Tag Archives: Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange

Calles again, Val North PD Water Sewer, Habitat CDBG, Sewage Valves, Stone Creek Antenna, Sheriff, Alcohol @ LCC 2017-03-13

The county apparently doesn’t want its Peterson Road Isolation Valves leaking like Valdosta’s famous January 2017 WWTP failure. Two other water cases are on the agenda for this morning’s 8:30 AM Work Session, both rezonings: REZ-2017-02 Calles, Alexandria St, R-10 and CON to R-A and CON, Well and Septic, ~13 acres back again (Planning Commission still doesn’t like it; staff maybe), a new one, REZ-2017-03 Val North Dr, Stewart Circle, PD Amendment and Conditions Removal, Water & Sewer, ~9 acres.

Parcel 0167 098A
Parcel 0167 098A

The “Conflict of interest certification, resolution, and authorization” under FY 2017 CDBG Grant, Valdosta- Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity actually means no conflict of interest, according to the agenda sheet, which also notes “Lowndes County is currently on course to apply for $750,000.00 in CDBG funds from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) for a new public facility for the Valdosta-Lowndes County Habitat for Humanity.” Well, they’re not on course until they stop feuding with the local cities about tax revenue allocation, because they can’t apply for any state or federal grants until that is resolved.

Two safety items: Stone Creek Antenna Space License Agreement and Sheriff's Office Vehicle Lease Agreement.

And no County Commission meeting is complete without alcohol: Beer & Wine License – Rajendrakumar N. Patel of Bhumi Corporation – 6685 Bemiss Rd., Valdosta, GA. I don’t recall they’ve ever denied one of those, so I don’t know why they don’t just make an ordinance that permitting staff can approve them.

Here’s the agenda. Gretchen is there with the LAKE camera. Will the meeting take more than the three minutes last time?

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, March 13, 2017, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, March 14, 2017, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

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Deputy Butler, Jacobs Ladder road paving, and seven minutes on the agenda @ LCC 2017-02-28

Front camera They started with some words about Deputy Chris Butler and a moment of silence (see VDT Obituary. Then they plowed through agenda. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall did introduce a little levity by asking if the drug testing for the MIDS bus service was just for the drivers. Answer: yes.

On the dozen Sheriff pursuit vehicles bid, Commissioner Marshall also noted that a few years ago (they voted 25 March 2014 there was a similar bid of Cass Burch vs. Langdale Ford for which they had additional testimony. The excuse for picking Cass Burch even though once again not the low bid was that it was that the Burch price was still less than the state contract price, and maintenance would cost less. It’s refreshing to see them actually discussing bids. It’s curious they only ever seem to choose a bid that is not the lowest when it’s from Cass Burch.

The County Manager had no additional report to his no report of the previous morning.

There was one citizen wishing to be heard: Leslie Jacobs of Jacobs Ladder on 5866 Bradford Road North, in Continue reading →

Brief agenda plus Water @ VCC 2016-03-09

No water on the agenda, but there’s a WWALS event for those who want to speak about water issues.

AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, March 9, 2017
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

Valdosta City Council

  1. Opening Ceremonies Continue reading →

How much solar power could Sabal Trail’s $3.2 billion buy?

The same money would buy a lot more electricity through solar power than that fracked methane pipeline could generate.

Update 2 March 2017: Added tables; fixed some typos.


Ramez Naam, his blog, 21 September 2016, New Record Low Solar Price in Abu Dhabi — Costs Plunging Faster Than Expected

Start with Sabal Trail’s numbers

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Calles back again for Alexandria Street + another County + 2 Valdosta @ GLPC 2017-01-27 2017-02-27

Back again, Wilmer Calles on behalf of Rosa Calle still wants to go “backwards” to agricultural zoning and the neighbors don’t like it, on the agenda for tonight’s Greater Lowndes Planning Commission, after a split recommendation for tabling by GLPC a month ago, indication of many objections at the County Commission Work Session two weeks ago, and being tabled the next day at the County Commission Regular Session. Plus another county rezoning and two in Valdosta tonight.

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, February 27, 2017 * 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing

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Videos: Three minute Work Session @ LCC 2017-02-27

Why do they bother having Work Sessions at all, if they’re not going to discuss anything? Chairman Bill Slaughter, who at the recent planning session said, “Lowndes County is as transparent as we could possibly be,” was absent. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall, who argued at the planning session for moving the Work Session to a time when citizens are not working, also was not at the Work Session as usual, I hear because he works during the day. I don’t know why Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker was not there. Other than Vice-Chair Joyce Evans, who didn’t read the agenda item numbers, only Commissioners Scottie Orenstein and Clay Griner were there this morning. They asked no questions, as Griner had said at the planning meeting there was no need to, because staff supplied them with everything they needed to know.

To her credit, Joyce Evans asked the only question, whether the Rural Transportation Drug and Alcohol Testing Program was new (It’s not new, answered County Engineer Mike Fletcher.)

The only two citizens there were Gretchen Quarterman and Jody Hall, each of whom had hour-long round-trips to attend this three-minute non-meeting.

The Valdosta Daily Times reporter arrived after the meeting was adjourned. He at least got the packet provided at each meeting to the “Legal Organ”. You, the citizens and taxpayers did not get that courtesy from the county.

You can see for yourself the lack of information in the links below to each of the LAKE videos, followed by a LAKE video playlist. I didn’t bother with notes on the items this time. See also the agenda, which I spent more time posting than they did holding the meeting. Continue reading →

Videos: Annual Planning Meeting Day 2 @ LCC 2017-02-17

We learned why Lowndes County has gotten religion about Internet access and speed: Moody AFB wants it.

Commissioner Scottie Orenstein made the case for board packets and agendas in electronic form instead of the paper packets they currently use. Maybe they’ll even reveal them to the public before their meetings, like real MSAs do. Meanwhile, Community Engagement means marketing, as in telling people what the county did, not listening to the citizens.

They talked about interconnecting (almost) all of the county’s water systems, about routes to get trucks out of downtown Valdosta. The water-sewer ordinance is in ten or twelve pieces, and the county is all for expanding water and sewer throughout the county as long as it doesn’t cost developers money.

There’s a regional T-SPLOST meeting in Waycross by SGRC Feb 28 2017, but Lowndes commissioners and staff said nothing Continue reading →

CSX road closure and bridge + dozen sheriff vehicles @ LCC 2017-02-27

Back on the agenda this morning, the Old Quitman Road Bridge replacement over the CSX RR has been discussed since at least 2011 when it was on the T-SPLOST list, and in September 2016 it came up for discussion again, and the Commission approved surveying and engineering. Last month they discussed the plans, drawings, etc., and approved those. See this playlist of LAKE videos of this item in previous meetings.

This morning’s item for voting tomorrow evening is Continue reading →

U.S. electric power source projections: solar still most by 2023

According to FERC’s own figures from 2012 and 2016, my solar projections from 2013 (and former FERC Chair Jon Wellinghoff’s) were pretty good, and more U.S. electricity will still come from solar power by 2023. LAKE Solar Table 2017 Since coal and nuclear are already crashing, and natural gas isn’t increasing even as fast as formerly projected, solar could win even faster.

I constructed table below from the 2012 and 2016 summaries of total U.S. electric power generation from all sources, by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Look at the 2012 column: only coal and natural gas generated more than 25% of total U.S. electricity.

But in 2016 it’s only natural gas, because coal’s growth rate actually turned negative: utilities are shutting down coal plants, not building them. Back in 2013 I did not predict that to happen so quickly.

Now look at the growth rates, both Continue reading →

Videos: Annual Planning Meeting Day 1 @ LCC 2017-02-16

Two newly-elected officials spoke at the Thursday session: new Tax Commissioner Rodney Cain who was full of praise for his staff, and new-old Sheriff Ashley Paulk, who said he had more important things to do than to go get undocumented workers out of the fields. “I tell ICE come show me a warrant.” Here are LAKE videos of that day, and stay tuned for Day 2!

Total 2016 revenue was Continue reading →