Tag Archives: Hahira

Qualifying for local city elections is next week

The VDT editorialized yesterday:
On Monday, qualifying week begins for candidates interested in running in the November election for Valdosta Mayor, City Council At Large and Council Districts 1, 3, and 5; Hahira City Council Districts 2 and 3; City of Dasher Post 3 and 4; City of Lake Park Mayor and four council positions; Remerton Mayor and five council seats; Valdosta School Board Districts 4, 5, and 6.
The VDT points out that city elections usually don’t get much turnout, but this year there are two referendum questions on the ballot that may cause record turnout. They are: Continue reading →

Comprehensive Plan Update Due

Hm, does Lowndes County also have to provide an update for the Comprehensive Plan? If so, where is it? And how are we to find out about it?

Found in the August Valdosta Planners Post:

STWP Update Due Fall 2011

The five‐year Short Term Work Plan (STWP) for the 2030 Greater Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan is due for an update later this year. The STWP is a key implementation tool that reflects the activities and strategies to support the Comprehensive Plan goals, which the City of Valdosta has undertaken for the past five years (2007‐2011). It also sets future activities and strategies for the next five years (2012‐2017). A ‘report of accomplishments’ that identifies the current status of each activity in the current STWP must be submitted to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. A local public hearing must be held and a local resolution passed in order to adopt a the STWP update. Please check our website at www.valdostacity.com/planning for news and meeting schedules related to the STWP update.
According to the FAQ for the 2030 Greater Lowndes Comprehensive Plan: Continue reading →

Hahira City Council Meeting —Barbara Stratton 4 August 2011

Received today, and I saw the owl chortling with glee at the prospect of reports on another local council. -jsq
The LAKE blog has been doing an excellent job of publishing what is happening in various Valdosta and Lowndes County public meetings. I have been attending the Hahira City Council meetings for several months now and decided I would start posting a monthly blog summary of council meetings so Hahira residents will be aware of what is happening in their city. This is not intended to be an official documentation and citizens should depend on the official meeting minutes and/or discuss issues with city officials.

It was announced that a hearing had been advertised to discuss changing the millage rate for the city and it was decided the mileage rate would remain the same with no increase.

The review of bills/budget overages were approved by the council.

Addendum to the summary – Per history records, on Feb. 15, 2011 the Valdosta Daily Times printed an article about a special meeting of concerned citizens and Hahira city officials which discussed several agenda items relating to the city’s trash services. During the meeting citizens were not allowed to speak. Mayer Wayne Bullard recused himself after stating he was employed by All Green Services which could be a

Continue reading →

This looks like gambling with my tax dollars. —Karen Noll

Received yesterday on “You can’t borrow yourself into prosperity.”:
The industrial authority’s spending of money seems to have no end. They don’t seem to budget appropriately or have a long range plan for the land they have acquired. Yet another industrial park when the Hahira park is still without any leasers.

This looks like gambling with my tax dollars. I don’t gamble with my own money for the reason that I am likely to loose. The board & staff feel no responsibility to the taxpayers. so, it is clear that they would ignore our demand for a no biomass clause and support of clean air for our families.

-Karen Noll

$7.5 million T-SPLOST for a bus system

What costs less than $10 million to widen New Bethel Road from 2 to five lanes and less than $8 million to widen Old US 41 North? The answer is $7.5 million for a Valdosta Urbanized Area Transit System
…including the creation and maintainance of a Public Transit System in the City of Valdosta and Greater Valdosta-Lowndes County.
What would be the benefits?
This project will provide mobility options for all travelers; improve access to employment; and help mitigate congestion and maximize the use of existing infrastructure by promoting high-occupancy travel.
And that’s the entire description for this project. Nothing about promoting sprawl. Would actually promote dense close-in development. Can’t be very important, then, right?

Not when the sprawl plans for Val Del Road and Cat Creek Road add up to $6 million, or almost enough for the entire bus system.

Last time the transit system was being considered by the county, I was asked by a prominent local politican, “would you ride it?” Not every day. But more often than I would drive on the $10 million five lane New Bethel Road.

If you’re interested in a potential bus system, here is a lot more information about it.

Here’s what Lowndes County submitted for T-SPLOST funding, extracted from the 171 page PDF.

Project Sheet

Continue reading →

$3 million T-SPLOST to widen Val Del Road

In the Lowndes County T-SPLOST boondoggle of the day, the county wants $3 million to widen Val Del Road: all of it that’s in the county, plus adding paved shoulders, and at some intersections turn lanes, plus fiddling with drainage. Nothing in the writeup about promoting new development, although we saw in the proposal for Old US 41 N that that’s exactly what road widening projects are for.

Here’s what Lowndes County submitted for T-SPLOST funding, extracted from the 171 page PDF.

Project Sheet

Continue reading →

Widening Old US 41 North: It’s Back, for $8 million T-SPLOST!

Lowndes County wants $8 million T-SPLOST to widen Old US 41 North from North Valdosta Road to Union Road, and the map shows the entire road to the center of Hahira as part of the plan.

Back in 2009, a local citizens group called car41no managed to fight off widening Old US 41 North all the way into Hahira, at least temporarily. Well, it’s back! This time, instead of asking for general GDOT money, Lowndes County is asking for funds from the proposed T-SPLOST one cent sales tax.

What is in the plan for old US 41 North between Union Road and Hahira?

It is proposed to construct bike lanes and possibly sidewalks throughout the project for the residents of this area to use.
I suspect “construct bike lanes” means paint lines on the pavement, and note that sidewalks are just “possibly”.

So what is this plan really for? Continue reading →

T-SPLOST Projects for Southern Georgia Region

This came in yesterday. -jsq
From: “Jane Osborn”
Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:32:19 -0400

Have you seen these proposed projects for our region if the transportation tax is passed? A few meetings have been held in local cities, mostly attended by elected officials with Ashley Paulk as the chair of our committee. Committee members are listed and projects proposed for each county in the region are outlined in great detail.

PDF

Jane F. Osborn, MSSW
Valdosta, GA
229-630-0924 cell

Hahira Farm Days 4 June 2011

It’s that time again: Hahira Market Days.

Ms. Anderson had cut flowers:


Hahira Market Days Part 1 of 3:
Hahira Market Days, Hahira, Lowndes County, Georgia, 4 June 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

A bunch of customers wanted vegetables: Continue reading →

Hahira Market Days this Saturday

I asked Hahira’s new special events coordinator, Sherri Burgess, “when will the Hahira Farmers’ Market be this year?” She replied:
Market Days will be held on Saturdays from 8 to 12 during the months of June and July.

Sherri Burgess
Special Event Coordinator
City of Hahira
102 S. Church Street
Hahira, GA 31632
229.794.2567
downtown@hahira.ga.us

So meet us at the caboose on Main Street! Get there by 8AM if you can; usually sold out by noon.

The pictures of previous Hahira markets are from 26 June 2010, 3 July 2010, and 10 July 2010.

-jsq