Tag Archives: LAKE

CALEA presentation —Chief Frank Simons @ VCC 25 August 2011

The Valdosta Police Department got not only CALEA accreditation but an award, again for several years running.

First the council voted on the award.

Here’s Part 1 of 6:


CALEA presentation —Chief Frank Simons @ VCC 25 August 2011 Part 1 of 6:
Regular Session, Valdosta City Council (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 25 August 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Then Police Chief Frank Simons introduced the subject.

Here’s Part 2 of 6: Continue reading →

Photographers stay to the back

After the County Commission meeting today, Chairman Ashley Paulk and I were chatting and he mentioned that starting at the next meeting everyone with a camera would be moved to the back of the room.

As I went out of the commission chambers, Continue reading →

Snake Nation Decision, Lowndes County Commission, Tonight 5:30PM

Here are videos of yesterday’s Lowndes County Commission work session. Tonight, come see the local government decide about a change order for routing around the sinkhole at Snake Nation Road. Agenda after the videos.

Here’s a playlist:


Snake Nation Decision, Lowndes County Commission, Tonight 5:30PM
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 22 August 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Here’s the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2011, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

  1. Call to Order
  2. Invocation
  3. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
  4. Minutes for Approval
    1. Work Session — August 8, 2011
    2. Regular Session — August 9, 2011
  5. For Consideration
    1. Change Order to Snake Nation Road Contract
    2. Assistance to Firefighters Grant
    3. James Road Water Main Repair
    4. Capacity Fee Waiver for Country View Mobile Home Park
    5. SCADA Upgrade
    6. USGS Funding Agreement for Hwy 122 Stream Gauge
    7. Declaration of Merchandise as Surplus — Fire Department and Public Works
    8. Approval of TAN and Resolution
  6. Bids
    1. Training Tower for the Fire Department
    2. Asphalt Surfacing at Naylor and Clyattville Parks
    3. Striping and Signage on 29.34 Miles of Roadway
  7. Reports-County Manager
  8. Citizens Wishing to be Heard Please State Name And Address

-jsq

I live in the shadow of … the biomass plant —protester @ VLCIA 19 July 2011

A protester I hadn’t seen before:
I live in the shadows of where they were talking about building it. So I’m a little sceptical when they tell me that, you know, it’s safe.

They told me the same about Agent Organge before I went to Vietnam. It turned out it was dangerous to us.

He told me his name, but my memory for names is like, er, what was I saying? Somebody please help identify him.

Here’s the video: Continue reading →

Industrial Park Acreage —Andrea Schruijer @ VLCIA 19 July 2011

Apparently VLCIA has few or no tracts of 200 acres or up out of their 577 acres.

New Executive Director Andrea Schruijer said:

We’re looking at having prospects in, or existing industries are looking to come here, we don’t actually look like we have a 577 acre tract that we can market. It’s actually a lot smaller than that. So when a company comes in and wants 200 acres that’s something we have a gap in.
She’s following up on former chairman Jerry Jennett’s request. Jennett remarked at this meeting Continue reading →

LCC Lunch and Learn 11 August 2011

The first Lowndes County Lunch and Learn was Thursday, 11 August, 2011. Paige Dukes, County Clerk and Public Information Officer, presented.
“I work in everyone’s business, just a little bit.”
Commissioner Joyce Evans made a brief viridian green appearance. Gretchen Quarterman videoed for LAKE. I think that’s Jody making the loud paper crackling noises. I hear Paige is sending her slides for posting on the LAKE web pages. Looks to me like they could use some more attendees. They’re going to the trouble to do this; y’all come and help them out!

Here’s a playlist:


LCC Lunch and Learn 11 August 2011
Lunch and Learn, Lowndes County Staff (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 11 August 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Lowndes County doesn’t do what it says —Ernest McDonald @ LCC 8 August 2011

County resident Ernest McDonald laid out a list of issues he said the county hasn’t addressed correctly. He said it wasn’t anything personal. He wasn’t mad. He just thought there were some issues that needed to be addressed.

For example, regarding moving a power line from one side of the road to another as agreed:

We met every person involved. The state, the high pressure gasline…. The telephone buried cable people, they came. The county engineer came…. And we all agreed…. Put stakes in the ground…. The stakes had rotted down.
It’s been so long the stakes rotted down, and nothing ever got done. As Ernest McDonald said:
That’s not right.
The County Engineer was missing from the meeting. It’s a bit hard to see in the picture, but there are only two heads in front of the glaring window, and the Engineer would be the third head in the middle.

In another issue, Ernest McDonald paid $650 to find a sewer line, marked it, and the county tore up Continue reading →

Ill-conceived to contaminate our air —Barry Z. Hyatt @ VLCIA 19 April 2011

Every protester has a story:
We’re here to protest the building of the biomass plant. We think it’s ill-conceived to contaminate our air. Our children, retirees, all sorts of folks….

Here’s the video:


Ill-conceived to contaminate our air –Barry Z. Hyatt @ VLCIA 19 April 2011
Biomass protesters,
Regular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Tom Call, Roy Copeland, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
Brad Lofton Executive Director, J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Allan Ricketts Project Manager,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 19 April 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Workforce development meeting at Wiregrass Tech —G. Norman Bennett @ VLCIA 19 July 2011

G. Norman Bennett advocated attending the Wiregrass Tech town hall on a soft skills/work ethics curriculum 8 August 2011.
“Georgia is leading the nation in workforce development.”
Wiregrass Tech is one of the keys to local workforce development. If you’re interested in that, please go. It’s this coming Monday.

Here’s the video:


Workforce development meeting at Wiregrass Tech —G. Norman Bennett @ VLCIA 19 July 2011
Regular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Tom Call, Roy Copeland chairman, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett,
Andrea Schruijer Executive Director, J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Allan Ricketts Project Manager,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 19 July 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

I already posted another view of this, by George Rhynes. But that one was at the end of a video of me talking, and I think what Norman Bennett had to say is important and deserves its own post.

-jsq

Protesters @ VLCIA 19 July 2011

In case you thought they had gone away, here’s a video of biomass protesters at the most recent Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA) meeting. I suggested they put up some permanent signs.

Here’s the video:


Protesters @ VLCIA 19 July 2011
Regular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Tom Call, Roy Copeland chairman, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett,
Andrea Schruijer Executive Director, J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Allan Ricketts Project Manager,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 19 July 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq