The 75% pot of T-SPLOST funds is what the project lists recently
submitted by Lowndes County
and the City of Valdosta are about,
according to
Corey Hull, continuing his presentation on T-SPLOST at the Lowndes County
Democratic Party (LCDP) meeting.
Those are projects of regional significance that the local jurisdictions want the voters to actually vote on that project.The other 25% goes to local jurisdictions, like this:
| $1,300,000 | Lowndes County (unincorporated portion) |
| $600,000 | Valdosta |
| $30,000 | Hahira |
| $5,000 | Dasher |
| $14,000 | Lake Park |
| $9,000 | Remerton |
Here’s the video:
Corey Hull of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO)
explains T-SPLOST (HB 277) and the Transportation Investment Act of 2010
at the monthly meeting of the Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP),
Gretchen Quarterman (Chair), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Next: penalties if the voters don’t approve.
-jsq
My opinion is
the same as I posted last month:
“Black and white, young and old, conservative and liberal, college professors and unemployed”.
Come see for yourself
today outside Valdosta City Hall starting at 5PM.
-jsq
A year ago the VDT was solidly in the pro biomass camp.
Guess they didn’t like being fed misinformation,
any more than the rest of us did.
Rumor has it that
there’s going to be another demonstration
today outside Valdosta City Hall starting at 5PM.
-jsq
Back to the VDT editorial:
Continue reading
She also says
she supports solar as a truly clean green renewable energy source:
Continue reading
Corey Hull of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Metropolitan Planning Organization
(VLMPO)
explained T-SPLOST
at the regular monthly meeting,
Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA).
Georgia HB 277, which was passed by the legislature and signed into law
last year,
calls for a 1% regional sales tax (T-SPLOST) to fund
transportation projects.
The region including Lowndes County has 18 counties,
Continue reading
Dear Councilman Wright.
Add to that a quote from the Sierra Club: “Energy use should be
minimized through conservation and efficiency. In the near future,
efficiency is the only “energy source” which does not incur some
environmental damage and which is available immediately in generous
supply. Sophisticated building construction, efficient appliances,
recycling, modernized industrial
processes, programmable thermostats, public transit supplemented by
fuel-efficient cars, and many other innovative technologies can reduce
energy use tremendously, while saving money.”
In other words, we are wasting enormous amounts of energy and money
I thought you all might find this power point article interesting. It
was sent to me by a group representing local small farmers who are
looking into growing bio-crops for economic opportunities to feed their
families. The information below is from the power point presentation.
“We already have solar power resources in place that we could be using
and I feel like money should be directed towards that,” Ivey Roubique,
vice-president of the Student Geological Society, said. “It wouldn’t
be good for the community and even though I’m in college here it
still matters.”
Let’s see these “many” biomass opponents
With no pro-biomass demonstrators anywhere to be seen.
Sure, a few people show up at government meetings to speak for the
biomass plant, but by my tally they are indeed very few,
and most of them are either former employees or board members
of the Industrial Authority.
Yes, LAKE has posted videos of
them, as well:
Ken Garren,
Nolen Cox.
Crawford Powell.
Or watch the people at the microphones during the
6 December 2011 VLCIA biomass “forum”
and see what you think the ratio is.
at the 23 February 2011 Wiregrass Solar groundbreaking:
“Biomass no, solar yes” —Kathryn Grant
at the
15 March 2011 VLCIA board meeting:
“We’re here to protest against biomass. We wish Brad Lofton well in his new job, but we want biomass to go as well.” —Michael Noll
at the
24 March 2011 Valdosta City Council meeting.
“Ban the Burn; Go 100% Solar” —Jack Pruden
Far more citizens are concerned about the plant –VDT
“THUMBS DOWN: To area officials who continue to refer
to the opponents of the biomass plant as a “fringe” group.
Far more citizens are concerned about the plant
than officials would like for the
public to believe. Thankfully, the city council allowed them to speak
at Thursday’s meeting, but the issue is not going away until their
health concerns are addressed.”
And that was before the VDT said
VLCIA illegally made up a document.
VDT says VLCIA illegally made up a document
Presumably that would be the “Project Critical Path time-line is attached”
that wasn’t actually attached to
documents returned for an open records request of 17 February 2011.
Hm, since VLCIA did supply such a document to the VDT,
presumably it is now a VLCIA document subject to open records request,
even though it was not what VLCIA told VDT it was.
The reporter who conducted the interview with Industrial Authority Project
Manager Allen Ricketts has been subsequently repeatedly contacted by
Ricketts for what he deems “false reporting.” According to Ricketts,
the timeline was never official and was only something the Industrial
Authority threw together to appease the Times when given an official Open
Records Request. Ricketts is apparently unaware that legally he cannot
produce a document that does not exist to comply with said request. If
he knowingly did so, as he now claims, that is a clear violation of the
Open Records Act.
Fight the biomass plant, and solar is truly clean and green –Natasha Fast @ VCC 24 March 2011
Natasha Fast, co-president of
WACE, Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy,
explains why she is protesting
outside the most recent
Valdosta City Council meeting.
Natasha Fast of WACE, Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy outside the
Regular meeting of the Valdosta City Council, 24 March 2011,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Corey Hull explains T-SPLOST to VLCIA, 15 Feb 2011
What’s this about yet another sales tax decided on by
regional transportation boards and GDOT?
Just say no to biomass –VDT to VLCIA
Well, the City of Valdosta could
refuse to sell the wastewater.
And maybe the Lowndes County Commission could exercise its
fiduciary responsibility.
But, sure, the Industrial Authority could just say no.
In two months, less than 60 days away, Wiregrass Power LLC is supposed to
break ground on the biomass facility in Lowndes County. By now, they are
supposed to have contracts with power companies to sell the electricity
to and with suppliers to purchase the wood waste. They have neither,
nor does the company have an agreement with the city of Valdosta to
purchase the wastewater from the sewage treatment plant.
Folks?
Like Col. Ricketts?
But remember, he and
Lame-Duck Lofton
are only
Continue reading .jpg)
And yet the folks at the Industrial Authority appear to be rather
nonchalant about the fact that this company has yet again broken its
agreement. They have the power to renogiate the terms of the agreement and
they also have the power to cancel it, but neither is happening. Instead,
they are giving the company all the leeway they need to continue dragging
this project along that the community doesn’t want.
Waste not, want not –Dr. Noll
Date: Sat, 26 Mar 2011 15:55:16 -0400
Continue reading 
Valid points and a great question to ponder. You may recall my quote
from Benjamin Franklin: “Waste not, want not”.
The Greening of Black America Initiative –James R. Wright
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2011 08:11:48 -0400
Continue reading
THE GREENING OF BLACK AMERICA INITIATIVE:
Valdostans protest biomass –VSU Spectator
Molly Duet
writes in the VSU newspaper today:
Protestors wearing respirator masks held signs reading “Biomass? No!”
in front of the Valdosta City Hall building on Thursday. Members of
the Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy, the VSU student organization
Students Against Violating the Environment, and other concerned Valdosta
citizens showed up to protest the construction of the Wiregrass Power:
Biomass Electric Generating Plant.
The Spectator article quotes from two speakers for whom LAKE
happens to have video, linked below.
Continue reading