Tag Archives: Lowndes County

Drinking, driving, and air conditioning @ LCC 2015-03-23

Is the county changing the speed limit on your road? Maybe, but they didn’t publish the list, so this is all you know:

The Georgia DOT is in the process of updating the existing Speed Zone Ordinance for Lowndes County. Attached is a copy of the updated Speed Zone Ordinance with the changes that were requested by Lowndes County. With the execution of this Ordinance, the speed limits on these roads wili be updated. A signed copy of the Ordinance will be forwarded to the Department of Public Safety for the updated radar permit for Lowndes County.

Also on the agenda are a presentation by Keep Lowndes-Valdosta Beautiful, a GEMA grant application, a proposal for engineering services for Exits 22 and 29, HVAC for county buildings, and a liquor license.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2015 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
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Report of the Historic Courthouse Committee @ LCC 2015-03-09

No education, all law enforcement: Sheriff’s Office or Public defender’s office. Either would save the county money in the long run and preserve the courthouse through use of its services (heat, light, air conditioning). Plus some points on renovating the courthouse building and grounds. Judge McLane referred to this report in his talk at the Commission Work Session 9 March 2105, in which he said it would not be possible for VSU to use the courthouse without “some pretty dramatic and we think negative” changes to the building.

In his cover letter, Judge McLane said he was not sending the actual report to the Commissioners, yet clearly they were reading it in the Work Session, because they asked questions from it. And now you, the public can see the report. LAKE did not get it from the Commission, which so far as we know has not published it. The cover letter and the report are below in full. Continue reading →

Sheriff’s office and VSU @ Courthouse 2014-06-12

The Sheriff’s office could use more space, and VSU would like a research center downtown. For context, videos of the other hearings, and the Committee’s report, see Courthouse Preservation Committee Meetings.

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More ideas on day 2 @ Courthouse 2014-06-10

When a local goverment-appointed committee actually asks the people what they want, sometimes the people speak up, this time mostly about education as a driver for the local economy, plus the Public Defender’s Office. For context, see Courthouse Preservation Committee Meetings.

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Solar panels or plants must be on new commercial roofs in France

No different than requiring proportions of parking spaces: here’s one way to push the solar deployment curve up faster and hasten the year that most of the world’s power comes from the sun.

Agence France-Press 19 March 2015, France decrees new rooftops must be covered in plants or solar panels,

Rooftops on new buildings built in commercial zones in France must either be partially covered in plants or solar panels, under a law approved on Thursday.

Green roofs have an isolating effect, helping reduce the amount of energy needed to heat a building in winter and cool it in summer. The argument for divesting from fossil fuels is becoming overwhelming Read more

They also retain rainwater, thus helping reduce problems with runoff, while favouring biodiversity and giving birds a place to nest in the urban jungle, ecologists say.

-jsq

Valdosta Wastewater presentation to Greenlaw, Save Our Suwannee, SRWMD, Hamilton Co., and WWALS 2015-03-17

Due to requests from Greenlaw in Atlanta and Save Our Suwannee in Florida, WWALS Watershed Coalition asked the City of Valdosta for a presentation on their wastewater situation. Valdosta presented less than two weeks later, and brought their entire hierarchy related to this issue, from the mayor on down. Plus Lowndes County, which isn’t even responsible for Valdosta’s wastewater, was represented by their Chairman and a Commissioner. Not all questions could be answered that quickly, but many were.

The slides are on the LAKE website and the videos are on the LAKE YouTube channel; see below. See also Valdosta’s Sanitary Sewer System Improvements web page.

At the meeting, clockwise from Tim Carroll (introducing), were: Continue reading →

Solar growth like compound interest has turned Al Gore into an optimist

Not even Al Gore saw that the continually decreasing price of solar power was causing exponential deployment growth that will win within a decade. But now he does. Since solar is going to win, building destructive and hazardous petroleum pipelines for short-term profit for a few executives and investors would be short-sighted at best. Let’s stop those pipelines, LNG export, and fracking, and plug in to sun, wind, and water power for a clean and prosperous future.

Experts predicted in 2000 that wind generated power worldwide would reach 30 gigawatts; by 2010, it was 200 gigawatts, and by last year it reached nearly 370, or more than 12 times higher. Installations of solar power would add one new gigawatt per year by 2010, predictions in 2002 stated. It turned out to be 17 times that by 2010 and 48 times that amount last year.

And you ain’t seen nothing yet: Continue reading →

Nydia Tisdale settles city council video case for $200,000

Perhaps elected and appointed officials will take note: you are public servants, and the public can record what you do. Which, if you treat the public as your allies and not your enemies, can be greatly to your advantage.

Nydia Tisdale wrote for AboutForsyth.com 17 March 2015, Nydia Tisdale settles lawsuit against Cumming Mayor Gravitt,

On the eve of trial, Citizen journalist Nydia Tisdale settled her longstanding federal lawsuit asserting the right to film public meetings for $200,000 along with a new policy that ensures future filming of Cumming City Council meetings.

And that ain’t all. Steve Visser, AJC, 17 March 2015, Steve Visser Cumming must pay blogger $200,000 for blocking filming of council, Continue reading →

ESPLOST yes way ahead

ESPLOST will win by 4 to 1. Going not very far out on a limb, with only 3 of 9 precincts reporting, but with 79+ yes to 20% no at 8:30 PM, I predict ESPLOST will win. Oops, make that 7 of 9 precincts; changed while I was writing this.

-jsq

Solarize Tybee expands to all of Chatham County

Some local communities are not waiting on Georgia Power or the Georgia legislature.

Mary Landers, Savannahnow, 4 December 2014, Tybee Island’s solar interest spreads to county,

Solarize Tybee aims to allow more home and business owners than initially anticipated to tap into its collective buying power to reduce the cost of rooftop solar installations.

A Thursday meeting about the project attracted more Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange