Category Archives: Water

Illegal trash dumping @ LCC 2015-02-05

I’m shocked, shocked, to discover there’s illegal dumping going on in Lowndes County! County staff assured us all two yeas ago that wouldn’t be a problem, while telling us all we had no choice about waste disposal. Yet today at the county’s retreat they showed this map of illegal dumping locations throughout the county.

300x400 Map, in Illegal trash dumping @ LCC Retreat 2015-02-05, by Gretchen Quarterman, 5 February 2015 300x400 Legend, in Illegal trash dumping @ LCC Retreat 2015-02-05, by Gretchen Quarterman, 5 February 2015

(If the county published Continue reading

Alapaha Boat Ramp progress @ LCC 2015-02-05

They’ve been working with Dr. Acree on land aquisition, and with GA-DNR 300x225 Beach at site of planned Naylor Park, in Alapaha River Outing, by John S. Quarterman, for WWALS.net, 24 August 2014 on flow levels and ramp placement, as well as anticipation of survey and final designs, they said during the SPLOST agenda item, reports Gretchen from the Lowndes County Commission retreat. No word of when they anticipate completing the boat ramp, and it sounds like they haven’t actually purchased the land yet.

-jsq

Finance report @ LCC 2015-02-05

300x225 Around the table, in Finance, by Gretchen Quarterman, 5 February 2015 Your elected Commissioners and top county staff listening to Finance Director Stephanie Black’s report, around 9:30 AM on the all-day retreat agenda. The seemingly most boring subject, but the key to all the others. Gretchen is there videoing, but apparently nobody else other than the VDT reporter. Continue reading

County Commission retreats to Lake Park Thursday and Friday @ LCC 2015-02-05

Everything from Animals to ZBOA agenda for the annual Lowndes County Commission retreat, now billed as 2015 Annual Planning Meeting. Unlike the Valdosta City Council, this retreat is in Lowndes County, at the same location as the recent Lake Park Chamber of Commerce annual dinner. Gretchen will be there with the LAKE camera. You can go, too: it’s an open meeting.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
2015 Annual Planning Meeting
Quail Branch Lodge
7601 Zeigler Road, Lake Park, Georgia

Thursday, February 5- Continue reading

One variance at Lake Alapaha @ ZBOA 2015-02-03

One variance at Lake Alapaha, about not connecting to county water. Since the county has had to spend a lot of money recently on upgrading the Lake Alapaha water treatment plant, digging individual wells down into groundwater containing Alapaha River water seems dubious to me. With no County Director of Utilities since Mike Allen moved on, I wonder who will represent the county?

Here’s the agenda, which oddly is not yet on the City of Valdosta website. Thanks to Alexandra for sending it.

Valdosta-Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals

Matt Martin, Valdosta Planning and Zoning Administrator Carmella Braswell, Lowndes County Zoning Administrator
300 North Lee Street, Valdosta, Georgia 327 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia
(229) 259-3563 (229) 671-2430

AGENDA
February 3, 2015
2:30 p.m.

  1. Call to Order

LOWNDES COUNTY CASES:

  1. VAR-2015-01 — Robert Dinkins (Lake Alapaha Boulevard, Naylor)
    Variance to ULDC Chapters 4.04.02 (F2) and 6.03.03 (D) as they pertain to water connection requirements

OTHER BUSINESS:

  1. Approval of Minutes: January 6, 2014
  2. Adjournment

-jsq

Videos: Mike Allen, Anti-Tethering, Budget, Surplus, Abandonment, Evidence, Workers Comp, Manhole @ LCC 2015-01-27

The room was packed as the Chairman commented on Dr. Amanda Hall’s proposal for an anti-tethering ordinance, as did four citizens (realtor Alan Canup, veterinarian Jeff Creamer, LCDP Chairman Tom Hochschild, and Carol Kellerman), plus Chairman Slaughter again. Citizen Frenchie DePasture commented on trash, at Tuesday evening’s Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission. Mike Allen, Utilities Director until last Friday, got an offer he couldn’t refuse from Hilton Head, South Carolina and a presentation from County Manager Joe Pritchard. Finance Director Stephanie Black read from the agenda about a budget award (or passing grade) received by Lowndes County for the ninth year in a row, as one of 1400 awardees this year.

No rezonings, but Continue reading

Videos: Anti-Tethering, Budget, Surplus, Abandonment, Evidence, Workers Comp, Manhole @ LCC 2015-01-26

Mike Allen, former Utilities Director, no longer works for the county as of last Friday, according to County Manager Joe Pritchard. Dr. Amanda Hall proposed an anti-tethering ordinance. Both at yesterday morning’s Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

Lowndes County won an award for its budget as “a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide and a communications device.” All good except: as a communications device? They’d probably have to publish drafts of it before they passed it for that to be true. Unless they mean as in a public telling, not a public hearing. They won last year, too, along with 45 other winners in Georgia, including Valdosta. Award, or passing grade? They’ll present it tonight at the Regular Session.

No rezonings, but surplus computing devices, abandonment of Deloach Road E (CR 95), more on the never-ending juvenile justice Evidence Based Associates topic, Workers Compensation Insurance Renewal, and sewer gasses corrode manhole covers. I wonder how much gases corrode pipelines?

See the agenda. Videos are linked below, followed by a video playlist.

Continue reading

Videos: Packets, paving, safety, trash, education, appointment, jail, taxes, water @ LCC 2015-01-13

Teri Lupo reappointed to VLDA and almost all the Commissioners asked questions at some point during the at the Tuesday 5:30 PM 13 January 2015 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission, at which two new Commissioners got to vote. Several citizens spoke, on getting board packets on the web, on getting their road paved, on safety on Val Del Road and reopening some of the waste collection sites, and the National Council of Negro Women; the Chairman weighed in on a couple of topics.

They meet again Monday morning 26 January 2015 plus a Special Called Meeting on Waste Management that same morning.

The Alapaha River Water Trail resolution, according to the Chairman before the meeting, is waiting until they’re ready to dedicate the new boat ramp at US 84, which is waiting until the river water goes down enough to pour concrete. Maybe some time this spring.

See the agenda for details on what they were considering, and see the videos of the previous morning’s Work Session for background. Below are links to the LAKE videos of each agenda item, followed by a video playlist. See also the county’s own much more professional one big long video.

Continue reading

Videos: VLDA appointment, jail, taxes, water @ LCC 2015-01-12

Teri Lupo was available for questions about being reappointed to VLDA at the Monday 8:30 AM 21 12 January 2015 Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission. There were no questions, but Commissioners Demarcus and one other (I think Mark Wisenbaker) had compliments. The Chairman asked for a motion to appoint, but was reminded this was a Work Session, so wait until the next evening for that.

The agenda item for the resolution in support of the Alapaha River Water Trail, according to the Chairman before the meeting, is waiting until they’re ready to dedicate the new boat ramp at US 84, which is waiting until the river water goes down enough to pour concrete. Maybe some time this spring.

See the agenda for details on what they were considering. Below are links to the LAKE videos of each agenda item, followed by a video playlist. See also the county’s own much more professional one big long video.

Continue reading

TVA needs to listen to former chair S. David Friedman about solar power

Will you bet on the blinkered money-only policies of the current TVA Chair, or the accurate clean solar future predictions of former TVA Chair S. David Friedman?

Seven years ago S. David Friedman wrote:

“As a substitute for oil, coal, and nuclear energy, the sun can replace the three poisons with inexhaustible fuel.”

The former TVA Chairman wrote that in 2007 his boook Winning Our Energy Independence: An Energy Insider Shows How, which also says (page 4):

There are breakthroughs in new technology that promise to make the cost of solar power as low as that of coal, nuclear, and oil. Almost simultaneously in South Africa and the Silicon Valley in the United States, companies are building huge new solar factories to manufacture a paper-thin solar coating that can generate electricity that could actually lower our electric bills. These breakthroughs promise solar power at 75 percent less than today’s price. Continue reading