Tag Archives: Georgia Environmental Protection Division

Videos: VLDA appointment, VAWA Grant, Cross Connection Control Plan, Jail Addition, Code Red, 911 addition @ LCC Regular 2023-11-14

Last month, they unanimously approved everything, with little discussion, in the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, November 14, 2023. They were all present.

The entire meeting took twelve minutes, including the 3-minute County Manager’s Report.

Collage @ LCC 14 November 2023

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

Packet: VLDA appointment, VAWA Grant, Cross Connection Control Plan, Jail Addition, Code Red, 911 addition @ LCC 2023-11-13

The board packet for the November 13, 2023, Work Session and the November 14 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission is on the LAKE website, received in response to a LAKE open records request.

Collage, Lowndes County Commission Board Packet 2023-11-13

Cost	What
$192,780.00	Lowndes County 911 Bids
$31,500.00	Code Red Service Agreement Renewal
$25,669.00	Approval of Solicitor General’s VAWA Competitive Grant Application for 2024
$249,949.00	Total

Here again is the agenda.

Videos: VLDA appointment, VAWA Grant, Cross Connection Control Plan, Jail Addition, Code Red, 911 addition @ LCC Work 2023-11-13

Update 2023-12-11 Videos: VLDA appointment, VAWA Grant, Cross Connection Control Plan, Jail Addition, Code Red, 911 addition @ LCC Regular 2023-11-14.

Several of the Lowndes County Commissioners were absent at yesterday morning’s Work Session.

Collage @ LCC 13 November 2023

The Commissioners who were present breezed through the agenda in a few minutes. Joyce Evans, Scottie Orenstein, Clay Griner, and Chairman Bill Slaughter had no questions on any item. Commissioners Demarcus Marshall and Mark Wisenbaker were not present.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist. Actually, she did not make any notes this time. And I did not hear anything new in the videos.

See also the agenda. Continue reading →

Agenda: VLDA appointment, VAWA Grant, Cross Connection Control Plan, Jail Addition, Code Red, 911 addition @ LCC 2023-11-13

Update 2023-11-14: Videos: VLDA appointment, VAWA Grant, Cross Connection Control Plan, Jail Addition, Code Red, 911 addition @ LCC Work 2023-11-13.

At the Lowndes County Commission meeting this week, John Crawford wants to be reappointed to the Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authorty; it’s a joint appointment with Valdosta, and the City will be notified after the County vote.

Agenda

The public does not know what was bid on for the 911 Center addition, beyond “a new storage building, renovation of four (4) offices, and resurfacing of the existing parking lot.” The Finance Department’s Bid Postings links to nothing for this item except a one-page PDF entitled “SECTION A INVITATION FOR BID”, which says, “Bidding documents may be obtained through Studio 8 Design, LLC in Valdosta, GA, 229-244-1188, email: sflythe@s8darchitects.com.”

We do know it will cost $192,780.00.

We don’t even know how much the jail addition will cost; apparently the vote before the Commission is to hire a Construction Manager, but we don’t know how much that will cost, either.

Costs are known for the Code Red renewal (same as last year) and for the VAWA Grant match (less than last time).

Cost	What
$192,780.00	Lowndes County 911 Bids
$31,500.00	Code Red Service Agreement Renewal
$25,669.00	Approval of Solicitor General’s VAWA Competitive Grant Application for 2024
$249,949.00	Total

There are no rezonings this week, because no county rezonings were proposed at the preceding Planning Commission meeting.

Here is the agenda.

We do not have the board packet yet, because I neglected to file an open records request for it, which I have now done. Why that should be necessary remains mysterious, since many other counties larger and smaller in Georgia and Florida have been posting their board packets on their own websites for years.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2023, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2023, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Videos: Quarterman Road rezoning unanimously denied; Mt. Zion Church Road rezoning unanimously approved @ LCC Regular 2023-09-12

Update 2023-09-16: by WWALS, Videos: Quarterman Road rezoning unanimously denied @ LCC 2023-09-12.

After five local residents spoke against and nobody for, the Lowndes County Commission unanimously denied the inappropriate 2.5-acre rezoning REZ-2023-04 on Quarterman Road.

Collage @ LCC 12 September 2023

Then after Roy Copeland spoke for the R-21 rezoning REZ-2023-10 on Mt. Zion Church Road and nobody spoke against, the Commissioners unanimously approved that one.

They unanimously approved almost everything else, including appointing Dr. Anthony Johnson to the Lowndes County Board of Health. The Family Medicine Dr. Johnson; not the eye doctor, although we only know that because LAKE filed an open records request for the board packet and published the results.

The exception was 7.b. Hamilton Green Acceptance of Water – Sewer Infrastructure. Continue reading →

Lowndes County Commission denies Quarterman Road rezoning –VDT 2023-09-13

Update 2023-09-16: Videos: Quarterman Road rezoning unanimously denied; Mt. Zion Church Road rezoning unanimously approved @ LCC Regular 2023-09-12.

The VDT got the most important point right: the Lowndes County Commission unanimously denied the proposed rezoning REZ-2023-04 for 2.5-acre lots, smaller than the 5-acre minimum in on E-A Quarterman Road. And they spelled Tom Larson’s name right.

Thanks to all who helped get this result: everybody who signed the petition, those who circulated the petition, those who spoke in the Planning Commission and County Commission meetings, 7 of 8 of the Planning Commissioners who recommended denial, and the Lowndes County Commissioners for unanimously denying this inappropriate rezoning.

SGRC map of petition signers against REZ-2023-04 Quarterman Road and VDT pictures of Lowndes County Commission meeting building

Kasmira Smith, Valdosta Daily Times, September 13, 2023, Lowndes commissioners deny highly opposed rezoning proposal Continue reading →

The application for the Quarterman Road rezoning, and more petition signatures against it @ LCC 2023-09-12

Update 2023-09-13: Lowndes County Commission denies Quarterman Road rezoning –VDT 2023-09-13.

We had to ask three times, but we finally got the application for the rezoning on Quarterman Road, REZ-2023-04.

Here is that application, and also three more signatures on the petition against the rezoning, plus an updated table of signers and addresses about a hundred of them.

We ask the Lowndes County Commissioners to do the same thing they did about the Miller Bridge rezoning and about the Dollar General resoning on Skipper Bridge: deny this one as well, because it, like them, is in an Agricultre-Forestry-Conservation Character Area, and the vast majority of nearby landowners and residents do not want it.

Collage, more packet materials for REZ-2023-04 @ LCC 2023-09-12

The application doesn’t tell us much we did not already know, other than that the property owner’s agent is Rodney Tenery, Address: 2621 U.S. Highway 84 East, Valdosta, GA. Mapquest says that is an address of Harris Surveying & Engineering. Continue reading →

Videos: Seven minutes on REZ-2023-04 Quarterman Road @ LCC Work

Update 2023-09-12 The application for the Quarterman Road rezoning, and more petition signatures against it @ LCC 2023-09-12.

The proposed 2.5-acre rezoning on Quarterman Road is inappropriate, as the Planning Commission indicated by their 7:1 vote to recommend denial. The Lowndes County Commission spent almost seven minute on this item.

Tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM, they should deny this rezoning.

Meanwhile, county staff still can not find any record of the 1980s rezoning for the nearby half-acre-lot subdivision.

Collage @ LCC 11 September 2023

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

Packet: Board of Health appointment, two rezonings, 4 water, mosquitoes @ LCC 2023-09-11

Update 2023-09-11: Videos: Seven minutes on REZ-2023-04 Quarterman Road @ LCC Work 2023-09-11.

In a busy agenda, the Lowndes County Commission will discuss Monday morning at 8:30 AM and vote on Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM appointing Dr. Anthony Johnson to the Board of Health, four water and sewer items, mosquitoes, and two rezonings.

Collage, LCC Packet 2023-09-11

In their preceding meeting, the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) by a 7:1 vote recommended denial for REZ-2023-04 Chase, 6119 Quarterman Rd, ~18 acres, E-A to R-A, Well & Septic, and GLPC unanimously recommended approval for REZ-2023-10 Copeland, 3728 Mt. Zion Church Rd., ~4ac, E-A to R-21.

Cost	What
$287,786.39	LAS Expansion Clearing & Grubbing
$105,000.00	Meter Backflow Device Purchase
$68,889.40	Bevel Creek Lift Station Pump
$55,194.30	Annual Contract Renewal with VSU for Mosquito Identification and Testing
$516,870.09	Total

Of the half a million dollars in expenditures the Commission they will probably approve Tuesday, more than half is for expansion of the Land Application Site (LAS). Two of the others are also water or sewer projects. They do not list a cost for the other water and sewer project: Hamilton Green Acceptance of Water & Sewer Infrastructure.

Here is the agenda.

The board packet materials, received by LAKE in response to a LAKE open records request, are on the LAKE website. Several requested items are missing. We will ask again.

For the preceding GLPC meeting, see also Continue reading →

Okefenokee resolution, Planning Commission, Airport, Sewer system, Road renaming moratorium @ VCC 2021-11-11

With a packed agenda, the Valdosta City Council passed eight resolutions, approved five bids or purchases, and appointed people to four boards, yet the longest discussion was after all that.

Mayor, Howard, Gibbs, WWTP, Manager & Tooley, Suwannee Riverkeeper

Perhaps the most far-reaching item was one of the briefest, presented by Mayor Scott James Matheson: 3.f. Resolution in Opposition to a proposed strip mine near the Okefenokee Swamp, opposing the proposed Twin Pines Minerals (TPM) strip mine or any others within ten miles of the Swamp, asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reverse its abdication of oversight, asking GA-EPD for a moratorium on all mining permits until effects are settled of the recent court overruling of 2020 Clean Water Act changes, as well as to reject the TPM permits, or at least to review those applications as thoroughly as the Army Corps would, and asking the Georgia legislature to prevent such strip mines near the Swamp or any blackwater rivers in the Suwannee River Basin. Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange