Tag Archives: Courthouse

Videos: VLPRA, RV sales, Moody AFB Fire Dept., Tax Assessors @ LCC 2021-09-13

By far the longest item at the Lowndes County Commission Work Session yesterday morning was the

presentation on the VLPRA Master Plan by their consultant David Barth, taking 34 minutes.

Second longest was

8.d. GMASS Commercial Contract for the Tax Asessors office.
Each of these got more than a minute:
the
RV sales expansion item,
and

8.b. Fire and Emergency Services Agreement between Lowndes County and MFAB.

[VLPRA, RV sales, Moody AFB Fire Dept., Tax Assessors]

VLPRA, RV sales, Moody AFB Fire Dept., Tax Assessors

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist.
See also Continue reading →

GMASS for Tax Assessors, Fire, Foam, Moody, RV, Courthouse, Alcohol @ LCC 2021-09-13

Update 2021-09-14:
LAKE videos.

The Tax Assessors having no commercial appraisers left are hiring
GMASS
to appraise commercial properties, for $108,000 over three years.

Four times as much will go to early cleanup work at the historic Courthouse.

Cost What
$411,125.00 Lowndes County Historic Courthouse Early Demolition and Abatement GMP (Guaranteed Maximum Price)
$108,000.00
GMASS Commercial Contract for Tax Assessors
$519,125.00 Total

This is on
the agenda
this morning for the Lowndes County Commission.
At this Work Session, they have two extra items:
Code Enforcement Appreciation and
VLPRA Adopted Master Plan Presentation by Dr. David Barth (Work Session).

They will vote Tuesday evening, on these and other items including
a Fire Department agreement with Moody AFB, expansion of an RV sales company,
and beer and wine sales.

[Alcohol, RV, Tax Assessors contractor]

Alcohol, RV, Tax Assessors contractor

Below is the agenda. Update 2021-09-14: The board packet is on the LAKE website due to a LAKE open records request.

See also the preceding Planning Commission agenda and board packet
and LAKE videos.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2021, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: Day 1, Planning, Lowndes County Commission @ LCC 2018-02-19



The 2018 Lowndes County Commission Retreat was just about the exact opposite of a commission meeting, except that same group of people are present (almost). There was discussion, disagreement, laughing, sighing, interrupting, listening, inside jokes, outside jokes, and general exchange of views. Those things don’t happen in a commission meeting. This year’s retreat was particularly different because there was no time frame attached to any agenda item and they didn’t discuss topics in exact order, and some topics got covered repeatedly. Commissioner Evans said to me during a break that the previous format of having departments just give a report can “get boring” and she had suggested that they have a different format with more discussion about communications.

The agenda was available on-line but was hard to find and the link I followed to find it is gone now. I did manage to download it before it went away. Find it here: 2018 LCC Annual Planning Meeting Agenda (plus searchable text). There were paper copies available at the meeting after the first break.

I sometimes think that the commissioners may be getting used to me but then, no, don’t be silly.

At the lunch hour, the Commissioners stepped outside to take a group picture and as County Clerk Page Dukes suggested that they get closer and not have so much “space” between them, Commissioners Orenstein and Griner (I live in their districts) huddled together.

Commissioners Gather Group Photo Close Group Photo

  Commissioners Orenstein and Griner

Below are links to each LAKE video, with a few notes followed by a LAKE video playlist.
Continue reading →

Rally & Motorcade from Serenity Church to Courthouse 2016-07-12

Received from Rev. Floyd Rose at noon today:

As you know, people (White and Black) are marching in support of the
black men who are being shot and killed by white police officers,

29519 124070624280866 1794251 N
and the police who were killed in Dallas. SCLC decided that we would
joined our black brothers and sisters and whites of goodwill all
over the country by rallying at Serenity Church, 2016 North Lee
Street here in Valdosta, at 10:00 Tuesday Morning, and then
motorcade to the courthouse for a march and rally. We expect a large
crowd, and would like very much for you, your family and friends to
join us.

Continue reading →

Videos: Bottled water, prisoner details, board appointees, and Easter Seals @ LCC 2015-05-11



One appointee bowed out, architect selection and public defender to the courthouse were clarified, and dog kennels were discussed, in these LAKE videos from yesterday morning’s 11 May 2015 Work Session
of the Lowndes County Commission, with a few notes.
See also

the agenda, plus a
new item

6 f. Server Replacement/Network Core Replacement. Continue reading →

Bottled water, prisoner details, board appointees, and Easter Seals @ LCC 2015-05-11




Picture by Michael Rivera, CC

Why is the county accepting
Bids for Bottled Water Service?
If its own water, or Valdosta’s, is good enough for the taxpayers,
shouldn’t it be good enough for Commission and staff?
They’ve also got a
Bid for Coffee Service,
but we don’t grow coffee here, as far as I know, so that’s not the same issue.

With many local people needing jobs, why does the county continue to renew an
Annual Contract Renewal for Prison Work Details?

Looks like Joseph G. Stevens will be reappointed to the
Lowndes County Public Facilities Authority.
Both G. Norman Bennett and incumbent Anthony Payton want to be appointed to the
one slot opening on the
Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport Authority.
Their applications were not included with the agenda, so who can say
which one is most qualified?

I guess they didn’t decide

to relocate the Public Defender’s Office into
the historic Lowndes County Courthouse,
since on the agenda is a three-year
Lease Agreement for the Public Defender’s Office at its present location.

Looks like J. Glenn Gregory will provide the
Architectural Services for the Lowndes County Civic Center Renovations
and the
Architectural Services for the Naylor Community Center, both funded via SPLOST VII.
Both apparently without competitive bids.

Here’s

the agenda, which also has
Declaration of Surplus Items and Authorization for Sale/Disposal
and
Easter Seals Southern Georgia Presentation (Work Session Only).

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015  8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2015 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Report of the Historic Courthouse Committee @ LCC 2015-03-09

No education, all law enforcement:

Sheriff’s Office or

Public defender’s office.

300x413 Cover letter, in Report of the Historic Courthouse Committee, by H. Arthur McLane, 12 January 2015
Either would save the county money in the long run and preserve the courthouse
through use of its services (heat, light, air conditioning).
Plus some points on renovating the courthouse building and grounds.
Judge McLane referred to this report in his

talk at the Commission Work Session 9 March 2105,
in which he said it would not be possible for VSU to use the courthouse
without “some pretty dramatic and we think negative” changes to the building.

In his cover letter, Judge McLane said he was not sending the actual
report to the Commissioners, yet clearly they were reading it in the
Work Session, because they asked questions from it.
And now you, the public can see the report.
LAKE did not get it from the Commission, which so far as we know has
not published it.
The cover letter and the report are below in full. Continue reading →

Sheriff’s office and VSU @ Courthouse 2014-06-12



The Sheriff’s office could use more space,
and VSU would like a research center downtown.
For context, videos of the other hearings, and the Committee’s report,
see

Courthouse Preservation Committee Meetings.

Continue reading →

More ideas on day 2 @ Courthouse 2014-06-10


When a local goverment-appointed committee actually asks
the people what they want, sometimes the people speak up,
this time mostly about education as a driver for the local economy,
plus the Public Defender’s Office.
For context, see
Courthouse Preservation Committee Meetings.

Continue reading →

Video: SPLOST Facility Update with boatramp @ LCC 2015-02-05

The Naylor boat ramp might be finished this fall,


and here’s a list of other SPLOST expenditures, from

yesterday’s Lowndes County Commission Annual Planning Meeting.

County Manager Joe Pritchard asked
Chad McLeod Project Manager and
Mike Fletcher County Engineer to come forward, saying
“Turn in your book to that tab….”
A book you, the taxpaying public reader, do not have.
The county can publish board packets on their new website if they want to.

McCleod presented current facilities for SPLOST VII,
after a long introduction by Pritchard, who said McLeod
was the county’s liaison with Parks and Rec (VLPRA)
and the Sheriff’s Department
and other offices.
McLeod said VLPRA projects are built by the county
and turned over to VLPRA for administration, except
for two projects at Freedom Park, which are being managed
by VLPRA due to House Bill 489.
He listed dollar amounts.
I couldn’t catch all of them, but here are some of them: Continue reading →