I went to the Spectra Pipeline meeting in Moultrie tonight, where many people in blue shirts saying Sabal Trail, including Brian Fahrenthold (who volunteered that I could take pictures of maps) and Andrea Grover (who will be in Valdosta tomorrow), were happy to answer questions from a landowner such as myself.
Here’s just part of the display:
The Making of a Pipeline:
Continue reading
More good news at Valdosta’s other wastewater treatment plant, Mud Creek,
where more solar is being installed;
more about that at tonight’s meeting of the Valdosta-Lowndes County
Industrial Authority.
Mud Creek
was already upgraded in 2012 to handle expected wastewater flow.
Here’s tonight’s agenda:
Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial AuthorityContinue reading
Tuesday, October 15, 2013 5:00 p.m.
Industrial Authority Conference Room
2110 N. Patterson Street
Agenda
Preliminary research indicates that broadband fiber results in about 5% increase in property values for connected houses. This would indicate that an MSA wanting to profit from broadband should want to deploy it as widely as possible, especially in new housing. Hm, what’s the Homebuilders’ Association’s position on this?
The authors report that “fiber presence is associated with a positive effect on property values”, in The Impact of High-Speed Broadband Availability on Real Estate Values: Evidence from United States Property Markets by Gabor Molnar, University of Colorado at Boulder; Scott Savage, University of Colorado at Boulder; Douglas Sicker, University of Colorado at Boulder.
Continue readingThe closest we’re apparently going to get to a town hall or public hearing about the county’s SPLOST VII list: Chairman said “we’re going to open up” for comments. The only taker was Airport Authority Executive Director Jim Galloway. Confusion about the minutes continued. They appointed Ellen Golden to the Department of Family & Children’s Services Board. They hired prisoners again to compete with local labor. They approved a letter from Lovell Engineering to GA EPD on behalf of the county; it wasn’t clear whether any of the Commissioners knew about all the previous violations at the same water treatment plant. They accepted Barrington subdivision infrastructure, whereever that is, saying it wouldn’t cost the county anything, except, of course, maintaining those roads as county development sprawls outwards. They approved their their Directors and Officers insurance. This was all with a bare 3 of 5 quorum, because Commissioners Raines and Powell didn’t show up for work. A citizen thanked the Commission for increasing library funding.
Here’s
the agenda, with links to the videos and a few notes.
See also
the previous morning’s Work Session.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERSContinue reading
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 22, 2013, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
The Executive Director of the Airport Authority pled for runway funding at the 23 July 2013 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.
5. SPLOST VII request from Executive Director of Airport Authority
The one public speaker when County Chairman Bill Slaughter “opened up” the SPLOST VII item was Jim Galloway, Executive Director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport Authority, who noted SPLOST VII included nothing for the airport from the county or any of the cities. The long runway is federally funded, but the shorter runway is not. He asked for county funding. which I see now lists its board members on its website:
Steve Everett – Chairman
Jeff Sikes
Nathaniel Haugabrook
Dr. James Sinnott
Anthony Payton
Jane Shelton
Jim Galloway – executive director/airport manager (229) 333-1833
Here’s Jim Galloway in a Valdosta CEO video explaining what the Airport Authority is and does, for example Continue reading
One hopes all this PR and marketing pays off in jobs.
Remember, the Industrial Authority has kept its cushy
1 mil of property tax throughout the economic downturn.
Four new industry projects are on the agenda this time,
plus more solar power at Valdosta’s Mud Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Much better PR than
Valdosta Fire Dept. helping put out Perma-Fix on fire.
Here’s the agenda in a slightly broken PDF on the VLCIA website and extracted below.
Continue reading
in
the 22 July 2013 Work Session
Here is the letter discussed (“So at this point, in order to comply with the deadline submitted by EPD, it was necessary to go ahead and work with Lovell on this.”)
and approved (“The water is good, right?”)
at the
23 July Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission,
obtained through an Open Records Request by April Huntley,
plus a transcription.
You may wonder, as I do, why the county didn’t just put it online
along with the agenda, like so many other county commissions and
city councils do. Continue reading
A County Commissioner wanted the Utilities Director to confirm that the water was already good before the county fixes the treatment plant at Alapaha Plantation, at the 23 July Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.
7.b. Letter to Environmental Protection Division concerning Alapaha Water Treatment Plant Upgrade
Regarding the letter written by Lovell Engineering to GA EPD on behalf of the
county, discussed in the previous morning’s
22 July 2013 Work Session,
Commissioner Demarcus Marshall asked:
I just had a question regarding the timing of the letter. I know it says eight month pilot study. And I just wanted to know for the record, that the water is good now, right? It’s drinkable, and so forth, just for the public to be aware that it’s not some public health risk out there.
Answer from Utilities Director Mike Allen: Continue reading
Valdosta Mayor Gayle was standing next to the video ghetto after the county’s rather rudimentary SPLOST VII presentation Monday morning, so I asked him why I hadn’t seen anything about Internet access either Valdosta’s or Lowndes County’s SPLOST lists? He said that was because it was being handled by the Community Assessment Group (CAG). What’s that?
Mayor Gayle said CAG is a group of representatives from the county
and all the local cities, the two school districts (Valdosta and Lowndes County),
VSU, Wiregrass Tech, the Industrial Authority, the Chamber, and he may have
said others.
It’s an attempt at better local cooperation, specifically about issues
that cross all the various local governmental and non-governmental groups.
So far they’ve had two meetings, Continue reading
Valdosta Mayor Gayle attended, apparently because of
the SPLOST VII presentation.
Emily Golden for DFCS.
Prisoners for wastewater,
another wastewater problem,
insurance for liabilty,
and I’m not the only one who
makes jokes at Joe Pritchard’s expense.
They vote tonight at 5:30 PM, and apparently they’re going to give the SPLOST presentation again, too.
Here’s the agenda, with links to the videos and a few notes.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, JULY 22, 2013, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
- Call to Order
Chairman Bill Slaughter recognized Valdosta Mayor John Gayle, who was sitting in the back.
- Invocation
Only in the Regular Session.
- Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
Only in the Regular Session.
- Minutes for Approval
- Work Session — July 8, 2013
- Regular Session — July 9, 2013
County Manager Joe Pritchard was also confused as to what did the Commissioners approve regarding the “conjoined” items in the 9 July Regular Session:
- For Consideration
- Video Arraignment for Magistrate and Juvenile Court Contract
- Enterprise and Backup Storage Solution Scope of Work
Pritchard noted County Attorney Walter Elliott referred to the purchase orders for item 6.a., saying purchase orders item 6.b. were “not present”. Pritchard wanted to know if Commissioners approved both of them.
Commissioner Crawford Powell said he thought the way “Walter” stated it they didn’t approve either one of them. Little joke. “Walter” got it, and eventually Pritchard did, too, after everyone else laughed. Then Powell clarified that they had approved both items.
Which anyone can see in the LAKE video of those items. Hm, if the Commission kept their own videos, Pritchard could have just looked at those and seen.
- Special Presentation & Consideration — Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax VII
There was something new in what Joe Pritchard said:
Commissioners each had an opportunity for independent review and evaluation.For that and more, including the slides, see separate post.
Appointment – Department of Family & Children’s Services Board
Emily Golden is the candidate; see separate post for much more.
- For Consideration
- Prison Detail Contracts
Three details at $39,500 each, no increase from last year, said Public Works Director Robin Cumbus; see other post for what Commissioners Marshall, Slaughter, and Powell had to say.
Letter to Environmental Protection Division concerning Alapaha Water Treatment Plant Upgrade
It’s because of a notice of violation from GA EPD, said Utilities Director Mike Allen, and he’d been working with Lovell Engineering on a letter to say the problem of disinfection byproducts would be fixed by the end of March 2015.
Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know if Lovell Engineering would be submitting “on our behalf, or would we be submitting it?” See separate post for more.
- Contract with GA Department of Transportation for Off System Safety Action Program
The county has received a grant from GDOT for striking, signs, and raised pavement markers for 30.79 miles of road, for $142,491.75.
I will also give you a copy of the roads that will be restruck under this contract. Commissioners had no questions.Why wasn’t that copy in the board packet and online with the agenda? How can you find out if your road is on that list? File an open records request.
Adopt Resolution accepting infrastructure for Barrington Subdivision Phase I
Engineer said it was mostly complete but they were waiting on a punch list from the developer before signing off on it. Commissioners had no questions.
- ACCG IRMA Liability Program Renewal
So the county does have liability insurance that covers Commissioners, and all other employees, too. See separate post.
- Resolution for ACCG-GEBCorp Retirement Eligibility Amendment
Couple of new employees missed being in county’s retirement plan, and this deals with that. See separate post.
- Reports-County Manager
No report, but he asked for an executive session “for purposes of attorney-client communications”.
In this video of them returning from that executive session, you can see local attorney Tom Gooding coming out of the side room with them.
Then they adjourned the Work Session.
- Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address
Only in the Regular Session, which is tonight at 5:30 PM.
Here’s a video playlist:
Videos: SPLOST, Children’s Appointment, Prisoners, and Water @ LCC 2013-07-22
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Videos by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 22 July 2013.
-jsq