It's Hahira Third Thursday tonight from 5PM to 8PM: farmers market, food, hot dogs, hamburgers, music!
Third Thursday comes again on the 20th of September.
The following Saturday, the 22nd of September, it's Motor on Main from 2-6:30 PM and Fall Dance 6:30 to 10:30 PM.
For more information, please contact:
Stacey Dershimer Special Event Coordinator City of Hahira 102 S. Church Street Hahira, GA 31632 229.794.2567 office 229-560-0627 cell downtown@hahira.ga.us Hahira Happenings on facebook
Do big box stores count as development? Are they worth millions in tax incentives and bond investments? Maybe we can find something better for local industry and jobs.
Rumors have been flying for years about a Bass Pro store coming to Valdosta, like this one on a Georgia Outdoor News forum:
01-22-2008, 09:05 PM, bear-229 ive heard the land has been bought. very close to the new toyota lot but it has not made it to the “new locations” on the web site
That’s on James Road, in that huge proposed development that Lowndes County approved around that time.
Both Bass Pro Shops and its archrival, Cabela’s, sell hunting and fishing gear in cathedral-like stores featuring taxidermied wildlife, gigantic fresh-water aquarium exhibits and elaborate outdoor reproductions within the stores. The stores are billed as job generators by both companies when they are fishing for development dollars. But the firms’ economic benefits are minimal and costs to taxpayers are great.
An exhaustive investigation conducted by the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity found that the two competing firms together have received or are promised more than $2.2 billion from American taxpayers over the past 15 years.
Here are the rest of the videos from the Hahira City Council meeting of 2 August 2012, including the very interesting scheduled agenda items in which each Council member, the City Manager, and the Mayor give their thoughts on issues relevant to the City of Hahira.
Regular Session, Hahira City Council (Hahira), Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Hahira, Lowndes County, Georgia, 2 August 2012.
Here’s a video playlist of most of the Hahira City Council Regular Session of Thursday 2 August 2012. Hahira City Council (population about 2,800) spent more time in open public discussion about each of
several individual agenda items than the Lowndes County Commission (population 111,000+) typically spends on an entire “open meeting”.
Near the beginning they still have Citizens to Be Heard. Maybe they’re not afraid of their citizens? Citizens mostly wanted to talk about the police chief’s proposal to fine people who didn’t mow their lawns.
A few more videos will be added, probably today, (now available as
Council Comments)
of the votes on cost of living increases (yea), SPLOST VII (yea), the consent agenda (yea), and council comments at the end of the session.
The agenda is below after the videos; thanks to City Manager Jonathan Sumner for sending it. Here’s the video playlist:
-jsq
Video Playlist Hahira City Council Regular Session, Hahira City Council (Hahira), Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Hahira, Lowndes County, Georgia, 2 August 2012.
It’s nice to know Hahira will get a break in interest, but tax payers will still have to pay back the loan. I missed the council meeting which is unusual for me. Does the video show anything about the fact some council members voted not to raise the tap fees for new construction which would certainly help pay back the loan instead of depending so much on tax monies? Developers should not be allowed to come in and make huge profits from new construction, then take their profits and let the citizens pay the price for increased water demands. Raising the one time tap fees would have distributed some of the costs to the developers who enjoy the profits from increased demands on the infrastructure and water usage.
-Barbara Stratton
Yes, we have video of the entire Hahira City Council meeting, which will be posted soon. LAKE is always happy to accept help in taking or labeling videos.
A house burned down this morning on US 122 east of the Boys Ranch. Multiple Lowndes County Fire and Rescue trucks were there, one from as far away as Shiloh, plus Moody Fire Emergency Services, an SGMC Paramedic Unit, and a Sheriff’s deputy directing traffic. The location was 5522 E Highway 122.
Fire on U.S. 122, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 August 2012 Part 1 of 3: Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Hahira, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 August 2012.
The Governor’s water supply program awarded funding to eight water supply projects across the state.
The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority and the Georgia Department of Community affairs announced more than 90 million dollars in loans.
They’re aimed at helping finance water supply infrastructure.
The cities of Hahira and Vienna were approved for loans to construct new water supply wells. Newton, Oconee and Walton counties were all awarded 40 year loans to construct new reservoirs.
The Hahira Historical Society’s parking lot was full at 6:30, with people parking in front of the building to vote. I found some last-minute campaigners, as well.
Results from GA Secretary of State Screenshot by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Lowndes County, Georgia, 31 July 2012.
Allen Lane and Demarcus Marshall are neck and neck for District 4 (East) for Lowndes County Commission in the Democratic primary, while John Gates is ahead of Jamew Warren III in the Republican primary.
For District 5 (West), Jody Hall is ahead, followed by John Page in the Republican primary, and it looks like they’ll be in a runoff.
Still confused after seeing the list of polling places? Want to know which precinct you're in? My Voter Page provided by the Georgia Secretary of State can tell you, along with a map and directions. It can also provide you with a sample ballot.
Hm, here's the T-SPLOST referendum wording:
SPECIAL ELECTION Referendum 1
Southern Georgia District T-SPLOST
(Vote for One)
Provides for local transportation projects to create jobs, improve roads and safety with citizen oversight. Shall Lowndes County's transportation system and the transportation network in this region be improved by providing for a 1 percent special district transportation sales and use tax for the purpose of transportation projects and programs for a period of ten years?
YES
NO
Well, now that they mention it, I'd say T-SPLOST shall not improve the transportation system in this county or region, and that's why I'm voting against it.
Third Thursday comes again on the 20th of September.
