Tag Archives: Jim Parker

Videos: West Mims Fire, Water Trails, Transportation, Construction Board, 3 tax lighting districts, mosquitoes, no-bid contract @ LCC 2017-08-08

“There’s nobody that can tackle something like that alone,”
said Emergency Management Director Ashley Tye in a

West Mims Fire Special Presentation
with firefighters from all over Lowndes County and its cities,
including a resolution from the Charlton County Commission.

Citizen

Gretchen Quarterman spoke about WWALS and trash and cameras at the
Naylor Boat Ramp site, and about Boy Scouts at the GA 133 Boat Ramp.
Citizen Jim Parker

poked them about public transportation and renewable energy.

They’re settling on
“Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Road to Success”,
but when did Commissioners decide on that between the previous morning’s
open meeting and this one?
But wait: Continue reading →

Valdosta’s Penn Station to be torn down –Alfred Willis @ VCC 2014-10-23

Received as a response to

Outside corporation trumps Valdosta citizens about historical Nichols house? –Jim Parker @ VCC 2014-10-23. -jsq

The City Council’s deliberations on the 23rd had nothing to do with
any construction project, but rather focused on the sale of a parcel
— as

Councilman Carroll’s message of the 25th accurately
conveys. The Council’s vote was historic because it signified openly
the supremacy of certain private property interests (specifically,
those entailed in selling as a form of enjoyment) over civic
cultural interests, at least within the municipality of Valdosta. In
doing so it gave Valdosta’s citizens a peek behind a curtain that
had remained drawn over historic preservation here since 1980. The
construction of buildings, the demolition of buildings, the
remodeling or moving of buildings, the maintenance and preservation
of buildings, their sale and their purchase, their adaptive reuse
— all of those processes are historical processes that turn on
the resolution of conflicts among interests. Thus they all reveal
structures of power and the machinations of powerful individuals and
groups. How could they not?

The construction of the Nichols house in
the early 1950s showed with a degree of clarity that probably no
other Valdosta building of that time did, the identity, values,
attitudes, and mode of operation of Valdosta’s leadership. Its
demolition will Continue reading →

Outside corporation trumps Valdosta citizens about historical Nichols house? –Jim Parker @ VCC 2014-10-23

Received

27 October 2014
about

Whose rights come first? –Tim Carroll. -jsq

So because the owner of the property, which appeared to be a

national property owning corporation for the fraternity’s local
chapters, couldn’t, or more likely, didn’t want to see the cultural
and architectural significance of the Nichols’ House, and merely
wanted to unload the property as quick as possible, their property
rights trump all other citizens of Valdosta in regards to our
historical/cultural history and what we may wish to preserve? Do
private entities, which may not even live here, have carte blanche
to run roughshod and do whatever they please in our city
irregardless of the interests of the citizens that do?

If you think I have a “lack of true understanding Continue reading →

Whose rights come first? –Tim Carroll @ VCC 2014-10-23

Received 25 October 2014 on

Too bad about the Nichols House –Jim Parker @ VCC 2014-10-23. -jsq

I realize many may think none on council heard what Dr. Willis had
to say, but that was not the case. What I think was missed by many
in the audience was the fact that the owner of this property was not
the applicant of this request, but was adamantly opposed to it. Not
only did they have an offer on the table to sell, but it was pending
the outcome of the vote regarding historic designation. To take away
the rights of a property owner at the request of another is a very
tricky thing. Whose rights come first? This was a tough decision in
and unto itself. To suggest that only the monetary value of the
property for taxation purposes drove the decision demonstrates a
lack of true understanding of the all the pertinent facts of this
case.

-Tim Carroll

I think

the applicant’s frat alumnus attorney speaking for 15 minutes against probably tipped off most people about that first point. -jsq

Too bad about the Nichols House –Jim Parker @ VCC 2014-10-23

Received 23 October 2014 on

Alfred Willis comments at Valdosta Historic Preservation 2014-10-06.
I added the [vote correction] and the links. -jsq

I attended tonight’s City Council meeting, and heard
Dr Willis’ impassioned advocacy
of the Council approving the historical
preservation of the Nichols’ House. Our Historic Preservation
Commission

reviewed this and request recommended approval by a vote
of five to one. Dr Willis sold me on the merits. Unfortunately, the
Council must not have heard what I did, and unanimously
voted against
[actually
all but one against]
approving the designation. It looks to me, that as it
stands, demolition of the house could commence tomorrow, and the
replacement construction of the apartments for VSU students can
commence.

A huge number of apartment buildings have been built over the past
few years. First with the large complexes of Blanton Commons, The
Gardens, and The Grove, to the numerous buildings along West Mary,
Baytree Drive, Boone Drive and Oak Street, among others. Plans are
still on tap for the major development of the entire city block just
south of campus (one that I can actually appreciate). The question
was mentioned to me tonight whether Continue reading →

How about as a first step the Chamber pledge… —Jim Parker

Received today on

Why the Chamber Supports Unification. -jsq

So true, John. There was no meat in the whole letter. The last line sums
it up, “We BELIEVE…” yada, yada, yada. Faith based thinking might
fly in religious institutions, but in the education of our children,
we have a pretty good handle on what is needed. Deferring to those
trained and with years of experience in the education of our children,
who have brought

countless facts to the discussion, none of which the
Chamber can or has bothered to refute, I will go along with
both Boards of Education
and vote NO to consolidation.

I did note that Mr Gooding offered to “combine our resources and our
efforts and work together as a community to transform two average
school systems…” Since he used the first person plural “our,”

Continue reading →

A real education dialog @ LCDP 2 May 2011

The only real public dialog about unification or education that

I’ve heard of
was at the May 2011 Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP) meeting,
organized by LCDP Chair Gretchen Quarterman.
You can see it either of two ways:

Through the LCDP 2 May 2011 LAKE blog topic,
which has all the relevant posts, newest first.
Through the YouTube video

playlist.
Each video has a link to the relevant blog post.

School unification dialog at Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP)

Videos by John S. Quarterman, Jim Parker, Gretchen Quarterman, 2 May 2011.

At that LCDP meeting I pointed out
that the CUEE education committee was not scheduled to report back
until after the proposed referendum vote, and nobody had any rebuttal.

-jsq

Where are the students in this decision? —Karen Noll

This comment by Karen Noll came in last night on
“I don’t see a separation”. -jsq

I completely agree with Alex Rowell. What is the purpose of
consolidation/’unification’? Is the purpose to desegregate the two school
districts? If so, how will the new school district deal with the issues
that Leigh Touchton brings up with regard to education not serving black
male students. How will a larger school district better meet the needs of
a much more diverse student body? Furthermore, What do the parents in the
county think about desegregation of their distict? (Because if they don’t
want it, there is no doubt that ‘unification’ will be a disaster for ALL)

OR is the purpose to reduce cost by reducing administrators in the head
office? If that is the purpose where are the students in this decision.

-Karen Noll

CUEE’s

own study says unification wouldn’t save money and

CUEE’s own expert consultant said:

“If you believe in the end that running one system is cheaper than
running two school systems. If in the end you are going to cast a vote
for a single system because you think it would save money, I wouldn’t
cast my vote. I do not think it will save money.”

And, indeed, where are the students in this decision?

-jsq

Consolidation won’t be the magic bullet —Leigh Touchton

This comment by Leigh Touchton, President,

Valdosta-Lowndes NAACP,
came in last night on

“I don’t see a separation”. -jsq

What NAACP has advocated for is cultural competency from our teachers,
this is not necessarily a black or white issue. Often it’s more a matter
of class than race; for example, far too many middle class teachers
expect middle class behavior from children who are living in poverty
and this is an unfair expectation. There are also deep-seated issues
regarding black males that cultural competency won’t address: namely,
that many black teenaged males don’t see any benefit to a high school
education because so many of their family members cannot find work here
in Valdosta. What’s the point to an education if one is still shut out
of most successful careers?

Consolidation won’t be the magic bullet that solves these problems,
there aren’t even any CUEE representatives speaking to these issues. To
most of our members, we think these issues will get worse rather than
better if the two systems were to merge.

-Leigh Touchton

This is not representative of the people —John S. Quarterman on CUEE @ LCDP 2 May 2011

I didn’t intend to say anything Monday, but since

Rev. Bennett named me in his introduction
I thought it necessary to stand up and make it clear that
I do not support CUEE’s plan for school system unification.

After some examples of things on which I agreed or disagreed with
Ashley Paulk, the VDT, the Chamber of Commerce, and VLCIA,
I mentioned that after an SCLC meeting Rusty Griffin told
me that nobody who was not for unification would be accepted
on the CUEE board.

I praised

the upcoming Thursday meeting about education,
but pointed out that commitee would not report back before
the proposed unification vote,
and the CUEE board still had only one member from the county
outside Valdosta, so:

This is not diversification,
this is not representative of the people,
this a small pressure group,
and nothing personal against you,
a small pressure group that is trying to decide
for the rest of us.

Once again, why I’m opposed to CUEE’s unification scheme: