Tag Archives: Lowndes County

SPCA report on animal shelter: “Childish Behavior” and lack of oversight

No, not here (although the description might fit): SPCA of Erie County, New York reported on the animal shelter in neighboring Niagara County, New York. Also the parts about “horrific” animal cruelty and “excruciatingly painful” euthanasia may sound familiar.

WGRZ.com wrote today, SPCA of Niagara Report; “Childish Behavior”, Lack of Oversight,

In part of her report, Carr writes, “It’s clear that the NCSPCA is dysfunctional in many ways. Without standard operating procedures, without careful record keeping and record retrieval, without trust of one another, without a clear chain or command, with any strategies to improve, this organization will continue to disappoint and enrage the community,”

She continues, “there is an overwhelming culture of distrust at the shelter. Some staff distrust the Executive Director, the Executive Director distrusts many of the board members, many board members distrust the Executive Director and some staff and volunteers distrust some staff and staff distrusts some volunteers. Everyone seems to distrust someone associated with the SPCA. They gossip, pass on written complaints about each other to one another, try to get each other fired, go behind backs of one another to people in authority and make complaints. The evaluation team has witnessed this rather childish behavior at all levels of the organization, by board members, the Executive Director, staff members, and volunteers.”

Charlie Specht wrote for the Buffalo News yesterday, Probe details ‘horrific’ animal cruelty at Niagara SPCA: Report by Erie County counterpart details ‘excruciatingly painful’ euthanasia, Continue reading

Georgia Power doubles solar capacity in Dalton, GA

Dalton, the place that had a solar plant bigger and earlier than Valdosta’s. Did Mayor Fretti’s brag about this location being competitive go out with him? Crawford Powell is still a County Commissioner. The Industrial Authority is still supposed to be bringing in industry. The Chamber of Commerce is still supposed to be promoting jobs. If Dublin and Dalton do this, it seems like Valdosta and Lowndes County could….

Dave Williams wrote for the Atlanta Business Chronicle Thursday, Georgia Power tees up next phase of solar plant,

Georgia Power Co. will begin construction soon on a project that will double the generating capacity of the utility’s solar plant in Dalton, Ga., the company announced Thursday.

The first phase of the plant went on line last March and is operating with a capacity of 350 kilowatts.

Construction of the second phase, due to be completed in about two months, will bring the plant up to 700 kilowatts, on its way to a full capacity of 1 megawatt of electricity. One megawatt of solar photovoltaic panels produces enough energy to power about 135 homes.

Let’s see some local leadership!

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Prisons as old age homes

Planning? Prisons aren’t for planning!

David Crary wrote for AP today,

In corrections systems nationwide, officials are grappling with decisions about geriatric units, hospices and medical parole as elderly inmates – with their high rates of illness and infirmity – make up an ever increasing share of the prison population.

At a time of tight state budgets, it’s a trend posing difficult dilemmas for policymakers. They must address soaring medical costs for these older inmates and ponder whether some can be safely released before their sentences expire.

The latest available figures from 2010 show that 8 percent of the prison population — 124,400 inmates — was 55 or older, compared to 3 percent in 1995, according to a report being released Friday by Human Rights Watch. This oldest segment grew at six times the rate of the overall prison population between 1995 and 2010, the report says.

“Prisons were never designed to be geriatric facilities,” said Jamie Fellner, a Human Rights Watch special adviser who wrote the report. “Yet U.S. corrections officials now operate old age homes behind bars.”

No, they were designed to be profit centers for prison profiteers.

Look at this sob story: Continue reading

Videos of VLCIA Regular Meeting 2012 01 17

They sure did talk about Miller Business Park a lot.

Here’s the agenda.

Here’s a playlist:


Videos: Regular Session @ VLCIA 2012 01 17
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, 17 January 2012.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

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Video: Infrastructure, Westside Business Park @ VLCIA 2012 01 17

According to what Col. Ricketts said at their most recent regular meeting, apparently what VLCIA is accepting bids for today is Phase 2, not Phase 1, of Infrastructure for Westside Business Park. I still give them credit for at least posting an announcement of today’s meeting on their website.

The red rectangle indicates the area of clearing and grading for Phase 1 Infrastructure for Westside Business Park. Col. Ricketts said that had already been completed. This is all on Belleville Road near Lake Park.

They had already asked for bids for Phase 2, which is for an internal roadway, storm water and sewer, lighting, paving, etc.

They called for bids on the 24th, so the special called meeting of today (27th) is presumably to accept a final bid for Phase 2.

Here’s the video:


Video: Infrastructure, Westside Business Park @ VLCIA 2012 01 17
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, 17 January 2012.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

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Special Industrial Authority meeting today at noon

At least this time it’s on their website (under “RECENT NEWS”):
Notice of a Special Called Meeting of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority for the purpose of reviewing bids and awarding a contract for Westside Business Park Phase I Infrastructure Project on Friday, January 27, 2012, 12 Noon at the Authority offices, 2110 N. Patterson St. 229-259-9972.
That’s not a link in the middle; they underlined the date and time. Soon, maybe they will discover italics!

Here’s a picture from when they discussed this item at their most recent regular meeting:

Update 12:20 PM 2012 01 27: And here is video of Col. Ricketts at that 17th January 2012 Regular Session, saying Phase 1 had already been completed and they had asked for bids for Phase 2. So Phase 2 is presumably what they’re accepting bids for right now. I still give them credit for posting a notice of today’s special called meeting on their website. -jsq

Westside Business Park Phase 1 Infrastructure (Clear/Grading)
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, 17 January 2012.
Picture by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

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Videos of last night’s Lowndes County Commission Regular Session @ LCC 2012 01 24

Yesterday’s Lowndes County Commission Regular Session didn’t last long. Here’s the agenda.

Here’s a playlist:


Videos of last night’s Lowndes County Commission Regular Session @ LCC 2012 01 24
Regular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 24 January 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

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Commission had not seen Moody AFB gate contract with Scruggs before Work Session @ LCC 2012 01 23

We still don’t know what the county is going to do about that cost overrun for the Moody AFB gate. Nobody said at the work session yesterday morning; maybe they’ll say at the regular session tonight when they vote on a contract with some sort of revised dollar figures in it.

County Manager Mike Fletcher waved around a copy of the revised contract with Scruggs Company for the new Moody AFB gate, but said he had not provided it to the Commissioners. I wonder if they’ll see it before they vote tonight? He said it was 226 pages long, but most of that was DOT boilerplate, and only something like 20 pages was the actual county contract. Seems like they could read that much by tonight.

So could we, the public, if it was somewhere we could see it.

He also didn’t say what happened to the $128,497.05 cost overrun. The Commissioners asked no questions.

Here’s the video:


Commission had not seen Moody AFB gate contract with Scruggs before Work Session @ LCC 2012 01 23
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 January 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

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Videos of this morning’s LCC Work Session, 2012 Jan 23

OK, the new camera and video conversion software are sorted out, so here are videos of this morning’s work session on the same day. Here’s agenda. More about specific items later, but meanwhile feel free to view ahead and post your comments on what went on.

And remember: they vote tomorrow evening!

Here’s a playlist:


Videos of this morning’s LCC Work Session, 2012 Jan 23
Work Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 23 January 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

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Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks & Recreation Authority (VLCPRA) 2012 Jan 19

Here are videos of the entire January monthly meeting of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks & Recreation Authority (VLCPRA).

Here’s a playlist:


Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks & Recreation Authority (VLCPRA) 2012 Jan 19
Regular Session, Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks & Recreation Authority (VLCPRA),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 19 January 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

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