The 75% pot of T-SPLOST funds is what the project lists recently
submitted by Lowndes County
and the City of Valdosta are about,
according to
Corey Hull, continuing his presentation on T-SPLOST at the Lowndes County
Democratic Party (LCDP) meeting.
Those are projects of regional significance that the local jurisdictions want the voters to actually vote on that project.The other 25% goes to local jurisdictions, like this:
| $1,300,000 | Lowndes County (unincorporated portion) |
| $600,000 | Valdosta |
| $30,000 | Hahira |
| $5,000 | Dasher |
| $14,000 | Lake Park |
| $9,000 | Remerton |
Here’s the video:
Corey Hull of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO)
explains T-SPLOST (HB 277) and the Transportation Investment Act of 2010
at the monthly meeting of the Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP),
Gretchen Quarterman (Chair), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Next: penalties if the voters don’t approve.
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Continuing:
First Jerome explained how he heard of MAGE SOLAR, and
it’s pronounced Mah gay.
He toured their facility and saw that they manufacture the panels
in Dublin, Georgia,
and this was impressive to him, who still has his kerosene lamp.
He was especially impressed with MAGE SOLAR’s academy,
which can train everybody from mom and pop operations
to mega installers.
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You’ve heard Corey Hull of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO)
give a brief version of T-SPLOST at VLCIA.
Here he talks at greater length at the
Lowndes County Democratic Party:
She also says
she supports solar as a truly clean green renewable energy source:
Continue reading
So you’ll have some idea what to expect, here’s
Corey Hull’s explanation of T-SPLOST to VLCIA in February.
You can come ask questions tonight!
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“We already have solar power resources in place that we could be using
and I feel like money should be directed towards that,” Ivey Roubique,
vice-president of the Student Geological Society, said. “It wouldn’t
be good for the community and even though I’m in college here it
still matters.”
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As a student, I feel I have the right to be able to breathe clean air
at the college I attend.
With this biomass plant possibly being built here,
the future for generations to come are in jeopardy, and we want to protect our fellow and future students’ health.
Please take into consideration the future health of this university
and its community,
and don’t sell grey water to the proposed biomass plant.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
She said who she was, who she represented, how many, what they were for, what they wanted, quickly enough that attention didn’t waver, slowly and loudly enough to be heard, and briefly enough to transcribe, with pathos, logic, and politic. Even the mayor looked up at “As a student….”
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T-SPLOST Business plan —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP (Part 2)
Corey Hull continued
his presentation on T-SPLOST at the Lowndes County
Democratic Party (LCDP) meeting by talking about
the statewide business plan for the state of Georgia.
It is not a project list; it’s estimates of how much money is needed
and how much money can be raised.
The plan identifies
$35 billion to meet the needs in Georgia today.
However, $72 billion are needed to meet the transportation
needs to sustain Georgia’s economy into the future.
Of course, that’s according to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT),
which notoriously is not interested in trains or other mass transit:
if it’s not a road or a road bridge, forget it.
And $1 billion is needed here in Lowndes County.
Lowndes County’s transportation plan through the
Metropolitan Planning Organization
has about a billion dollars in projects.
A billion dollars right here in Lowndes County?
Continue reading
Opportunities from solar power —Jerome Tucker and MAGE SOLAR at LHS, 29 March 2011
Jerome Tucker explained that there are jobs to be developed
in south Georgia for solar power, in
distribution, installation, and related industry.
And with this industry there’s opportunity for engineers,
there’s opportunity for electricians,
there’s opportunity for plumbers,
truck drivers,
across the board.
MAGE SOLAR at Lowndes High School, 29 March 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
T-SPLOST Explained —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP (Part 1)
So who are these regional commissions?
Continue reading 
The Georgia legislature passed what was then known as House bill 277
called
Transportation Investment Act of 2010….
It created or proposed a one percent sales tax for transportation purposes
throughout the state of Georgia.
It creates
twelve special transportation taxing districts
that are based on the boundaries of the regional commissions.
And that is where the connection with the regional commission stops.
They are not the same body….
Fight the biomass plant, and solar is truly clean and green –Natasha Fast @ VCC 24 March 2011
Natasha Fast, co-president of
WACE, Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy,
explains why she is protesting
outside the most recent
Valdosta City Council meeting.
Natasha Fast of WACE, Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy outside the
Regular meeting of the Valdosta City Council, 24 March 2011,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
T-SPLOST explained by Corey Hull and Ashley Paulk, tonight, LCDP
Come hear Chairman Ashley Paulk and MPO Director Cory Hull give
us information about T-SPLOST. The special local option tax for
Transportation.
Ashley Paulk is Chairman of the Lowndes County Commission.
Corey Hull is Coordinator for the
Valdosta-Lowndes County Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO).
Here’s a very interesting
question by Norman Bennett at that same meeting.
Valdostans protest biomass –VSU Spectator
Molly Duet
writes in the VSU newspaper today:
Protestors wearing respirator masks held signs reading “Biomass? No!”
in front of the Valdosta City Hall building on Thursday. Members of
the Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy, the VSU student organization
Students Against Violating the Environment, and other concerned Valdosta
citizens showed up to protest the construction of the Wiregrass Power:
Biomass Electric Generating Plant.
The Spectator article quotes from two speakers for whom LAKE
happens to have video, linked below.
Continue reading
Why? There’s speculation about money — Stewart Emmett (?) @ VCC 24 March 2011
When public officials ignore objections for long enough, eventually
people start speculating as to their motives, in this case about the proposed biomass plant.
Here’s
the video:
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
The right of students to breathe clean air –Erin Hurley of SAVE @ VCC 24 March 2011
Here’s
the video:
I’m the president of
Students Against Violating the Environment at VSU.
I’m here representing
200+ members of SAVE, that consists of students, faculty, community members.
We are deeply concerned with environmental issues and
we are networking together to make this city a more humane and
sustainable community
for future generations.
Erin Hurley, President of
SAVE, Students Against Violating the Environment, speaking at
Regular meeting of the Valdosta City Council, 24 March 2011,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Thanks to George Rhynes for the district number label idea –Tim Carroll @ VCC 24 March 2011
A small example of following up on citizen suggestions,
but who knows? maybe it’s a sign of much more to come.
In the comments by council members at the end of the 24 March 2011
Valdosta City Council session, member Tim Carroll thanked
George Rhynes for his suggestion to put district numbers
on council members’ name plates so citizens could more easily
tell which was their council member.
Caroll raised his plate up so everyone could see
it has a number on it, too, now.
Other Council members also commented on various things.
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
George suggested the district number labels
on 20 January 2011.