Agriculture, Internet access, and Transportation driving Development @ LCC 2015-08-24

New County Extension Agent Jenna Kicklighter will introduce herself at Monday morning’s Work Session,, they’ll consider a a Beer and Wine License for Dollar General, a new secondary Internet Bandwidth Contract with Mediacom, and the US 41 N widening has already spawned further road paving to promote development:

Lowndes County Engineering has received a proposal Continue reading

Solar airport, Cochin, India

Save money, reduce CO2 emissios as much as planting 3 million trees, and make local power more reliable. Most any airport could do this, putting solar panels on rooftops and some of those buffer acres that can’t be used for anything else.

Press release, 18 August 2015, Kochi airport becomes world’s first to completely operate on solar power,

Cochin International airport… has scripted another chapter in aviation history Continue reading

Renewable energy world’s second largest source of electricity

Why are we building any new natural gas pipelines when solar and wind have already won the world? Plus solar and wind don’t frack, don’t need any fuel, don’t require eminent domain, and don’t suck up any cooling water.

Alex Kirby, Climate News Network, 19 August 2015, World’s Second Largest Source of Electricity Is Now Renewables, Continue reading

Videos: Transportation and electrical presentations plus officer elections @ VLCIA 2015-07-21

They meet again tonight; here are videos from last month, when Electrical Test Labs of Georgia was recognized, and claimed dibs on some land.

The Development Authority re-elected its same officers, after extending the term of the Chairman to two years.

SGRC’s Corey Hull presented very briefly about the 2040 Transporation Plan, and asked for questions. The Development Authority had none.

Lots of dials showing Continue reading

World Trade Center Savannah and Gold Honey Bean @ VLCIA 2015-08-18

The Development Authority begins tonight with a presentation by Leigh Ryan, Director of Trade Services and Foreign Trade Zone 104, World Trade Center Savannah. According to WTC Savannah,

A foreign trade zone is a federally approved location within the United States, which is considered outside of US Customs territory where domestic and foreign merchandise may be placed without formal customs entry and without payment of duties and taxes. Subzones are special-purpose facilities for companies unable to operate effectively at public zone sites. Foreign trade zones are usually located in or near Customs ports of entry, at industrial parks or terminal warehouse facilities. Their purpose is to attract and promote international trade and commerce.

WTC has more on that page, but never actually says where FTZ 104 is.

Mary Carr Mayle, SavannaNow, 31 May 2015, World Trade Center Savannah expands FTZ 104, Continue reading

More Lowndes County news reported on an individual facebook page: US41N

It’s great that the Lowndes County Comissioner for District 2 300x94 I received word from the County Engineer that..., in US 41N congested; Scruggs Co. no longer working during day, by Scottie Orenstein, 12 August 2015 is reporting about a highway in his district, but why isn’t the county reporting it on its own facebook page, website, twitter account, etc.? While the county doesn’t have facebook account (why not?) it does have those other things and there’s nothing on them about this news: Continue reading

$9.40 for a mound of paper @ LCC 2015-08-10

Gretchen made an Open Records request Monday morning and it was available Tuesday 4:37 PM: mostly on paper and less than an hour before the Commission voted.

The rezoning material from the Planning office was sent by electronic mail. The rest cost $9.40 to retrieve on paper. Nevermind in the email earlier Tuesday of the old ordinance from 1992 the county staff demonstrated they can put a paper document on their copier and produce a PDF. They could have done that with the rest of the board packet. Why didn’t they?

The Work Session was Monday morning at 8:30 AM 10 Aug 2015. Gretchen was notified by telephone about 4:30 PM Tuesday 11 Aug 2015. The County Palace closes at 5PM. The Commission met at 5:30 PM Tuesday to vote. So none Continue reading

Videos: Unknown ordinance, numerous emergencies, small rezoning, and alcohol @ LCC 2015-08-10

Here are videos of yesterday morning’s Work Session. This morning, the same day as tonight’s voting Regular Session, we got a few answers to some of yesterday’s questions about the Nuisance Abatement Ordinance:

What 1992 ordinance? Which state law? Where’s the new draft?

Here’s the old ordinance and the new draft. And the memo wrapping the new draft refers to O.C.G.A. §§41-2-7 through 41-2-17. The memo doesn’t seem to say when that Georgia law was updated.

Here’s the agenda. See also the Continue reading

Minutes from 2006, Lowndes County Commission

Minutes aren’t on Lowndes County’s new website back more than a few years. 300x388 DecemberX12,X2006-015, in Loco minutes, by John S. Quarterman, 11 August 2015 Even on their previous website, three sets of minutes were not there. More than four years after Gretchen asked, she asked again, and today we finally got those three. Look who signed those minutes as County Clerk: K. Paige Dukes, the same County Clerk who took four years to return them in response to an Open Records request. Here’s the message, and I’ve linked in those minutes.

-jsq

From: Amanda Smith <asmith@lowndescounty.com>
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2015 16:43:18 +0000
To: “‘land@quarterman.org'” <land@quarterman.org>
Subject: Meeting Minutes

As per your request, I have attached the meeting minutes from 8/8/06, 12/12/06, and 12/20/06. Continue reading

Got one Lowndes County ordinance (nuisance abatement) after five years asking @ LCC 2015-08-10

Back in 2011 the County Clerk didn’t say which May she would provide that list of ordinances…. 300x388 Attest: Inez M. Pendleton, in Noise Abatement Ordinance, by John S. Quarterman, 11 August 2015 Her response of today is below. The old ordinance is so old it’s signed by Inez Pendleton. It’s still in force, though, so shouldn’t it be on the county’s website, along with all the other ordinances in force that also aren’t there? See below for list; also notice the dates I’ve boldfaced. The proposed new ordinance is not readily translatable to plain text; looks like she scanned a paper copy. Both are relevant to today’s Lowndes County Commission meeting. For the minutes she mentioned, see separate post.

-jsq

From: Paige Dukes <pdukes@lowndescounty.com>
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2015 15:42:29 +0000
To: John and Gretchen Quarterman <land@quarterman.org>
Subject: RE: Open Records Request for Ordinances

Good Afternoon Gretchen,

As per your request, please find the attached Continue reading