Tag Archives: Gretchen Quarterman

No list of who bought waste collection center cards? @ LCC 2013-02-12

How can Lowndes County not have a list of who it
sold waste collection center cards to?
How can it not provide it in response to an open records request?

In the

9 October 2012 Regular Session, Lowndes County Manager Joe Pritchard
said:


Just under 5,000 residents who have purchased the cards

That was in his curiously redacted summary of the history of
solid waste handling in the county, and he was referring to the
access cards to the waste collection centers.


Paige Dukes to April Huntley 2013-01-28
Yet when April Huntley submitted an open records request asking
for the names of the 5,000 people who would be affected by the
waste collection centers, this is what County Clerk Paige Dukes
replied:

In regards to your open records requst for a copy of the 5,000 residents
in unincorporated Lowndes County who will be affected by the closing of
the recycling centers, the document you have requested does not exist.

Maybe this explains part of why

Veolia, excuse me, ADS, seemed so confused yesterday morning.
Come tonight to see if any Commissioners ask about this.

-jsq

Letters against closing Old State Road to the Alapaha River @ LCC 2013-02-12

Here is a list of the letters I have copies of that oppose
closing Old State Road to the Alapaha River; probably more have been sent.


The

vote is tonight 5:30 PM
12 February 2013 at 327 North Ashley Street 2nd Floor,
Valdosta, GA.

According to state law and the public hearing notice,

Any citizen of Lowndes County or any person wherever residing may be
heard by the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners during the
aforesaid public hearing.

That means anyone from anywhere may speak.

Here’s the list.

Continue reading →

Videos: Surprise trash, Hotchkiss Landing, 3 rezonings, 3 contracts @ LCC 2013-02-11



Surprise! Veolia, excuse me, Advanced Disposal showed up to try to
defend their record so far with their new exclusive franchise solid
waste contract.
Also at this morning’s Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission,
three rezonings, three contracts,
and some new wrinkles on

the proposed closing of
the part of Old State Road leading to Hotchkiss Landing on the Alapaha River,
revealed after the session was over.
They vote Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM.

Here’s

the agenda,
with links to the videos, and a few notes, followed by a video playlist.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Surprise trash talk: repeat scheduled for tomorrow! @ LCC 2013-02-11

Not on the agenda, Veolia, excuse me, ADS,
stood up to talk about trash collection

Monday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session.
All of the new Commisioners had questions, some of which were answered.
A repeat performance is scheduled for Tuesday evening: don’t miss it!




Dave Shepler, regional manager of Advanced Disposal (not on the agenda)

He said ADS wanted to start March 1 in order to give people time to
mail in their cards and sign up, but the February 1st date was
“what the county wanted to do.”
About 400 accounts that had slow delivery, even though they called
in very early; “coding error”.
Can deliver about 200 carts a day, one crew is doing nothing
but handling complaints.
Some carts delivered without pickup information; he blamed that on the wind.
Missed pickups.
When the Bemiss center (presumably the one at Pine Grove)
was closed over 3,000 people had not signed up,
and there is trash on the ground that ADS is picking up.
After 30 days

Continue reading →

News about Hotchkiss Landing @ LCC 2013-02-11



After the

Monday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session
was over, a couple of Commissioners indicated to inquiring citizens
that they had seen a contract by which Acree Investments LTD
sold land on both sides of Old State Road to the Alapaha River
to Phillip Connell.
This contract has not been filed with the county,
and that’s why the Tax Assessors’ database doesn’t show it.
I confirmed later today with Dr. Acree that he had sold 16 acres
to Phillip Connell several years ago.
Very interesting; if it is even Old State Road they’re considering closing (see below).


Public Hearing sign on Old State Road
What sort of public hearing is it going to be tomorrow evening
when this new information was not revealed to the public even
in the Work Session, and the only way the public could find out
was by going and asking a Commissioner personally?

In positive news, various Commissioners expressed approval of the
idea of

Continue reading →

Acree Park at Hotchkiss Landing?



How about if Lowndes County buys the land next to Old State Road
at Hotchkiss Crossing on the Alapaha River and turns it into
Acree Park?
That would be a much better solution to the trash, tresspassing,
and hunting problems there than closing the road.
And Lowndes County itsels claims it has plenty of money available
for just such a purpose.

As we’ve seen, Lowndes County’s own Comprehensive Plan says
the county has $500,000 in Acquisition Funds Available to
“Adopt, implement, and update provisions of the Greenspace Initiative Plan to include land acquisition and resource enhancement/protection.”
And that it plans to
“Continue preparation and implementation of the Withlacoochee River Greenway Plan.”

What say the county acquires parkland at Hotchkiss Landing
from

Continue reading →

Hotchkiss Landing Road Closing, 3 rezonings, 3 contracts @ LCC 2013-02-11

Monday morning and voting Tuesday evening at the Lowndes County Commission,
three rezonings, three contracts, and the proposed closing of


the part of Old State Road leading to Hotchkiss Landing on the Alapaha River,
with all its complications
such as

why did Code Enforcement do nothing about that road being blocked for many months?
And why was there

no public hearing sign on the road
until (I hear) it suddenly appeared late yesterday?

Here’s

the agenda. -jsq

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Why did Lowndes County do nothing about a blocked public road?

Old State Road at the Alapaha River is a county-maintained public road.
How could Lowndes County not have known that it was

blocked by two huge blocks of concrete

Seen by google earth 2012-01-24
at Hotchkiss Landing from late 2010 through at least early 2012?
Why did Code Enforcement do nothing about it?

These blocks of concrete have to be quite heavy.
This is not random litter, and no partier or hunter or 4-wheeler would
have any motivation to block the road, much less with blocks this size.
Who would?
Why didn’t the county find out and do something about it?

-jsq

About that flyer

Sent Wednesday. -jsq



Date: Wed, 06 Feb 2013 19:43:49 -0500

Dear Mr. Pritchard,

Thank you for

your message of 1 February.

Yes, the binders of the documents for the closings of the various
bonds are the sort of financial instruments I requested in

my message of 28 January, and that Chairman Slaughter listed in

his letter dated 18 January
(that I received 28 January). Monday 11 Feb
2013 after the Work Session will be a good time for me to inspect
and copy those binders. I will bring a camera and a photocopier. If
that time will not work, please advise me of times that would.

Yes, there are other documents I would like to inspect. Please provide

Continue reading →

Public Notice for public hearing on abandoning part of Old State Road leading to the Alapaha River

Why is there no sign on Old State Road

about the proposed abandonment of the part leading to the Alapaha River
like there was in 2010?
There’s a clue in the letter of the law Lowndes County is citing.


NOTICE OF PROPOSED ROAD ABANDONMENT TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED

NOTICE OF PROPOSED

ROAD ABANDONMENT

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that pursuant to O.C.G.A. 32-7-2(b)(1) the

Parcel 0259 030A
Lowndes County Board of Commissioners has determined that a section
of Old State Road (CR # 16) has ceased to be used by the public to
the extent that no substantial purpose is served or by it that its
removal from the county road system is otherwise in the best public
interest. The section of Old State Road that is proposed for
abandonment lies .85 miles to the east of Good Hope Road (CR # 126)
and travels approximately .17 miles before termination at the
Alapaha River.

YOU ARE ALSO HEREBY NOTIFIED that pursuant to said Code section the

2009: canoeists taking out at that road
Lowndes County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing for
the purpose of determining whether to declare the subject section of
the subject road abandoned. The public hearing will be at 5:30 P.M.
on February 12, 2013, at the Lowndes County Administration Building
located at 327 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia.

Any citizen of Lowndes County or any person wherever residing may be
heard by the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners during the
aforesaid public hearing.


County Manager, Joseph D. Pritchard
This 28th day of January, 2013.

Joseph D. Pritchard

County Manager

Lowndes County, Georgia

00046658

2/1,8/13

Note that last part:

“or any person wherever residing may be heard by the
Lowndes County Board of Commissioners during the aforesaid public hearing.”

That means you do not have to be a citizen or resident or taxpayer
of Lowndes County to speak at this public hearing.

There’s no public hearing sign on the affected portion of that road.
Why is that?
Here’s

O.C.G.A. 32-7-2(b)(1):

Continue reading →