Tag Archives: Datacenter

Local governments must decide permits within 45 days –GA SB 447 2026-07-01

Lowndes County has been talking to Sabal Trail since July 2026-08-10

Is anything sacred to a pipeline company?

Apparently not, since Sabal Trail wants to drill through a cemetery, McIntyre Family Cemetery, aka Old Redland Cemetery, on Knights Ferry Road. See below.

That’s in addition to through the old landfill site on Madison Highway, where Lowndes County granted Sabal Trail an easement for only one pipeline back in 2016; see also below.

What “new high-volume customers” can you think of that would be enough to cause a whole new pipeline? I can’t think of any except hyper-scale AI datacenters.

Lowndes County has been talking to Sabal Trail since July, about a second pipeline through McIntyre Cemetery on Knights Ferry Road, and the landfill on Madison Highway

A lobbyist for Sabal Trail met with Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter about “potential expansion of Sabal Trail” on Tuesday, July 21, 2026,

This apparently irritated Lowndes County Manager Paige Dukes, because the lobbyist’s firm apologized to her the next day for “confusion on Monday around our meeting request.”

Sabal Trail Intro from Joel Wiggins to Lowndes County Manager

Belinda Lovern
From: Joel Wiggins <wiggins@thesoutherngroup.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2026 11:24 AM
To: County Manager
Subject: Sabal Trail Intro
Attachments: Sabal Trail Expansion and Extension Initial Project Fact Sheet 07092026.pdf; IMG_1985.jpeg
EXTERNAL EMAIL: Do not click any links or open any attachments unless you trust the sender and know the content is safe.
Good Morning Paige,
I apologize for the confusion on Monday around our meeting request. Dante on my team is a former ACCG employee and reached out directly to Chairman Slaughter due to his personal relationship. Typically, I would reach out to you directly and I apologize for any confusion.

We were able to meet with the Chairman yesterday and update him on our potential expansion along the Sabal Trail. We are in the early stages of a proposed expansion and are meeting with local leaders in all counties. We anticipate that any improvements would take place within the ROW of the existing pipeline, but we wanted to touch base before landowner notices go out on 8/1.

Please see attached for Continue reading →

Videos: Datacenter Moratorium, Millage Rates, TIA agreements, CDBG-DR application, LAS Holding Pond Sludge Removal @ LCC Regular 2026-08-25

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The 60-day moratorium on datacenter applications passed unanimously with no discussion.

Six citizens were heard against datacenters, and one about conduct unbecoming by the Commissioners.

The Lowndes County Commission also passed everything else unanimously in their Regular Session of August 25, 2026.

Including the four millage rate items. There was a millage presentation, with a promise that it would be on the county website. I don’t see it there yet. If it’s still not there this afternoon, I will post screenshots from the LAKE video.

Collage @ LCC Regular 25 August 2026 –LAKE

Below are links to videos of each agenda item, with some notes by John S. Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Videos: Datacenter Moratorium, Millage Rates, TIA agreements, CDBG-DR application, LAS Holding Pond Sludge Removal @ LCC Work 2026-08-24

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Update 2026-08-26: Videos: Datacenter Moratorium, Millage Rates, TIA agreements, CDBG-DR application, LAS Holding Pond Sludge Removal @ LCC Regular 2026-08-25.

At the Work Session yesterday morning, Gretchen Quarterman noted, “Not a Data Center Moratorium, just an application moratorium. State Law changed this year, because of pressures from big money, to require that permitting of Data Centers be processed in 30 days. Should the county get an application, they would not have time to make an ordinance. Seems like reaction, rather than proaction to me and while lip service was given to community involvement, 60 days isn’t very long for that to happen.”

There was also no promise to show the draft datacenter ordinance to the people, instead of the usual Lowndes County Commission practice that until it shows up in an agenda on a Friday to be voted on the next Tuesday, as is the usual practice with Lowndes County ordinances.

Collage @ LCC 24 August 2026

Finance Director Stephanie Black said millage rates for the two Authorities and Fire would remain the same, while there would be a rollback on the main millage rate.

The presentations on each of the millage rates will be this evening at the Regular Session.

Commissioners had questions on almost every item at the Work Session.

The CDBG-DR grant application is supposed to be for Community Development Disaster Recovery, but seems to be exclusively to help developers who want to develop in the Riverside Road area without taking responsibility to pave the road. Why not use those funds for actual disaster recovery?

The Land Application System (LAS) Holding Pond Sludge Removal is complicated; thus the wildly varying bid amounts.

Below are links to videos of each agenda item, with some notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Videos: R-21 to E-A rezoning, Jail door lock and skylight, Subdivision Infrastructure, LMIG Resurfacing Bids @ LCC Regular 2026-08-11

The Lowndes County Commission passed everything unanimously. Plus they had a proclamation about 811, two citizens spoke about datacenters, one about an alleged sinkhole, one invitation to a fair, and one talked about Southern Georgia Black Chambers.

Vice-Chair Mark Wisenbaker again presided, this time over the Regular Session.

Here are the LAKE videos of this Regular Session, with a few notes by John S. Quarterman.

Videos: Comprehensive Plan Update, Appointments to VLPRA and Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening @ LCC Regular 2026-07-28

They approved everything unanimously, including reappointing Suzan Garnett to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) Board. Herb Reinhard and Broc McDowell were nominated to another seat, and the latter apointed.

Library Board candidates were Sarah Fitzgereald, Kimberly Cliett and Dave DiSalvo. Ms. Cliett was the only one nominated, and she was appointed “by acclamation.”

Only one person spoke in the Public Hearing about the Comprehensive Plan.

Videos: Comprehensive Plan Update, Appointments: VLPRA & Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening, @ LCC Regular 2026-07-28

Here are LAKE videos of the July 28, 2026, Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

Rezoning materials for REZ-2025-11, potential datacenter site, on Coleman Road North 2026-08-03

Lowndes County offered to charge up to $250 for rezoning materials related to the 2025 rezoning on Coleman Road North for the potential datacenter site across the Withlacoochee River from Langdale Park. Materials such as many other counties put in their board packets and put on their own website.

They actually charged $40.85.

They provided a heap of files on a USB stick, with little indication of which request each file was supposed to address.

Rezoning materials, REZ-2025-11, potential datacenter site, Coleman Road North, Withlacoochee River @ LCC 2025-07-08

This is what I asked for, plus links to what Lowndes County provided in response, as near as I can decipher what they sent.

This is a Georgia Open Records Request (GORA) for materials related to the rezoning application for REZ-2025-11, Langdale Capital Assets, N Coleman Road, as required by Lowndes County Unified Development Code (ULDC).
The rezoning request, evidence of payment, evidence of ownership, and the other items were not in the board packets for the June 30, 2025, Planning Commission meeting, nor for the July 8, 2025, Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, at each of which REZ-2025-11 was heard, at least not as returned in response to open records request by LAKE requesting those board packets.
In this present GORA request I am asking for: Continue reading →

Datacenter meeting after Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 2026-07-28

Update 2026-07-29: Videos: Data Center Session @ LCC 2026-07-28.

Will it be an “information sharing session”, a “presentation”, or something else?

Datacenter session or presentation? After Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 5:30 PM 2026-07-28

According to page 2 of the agenda, “There will be an information sharing session to address data center ordinance considerations following the adjournment of the regular meeting.” That’s the 5:30 PM, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission, on the second floor of 327 N. Ashley Street, Valdosta, GA.

Or is it a presentation? On facebook yesterday, Dr. Demarcus Marshall – Lowndes County Commissioner, “There will be a data center presentation tomorrow (July 28, 2026) evening following our regular meeting at 5:30pm in the Judicial Complex in the Commission Chambers.” Continue reading →

Videos: Comprehensive Plan Update, Appointments to VLPRA and Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening @ LCC Work 2026-07-27

Update 2026-08-08: Videos: Comprehensive Plan Update, Appointments to VLPRA and Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening @ LCC Regular 2026-07-28.

Update 2026-07-28: Links to three documents cited in the draft Comprehensive Plan.

Update 2026-07-28: Datacenter meeting after Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 2026-07-28.

The draft 2026 Comprehensive Plan Update has appeared on the county’s own website, lowndescounty.com. See below for how that happened.

Below are LAKE videos of the Monday morning Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission, July 27, 2026, with some notes by John S. Quarterman. They vote at 5:30 PM this evening, Tuesday, in their Regular Session.

Don’t forget the second page of the agenda says, “There will be an information sharing session to address data center ordinance considerations following the adjournment of the regular meeting.”http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/2026/07/datacenter-meeting-after-lowndes-county-commission-regular-session-2026-07-28.html”>separate post. More on that in a
Comprehensive Plan Update, Appts to VLPRA and Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening @ LCC Work Session 2026-07-27

Monday morning I was experimenting with an external microphone, which does seem to work better, although with quite a bit of hiss.

See also the agenda and the board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request.

Comprehensive Plan

After the meeting, I mentioned to County Planner JD Dillard and County Attorney G. Walter Elliott that the draft Comprehensive Plan Update is not on the county website, so how can citizens know what to say in the Public Hearing 6.a. 2026 Comprehensive Plan Transmittal? Continue reading →

Packet: Comprehensive Plan Update, Appointments to VLPRA and Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening @ LCC 2026-07-27

Update 2026-07-28: Videos: Comprehensive Plan Update, Appointments to VLPRA and Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening @ LCC Work 2026-07-27.

The draft Comprehensive Plan Update recommends under Intergovernmental Coordination Needs, “Strengthen transparency and communication between officials, staff, and the public”

And under Opportunities & Existing Resources, “Most of the local governments already use their websites and social media platforms to disseminate critical information and educational content.”

What draft Comprehensive Plan Update? The 300-page draft in the board packet for this week’s Lowndes County Commission meeting.

The draft that is nowhere on lowndescounty.com that I can find. So you get to see it only because LAKE got it via an open records request.

The irony.

Collage, Packet @ LCC 2026-07-28

It’s amusing that LAKE is not mentioned in that draft, but multiple LAKE images are used, at least one of them credited in the image itself.

After their Monday morning Work Session, at their Tuesday Evening voting Regular Session, the Lowndes County Commission will reappoint Suzan Garnett to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) and will appoint to replace Timothy McCoppin one of these candidates: Mr. Brent Moore, Mr. Herb Reinhard, Mr. Timothy McCoppin, and Mr. Broc McDowell.

Recently they appointed William Booth to the Lowndes County Library System Board of Trustees, but since discovered he does not live in Lowndes County. Debra Carruth and Sarah FitzGerald are candidates.

The two usual suspects bid for $5,039,798.50 widening of Hickory Grove Road and Skipper Bridge Road, and Scruggs bid below Reames.

Getting into real money, Resurfacing Batch 1 P.I. # 0020532 will include resurfacing 36 county roads, with a budget of $13,134,000.00.

These road projects are apparently all to be paid for by funds from the Georgia Transportation Investment Act (TIA).

Here is the agenda:

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 27, 2026, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2026, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange