Category Archives: Transportation

Solar Fedex in Buffalo

How many of the distribution centers here have solar panels on top?
Or schools?
Or government buildings?
Or businesses?
None.
But sunny far-north-next-to-Canada Buffalo has them.



David Robinson wrote for Buffalo News 14 May 2013,

FedEx groundbreaking gives region bragging rights:
FedEx Trade Networks breaks ground on a new distribution center that development officials hope will lure more companies, jobs

FedEx Trade Networks began construction Tuesday on its new
distribution center in the Town of Tonawanda, giving hope to local
development officials that the company’s expansion will boost the
Buffalo Niagara region’s efforts to become a distribution and
logistics hub.

“It really drives home the value of this region as a center
for logistics in the global economy,” said Kenneth Adams,
president and chief executive officer of Empire State Development,
the state’s main economic development agency.

“It plays to the inherent strength of the region,” Adams
said. “There could be no better seal of approval for a
logistics business in this location.”

We’ve got transportation and logistics and distribution centers here,
but we don’t have this:

Fred Schardt, president of FedEx Trade Networks, said the
environmental benefits of the company’s 14-acre site within the
Riverview Solar Technology Park off River Road also were a selling
point. “We understand the importance of doing business in an
environmentally sustainable way. It’s very, very important for
us,” he said. “This park allows this to happen.”

The FedEx building will include a 100-kilowatt solar array that will
be integrated into the design of the structure. Those solar panels
are expected to generate 1 million kilowatt-hours of electricity
during the term of the company’s lease, reducing the company’s
consumption of fossil fuels by the equivalent of 80,000 gallons of
gasoline, Montante said.

If Buffalo, a thousand miles to the north with much less sun,
can do this, we can, too.
Maybe if we did this, maybe in some of VLCIA’s industrial parks,
maybe it would attract more businesses….

-jsq

So popular it’s every Saturday and a street is closed: Valdosta Farm Days

Demand has ramped up in only a few years so that already Valdosta Farm Days has
expanded its days and pedestrianized a street.

City of Valdosta PR 15 May 2013,

City Announces Road Closure for Downtown Valdosta Farm Days,


Valley Street
In anticipation of the large number of vendors expected for the
Downtown Valdosta Farm Days this Saturday, May 18, from 9 a.m. to 1
p.m., the City of Valdosta is announcing an expected road closure to
help citizens plan their travel downtown.

Valley Street will be closed between N. Ashley and N. Patterson
Streets, from 7 a.m. until approximately 2 p.m. Adequate traffic
safety measures will be in place to alert the traveling public, as
the closure will prohibit traffic traveling east and west on Valley
Street during this time.



Farm Days takes place on the sidewalks around the historic
courthouse in downtown Valdosta, on the first and third Saturday of
every month, rain or shine, through the end of October. By popular
demand, the market will take place every Saturday during the month
of June.

Citizens are invited to enjoy the activities associated with the
Downtown Valdosta Farm Days. For more information about Main Street
events, contact the Main Street office at (229) 259-3577. For
information about street closures, call the Engineering Department
at (229) 259-3530.

There’s no mention of any of this on the
Lowndes County Commission website.

-jsq

Give back what I’ve had for 37 years –Lamar Clements @ LCC 2013-05-14



A Lowndes County resident asked for school bus safety and his land back
that the county took; this was in the

Lowndes County Commission Regular Session Tuesday:

I was asked to do this for the benefit of our community.
Lamar Clements is my name,
and my wife Winona.
We live at 5138 Coppage Road, out in Hahira.
So you’d know, we’re not new residents out there.
We’ve lived there 37 years.
We’ve seen a lot of change.


Coppage and Griffin Roads
My concern is the corner of Coppage Road and Griffin Road.
I know Mike Fletcher has been recently, visited that location.
I want to report that
I have seen personally as a resident; I’ve seen two county
school buses that could have been a fatal accident
because of the structure around it.
My concern, it needs to be eliminated; that will, bottom line save lives.

Secondly, I live on the corner, and the county has progressively moved
the road over to the west, which is literally taking my some of my yard.
All I ask is: give back what I’ve had for 37 years.
And for goodness sake, when I saw those two school buses
that makes a chill go down your spine
when you’ve got that many children in danger.

So it’s in good hands.
You guys know what to do.
Go for it. Continue reading →

Videos: Why do we need to pave those roads? @ LCC 2013-05-13



Half a million dollars for paving without any competitive bid:
it’s the county way!
Only one of three potential board appointees showed up.
Commissioners asked a surprising number of questions,
including about a water system trust indenture,
but not enough.
They vote this evening at 5:30 PM.

Here’s

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

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 →

Paving questioned @ LCC 2013-05-13

Commissioners asked a few questions about the half a million
for paving with no apparent competition at yesterday morning’s

Lowndes County Commission Work Session.

Mike Fletcher, County Engineer
Maybe you have more questions; you could ask them tonight at the Regular Session.
You’ll have to catch them before the session starts, because you don’t get to speak
in the session until after they vote.

8. Bid – Soil cement, bituminous prime (with sand), and paving for Bayhill Drive, Pinewood Drive, Grand Pine Drive, Glenn Hill Drive, Bay Wood Drive, Bemiss Knights Academy Road North, a portion of Old Bemiss Road, Payton Place, and Dodd Road


Kari Sands, Purchasing Director
Purchasing Director Kari L. Sands said staff recommendation is to award
the bid to Scruggs Company for $495,845.
No other bids were mentioned.
County Engineer Mike Fletcher said the money was already received from the
LMIG program.

LMIG is Continue reading →

Two appointments, a rezoning, 2 alcohol, an indenture, a building, and bids for paving LCC 2013-05-13

Where is the Lowndes County Commission
getting the money for paving parts of nine roads?
Who are they appointing to the Airport Authority and the
South Georgia Community Service Board?

Here’s

the agenda:



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 →

Make sure people in my age group know who they’re voting for —Brett Huntley @ LCC 2013-02-26



Brett Huntley responded
to the Commission's mysterious ruling against the public
at the

26 Febuary 2013 Lowndes County Commission meeting,
to close the only public access to the Alapaha River in Lowndes County.
Neither County Manager Joe Pritchard nor County Engineer Mike Fletcher
were paying any attention.

I would like to publicly say that I am shocked with the decision.
I feel the decision was in favor of a sole person, and not in the
interests of the community and the citizens.
We tried to speak and explain our side of the story.
And the county road has not ceased to be used.
It's been being used in our county for over 100 years.
I feel your guys just made a decision that will have an impact
on our culture and heritage in the community that is not good.
It's a bad decision, I feel.

I kind of feel hurt.
I feel it's a personal thing for our community.
That whole road abandonment idea stems from one sole person

Continue reading →

Really, really, shocking and surprising that this road would be closed as much public purpose that it serves —April Huntley @ LCC 2013-02-26



April Huntley
responded in shock to the Commission’s mysterious ruling against the public
at the

26 Febuary 2013 Lowndes County Commission meeting,
to close the only public access to the Alapaha River in Lowndes County.
The County Attorney and the County Manager appeared to be busy working
on something else and paying no attention.

I don’t know there’s a whole lot more to say.
Really, really, shocking and surprising that this road would be closed
as much public purpose that it serves.

[long pause]

I’ve done so much research on it and it’s in the best interests
of the public to have this access
that’s been there for over 100 years.

The 2030 plan that the county has, this would cause less destruction

to
that area; less change.
There’s already a road there.
It only needs parking,
and signs,
and rules and regulations that people can abide by.
And the county, after the last time when it was denied,
should have worked with the landowner
to mediate things, to get a decent set in place where
this could kept for hundreds more years for our county.

And I hope there will be a way to open it back up.

Here’s

the video:


Really, really, shocking and surprising that this road would be closed as much public purpose that it serves —April Huntley

Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),

Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 26 February 2013.

-jsq

County response to 10 inches of rain —Ashley Tye @ LCC 2013-02-26



Emergency Services Director Ashley Tye spoke about Local weather conditions
at the

26 Febuary 2013 Lowndes County Commission meeting.
He said the
Withlacoochee River at Skipper Bridge Road
was expected to crest at 20 feet within hours.
He didn’t expect Valdosta’s Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant to flood.

He said most of the rain fell to the west of Valdosta, so
the Little River actually absorbed more water than the Withlacoochee this time.
Only Shiloh Road and a few other roads were closed.

The boat ramps at Langdale Park were closed in conjunction with Parks and Rec.

A few schools were closed, but all expected to reopen the next day.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall asked

Continue reading →

Videos: Commission voted against the people @ LCC 2013-02-26



Apparently one person with a lawyer can persuade the Lowndes County Commission
that hundreds of people are just

an unruly mass, not the public it’s supposed to represent.
For whatever reason, not clear to the public, the Commission voted
3 to 1 with 1 absent to close the end of Old State Road to Hotchkiss Crossing,
thus barring the only public access to the Alapaha River in Lowndes County.
We shall see whether they will follow through with their

hint that they might make a park on the Alapaha River at another location.
Congratulations to
Commissioner Demarcus Marshall for
speaking up for due process and for voting for the public!


Public Works Director Robin English spoke about road conditions
and

Emergency Services Director Ashley Tye spoke about Local weather conditions,

Update noon 27 Feb 2013:
Link to
weather conditions,
and to
Citizens Wishing to Be Heard.

The Commission reappointed
J. Glenn Gregory to the

South Regional Joint Development Authority
and
appointed Commissioner Joyce Evans to the

Southern Georgia Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council.
They are applying for a grant for the county’s MIDS
bus system and reapplying for a CDBG grant for Second Harvest.

Here’s

the agenda, with links to the videos and some notes,
followed by a video playlist.
See also

the videos of Monday morning’s Work Session.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2013, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →