Category Archives: WWALS

Videos: EMT, Cleaning, Bids, VLCIA bonds, Airport Authority, Opioids @ LCC 2018-05-22

By far the longest item was a special proclamation for EMT Services, at 4.5 minutes, followed by cleaning bids, which took almost three minutes for the Lowndes County Commission to reject.

In Citizens Wishing to Be Heard, Gretchen took 2 minutes to invite them to WWALS’ Wild & Scenic Film Festival, at Mathis Auditorium, Thursday, May 31, 2018.

WSFF WWALS Logo, Graphics

Almost everything else was read out and unanimously approved, except the one most contentious the previous morning, 7 b. Additional Deputy Coroner Request, was tabled.

Below are Continue reading →

Still inconsistent, but has speed humps: Lowndes County Thoroughfare Plan 2018

The little-known Lowndes County Thoroughfare Plan drives development in Lowndes County. With no public notice and no public hearing. the Commissioners voted on it Tuesday, April 10, 2018. Probably you only heard that would happen if you looked at their agenda late last week, or you happened to read what I wrote about it Monday.

Lowndes County Road Map

Obtained through open records request, it’s on the LAKE website now.

Like the 2009 plan, Continue reading →

Videos: Resolutions and Railroad crossing @ Hahira 2018-01-30

The Hahira City Council passed two resolutions at its February 1, 2018 Regular Session, one supporting GA HR 158 to stop state fee diversions, and another supporting the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail. Two days before I spoke about both and there was discussion at the Hahira Work Session of January 30, 2018.

Another item from that Work Session has unfortunately become big news: possibly closing the Lawson Street railroad crossing, where a man was killed February 5 when a Norfolk Southern train struck a dump truck, according to WTXL. WALB says, “The Georgia State Patrol identified the driver as Dexter Brown, 48, of Barnwell, S.C.”. Mayor Bruce Cain gave a statement to Hahira Today, which also included some discussion of that agenda item: Continue reading →

Resolutions against GA state fee diversions and for water trail @ Hahira 2018-01-30

Tonight, a resolution for Georgia HR 158 against state fee diversions, and another resolution supporting the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail, at the Hahira City Council Work Session (and Thursday on the Regular Session agenda). Also, Terry Benjamin will get sworn in again as Councilman, District 1, the food truck zoning ordinance is back, there’s a RR crossing closure request, and a Recommendation to Raise Hahira Depot Rental Fee from $400 to $500, among other items on the agenda.

Hahira City Council
January 30, 2018
Work Session Agenda
6:00 pm- Hahira Courthouse

  1. Call to order Continue reading →

America’s largest college mutual fund VA529 owns Spectra Energy, a stranded investment

Parents and grandparents buy 529 college savings plans as safe investments, so VA529 chose poorly in Spectra Energy, the very risky company behind the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline now plowing through the Floridan Aquifer drinking water of south Alabama, Georgia, and all of Florida and under the Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers against growing opposition. Maybe you’d like to mention that to Mary G. Morris, the Chief Executive Officer of Virginia529 College Savings Plan, the biggest mutual fund investor in both Spectra Energy and in Enbridge, which is buying Spectra. There’s a handy VA529 contact form or you can call or write:

1-804-371-0766
Toll-Free: 1-888-567-0540
9001 Arboretum Parkway
North Chesterfield, VA 23236

Spectra is so risky it just sold itself so Enbridge would take on about $22 billion of Spectra debt. Debt especially racked up since Continue reading →

Videos: Project Max and more at Development Authority @ VLCIA 2016-02-16

They said almost nothing last month about Project Max, so we don’t know for sure if for example it is really a glass container company. They meet again tonight. Actually, that one is cancelled; they meet next April 19th.

At the end, Gretchen spoke about:

  1. Ham and Eggs Show 2016-02-17
  2. the WWALS Withlacoochee and Little River Workshop at VSU 2016-02-27
  3. the South Georgia Growing Local food conference went well, and led to a planning session led by Charlie Barnes about local food planning 2016-03-31.

Dr. Noll of WACE said he was there to “harrass” Continue reading →

Videos: Rivers and Pipeline, Rehab homes, LAMP Lease, Rezonings, Alcohol, public defender, paving Stafford Wright Road @ LCC 2016-02-09

Gretchen thanked them for putting most of the response to her open records request on CDs, shortly after they had said at their recent planning session that they wanted to promote interaction with the community. Still nothing from the county attorney about the Sabal Trail documents, and it’s been well over three days. I invited them on behalf of WWALS to a workshop and a movie; there’s more below. See also the contested rezoning 5.d. REZ-2016-05 Union Rd Subdivision, E-A to R-A, ~114 acres for more water issues.

Three citizens spoke explicitly about the pipeline, Jim Parker, Michael Noll, and Dr. Mario Bartoletti, as also noted in Jason Stewart, VDT, 11 February 2016, Sabal protests continue. As I noted in another post,

I go to a lot of county commission meetings in Georgia and Florida. Nowhere but Lowndes County do I see Continue reading →

Videos: Surprise boat landing, MAZ, WWTP, tax lighting, civic center, court, insurance, hazardous waste @ LCC 2015-12-08

County Manager Joe Pritchard asked the Lowndes County Commission to spend the funds the citizens of Lowndes County approved on the SPLOST VII referendum for the Naylor Boat Ramp:

Motion by Commissioner Demarcus Marshall We are proposing for the purchase of 4.35 acres of property on the Alapaha River designated for the purpose of a boat ramp. You have the documentation there before you, the warranty deed. And as you are aware, this also reserves for an easement by the current owner, a proposed easement, and the appraisal is for $24,000, as is the purchase price, and that is the consideration for the proposed easement.

Commissioner Scottie Orenstein asked: Continue reading →

Insanity: Sabal Trail pipeline in karst sinkhole Floridan Aquifer @ FERC Lake City 2015-10-01

“What you all have proposed is total insanity…. experts lie… The companies, they don’t care. It’s just greed and arrogance,” said a Marcellus Shale drilling veteran. Karst mitigation won’t work according to Sabal Trail’s own FERC filings, children downwind of compressor, Sabal Trail quashing evidence of its unwanted, unneeded, and unsafe Sinkhole Pipeline, and FERC is cigarette companies pushing cancer cigarettes: on the wrong side of history. We aren’t your test subjects and we can win!

Videos from previous FERC meetings:

-jsq

A farce, a hoax, and wrong: citizens about Sabal to FERC in Moultrie 2015-09-29

“You tell us you’re sorry and it happens again”, said Alton Burns of Coolidge about pipeline leaks, fires, and explosions, setting the tone for the whole evening, which ended with local landowners calling the whole process a farce and a hoax. As attorney Jonathan Waters said, South Georgia is a home, not a pipeline easement.

The FERC meetings started the previous evening in Albany and continue at 5:30 PM each night at:

  • Wednesday, September 30, at Holiday Inn Valdosta, Conference Center Magnolia Ballroom, 1805 West Hill Ave., Valdosta, GA 31601. LAKE videos from Valdosta.
  • Thursday, October 1, at Columbia High School Auditorium, 469 SE Fighting Tiger Drive, Lake City, FL 32025 LAKE videos from Lake City.

There are many more things you can do to stop Sabal Trail. Remember, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

Here are links to the LAKE videos from last night in Moultrie, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →