Tag Archives: John S. Quarterman

About those minutes —Bobbi Anne Hancock @ VLCIA 19 April 2011

Stonewalling is a good way to get your Industrial Authority on the front page of the local newspaper (again). Here’s video of what Bobbi Anne Hancock said to the board about their minutes (and other things).

First, here’s is VDT reporter David Rodock’s excerpt of what she said last night:

Bobbi Anne Hancock, the woman who made an Open Records request with the Authority for meeting minutes from 2006 to the present day, spoke to board members during the citizens to be heard portion of the meeting.

“The majority of your costs for the request are for the five hours

Continue reading →

Protesters at Industrial Authority, 19 April 2011

The protesters are revolting these days! Is there nothing an Industrial Authority can do to keep them off its doorstep?

Where are these people protesting? Could it be outside the Industrial Authority?


Protesters @ VLCIA 19 April 2011 Part 1 of 4:
Biomass protesters,
Regular monthly meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority, VLCIA,
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Tom Call, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Allan Ricketts Acting Executive Director, 19 April 2011,
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman and John S. Quarterman
for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Why that sign says Continue reading →

Why solar cuts it better than any other energy source

Solar power is the fastest growing industry in the world, and south Georgia is an excellent place for it to grow and produce jobs, with plenty of rooftops and parking lots for solar panels.

This is despite the misinformation people with vested interests in other energy sources put out about solar power. After Dr. Matthew Richard made some points about solar vs. biomass, one of the members of the 6 December 2010 panel that VLCIA spent more than $17,000 to assemble to defend biomass responded that he was in favor of the nearby 300kWatt solar plant, but: well, I’m going to interleave his buts with what he’s ignoring. Continue reading →

How much does the owl weigh?

One of LAKE’s intrepid investigative teams managed to get an appointment to visit the Lowndes County Courthouse Owl. John S. Quarterman answers the question: how much does the owl weigh? Here’s the video.


Visiting the Lowndes County Courthouse Owl, Lowndes County, Georgia, 14 April 2011. Video by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

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T-SPLOST Executive Committee —Ashley Paulk of LCC at LCDP (Part 2)

He says there’s a lot more to learn, T-SPLOST has got a good regional executive committee, etc., but:
Right now, I do not have a good or warm fuzzy feeling about this. That could change.
And previously he said if it did change, he would come back and tell us about it.

That was Ashley Paulk, Chairman of the Lowndes County Commission (LCC), talking at the Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP) monthly meeting about T-SPLOST.

Here’s the video:


Ashley Paulk, Chairman of the Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
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: Questions.

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T-SPLOST has a stick —Ashley Paulk of LCC at LCDP (Part 1)

Gretchen Quarterman, Chair of the Lowndes County Democratic Party (LCDP), thanks Corey Hull of VLMPO and says the next speaker will give us some inside knowledge about T-SPLOST. Ashley Paulk, Chairman of the Lowndes County Commission (LCC) is not a fan of T-SPLOST. He says:
Y’all know I’m on the executive committee, so I guess I should be a salesman. But I’m sorry. Y’all know me pretty well, I’ve got to really be not just a little bit correct, but it’s got to be good for the people. I think what disturbs me, is when you’ve got to put something in the law that’s a stick, carrot and stick, you don’t do what I’ve said you’re going to get punished.
He made that point at least three times.

He also doesn’t like Continue reading →

Biomass protesters @ VCC 7 April 2011

You’ve seen them before and here they are again: biomass protesters, this time outside Valdosta City Hall, 7 April 2011.

Old and young, Continue reading →

T-SPLOST Referendum in 2012 —Corey Hull (Part 6)

OK, so the regional executive committee selects from the T-SPLOST lists submitted by the local jurisdications and boomaranged through GDOT. Then what? Corey Hull of VLMPO says:

Public meetings will be held in August and September before the regional transportation roundtable meets before October 15th; that’s what their deadline is to vote….

The referendum will be in the summer of 2012 … July or August 2012….

Then the tax begins January 2013.

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.

  • Part 1: T-SPLOST Explained —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP
  • Part 2: T-SPLOST Business plan —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP
  • Part 3: T-SPLOST Project Lists —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP
  • Part 4: T-SPLOST Penalties and LMIG —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP
  • Part 5: T-SPLOST Projects to GDOT —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP
  • Part 6: T-SPLOST Referendum in 2012 —Corey Hull

Next: Ashley Paulk talks about the T-SPLOST executive committee.

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T-SPLOST Projects to GDOT —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP (Part 5)

OK, so local jurisdictions have submitted their T-SPLOST project lists and if their regional roundtable doesn’t have a combined list ready for the voters in time, there are penalties. So what’s the next step?

Corey Hull of VLMPO explains that next they go to GDOT and then back.

On April 13th we have to turn those projects in to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

…

On June 1st or thereabouts, the executive committee that Chairman Paulk is on is gonna receive the unconstrained project list. It won’t be … constrained to the amount of money the economists say we will receive.

…

It is that executive committee’s responsibility to go through and select projects and select the projects off that we can afford for the region.

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: Referendum in 2012.

-jsq

T-SPLOST Penalties and LMIG —Corey Hull of VLMPO at LCDP (Part 4)

What’s your penalty, 50%, 30%, other? Corey Hull of VLMPO continues explaining T-SPLOST at LCDP.
If the regional transportation roundtable does not agree on a list to present to the voters by October 15th of 2011, then each jurisdiction in this region must match their Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant … at a rate of 50%.
That’s Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant Program (LMIG). So if they get $100,000 from LMIG they’ll have to match that with $50,000. This will affect smaller communities the most, since they use the most LMIG funds proportionally. And the most likely way to raise the funds to match is to raise property taxes.

So what if there is a list on the ballot but the voters vote it down? Continue reading →