U.S. president Jimmy Carter had a dream,
thirty six years before Pope Francis spelled out why we all need to escape a dark hot nightmare,
and Jimmy Carter’s sunny dream is now coming true.
Continue readingToday, in directly harnessing the power of the Sun, we’re taking the energy that God gave us, the most renewable energy that we will ever see, and using it to replace our dwindling supplies of fossil fuels.
Adoption of the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget to be considered Monday
morning and voted on Tuesday evening (see LAKE videos of Budget Hearing of two weeks ago), plus
a
GEFA Loan Modification
(thought they approved that 26 May 2015 for the Alapaha Water Treatment Plant),
a
Justice Assistance Grant,
a
SCADA lease-purchase agreement,
and the annual controversial
Mosquito Contract.
Two appointees each to KLVB and the Library Board. We don’t know who, because the county posted the agenda only in PDF, with no item sheets.
Public Hearing approved last month for the Abandonment of Buck Cato Road: what’s causing all of these in the last couple years? And they’ve found an excuse for their long-desired Continue reading
Not on the agenda for the 9 June 2015 Regular Session:
settlement agreement for the county’s unnecessary
lawsuit against Deep South Sanitation.
Commissioners had no questions, but I have two:
Also unscheduled: Recognition of Leadership Lowndes Attendees.
Citizen Billy Rowland had some comments about road grading and wondered how Animal Control could come take his dog from his posted property yet not do anything when he reported barking dogs.
They approved a Scruggs Co. contract for Paving on Coppage Road, which includes curb and gutter to save some of the tree canopy. They approved a Bid for Bemiss Road Mowing even though it’s a state highway, plus a Bid for a Zero-Turn Mower for the Public Works Department from Nashville Tractor. They approved the Bid for a Fire Pumper for Lowndes County Fire Rescue and the LCSO Patrol Car Laptops Lease Purchase and tabled the Lowndes Middle School Utility Service from Valdosta utilities.
Via LAKE open records request, see the board packet item for the complicated Moody Activity Zones Text Amendments to the Unified Land Development Code that were tabled for more time at the Tuesday June 9th 2015 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission. See the LAKE videos of the Planning Commission meeting that considered the MAZ and the rezonings on this agenda. The Shiver and Kinsey rezonings were were approved unanimously with no speakers from the public and no Commissioner comments. The Orchard at Stone Creek rezoning discussion about a retirement home lasted for 14 minutes, including updated maps that were only provided to LAKE on paper, despite a request for electronic copy. See also the agenda and the LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session.
Continue reading
Attorney had to remind Commissioners that
a road abandonment such as for Buck Cato Road
requires a public hearing.
They declared the
solid waste equipment surplus to be leased to “prospective franchisees” such as DSS;
County Manager said
“we have the lease agreement here”, but did not put it on the county’s
website for the public to see.
County agent arrived just in time to hear the Langdale bid accepted for
a truck for the Extension Service.
They accepted
the Lee Office Supply bid for Emergency Operations Center tables and chairs.
And of course they approved the
Interconnection of North Lowndes and Kinderlou Water Systems
and the
GEFA Loan Modification
for the Alapaha Water Treatment Plant.
They started
a minute late. At the end, after
the County Manager
had no report
and no citizens wished to be heard,
as usual they adjourned without a vote.
This was all at the afternoon Lowndes County Regular Session. For background and more details, see Continue reading
Through a LAKE open records request, now
you can see
the complicated
Moody Activity Zones
Text Amendments to the Unified Land Development Code,
which affect everything from animals to retirement homes.
In these LAKE videos you can see the Lowndes County Commission
consider that and other matters at their Work Session of Monday 8 June 2015,
including
Lowndes Middle School Utility Service from the City of Valdosta,
two water well and septic rezonings on
Mt. Zion Rd
and
Touchton Rd,
and
water and sewer for 24 acres of The Orchard at Stone Creek, Tillman Crossing Rd.
Plus
Utility Relocation for the Replacement of Franks Creek Bridge on Morven Road
and
many bids, including for
Paving on Coppage Road;
staff recommends the Scruggs bid.
County Manager Joe Pritchard noted
many of the bids were
related to SPLOST in an effort
“to get those projects up and running as quickly as possible”.
Here’s the agenda. See also the LAKE videos of the Planning Commission meeting that considered these rezonings and the MAZ. Continue reading
It’s no wonder the Planning Commission wanted more time for these complicated
proposed county code changes to the Moody Activity Zoning Districts (MAZ).
The county could have just as easily put
the PDF of this item online with
the agenda.
They didn’t, so LAKE filed an open records request, which no only makes
these maps and text available to the public, it demonstrates
the county can supply electronic format via email.
Here’s plain text for the Board packet agenda item sheet and the Planning Division Amendment Notes, and images of all the other pages from the PDF.
See also the Continue reading
The Planning Commission said at its 26 May 2015 meeting
that it needed at least a month more to review
Lowndes County’s proposed changes to the Moody Activity Zoning (MAZ)
Districts, which is why
the County Commission is pushing back the schedule on that.
Another big item is REZ-2015-11 The Orchard at Stone Creek, yet another subdivision on Old US 41 N, this one due west of Nelson Hill on Val Del.
Here’s the agenda. Below are links to each of the LAKE videos of the agenda items, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading
What are these complicated Moody Activity Zoning Districts amendments to the land development code that involve many maps and tables that county staff are not showing the public, even though one of the stated reasons is residential dwellings and family ties land divisions?
What has Lowndes Middle School done for water and sewer until now,
when
it’s finally asking to connect to Valdosta utilities because
Lowndes County utilities are too far away?
Plus two water well and septic rezonings on
Mt. Zion Rd
and
Touchton Rd,
and
water and sewer for 24 acres of The Orchard at Stone Creek, Tillman Crossing Rd.
And
Utility Relocation for the Replacement of Franks Creek Bridge on Morven Road.
Many bids, including for Paving on Coppage Road; staff recommends the Scruggs bid.
Here’s the agenda, which this time (unlike last) at least does have the one- or two-page agenda item sheets, but is still lacking the rest of the board packet.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Continue reading
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JUNE 8,2015, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2015, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Some good news about Valdosta wastewater.
City of Valdosta PR, 29 May 2015, Henderson Wins TopOp Award,
Harold Henderson (left) was honored at the May 21 City Council
meeting by Mud Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent Keith
Martin for recently being selected as the Georgia Association of
Water Professionals (GAWP) TopOp for District 7, which represents
over 300 wastewater plant operators in the southwest and
south-central Georgia region. Henderson, who has worked as an
operator at the Mud Creek Plant for over 12 years, was recognized
for Continue reading
The County Manager said it’s “in the hands of the clerk, if you’d like to look at it” for at least two documents, so not only did
the agenda on the web lack even the one-sheet agenda item writeups,
Commissioners weren’t provided copies of contracts they were being asked to approve.
They vote this same evening, and the
Planning Commission also meets 5:30 PM Tuesday.
The GEFA Loan Modification turns out to be about Continue reading