About six minutes in yesterday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session, including the office space rezoning recommended last month by the Planning Commission.
They vote tonight at 5:30 PM. Below are Continue reading
About six minutes in yesterday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session, including the office space rezoning recommended last month by the Planning Commission.
They vote tonight at 5:30 PM. Below are Continue reading
The Planning Commission unanimously voted to recommend the one case before it last month: rezoning for offices on Old US 41 North.
Lowndes County still does not have a County Planner and now not a Zoner, either, since Carmella Braswell resigned last month. As usual, Molly Stevenson spoke for Planning. I see she is now listed as Department Head on some county documents.
Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda and the more recent Lowndes County Commission meeting.
Video. This is between Old US 41 North and the railroad, between Valwood and Scruggs.
Map: Lowndes County Tax Assessors,
Parcel 0053 112,
4555 Old US 41 North.
Misty Yeargan of 4501 Wellington Woods Drive, across US 41 from the point of the subject property, wanted to know if there was a plan for the subject property. The proponent answered to say that there’s not room for a driveway down there, so any driveway would have to be farther north, about where the current driveway is now. Acting county planner Molly Stevenson added that there would be buffer requirements in place, as well. They voted unanimously to recommend the rezoning with no conditions.
Here’s a LAKE video playlist:
Videos: Office on old US 41 N
Regular Session, Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC),
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 25 March 2019.
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Investigative reporting costs money, for open records requests, copying, web hosting, gasoline, and cameras, and with sufficient funds we can pay students to do further research. You can donate to LAKE today!
This morning at 8:45 AM, according to their calendar, apparently related to their decision a month ago to buy the former office of Coleman-Talley law firm at 910 N. Patterson Street for use by the Public Defender. It seems there’s a shared driveway with the other half of the property. Why this item couldn’t wait one day for tomorrow evening’s Regular Session is mysterious. One might even say poor planning.
910 N Patterson Street, Valdosta, GA 31601,
previously listed for rent for $8,206/month by RealLiving Real Estate, as
“Landmark Professional Office Space available on centrally located Patterson Street. This red brick office stands out in terms of craftsmanship, quality, and location. Built-ins throughout with (16) private offices, (10) work stations, multiple conference rooms, break room, mechanical rooms, storage closet, fireproof rooms and over 2,000 SF unfinished 3rd floor open space storage. From the well appointed receptionist area to the functional layout this property was designed with the professional in mind and is sure to impress your clients.”
Special Called Meeting
Monday, April 8, 2019
A special called meeting will be held for consideration of an agreement between Coleman Talley and Lowndes County for a mutual easement. *There could be a slight delay if the work session runs longer than expected.
Date: Continue reading
On the agenda for this morning is reappointing Mrs. Elsie Napier to the Lowndes County Division of Family and Children Services Board. I don’t know if she will speak, but here’s video of her previously speaking at the Valdosta City Council about community grants.
Photo: Gretchen Quarterman, still of
LAKE video of Elsie Napier at Valdosta City Council, 2016-10-05.
There’s also a rezoning for offices on Old US 41 North, two alcohol licenses, a Bid for Purchase of Structural Fire Fighting Gear, and two road paving items, for Boring Pond Lane and 2019 Resurfacing of Five County Roads, plus 2019 Re-striping of Four County Toads.
They expect this Work Session to take less than 15 minutes, since they have a Special Called Meeting at 8:45 AM: “There could be a slight delay if the work session runs longer than expecte.” Why they couldn’t wait one day to vote on that also in tomorrow’s Regular Session is mysterious.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Continue reading
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, APRIL 8, 2019, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Subtract out the invocation, pledge, and approval of minutes (which you couldn’t hear anyway because the county’s sound system wasn’t working) and the Chairman’s ending comments on Youth Leadership, and your elected Commissioners spent about six minutes on the business of the county, including spending some unknown amount of money on road services.
Below are Continue reading
Chairman Bill Slaughter mentioned the recent death of his predecessor Fred DeLoach. County Manager Joe Pritchard said he tried to talk Carmella Braswell out of retiring, but she has done so.
County Engineer Mike Fletcher clarified that more than one engineering firm was working on professional surveying and engineering for road projects.
Kevin Beals presented the solid waste franchises for annual renewal, and we were reminded he is also Chairman of the Deep South Solid Waste Authority that dispenses funds from their tipping fees, and which the next day announced a special called meeting for Wednesday.
Chad McLeod said the county has successfully cleaned up from a nearby closed gasoline station.
Below are Continue reading
Update 2019-04-09: Videos.
Only one case on the Planning Commission agenda for tonight: rezoning for office space between Old US 41 North and the railroad, between Valwood and Scruggs.
Map: Lowndes County Tax Assessors,
Parcel 0053 112,
4555 Old US 41 North.
Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
Continue reading
Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
AGENDA
Monday, March 25, 2019 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue
Update 2019-03-27: LAKE videos of Monday morning Work Session and Tuesday evening Regular Session.
A single-source no-bid contract with Lovell Engineering is on the agenda for Professional Surveying and Engineering Services for Improvements to Lester Road. The dollar amount is not given in the agenda sheet.
The Basic Decorative Street Lighting District is not the one defered last time (Walker’s Run). They want to charge $61.50 per lot per year.
No special trash collection tax district for Lowndes County, though, although state law explicitly authorizes that. Instead, once again they are renewing curbside trash pickup licenses for ADS and DSS; the latter of course only after the county sued all the way to the state Supreme Court to try to stop it.
Here is the bid sheet from 2012. You may want to compare Veolia’s bid to what its new owner ADS is charging now.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
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PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Five minutes and 46 seconds Sixteen minutes to vote on the people’s business in the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.
Where do they actually discuss things?
By far the longest item at three minutes and fourteen seconds was 5a. REZ-2019-04 Southeastern Freight 2120 West Hill Ave., C-H/R-1 To M-2,, and that only because somebody spoke in favor of the request in the Public Hearing.
Second longest at one minute and 46 seconds was the controversial 7 a. North Lowndes Spring Creek Utility Inter-connection Project Phase II, for which they made a decision about the yellow paper. They still never said who the rest of the bidders were, nor how much they bid, on this $3,889,825.23 project.
Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with Continue reading
They don’t have any wheelchair seating areas, so Jody Hall planted his wheels in front of the front row, to see the county not tell the public who bid what on an almost $4 million item.
By far the longest item at almost seven minutes was North Lowndes Spring Creek Utility Inter-connection Project Phase II, because one bidder objected that the others did not use the correct color paper. They never said who any of the bidders were, nor how much they bid, on this $3,889,825.23 project.
The third longest was 6.f. Water and Sewer Service Areas – Lake Park Area, as the county continues its plan to encircle Valdosta. Yet the county has no plan for additional sewage treatment beyond the Land Application Site (LAS), where Lowndes County sprays sewage onto land near Grassy Pond, close to the state line, and where they’re reducing the Row Crop Lease Agreement by 71 acres for unexplained reasons.
Second longest was Continue reading