Tag Archives: Economy

More the county could do about the pipeline –John S. Quarterman @ LCC 2014-02-25



I thanked the County Manager but mentioned something else
the county could do about that pipeline,
at the

25 February 2014 Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

I thanked County Manager Joe Pritchard
for

notifying constituents
like

FERC had recommended
about the

FERC Scoping Meetings starting next week.



Then I read the

recommendation of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
after Spectra Energy’s

1994 Durham Woods pipeline fireball
in Edison, New Jersey that burnt dozens, evacuated thousands, made
hundreds homeless, and literally scared one woman to death:

The public will not benefit from the safety improvement
recommendations developed in RSPA’s public safety risk study without
guidance containing implementation procedures and without motivation
from associations representing local governments.

I suggested Lowndes County Commissioners might want to talk to
the

Association of County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG)
about that.

Here’s

the video:

Continue reading →

Objections and Sabal Trail pipeline reader –Danielle Jordan @ LCC 2014-02-25



A local native and VSU student voiced her objection to the
proposed Sabal Trail pipeline
in the

25 February 2014 Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

8. Citizens Wishing To Be Heard – Danielle Jordan

And she handed the Commission a pipeline reader.
The
VDT summarized:

During the citizens to be heard portion of the meeting, Danielle
Jordan voiced her opposition to the Sabal Trail Transmission
pipeline because “it violates personal property rights, causes
safety concerns, and causes troublesome environmental
impacts.” She then presented the commission with a packet of
research.

Here’s

the video:

Continue reading →

FERC Scoping Meetings on Sabal Trail Pipeline –Joe Pitchard @ LCC 2014-02-25



County Manager Joe Pritchard told everyone about the FERC Notice of Intent
and Scoping Meetings

starting next week
(Albany Monday 3 March, Valdosta Holiday Inn on West Hill Ave.
Tuesday 4 March, Moultrie 5 March, all at 6PM).
at the

25 February 2014 Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

7. Reports-County Manager

He said materials were on the county’s website,

and they are:

Continue reading →

SPLOST and website @ LCC 2014-02-27



Retreating again this week, but not very far this time:
next door to the Commission chamber, tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday.
In addition to SPLOST (now that they’ve got it, they
have to determine how to spend it),
what’s this about website on

the agenda?

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

2014 Commission Retreat Agenda

Lowndes County Judicial Complex, Administrative Wing

2nd Floor, Overflow Room next to the Commission Chambers

327 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, GA 31601

Continue reading →

Videos: lift station, weather, jobs @ LCC 2014-02-24



A

special called voting meeting
about Industrial Authority bonds.
followed the Work Session.
In the Work Session,
the last item was
the presentation

by Industrial Authority Executive Director Andrea Schruijer,
preceded by a

severe weather report
For Nine minutes they discussed a deficit for

special tax lighting districts throughout the county:
apparently they didn’t take into account that power rates or
lighting times might vary.
Lowndes County’s sewer lift station at a subdivision with a private golf club

apparently needs replacement.
This is the subdivision for which the

Nelson Hill Wells were drilled as possible replacements.
The abandonment

of some unspecified unopened right of way off of US 41 South
is apparently resolved now after two years.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2014, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Golf club lift station on agenda @ LCC 2014-02-24



Lowndes County’s sewer lift station at a subdivision with a private golf club

apparently needs replacement.
This is the subdivision for which the

Nelson Hill Wells were drilled as possible replacements.
And an abandonment

of some unspecified unopened right of way off of US 41 South.
Plus a presentation

by Industrial Authority Executive Director Andrea Schruijer.

Here’s the agenda:

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2014, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Local government pipeline responsibilities

Make pipeline companies answer questions, motivate implementation of safety standards, announce FERC Scoping meetings, and enforce reasonable local zoning restrictions:
these are things local governments can do, and NTSB and FERC say they should do
most of them.
Gilchrist County Commission in Trenton, Florida has done most of them,
and plans to continue doing more.
The Lowndes County Commission and the Valdosta City Council still can, too,
plus all the other county and city governments along the proposed pipeline path,
and their statewide county and city government associations.
Will our local elected officials represent we the people?

Make pipeline companies answer questions



There were

Real questions at the Gilchrist County Commission meeting in Trenton, Florida Monday.
Two hours of first questions from a citizens committee with
Spectra’s reps expected to answer right there in front of everybody,
then questions from locals and people from many counties around,
including attorneys representing landowners and other county
commissions cross-examining Spectra on the spot. The Chairman of the
Gilchrist County Commission said there was a general opinion among
the populace that they were asking specific questions and getting
only general answers. Congratulations, Chairman, Commission, staff,
Committee, and everyone who asked questions for showing the world
how it’s done, and for exposing Spectra’s evasions to public
scrutiny.



This is in sharp contrast to Continue reading →

Revenue Bond for health care projects @ VLCIA 2014-01-28

It’s good they posted the detailed agenda item,
but since when do tax-funded authorities hold

public hearings in a private attorney’s office?

The Industrial Authority
posted a meeting notice for their own special called meeting on
their facebook page (a day in advance)
and

their website (at some unknown time).
And the

agenda does say what it was for:

For the consideration of the adoption of a bond resolution of the
Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority authorizing and


providing for (a) the extension of the maturity date of its Economic
Development Revenue Bond (Langdale Hospice House Project), Series
2006, in the original principal amount of $2,800,000, the proceeds
of which were used to finance or reimburse, in whole or in part, the
cost of the acquisition, construction and equipping of a hospice
house and related facilities located in Lowndes County, Georgia, and
operated by South Georgia Health Alliance, Inc., a Georgia nonprofit
corporation, and (b) the execution of certain documents for such
purpose.

That bond was previously discussed at the Lowndes County Commission

Work Session of 23 October 2006: Continue reading →

Transparency in government is essential to the public trust –VDT



VDT editorial yesterday,

Violating public trust,

Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens successfully fought for and
implemented changes to the state’s Open Records law, believing that
transparency in government is essential to the public trust. The law
passed in 2012 states, “The General Assembly finds and
declares that the strong public policy of this state is in favor of
open government; that open government is essential to a free, open,
and democratic society; and that public access to public records
should be encouraged to foster confidence in government and so that
the public can evaluate the expenditure of public funds and the
efficient and proper functioning of its institutions.”

The VDT asked for records from the Lowndes County school system
and didn’t get them.
Their experience sounds quite similar to many LAKE has had
with the county government in particular,
with records not being provided in the statutory three days,
and sometimes not even an excuse or a list of what might
eventually be available.



That plus

failure to make even agendas for the Planning Commission available
in a timely fashion so citizens can see whether they need to attend
(somebody explain to me
the expense of agendas; clearly I don’t understand this
Internet suff),
and even in response to open records requests returning paper
when the documents are obviously composed in electronic formats,
agendas for County Commission meetings that are

just plain incorrect, resulting in people taking time off from work
to show up unnecessarily for a Sabal Trail pipeline item that didn’t happen,
a

public hearing that wasn’t listed as such on the agenda,
a secretive retreat “work session”,
and not

even being clear about what tax dollars for SPLOST would go for.
That’s not even all; just a sample of county government lack of
transparency.



And it’s not just the County Commission.
Look at Continue reading →

Earthquake busts Augusta water tower: what about Plant Vogtle?

Less than two years after

Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning assured us




It is not in a seismic-sensitive area.

Fanning also claimed the technology was safe, before
SO failed to get a reactor vessel from Savannah to the site,
and before a renewed scandal revealed
Korea’s document-forging Doosan supplies that “safe” nuclear technology.
How safe will Plant Vogtle be in a bigger earthquake?
How safe is it even without an earthquake?
Not safe for the ratepayers or the taxpayers of Georgia or the U.S.

Mark Sandritter wrote for SBNation yesterday,

Augusta National water tower leaking after Georgia earthquake, per report, Continue reading →