Tag Archives: Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant

Videos: DBHDD appointments, VAWA, Juvenile Justice, Naylor Tower Top Amp, LMIG Resurfacing @ LCC Regular 2025-04-22

It is mysterious why 7.b. Val Del Rd and N. Valdosta Rd. Intersection improvement was only added in this Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission. They’ve been leading up to it for a long time. Apparently the two bids were only opened the previous day; I thought bid openings were scheduled.

[Collage @ LCC 21 April 2025]
Collage @ LCC 21 April 2025

In this meeting, they talked about that intersection for almost seven minutes, which is very long for this body. The intersection will completely close starting May 27, probably for most of the summer. It will end up with two lanes going north, and three lanes going south: one left only, one left or straight, one right only.

The old US 41 North facebook group has renamed itself to follow this development
https://www.facebook.com/LowndesCoHwy41WideningRoadProjectUpdates

Second longest was Continue reading

Videos: DBHDD appointments, VAWA, Juvenile Justice, Naylor Tower Top Amp, LMIG Resurfacing @ LCC Work 2025-04-21

Update 2025-04-29: Videos: DBHDD appointments, VAWA, Juvenile Justice, Naylor Tower Top Amp, LMIG Resurfacing @ LCC Regular 2025-04-22.

It took 14 minutes, the Monday morning Work Session. Much of that the Lowndes County Commission spent on the LMIG road resurfacing item and on the two court grant items.

They voted this evening at 5:30 PM: LAKE videos to come.

[Collage @ LCC 21 April 2025]
Collage @ LCC 21 April 2025

At the Work Session, Lowndes County Commissioner Michael Smith volunteered for one of the two posts available on 5.a. Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), with Juliana Powell having already applied for one of them.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know whether there were any problems with DEI on the 6.a. Acceptance of the VAWA Continuation Grant Award for 2025. Nobody seemed to know, or to address the question.

Commissioner Marshall asked a similar question about 6.b. FY2026 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant Application. County Manager Paige Dukes said basically that with things changing daily in the federal goverment, nobody knows. Commissioner Michael Smith had a question about service areas.

There was some chit-chat about 6.c. Emergency Purchase – Naylor Tower Top Amp Replacement.

There was some discussion of districts, specific roads, and state funding, after Commissioner Wisenbaker asked to have the list of roads being repaved read out for 7.a. 2025 LMIG Resurfacing Bids (Project #: ENG 2025-01).

Here are LAKE videos of each agenda item, with a few comments by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist. Continue reading

Packet: DBHDD appointments, VAWA, Juvenile Justice, Naylor Tower Top Amp, LMIG Resurfacing @ LCC 2025-04-21

Update 2025-04-22: Videos: DBHDD appointments, VAWA, Juvenile Justice, Naylor Tower Top Amp, LMIG Resurfacing @ LCC Work 2025-04-21.

It’s a pretty light agenda for the Lowndes County Commission Work Session Monday morning, April 21, with voting the Regular Session Tuesday evening, April 22.

Two posts are open with only one applicant for appointment to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD).

There is a regular court grant renewal and an application for another.

Lightning caused the Emergency Purchase – Naylor Tower Top Amp Replacement.

And there are road resurfacing projects using state and SPLOST funds.

[Collage @ LCC Packet 2025-04-21]
Collage @ LCC Packet 2025-04-21

Of those projects, two are mostly or completely reimbursed from funds outside the county. So it is hard to add them up in a simple table like this.

Cost What
$-36,776.00Emergency Purchase – Naylor Tower Top Amp Replacement (Capital funding)
$-342,493.00FY2026 Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant Application (reimbursed by CICC)
$-1,478,673.942025 Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) Resurfacing Bids (Funding: SPLOST/LMIG)
$-1,857,942.94Total

Here is the agenda.

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2025, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2025, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading

Videos: Development Authority appointment, VOCA grants, Coleman Road paving, LMIG, Water projects, Windstream @ LCC Regular 2025-01-15

Ms. Terri Lupo was reappointed to the 5.a. Valdosta Lowndes Development Authority.

The Lowndes County Commission at their Regular Session of January 14, 2025, also passed everything else unanimously, with little or no discussion.

[Collage @ LCC 14 January 2025]
Collage @ LCC 14 January 2025

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall did have a question about 7.k. GEFA Loan DWLSL2023097 for Lead Service Line Inventory. He also had a special thanks for Samaritan’s Purse in Commission Comments.

Former Valdosta City Council Alvin Payton, Jr., sat front and center the entire meeting.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few comments by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also Continue reading

Packet: Development Authority appointment, VOCA grants, Coleman Road paving, LMIG, Water projects, Windstream @ LCC 2025-01-13

Update 2025-01-16: Videos: Development Authority appointment, VOCA grants, Coleman Road paving, LMIG, Water projects, Windstream @ LCC Regular 2025-01-14

Yesterday morning Commissioner Mark Wisenbarker wanted to know whether the staff had a list of roads needing striping for 7.g. 2025 Georgia DoT Local Maintenance – Improvement Grant (LMIG) Application. Here’s the project list:

[Road paving list and Broadband map @ LCC Packet 2025-01-13]
Road paving list and Broadband map @ LCC Packet 2025-01-13

The map appears to be where Windstream thinks Lowndes County already had broadband in 2021. Continue reading

Videos: Development Authority appointment, VOCA grants, Coleman Road paving, LMIG, Water projects, Windstream @ LCC Work Session 2025-10-13

The Lowndes County Commission started the Work Session yesterday morning by welcoming new Commissioner Michael Smith. He will vote for the first time at the Regular Session this evening at 5:30 PM.

[Collage @ LCC 13 January 2025]
Collage @ LCC 13 January 2025

Chairman Bill Slaughter praised Terri Lupo, long-time baord member of the 5.a. Valdosta Lowndes Development Authority, although he noted there were two other applicants for her expired term.

There was some discussion on 7.f. Emergency Repair – Lowndes County Fire Station #5. Fire Station #5 is the one on Bemiss Road. Apparently after the November rain, there was a sewage back up in the fire station that was 3″ deep and everything from the floor to 2′ up the wall had to be replaced, including furniture. Insurance covered some of the cost.

Commissioner Mark Wisenbarker wanted to know whether the staff had a list of roads needing striping for 7.g. 2025 Georgia DoT Local Maintenance – Improvement Grant (LMIG) Application. Answer: yes.

They do not yet have a design for the 7.h. Local Bridge Replacement at Jumping Gully Road at Bevel Creek (0019937).

There was Commissioner discussion about the prices for the Continue reading

Agenda: Development Authority appointment, VOCA grants, Coleman Road paving, LMIG, Water projects, Windstream @ LCC 2025-01-13

It’s a busy first agenda of the year for the Lowndes County Commission, Work Session Monday morning, voting Regular Session Tuesday evening.

[Agenda: VLDA appointment, Coleman Road paving, LMIG, VOCA grants, Water projects, Windstream @ LCC 2025-01-13]
Agenda: VLDA appointment, Coleman Road paving, LMIG, VOCA grants, Water projects, Windstream @ LCC 2025-01-13

Terri Lupo’s term has expired for the Development Authority. Robert Green and Brice Evans also want to be appointed. Usually the Commission reappoints the incumbent.
Cost What
$1,300,000.00Coleman Road NW Paving and Drainage Improvements, P.1.0016279 Supplemental Agreement No. 1
$635,000.00GEFA Loan DWLSL2023097 for Lead Service Line Inventory
$160,122.00Bid for Six Compact SUV Vehicles for Multiple Departments
$79,380.00Emergency Repair – Lowndes County Fire Station #5
$50,000.00Lowndes County Local Bridge Replacement at Jumping Gully Road at Bevel Creek (0019937)
$45,761.60Union Road Lift Station Pump Replacement
$33,232.00Approval of the Solicitor General’s FY25 VOCA Grant Award
$2,303,495.60Total

The above table, generated by LAKE from the agenda items, is hard to add up because of items where the BUDGET IMPACT is actually incoming funds from a new source, such as this one: Continue reading

Videos: Budget award, LMIG for Val Del Road widening, Jail addition max price, service and software agreements @ LCC Regular 2024-05-28

The Regular Session two weeks ago took 26 minutes, but 14 of that was the County Manager’s Report, 2 was the Budget award presentation, and 1 was the invocation and pledge, so 9 minutes were about business.

[Collage @ LCC 28 May 2024]
Collage @ LCC 28 May 2024

The Lowndes County Commissioners unanimously approved everything, including the application for state funds for the Val Del Road intersection expansion to support subdivisions and the almost $9 million jail expansion. There was some discussion about the process of moving from Code Red to RAVE Alert.

Again in the Regular Session after they did it in the Work Session: a presentation about Lowndes County having won a Distinguished Budget Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the 18th year.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading

Agenda: Budget, Personal Care Home, streets and transit, 2 sewer repairs @ VCC 2024-06-06

Nobody attended the First Hearing of the proposed FY 2025 Valdosta Budget, so Thursday is your last chance, at the Second Hearing, at the Valdosta City Council meeting.

[Agenda: Budget, sewers, Personal Care Home, streets, and transit @ VCC 2024-06-06]
Agenda: Budget, sewers, Personal Care Home, streets, and transit @ VCC 2024-06-06

That budget includes a pending $67 million bond for water and sewer projects, with interest to be paid from the Water and Sewer Revenue Fund.

The agenda also includes a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a Personal Care Home, two street resurfacing projects, an amendment to the contract for the on-call transport cars, and two sewer repair projects.

Here is the agenda.

See also the preceding Planning Commission meeting.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, June 6, 2024
CITY HALL, COUNCIL CHAMBERS

  1. Opening Ceremonies
    1. Call to Order
    2. Invocation
    3. Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag
  2. Minutes Approval
    1. The Minutes from the May 9, 2024 Regular Meeting and the May 15, 2024 Special Called Meeting are forthcoming.
  3. Public Hearings
    1. Public Hearing for the Adoption of the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget. (Second Hearing)
    2. Consideration of an Ordinance for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a Family Personal Care Home in a Single-Family Residential (R-6) Zoning District as requested by Roche Kempson (File No. CU-2024-04). The property is located at 1206 West Magnolia Street. The Planning Commission reviewed this at their May 20, 2024 Regular Meeting and recommended approval subject to four conditions (5-0 Vote).
  4. Ordinances and Resolutions
    1. Consideration of a Resolution authorizing the execution of a Contract with the Georgia Department of Transportation for the Patterson Street Resurfacing and Utility Adjustments Project.
  5. Bids, Contracts, Agreements and Expenditures
    1. Consideration of bids for the resurfacing of streets in the City of Valdosta through the SPLOST VIII Funding and GDOT Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant.
    2. Consideration of a request to amend the Contract with River North Transit, LLC and extend Via On-Demand Transportation Services for the City of Valdosta.
  6. Local Funding and Requests
    1. Consideration of a request to authorize payment for an emergency bypass and sewer repairs on Pebblewood Drive.
    2. Consideration of a request to authorize payment for Phase III final billing for emergency sewer repairs at Knights Creek near the intersection of U. S. Highway 84 and Blanchard Street.
  7. Citizens to be Heard
  8. City Manager’s Report
  9. Council Comments
  10. Adjournment

-jsq

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Videos: Budget award, LMIG for Val Del Road widening, Jail addition max price, service and software agreements @ LCC Work 2024-05-28

Update 2024-06-11: Videos: Budget award, LMIG for Val Del Road widening, Jail addition max price, service and software agreements @ LCC Regular 2024-05-28.

For the 18th year, Lowndes County won a Distinguished Budget Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). That was the first item ihis morning at the Lowndes County Commission Work Session.

They vote this evening at 5:30 PM.

[Collage @ LCC Work 28 May 2024]
Collage @ LCC Work 28 May 2024

We heard some clarification about the almost $9 million dollars in jail additions. Gretchen says, “This is for the proposed new medical area at the jail. Some of the money is ARPA 2021 money.”

With the changeover from Code Red to RAVE Alert, everyone will have to sign up again, because Code Red had an option not to share personal information, which included with the county. However, Ashley Tye said the new system would provide more functionality for less price. That was the longest discussion in the meeting, at more than six minutes.

Hurricane Idalia provided incentive to look for a faster way to do damage assessment. The county is buying Crisis Track damage assessment software, which is a smartphone or table app for faster input to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA). That was the second longest discussion, at more than five minutes.

They ended with an executive session to discuss client-attorney privilege for real estate acquisition.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the agenda and board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request. Continue reading