the county and residents
want to change the name of this one to Caney(?) Branch Road.
There were some questions from Commissioners, mostly about where that road is.
Commissioner Crawford Powell kept asking if it was a continuation
of Corbett Road.
County Engineer Mike Fletcher said no, and the part of Corbett
Road Powell was thinking of was closed.
Apparently the Commission has closed so many roads even the
Commissioners can’t keep track of which they are.

If the Commissioners, with their packets in front of them, were confused, Continue reading →

2 appointments, 3 public hearings, 9 considerations, and 2 bids @ LCC 2013-06-24

Who’s applying to be appointed Tuesday evening?


The Commission doesn’t tell you.
Come to the Work Session Monday morning and maybe you’ll be able
to hear the County Manager mumble the names, if he names them.
Those

library board applicants from two weeks ago are finally

on the agenda.
Also

an appointment to Parks and Rec,
three liquor licenses, and many other items,
but nothing about solid waste or trash.

Here’s the agenda:



LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: paving and suing @ LCC 2013-05-14

See how the Commission does “the people’s business” one of the
Christian minister Commissioners mentioned in

his invocation
before another Baptist minister Commissioner

expressed concerns about a different religion’s choice of location.
No explanation for

why county citizens can’t choose their trash service
or

why the county is suing a local business on behalf of New York City investors,
and

half a million dollars for paving without any competitive bid named
while

one man says the county took his property for road right of way.

One more potential board appointee showed up, for 2 out of 3.


County Staff

Chairman Slaughter, Frenchy, and Joyce Evans

Gretchen videoing

Here’s

the agenda
with links to the videos and a few notes.
See also

the videos of the previous morning’s Work Session.


Richard Raines and John Page
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MAY 13, 2013, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 14, 2013, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Kevin McCraney for Airport Authority: Nope @ LCC 2013-05-14



The applications are in their Commissioner packets,
and you don’t get to see them.

The other of two applicants showed up to speak at the

Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 14 May 2013.
Chairman Bill Slaughter said:

Commissioners in your packets you should see applications from
two potential appointees.
You’ve had a chance to review those.

The public, as usual, did not see those applications.
Nor do I recall seeing a list from the county of available appointments.
At least we sometimes get to see the applicants speak, which, if I recall correctly,
was Joyce Evans’ idea.

I believe we had an opportunity to hear from Mr. Sykes yesterday;
is that correct.
The other applicant is Mr. Kevin McCraney.
I think at this time I’d like to call on Mr. McCraney if he’d like
to come forward and make a statement.

Here is

video of Jeff Sykes the previous morning.


At the Tuesday Regular Session,
Kevin McCraney said Continue reading →