Tag Archives: LAKE

Videos: Candidates, Landowners, Methane and Solar Power @ SpectraBusters 2014-03-29

Candidates for Lowndes County Commission went on the record ( Mark Wisenbaker and Tom Hochschild both running for District 3, and Norman Bennett and Gretchen Quarterman both running for District 5), plus a statement by County Chairman Bill Slaughter, in addition to essential background information from directly affected landowners in the audience and from the panelists on why the proposed Sabal Trail methane pipeline is bad for property values, is hazardous here and elsewhere, and will be obsolete in a few decades, all at a SpectraBusters panel on the Sabal Trail pipeline at VSU, Saturday 29 March 2014.

The panelists were Continue reading →

Annexation and watershed monitoring @ Hahira 2014-04-03

The rezoning and annexation previously recommended by the Planning Commission and discussed by the Lowndes County Commission.

And there’s a Proposal for Long-term Watershed Monitoring from TTL, which may or may not be related to the flood risk management study or flood mapping previously discussed by the city of Valdosta and the Lowndes County Commission.

Curiously, both Wikipedia and the Hahira City Council’s own web page seem to think Wayne Bullard is still mayor. I read in the VDT that Bruce Cain was sworn in as mayor in January.

Thanks to City Manager Jonathan Sumner for the agenda.

Hahira City Council
April 3, 2014
Agenda
7:30 pm-Hahira Courthouse
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Videos: Lake Park annexation dropped and apartment rezoning unpopular @ GLPC 2014-03-31

The annexation request for The Gardens was withdrawn (perhaps because the Lowndes County Commission had already explored options for modifying it or just not annexing it), and the rezoning for the Brookhaven apartments was very unpopular, both for Lake Park, plus a Zoning Ordinance change. The twin Hahira cases to rezone and then annex a lot on the east edge of town sailed through. No city of Valdosta cases this time.

Here’s the agenda, with links to the videos.

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Videos of Day 1 @ LCC-Budget 2014-03-10

It’s a good thing the county held these first-ever (as far as I know) comprehensive budget sessions. Here are videos of the first day. Most of the departments are asking for more money, due to increased population and increased demand for services during a period of economic downturn. Something needs to be done, and these sessions are one step in getting to doing something.

Here’s the agenda.

Sheriff Prine @ LCC-Budget 2014-03-10

Lowndes County Sheriff Prine talked about Administration, the Jail, the Commissary, and Enforcement at the first day of Budget Presentations to the Lowndes County Commission, 10 March 2014. Like most other county-funded departments, he asked for more personnel. The long squeeze of the economic downturn needs to be addressed somehow. These videos show how the Sheriff proposes to address them.

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Controversial rezoning and no annexation @ Lake Park 2014-04-01

The Brookhaven apartment building packed the Planning Commission meeting last night and it’s on the agenda in Lake Park tonight.

The annexation request discussed at length at the 10 March 2014 Lowndes County Commission Work Session was on the agenda for last night’s Planning Commission but was withdrawn. It’s still on this agenda.

And they have Citizens’ Concerns not once but twice.

Here’s the agenda. They put it in HTML right on their website!

Date/Time
Date(s) – April 1, 2014
7:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Location
Lake Park City Hall

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Children dying, mothers crying: Silentdisaster accuses state of hiding true health risks

Seen on Silentdisaster.org’s facebook page. The EPA and GA-EPD meeting last November and later test results did not satisfy them. Wastewater from that Waycross contamination was shipped to the Pecan Row Landfill in Lowndes County, adding to the other toxic materials in that landfill. -jsq

PDF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

April 1, 2014

By: Silentdisaster.org, a citizens group in Waycross, Georgia

Testing conducted by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) have left residents frustrated and angry. Many children are sick and have died from being poisoned by toxic chemicals and residents who live, week-to-week on small budgets, are spending their own money to do testing because they don’t trust government officials who are paid ˜to protect the people and keep them safe’. They should be spending their money on feeding their families and getting well. The lack of honesty in the EPD’s reports is a disgrace to our community and our State.

Newly released environmental testing results Continue reading →

Church parking back yet again @ ZBOA 2014-04-01

North Valdosta Church of God is back for perhaps the fourth time about the parking lot for their new building. Plus a house variance in Lowndes County and a gas station variance in Valdosta.

Here’s the agenda. The City of Valdosta puts ZBOA agendas and minutes online in real PDFs.

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Hahira twins and three each Lake Park and Lowndes County @ GLPC 2014-03-31

The twin Hahira cases are to rezone and then annex a lot on the east edge of town. No city of Valdosta cases this time, but three each for Lowndes County and Lake Park. One of the Lake Park cases is a Zoning Ordinance change.

Here’s the agenda, which arrived as a PDF of an image, which I have OCRed into HTML.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission

Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING

AGENDA

Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue

Monday, March 31, 2014* 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing

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Whom do you serve? A question for local government

A question asked about big oil and Mobile is just as relevant to every local and state government along the proposed Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline, and Transco and Florida Southeast Connection, too. A couple of local elected officials and several candidates did make public statements Saturday (stay tuned), so maybe we’re starting to get some answers to this question in Lowndes County, Georgia. Some other locations have already been getting answers.

Brad Nolen wrote for New American Journal 28 March 2014, How Big Oil Controls Local Governments: Whom Do You Serve? Thoughts on Local Government and Dirty Industries,

Now, it should go without saying that the purpose of councils, commissions and public office in general is to represent the varied interests of the citizens, and hopefully through consensus- seeking achieve some semblance of collective wisdom; and then, if we’re really lucky to apply said wisdom in charting our course toward a Mobile our great grandchildren will be proud to inherit.

Yet, when it came to finding a voice to protect our drinking water from Big Oil, we heard nothing substantive from our local leaders, even though we marched on their doorsteps in boots that are still wet with BP oil.

And now, Continue reading →