5.b. Consideration of a request to approve the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Fiscal Year 2012 Annual Action Plan.Plus of course, Citizens to be Heard.
They heard some citizens Tuesday, as Drive Away CCA honked at City Hall.
Here’s the agenda.
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Continue readingAGENDA REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, March 8, 2012
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL
Yes, we drove about that slow the whole way: that was in the plan.
We honked at Valdosta City Hall: the City Council could hear us inside.
They have Citizens to be Heard at their regular meeting tonight.
Here’s the video:
Heading out Drive Away CCA 2012 03 06
No private prison in Lowndes County,
Motorcade against Corrections Corporation of America, Drive Away CCA,
CCA, VLCIA, Corrections Corporation of America, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority,
Valdosta City Council, Lowndes County Commission, incarceration, prison, private prison,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 6 March 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
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Great interview John. The comment about employees not wanting to work at a facility in the same county they live in was an interesting thought relative to the proposed local employment benefits. When I worked for CCA in the inmate Mental Health unit at the Valdosta Correctional Institute we were always warned thatContinue readingkeeping pictures of our families or anything personal on our desks was possibly dangerous and therefore not recommended. I loved my job there because being inside the prison meant we had to form close working relationships with each other and I love teamwork on the job and it was never boring. We had almost constant training hours warning us about the dangers of being in close contact with inmates and all the rules about interacting. Forheight=”1 instance we had one inmate who was a brilliant artist. He like to gift us with his artwork, which we were allowed to accept as a non-personal gift to be placed on the office walls. He was a very well behaved prisoner especially to females, but his beautiful artwork always consisted of some form of predator watching prey such as a cat watching a bird. We loved the artwork, but took note of the inuendos.
Prisoners were always given strict instructions that
Staff Writer editorialized yesterday, A ray of hope for VSU project,
Amid the lost homes of this past weekend’s tornado and severe storms, South Georgia could use an infusion of hope.Later that day it was back in the proposed 2013 Georgia budget. David Rodock wrote today for the VDT, Funding for new VSU building approved, Continue reading
Good news came Monday with word that the Valdosta State University Health Sciences and Business Administration building has a renewed shot at becoming reality.
Earlier this year, the $23.5 million project was assumed dead. Though its inclusion had been expected, the building was not part of the 2012 state budget.
Winn Roberson told us how he had the idea for the
motorcade against CCA,
from the private prison site past Valdosta City Hall to the Industrial Authority.
Here’s Part 1 of 2:
Starting up Drive Away CCA —Winn Roberson 2012 03 06 Part 1 of 2:
No private prison in Lowndes County,
Motorcade against Corrections Corporation of America, Drive Away CCA,
CCA, VLCIA, Corrections Corporation of America, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority,
Valdosta City Council, Lowndes County Commission, incarceration, prison, private prison,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 6 March 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
And how he wasn’t opposed to it just because it was down the street from him;
also because:
“Every step so far has dollar signs behind it.”A private prison would give everybody from justices to jailers incentive to keep more people in prison instead of rehabilitating anybody.
Here’s Part 2 of 2: Continue reading
Paul Wolff at his house on Tybee Island
said air practically whistles through open electrical plugs,
so stopping those up saves a lot on heat and air conditioning.
Here’s the video:
Electric outlet plugs —Paul Wolff @ Tybee Island 2012 02 17
renewable energy,
Paul Wolff, The Volta Collaborative (TVC),
Tybee Island, Chatham County, Georgia, 17 February 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
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The motorcade went well and
you can still help
Drive Away CCA!
Turning radio into TV, here’s LAKE video of Tuesday morning’s interview
with Chris Beckham about
Drive Away CCA, the motorcade against the private prison.
Listen for the mentions of
Sheriff Chris Prine (he is
opposed to the private prison “I want him in my jail, not a private jail”)
Winn Roberson (the
motorcade was his idea),
Matt Flumerfelt (he filed the open records request that revealed
the contracts with the March 13th),
Bobbi Anne Hancock (she
dug up a history of CCA that reveals problems for many years
and she had a
very funny interview with VLCIA executive director Andrea Schruijer),
George Boston Rhynes (he’s been following incarceration and especially
jail issues for many years),
and former sheriff and current Lowndes County Commission Chairman
Ashley Paulk (he listed a number of hurdles the prison project
would have to leap before it could happen), and also the VDT.
Too many other people are involved to name here.
Here’s the video:
Video: Drive Away CCA radio (John S. Quarterman interviewed by Chris Beckham)
No private prison in Lowndes County,
Radio WVGA 105.9 FM with Chris Beckham, Drive Away CCA (DAC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 6 March 2012.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Audio from WVGA 105.9 Also, audio from WVGA 105.9 is available.
There are plently of things you can still do to help Drive Away CCA:
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5PM today,
Drive Away CCA, from the prison site at East US 84 and Inner Perimeter Road,
honk at Valdosta City Hall, and march at the Industrial Authority office.
Chris Beckham’s show has put audio on the web of his
interview with me this morning.
Update: Here’s LAKE video of the interview.
John Quarterman, who is with a group informally called “Drive Away CCA” visited The Morning Drive to discuss the group’s displeasure with a possible private prison that is being discussed in Lowndes County. A possible extension for the company to continue its plans here is up for renewal and the group feels its location here would be bad for area businesses and citizens alike.Follow the link for the audio. Video up shortly.
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John Sibley wrote for SaportaReport Sunday, Solar power bill would give Georgians more choices Have you gotten used to thinking you have no choice on your power
Times are changing. More and more of us are discovering choices forContinue readingmanaging our power costs. Beyond the time-honored practice of turning off the lights leaving the room, we can find light bulbs that pay for themselves in a year or so; and we can find appliances, water heaters, and air conditioners that pay for themselves in a few years. After that, the savings are like getting part of your power free.
Now, on-site solar power has become an economical option for many. Deals for rooftop solar panels can be done in Georgia today that will provide power for 25 years for as little as 10 cents per kilowatt-hour. Many Georgians can save money from day one. Since rates in Georgia have gone up 49 percent in seven years, they can also protect themselves against increases.
More and more Georgians are choosing on-site solar, but
The approved minutes of all city or town council meetings must beNo barn door exception for “if” the municipality has a website. Cities over 2,500 population also have to post recordings if they made them. Expand all that to counties and appointed boards and authorities, add it to Georgia’s sunshine laws, and then we’ll be solar cooking!posted on the city’s website within two working days of their approval, A.R.S. § 38-431.01(E)(2) . In no event should minutes be withheld from the public pending approval. Minutes must be reduced to a form that is readily accessible to the public. See A.R.S. § 38-431.01(D). A public body of a city or a town with a population exceeding 2,500 people shall, within three working days after any meeting, post on their website a statement showing legal actions taken by the public body or any recordings made during the meeting. A.R.S. § 38-431.01(E)(1). Posted statements and recordings shall remain accessible on the website for at least one year after the meeting. Id.§ (J). In addition, any recordings and minutes are public records subject to record retention requirements.
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